Free Agent: Gotham City Impostors

GameSpy's Free Agent is your advance recon into the world of free-to-play games. His mission: jump into a free game every week and put in some gaming hours to see how much fun can be had without spending a cent, then try out some paid items to see if they're worth the asking price. This week he dons a towel cape and stocking-cap cowl to take on wannabe Batmen and Jokers in Gotham City Impostors.


No Money Down

I like my Batman like I like my coffee: dark. Hell, I even think Robin is a travesty -- the campy tone of a Boy Wonder just clashes with a borderline sociopath vigilante. So a game about a bunch of wannabe Bats and Jokerz dressed up in ridiculous, cartoonish costumes and doing battle in an over-the-top shooter had me somewhat skeptical to begin with, and our two-star review of the original paid version did nothing to assuage my cynicism. I admit it, I wasn't expecting much from Gotham City Imposters. Then I actually played it.


Hm... not bad. Immediately, I was surprised to discover how good it looks. The character models are a happy medium of cartoonish and realistic, and the level of detail that goes into the costumes of the goofy vigilantes and Joker worshipers -- from the cardboard box cut and colored into a Batman cowl to the colorful clown face paint -- is impressive.

The tutorial quickly taught me what sets Gotham City Impostors apart from the Team Fortress 2s and other cartoonish shooters: gadgets. Hand-cranked grappling guns, cape gliders, roller skates, jet packs, jump shoes, and more are what GCI gameplay is all about. Based on the gadget you outfit your player with, you're basically determining your role in combat. Will you aggressively attack from above with a glider or jet pack, coast through the allies and streets on roller skates with sword in hand for hit-and-run melee attacks, or mix up the ground and vertical combat with a pair of jump shoes?


I loved flying through the tutorial with the glider cape, and it was among the pre-set loadouts I selected for my first round of team death match (there are spins on Domination, Kill Confirmed, and Capture the Flag as well). Thankfully, Monolith has done away with Games for Windows Live (one of our biggest points of contention in the original version) for its matchmaking, and I was quickly and easily able to jump into battle. The level designers wisely encourage use of gadgets by placing jumps for roller-skaters and air vents to boost gliders all over the place, and I had a blast flying over Gotham's streets and dive bombing foes.

While all the gadgets add a great element to gameplay, the actual shooting sadly detracts from it. All of the guns, from basic handguns to assault rifles to grenade launchers, lack the weight and oomph that can make digital shooting so satisfying. There is little to no recoil either, so you can feel free to pull the trigger for as long or fast as you like without being punished with poor accuracy. Gotham City Imposters may be about creating your own crazy costume and using wacky homemade gadgets, but it is still a shooter at its core, and for the actual shooting to be so weak is a big letdown.

After my first match, I was surprised to find I'd already climbed to level 3 and earned 18 costume coins. I felt it was a nice bounty for my first performance, and the speedy reward progress continued. After an hour and a half of play, I'd already hit level 12 and had more than 150 costume coins to spend in the shop, as well as a handful of unlock keys for new weapons and modifications.


As detailed in our review of the original $15 game, Gotham City Imposters felt like it was made to be a free-to-play game, so that probably made it easier for Monolith to do such a fine job with the conversion. I never felt like I had to spend any money to compete, and I was amply rewarded for my investment of time with XP, unlocks, and in-game coin. I especially appreciate how Monolith allowed me to sample all weapons, gadgets, and support items by offering a number of preset loadouts. Creating my own custom loadout meant unlocking and/or purchasing those weapons and items myself -- but I felt just fine sticking with the presets while I earned the XP and coin required to build my own.

Insert Coin

If the preset loadouts and speedy XP and costume-coin gain aren't to your liking, well, you'll probably never enjoy a free-to-play game. Money offers another solution -- you can unlock absolutely everything Gotham City Impostors has to offer for $30 via the Ultimate Impostor Kit. There are also $20 and $10 kits available, offering bundles of weapons, gadgets, costumes, and more, or you can go piecemeal, picking up individual costumes for $5 or even a permanent 50% XP boost for $5.


It's a great option for those of us who demand a "full experience" rather than buying piecemeal, but I just don't see the need for it. While some of Gotham City Impostors' many costume pieces -- there are various cowls (hair for Jokerz), logos (face paint), capes (flair), torso, hands, legs, and feet items -- are strictly real-money purchases, only cosmetic items are locked behind paid doors. This is free-to-play at its finest: if you enjoy the experience Monolith offers, then you can choose to support it.

Free or Flee?

Free! Without the $15 entry fee, the frustrating matchmaking muck-up known as Games for Windows Live, or any free-to-try or pay-to-win traps, Gotham City Impostors shines as a free-to-play shooter. The shooting itself is strictly toy gun, but the glorious gadgets do a nice job of at least partially covering up the deficiency.

Gotham City Impostors works, even for this hardcore Batman fan. Makes me think it might even be time to revisit my opinion about Robin. Okay, revisited. He's still lame.