The first two Batman games were nothing short of amazing. I was definitely buying Arkham Origins, regardless of the things I was hearing and reading about it. I'll admit that my expectations were lowered due to the fact that a different group made the game. However, might I be so bold as to say this is the best Batman game I've ever played? Lets find out.
Combat - It's pretty much the same combat system as before, which will always be a good thing in my book. Some have argued the combat feels a bit 'stiff', but I didn't notice that. The only difference that kind of stood out is the difficulty of some of the fights. I really looked forward to fighting huge groups of enemies in Arkham Asylum and Arkham City because it became easy once I got the hang of things. Arkham Origins' fights are lengthy and difficult, and at times feel like a total button masher. I'll explain what I mean: I've played more than my fair share of action games on the PS3. There's only been two games that caused me to experience forearm fatigue because of the button mashing fighting. Those games are Heavenly Sword (demo version) and now Arkham Origins. This is a prequel, so perhaps the fighting is difficult because they're wanting to emphasize that Batman is early on in his career, I don't know. At any rate, it gets a little easier when you acquire a certain gadget that I'll discuss in the next paragraph.
Weaponry - If you've played any of the previous Batman games, you'll know he mainly uses gadgets as opposed to weapons, and that trend continues. The usual gadgets are present, so I'll focus on the new additions. We all know about the remote controlled batarangs; well now there's a remote controlled batclaw! Awesome, right? It doesn't really directly affect combat, I mainly used it to connect to far away grapple points. The concussion detonator actually does affect combat. It'll cause enemies to be momentarily dazed, giving you the chance to move in and put in work! The glue grenade is used to shut off those ever so annoying steam valves (or you can use the grenades on enemies too). Now to my favorite addition - The shock gloves!!! Here's how they work: You build up the battery by pounding on bad guys. Once fully charged, each melee strike will be accompanied by an electric shock. This made the tougher combat more enjoyable and a little easier :-)
Enemies - I noticed a few new enemy types sprinkled here and there. The ones that stood out were the ninjas, the dudes with the venom filled canisters on their backs, and the brutes. The ninjas were different because you'll have to plan your strikes against them, as opposed to straight button mashing. I've been hearing a lot of negative things about the boss battles, and I don't understand why. In my opinion, each one was a little different and required some technique. Ok, the first one was a button mashing affair, but the others really weren't. You probably recall me saying I've played several PS3 action type games. Well, the final boss battle is the most terrifying boss battle I've ever encountered! I'm tempted to explain why, but I can't do so without giving spoilers. Some people are smart enough to give details without spoiling the game, but I'm sure in the hell not...
Miscellaneous - Don't worry guys and gals, there's plenty of sidemissons with some pretty cool enemy encounters. You will not see the usual Riddler puzzles (thank God), but there are still collectables around town. Also, you'll get an opportunity to solve crimes, similar to how it's done in LA Noir, if you're familiar with that game. If you're into multiplayer, that feature is available in a Batman game for the first time. Arkham Origins didn't feel quite as long as the others, but it took me about 28 hours to complete (that includes the sidemissions and me screwing around in the city).
The only negative thing about the game is very minor, but I still thought I'd mention it. The graphics are not as good as the previous two games, but that's not a big deal to me. After finishing Arkham Origins, I felt it was the best Batman game I've ever played. I had tons of fun, and was constantly looking forward to what might happen next. I'll be honest, if you play this game and you don't think it's at least 4 stars, I'll be shocked. Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus, you're up next!
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An average Batman game that you can skip over.
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2015
*sigh* I'm a bit disappointed with the overall presentation of the game itself. For the most it has an upgraded combat style that the previous games had, yet it was inconsistent with its own continuity when they made this as a prequel to the Arkham games.1) The story is a big build off to an empty climax that went 0 to 60 & someone decided to use the emergency brake halfway there in order to end the game. I honestly thought a bit better from WB Games, but I can't be bothered. Don't play this game without playing the others, in fact don't play this at all if you didn't like what you read at the beginning of this bullet point.2) I didn't find as many problems as people reported, mostly due to having the lastest updates installed. However, I did find some frame drops (lag), some freezes in random points in the game & a weird, yet funny animation quirk when knocking out a thug.3) The multiplayer has aspects of the Assassin's Creed & Uncharted one which really baffles me in a way. I stopped playing it after realizing that & that some unfair balancing issues will make you play with unfair & overpowered opponents.In conclusion, don't get this if you want to start out the Arkham games, if you want a better experience check Arkham Asylum & then City. You really don't need to play this game unless you want to see a ruthless Batman otherwise leave this game for another day.
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2015
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