Batman: Arkham Origins

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Well, they did manage to break the PC version as there are some showstopping bugs that may prevent me from playing at all until they patch it.  The game won't progress beyond a certain point and the mutiplayer mode freezes whenever I try to start a game, plus the game keeps losing the progress of anyone who does manage to play it.  So yeah rather cranky about it being so buggy as to be unplayable in certain ways.  Have not heard the same complaints on other platforms, so maybe PC's don't rule after all.

[Tomato]

So after arguing with myself for several hours, trying to take my mind off of it with pokemon and various youtube videos, I finally caved and watched a playthrough of the first level and boss fight.

Spoiler

I'm gonna be honest, I went into some hardcore fanboy squee territory when I heard Robert Costanzo's voice make a snarky comment to Gordon at the end of the level. Video link here jic anyone missed it.

[Silver Shocker]

Did any of you get to the second act yet? It was crazy when Tim Drake killed the Joker!!!

Personally my favorite part was where Bat-mite showed up an hour in, and changed the entire game into a Akham style Brave and the Bold videogame, complete with a perfectly cast Diedrich Bader! How wacky and original!

Spoiler

So that really was supposed to be Harvey Bullock? That's awesome!

So I just started playing the portable game, Arkham Origins: Blackgate, on my Playstation Vita. I'm happy to say it's a pretty good game. It plays very similar to the other games in the series, just in a 2.D plane. It's most similar to Arkham Asylum, with the game taking place entirely in a large building with multiple wings and corridors (like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and it's ilk). The hacking minigame is done a little differently and you have the option of using the system's gyroscope for it. The predator sections are included and are handled fairly well. Detective Mode's scanning mechanic is very similar to Metroid Prime (which the developers of Blackgate worked on in the past). You can choose to explore the different subsections of the prison in whatever order you want, and supposedly you get different endings based on this. So far the one gripe I have with is the story. It's fairly light. Basically just some banter between the characters and objectives to point you in the right direction. The opening sequence, for example, is incredibly low key compared to the console games. Continuity from the console game (which it takes place after) is kept to a bare minimum so far (the creators said that the game won't spoil the storyline) but characters who appear in Origins as well as the first two Arkham games appear here. Also if you have Blackgate on Vita and Origins on Ps3 you can unlock a Beware the Batman skin!

[laughing paradox]

I've been playing the game yesterday and I like it. It's a lot like Arkham City, which I expected, but I actually prefer the storyline to Origins more.

I've only fought a few foes so far, but it seems like I have a lot of things to do. I loved fighting Electrocutioner!

[Shogunn2517]

Okay so I've been playing this game pretty much since Thursday night/Friday morning and in my opinion, despite some game design gripes, not only is this my favorite Arkham game, but it might be my favorite free roam games and video games period.

So to talk about some of the complaints I've heard, they've been mentioned, there are some bugs.  I've come across some pretty epic ones.  All I've done is just restart from the last checkpoint the two or three times it happened.  It never killed my enjoyment a bit.  But a lot of games have glitches.  Some ALOT worse than others(looking dead at you Fight Night Champion).  Other complaints I heard most from the review community, that this is too repetitive and too much like Arkham City.  I completely disagree.  Not only can you say other sequels like Call of Duty is like every other Call of Duty games.  Skyrim ain't that much of a departure from Oblivion.  More than 3 GTA games use the exact same map as other GTA games, but was GTA 5 or GTA 4 repetitive when all people did is just go around steal cars and beat up hookers?  No because the game was much more than that.

Just the same, Arkham Origins is not some knock off or expansion of Arkham City.  First of all it needs to be said, the story for AO is much better and sensible than AC.  I am still not sure who the main villain of AC is.  Or why in the world it would make sense to make half your city a prison.  AO's storyline sounds MORE like a Batman story that I'd read in the comics or saw on TAS.  Eight assassins hired to kill Batman.  Sounds great.  The acting was great.  The two they had for Joker and Batman were as convincing as the originals.  Even the music/score was noticable and a good touch.

As far as the gameplay goes, as enjoyable as any other Arkham game, but its been stepped up.  Not only are there more enemy types like martial artist, armored enforcers and venom users, but there are more ways to fight with gadgets like shock gloves and remote grapple.  Outside of the story, which is good, the side missions and add ons keep you playing.  You have actual super villains you fight outside of the story.  There are random crimes Batman can encounter.  And finally crime scenes and detective work for (shockingly) THE WORLD'S GREATEST DETECTIVE.  All of these make me FEEL like I'm actually Batman.   They also added a multiplayer, which isn't some cheap gimmie.  It's pretty inventive.  It's multiplayer fit for Batman.

The look of the game is wonderful.  People complain that Gotham City is unpopulated.  Well it's midnight during a snow storm and a prison breakout with a curfew, so it make sense.  Gotham City looks good and detailed.  I like visiting familiar locations like the courthouse, the mall and Crime Alley.  The details are nice, like work and cleaning schedules, flyers for New Years parties and even the Batsuit, though it looks too much like Iron Man than Batman, it looks close to TDK and TDKR something I and a lot of fans want to see.  Oh and did I mention THE BATCAVE!  Right now, I've finished the story and now I'm going after the Riddler/Enigma trophies which are every bit of a challenge and don't seem as random and frivolous as AC was.  The Boss Battles were fun, Deathstroke was intense.  Speaking of which, I'm glad they are seeminly pulling from the overall DC universe, which is a nice touch. 

My complaints are rather minor.  Wish they had more playable characters.  AC had two out the box and two more not long after.  Here you might be able to use Deathstroke if you buy him.  I know Robin is in the multiplyer but not like he was in AC.  Also, a few of the boss battles, not mentioning her name, was waaaaaaay more easier than it should have been.  But by far my BIGGEST complaint, which almost made me trade the game in was no flashing of BAM, WHOP and ZOINK when you wear the 1960s costume.(kidding)(kinda).

Overall, this is the game I wanted when I first got a super hero free roam experience back with Spider Man 2.  Crimes, villain specific thugs, a FULL Gotham City with a BATCAVE, and the kind of stuff that make you feel like Batman. 

I'm really enjoying this game and highly recommend to anyone who is a Batman fan, fan of the series or gamers that just want to beat up bad guys.

[BentonGrey]

That's very interesting Shogunn.  You've given me something to think about.  I really wish they had costumes that you could just unlock with a code these days.    I have no problem paying for more adventures or levels, but putting my hero in a design I like shouldn't cost me more money.

[bat1987]

Ok, managed to play this for couple of hours. Some things I liked a lot.

-Maybe its a small thing for some but its something I love. The way Batman moves during combat is much rougher than AA and AC which makes sense since its in his early carrier. Batman is constantly in fighting stance during combat, you cannot stand still like before. Makes so much sense that Bats here is not as confident as in previous 2 entries. Love it!
-Boss fights are very direct. Really liked the one with Deathstroke.
-Can't comment fully on the story since I haven't finished the game yet, but me likes it a lot. There is one small moment in the game that was really touching

Spoiler

In the middle of free roaming and running the missions, Alfred talks to you via headset and says "Its midnight, sir. I wanted to wish you a merry christmas" and Batman says "you too" and continues what he does.

Some things I didn't like.

-There are quite a few bugs, some pretty big ones. PC version only has a massive bug where you can only get one of the enigma boxes using a glitch since its not obtainable by normal means.
-I do like Arkham games and will continue buying them, but if I'm being honest the game feels a lot like Arkham City 2.0. Not a bad thing, but I wish they didn't play it this safe. Its not as bas as CoD games. But it doesn't improve upon AC as much as AC expanded the AA formula.
-Shock gloves are a bit overpowered IMO.
-One story moment I was not a fan of

Spoiler

Revelation that Joker is the big bad behind the whole thing and is posing as Black Mask

Overall, if u liked AA and AC, u will like AO too. It deffinitely gets a recommendation. I like it better than AA but not as much as I liked AC.

I have no problem paying for more adventures or levels, but putting my hero in a design I like shouldn't cost me more money.

Depending on which costume you want some of them are unlockable
http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2013/10/28/how-to-unlock-all-batman-arkham-origins-costumes.htm

[Tomato]

That's very interesting Shogunn.  You've given me something to think about.  I really wish they had costumes that you could just unlock with a code these days.    I have no problem paying for more adventures or levels, but putting my hero in a design I like shouldn't cost me more money.

While several of the costumes are DLC only, a majority seem to be unlocked by completing aspects of the game (TDK, for instance, is unlocked by mastering combat, predator, crime scene investigations, and movement). Anything that's pre-order will be available later, and most of those I'm sure will be coupled with additional levels.

I'm about 54% done with story mode, and I agree with Shogun... this game is FAR stronger overall than AC, the world is twice as big (AC ended up being just a touch cramped) and the story is faaaar better. Any complaints about the game being too similar are asenine, because the gameplay was well done already, and the tweeks they've made (such as the detective mode) really bring that out. I was iffy about the new designs for Batman and Joker, but both look much better ingame and I'm even thinking of buying the Joker figure despite my love for the AA design.

[Shogunn2517]

Ok, managed to play this for couple of hours. Some things I liked a lot.

-Maybe its a small thing for some but its something I love. The way Batman moves during combat is much rougher than AA and AC which makes sense since its in his early carrier. Batman is constantly in fighting stance during combat, you cannot stand still like before. Makes so much sense that Bats here is not as confident as in previous 2 entries. Love it!
-Boss fights are very direct. Really liked the one with Deathstroke.
-Can't comment fully on the story since I haven't finished the game yet, but me likes it a lot. There is one small moment in the game that was really touching

Spoiler

In the middle of free roaming and running the missions, Alfred talks to you via headset and says "Its midnight, sir. I wanted to wish you a merry christmas" and Batman says "you too" and continues what he does.

Some things I didn't like.

-There are quite a few bugs, some pretty big ones. PC version only has a massive bug where you can only get one of the enigma boxes using a glitch since its not obtainable by normal means.
-I do like Arkham games and will continue buying them, but if I'm being honest the game feels a lot like Arkham City 2.0. Not a bad thing, but I wish they didn't play it this safe. Its not as bas as CoD games. But it doesn't improve upon AC as much as AC expanded the AA formula.
-Shock gloves are a bit overpowered IMO.
-One story moment I was not a fan of

Spoiler

Revelation that Joker is the big bad behind the whole thing and is posing as Black Mask

Overall, if u liked AA and AC, u will like AO too. It deffinitely gets a recommendation. I like it better than AA but not as much as I liked AC.

I have no problem paying for more adventures or levels, but putting my hero in a design I like shouldn't cost me more money.

Depending on which costume you want some of them are unlockable
http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2013/10/28/how-to-unlock-all-batman-arkham-origins-costumes.htm

Bats,

Not sure how far you've gotten in the story, but like I said, the writing AND acting are solid and actually pretty moving, if I may say so.

But I do disagree about the AC2.0.  It's much more.  AC didn't have the kind of detective work that AO has.  AC was cut off in a weird prison city.  AC didn't have a Batcave.  It just seems a lot more expansive in every way.  As far as the Shock Gloves go, I see them very much like Batman's electric knuckler he used throughout the Justice League.  However they still come with certain strategies.  You don't HAVE to use them, but you still have to turn them on and risk getting hit or losing your combo.  But they don't even make him stronger, it just ables him to hit special weapons and enemies.

[BentonGrey]

Yeah, you can unlock the costume you want by playing most of the way through the game with one you don't really care for.  Bah.  I always liked games like MUA where I could just enter a code and BAM, classic costumes for everyone for the entire game!

[Talavar]

It's a great game, but even the Xbox 360 version has some show-stopping bugs.  I had to restart from about halfway through after my Batman fell out of a level into endless grey space, and the auto-save saved there.

[Tomato]

sounds like a glitch I had in Arkham City... was going for the riddler dive thing, accidentally went straight through the world... got my 25 meters pretty quick that way.

I beat the game earlier today (I've got some cleanup, like the escaped inmates thing, but I beat the main sidequest so I'm in no rush for that busiwork) and I'm making my way through Blackgate now... I'm with Shogun for the most part, the game is far more than AC 2.0 (The Firefly Boss fight alone is FAR more epic than anything in AC). You can tell portions of it were very rushed, and it is far buggier game than AC (though not nearly as bad as some of the Spiderman games have been), but if you're in it purely for the story, this game blows the previous games out of the water.

[bat1987]

But they don't even make him stronger, it just ables him to hit special weapons and enemies.

Which is one of the strongest aspects of Arkham games combat, using different tactics for different opponents. Shock gloves are basically "Hulk SMASH" mode. They are cool to use and he has used them in comics and other media but I find them to be overpowered, that's all

Won't be able to play for some time due to rl but one thing I can say for sure, I do prefer the story and boss fights here compared to AA and AC. Boss fights were one of the weakest aspects of AA, they improved it in AC, but this game takes it to the next level.

Oh and the segment

Spoiler

where you play as The Joker was phenomenal

I might be in minority here, but I like that they force you to play with the default suit on your first playthrough. Because the suit as in previous games gets damaged over time, and at the end you can really tell that he went through hell. Some of the classic suits look way out of place too.

[Talavar]

Re: the damaged suit look - by the end of the night, I don't think my cape should have been capable of gliding any more.  It was basically a set of ribbons worn from Batman's shoulders.

[Epimethee]

For those who missed the first two games, they're available this week on Steam via the Humble Bundle, along with LOTR, FEAR 2 & 3 and Scribblenaut. You set the price!

https://www.humblebundle.com/

[Podmark]

So this is way overdue, but I've finished Arkham Origins, and I'm happy to say it is another great Batman game!
To be honest I think it was actually my least favorite of the three. The games go in chronological order with Asylum being my favorite, then City, then Origins. AA just felt very focused, and AC's story engaged me more. But really this is all a matter of degrees, these are all amazing games.

More specific details:

Spoiler

The biggest improvement to this game to me was the boss fights, easily the best in the series. The fights with Bane really stood out for me. They just felt so brutal, I really wondered how Batman was getting back up.

The leadup to the Copperhead fight was really creepy, I really enjoyed that.

Ko'ing Electrocutioner in one hit made burst into laughter.

The other nice addition was the new detective sequences. Made you feel even more like Batman. For the future I'd like to see them be less straight forward, more player directed. Maybe something like LA Noire.

Shock gauntlets were so vey fun...and so very overpowered. Basically click in sticks to curb stomp.

I found the Joker sequence when he was first captured very jarring. It was like for 60% of this game it was all about Batman and then all of a sudden let's do some serious focus on the Joker. It was a odd choice the way they handled it. Playing as him was fun though.

The interaction between Alfred and Bruce was some of the strongest elements of the game. Especially the scene where Bruce finds Alfred after Bane's attack.

Speaking of Bane's attack, I was disappointed you didn't get to fight him or his men in the Manor or Cave. That could have been epic.

I played a few matches of the mutliplayer. I'm not really a big MP guy but it seemed gun. A decent addition to the game.

One thing I didn't like was how they revealed all eight assassins right near the beginning of the story. It would have been better if each was a surprise as they appeared. Granted the pre-release press revealed them all anyway, but the story still would have worked better.

I found the combat harder in this game, but I think it was just because most of the tougher enemy types are in the game from the beginning.

I like the Origins Bat suit better than the previous one. I think it's mostly the ears, I prefer shorter bat ears.

Pretty cool set of  villains, personal highlights were Shiva and Firefly.

In the ending stinger we have a clear reference to the Suicide Squad, and I understand the portable game is filled with references to that comic. So I think we can expect a Suicide Squad game coming up. That should be pretty cool, but I'm wondering if it will be stand alone or another Batman game.

I miss riddles from the first two games. They were always fun to solve.

I'm hoping this isn't the last Arkham-style Batman game we see.

[Tomato]

I'm hoping this isn't the last Arkham-style Batman game we see.

WB has basically come out saying they'd like the Arkham series to reach a point where they're putting out Arkham games once a year. Rumor is that Rocksteady has already been working on another Arkham game (the one Kevin Conroy leaked) and it's very likely they'll announce it come december during one of their big game conventions. 

As to my opinions on AO, now that the dust has settled... I'd put it at my second favorite. It's still better than Asylum, but despite being a better game from a technical standpoint I think I will be replaying City more in the long term.

Spoiler

See, AO's biggest problem isn't the gameplay or the myriad of glitches: Most of the glitches are patched, and I think the game is much improved overall. The story is much more engaging, the segments with Joker, while jarring, are a nice addition, and the detective mode is above and beyond what we've seen up to this point. The boss battles, particularly the one with Firefly, were just epic. Anyone even remotely interested in this series needs to give it at least one complete playthrough.

The problem, in my mind, is how much replay value the game has. I still play through Asylum and City every six months or so. But Origins... I dunno. Sure, I'll probably be turning on the multiplayer quite a bit (If only to unlock costumes), but the story mode just doesn't pack the same punch on a second playthrough. Half the fun of playthroughs on Asylum and City is tracking down all the Riddler trophies and solving his puzzles, but the watered down "Enigma" in Arkham Origins is so telegraphed that it's hardly worth bothering on a second play through. Additionally, City has so many easter eggs and such attention to detail that even after playing through my third or fourth game I was still discovering more references to the series or to the comics. But the only Easter Eggs I see in Origins are the leftovers from the overworld of Arkham City.

[Podmark]

Yeah I'd heard rumors about the next and possibly regular Batman games, nothing concrete yet but I'm sure hoping for more.

The one impression I got while playing through AO was that WB Montreal is that they seemed most concerned with ensuring they could replicate the Arkham style. And they did. If they're given another game they'll probably even better. I get a Call of Duty devs Treyarch/Infinity Ward vibe from this setup. I'd imagine that's what WB is really hoping to build.

[Tomato]

From what I've read up on it, while Origins might have sold poorer than Arkham City, it started out as being about even with Asylum (and I suspect that will pick up closer to december) which sold close to 2 million copies in the first 3 weeks. That's a decent success, and probably what they should have expected given the involvement of a relatively new studio.

Arkham Origins would have had to SEVERELY hurt the franchise for there to NOT be another game, and I think WB would just go back to Rocksteady if that was the case.

[Podmark]

That's good. I'd expect Origins cost to make was lower than City so the profit ratio should be good. I love these games so hoping for more.

[bat1987]

Finished the game a while ago, never got around to post additional impressions here

A lot of the stuff I said before stands.

Most of the boss fights I loved

Spoiler

-Killer Croc was a standard introductory boss but I liked it.
-Deathstroke was a really cool counter fest.
-Copperhead was intriguing, if a bit too easy.
-Deadshot fight I like better than the one in City. The whole richochet thing was cool
-Loved the first fight with Bane. Exactly how I imagine Bane and Bats fight
-Lady Shiva fight was a bit of a letdown tbh
-Electrocutioner was rlly funny, didn't see it coming
-Firefly was a blast!

-Alfred/Bruce parts are really strong, so are the ones with Joker.
-Batsuit is really cool. Eventhough I prefer shorter ears on the cowl, I still like the City/Asylum suit more.
-My complaint about it being City 2.0 still stands. Really wish they introduced something more than some enemy types.
-I encountered a lot of bugs on my playthrough. More than any game I played recently.

Regardless of any complaints I enjoyed the experience and can't wait for the next one.

[bat1987]

New DLC hits tomorrow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4MJ4Qm7Xj8

Really has Batman Begins vibe to it.

[Podmark]

Cool, thanks for the heads up.
And yeah it does have that vibe.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

In spite of the cool trailer, it's just skins and challenge maps, so I'm not interested at all.  For those who like those kinds of things, it looks fun.

[Tomato]

Ture (though I expect the challenge maps will have short cutscenes just as the Black Mask ones did in AC) but there IS a story DLC, like Harley Quinn's revenge, in the pipeline. Rumor is that it's related to Robin, but the quote is pretty vague:

"It is in line with our angle of the origins – not necessarily of characters, but of key relationships. It is a DLC that will focus on one of the most key relationships in Batman canon."

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Yeah, I'm aware of that and will almost certainly grab it.

[Tomato]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BeQViEp_bc

-Freeze.

[detourne_me]

glad i'm waiting for a GOTY version.  already have both normal and GOTY versions of asylum and city on steam

[BentonGrey]

Very cool.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Very cool.

Sigh.