Should I start with Arkham City or Arkham Asylum?

[Paul1231]

I want to try one of the new Batman games, especially because I can get them pretty cheap for my Wii U. Am I missing anything by jumping straight to Arkham City, which Dave says is better and addresses some of the issues of its predecessor, Arkham Asylum? Or is there a story arc that I need to consider here?

[ActRaiser1]

Arkham City is fine.

There is a slight overlap but as a whole if you don't play the original you won't be missing out on anything.  Both games are great.  I felt Arkham Asylum was a darker game but that's probably because you're much more confined.  

To catch you up to speed, story wise, check out the wiki here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_Arkham_Asylum

[Paul1231]

Beautiful! Thanks!

[NAC1]

Batman: Arkham City is one of my all-time favorites! There's a lot to do in the game, the combat system is excellent, the atmosphere is outstanding, the batman villains are numerous, the gadgets are fun to use, and I could go on. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did Paul123.

I know that Batman Arkham City is on the Wii U, but I didn't know that Batman Arkham Asylum was on the Wii U as well.

[velcrozombie1]

Why not play both, with Asylum first?

Arkham City is a fine game, but personally I don't know if it's necessarily the better one . It's
from the blockbuster school of sequel-making - bigger, better, faster, more of everything! - but
it doesn't have the sense of mood, atmosphere or pacing that the original game does, and it's
a bit dumber in both story and gameplay (at least in the sense that there's more hand-holding).
Those complaints are absorbed somewhat by the sheer amount of stuff to do and see, and the
boss battles are certainly more varied and numerous. The games are structured very differently,
with Asylum being closer to a Metroidvania or a modern Zelda game and City being an open-world
game; I prefer the former, but your mileage may vary. Also, Batman is kind of a jerk in the second
game; while this is certainly justifiable in light of the situation, it grated on me after a while.

To sum it up, Asylum is a delicious slice of cake that satisfies you, even if you wish there was some
more; City is an entire cake, but with some icing stuck to the top of the box. It seems obvious which
is better at first, but then you get to your fourth slice of City and your tummy starts grumbling
in protest...