Once you get past the head-scratching absurdity of a first-person shooter inspired by a character who loathes guns, playing Gotham City Impostors is an insanely silly amount of fun. A Batman game without Batman, it pits a team of gun-toting, Dark Knight–obsessed vigilantes (the Bats) against a gang of well-armed clown-faced criminals (the Jokerz) in iconic Gotham settings. Make no mistake: these aren’t sanctioned members of the Bat-family. Both side’s combatants are average schmoes dressed up in hand-made costumes with hubcap armor, goofy gadgets, and a shockingly high threshold for personal embarrassment.

What could have been a one-note gag benefits from developer Monolith’s shooter expertise. Despite the game’s intended laughs, the gameplay is no joke — the action is inventive, fast-paced, and will keep you hooked on leveling up your character to unlock new upgrades and abilities. You can choose a pre-set loadout (such as Scout, Healer, Defender, and so on) or cultivate your own unique loadouts with weapons that range from conventional (standard-issue rifles, shotguns, machine guns, and more) to fanciful slingshots and freeze rays.

The game boasts just three multiplayer modes — team deathmatch, Fumigation (think Domination with deadly gas), and Psych Warfare (capturing propaganda machines that demoralize the opposing team) — but there’s a gauntlet of solo challenges that let you accumulate experience offline and hone your skills with the game’s crazy gadgets, including a grapple gun, springy shoes, and glider wings.

Irreverent yet addictively engaging, Gotham City Impostors may not be the shooter you expected, but it’s definitely the one you deserve.

PUBLISHER: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment  •  DEVELOPER: Monolith Productions  •  ESRB: Teen  •  MULTIPLAYER: 12 on Xbox Live  •  ACHIEVEMENTS: Grueling  •  COST: 1,200 Microsoft Points ($15)

On Xbox 360

+ Goofy setting + Solid team shooter = Winning formula.

+ 1,000 levels of advancement keeps you playing; first DLC pack (which adds a sixth map to the five included with the game) will be free.

– Could use more multiplayer modes.

? Is Batman asleep in his cave while all this is going on?

8.5