Batman: Arkham Origins

[Lean]

Or Georges St. Pierre.

Somehow I feel like this trailer isn't made by the same guys who made the first CG trailer.

[shadowgrin]

That's even worse, a french canadien.

[kibaxx7]

IMO I'm not in this bandwagon anymore, just more of the same, nothing "new"

phpBB [video]

[Lean]

I'll still be getting it despite the franchise probably going AC's route. But I'll read some reviews first before I get my hands on this.

[benji]

Game is good. Pretty much what we expected and talked about above. Looks awesome.

There's some little quirks here and there that weren't in Arkham City, I'll just pretend it's because it's Young Batman.

The voice acting is...well, Batman is okay at least.

Seems to be lots of side content, and better designed than some of Arkham City's. Detective stuff is fun although kinda weird in how it's executed. Thankfully, like Arkham City no matter how "immediate" Batman needs to go do something you can dick around the city for as long as you want until you "trigger" the mission.

Some early boss fights are really well done. One is hilarious, one is amazing*. Plus they seem to be using some sensible explanations for how Batman gets his "new toys" like picking up something similar from a foe that you can see how he'll later iterate on the idea. But it's not too different to limit what you're used to coming off the prior games.

Biggest problem I have is the font and design of the leveling up UI. Prefer the much more subtle one of Rocksteady's.

I also like seeing the Arkham City section of the map before it's fall. Some nice design work there.

Overall, I say get it if you want more Batmans and aren't expecting any crazy leap or major changes (not that I know why you would), just more, bigger and sometimes better. Who knows when Rocksteady's next gen game will be out? It'll be interesting to see what WB does with this series now.

*DEATHSTROKE

[deihatein]

Some early boss fights are really well done. One is hilarious, one is amazing*. Plus they seem to be using some sensible explanations for how Batman gets his "new toys" like picking up something similar from a foe that you can see how he'll later iterate on the idea. But it's not too different to limit what you're used to coming off the prior games.

Is the boss fight as amazing as that Mr. Freeze boss fight in City?

Will definitely get Origins once I get the money. Or if shadow is feeling generous once again

[Lean]

I think the PC version has been delayed. So yeah.

Game is good. Pretty much what we expected and talked about above. Looks awesome.

I think that's what's wrong with IGN's review. They're actually expecting a huge leap from Arkham City.

Is the boss fight as amazing as that Mr. Freeze boss fight in City?

That one on Arkham City's New Game + is siiiiiiiiccccckkk!

[benji]

http://www.direct2play.com/steam/524-ba ... -free.html

$17.75

I think the PC version has been delayed. So yeah.

no?

[Lean]

Oh yes the Steam version.

I was talking about the actual disc version. I'm so in the 90's.

[koberulz]

There's not much point to the disc version. It just installs Steam, then installs the Steam version of the game. Which insists on updating, so you can't actually play the game the day you buy it.

I installed it three hours ago, and it's still apparently 12 hours away. It's ridiculous.

[Lean]

I installed it three hours ago, and it's still apparently 12 hours away. It's ridiculous.

Ugh, same with Tomb Raider. Oh well, getting it on the weekend.

[koberulz]

I don't understand why I bought a disc, if it's just a Steam installer. Seems silly.

I'm having a bit of trouble with it at the moment. It's just different enough from the other two to be annoying. Unfortunately, it's getting late so I can't spend a bit more time with it to get used to the changes. Which also means I'm still in the annoying overly-linear tutorial phase. If I hear Batman explain in not-Batman's-voice that he can hide inside a vent one more time...

[koberulz]

Some early boss fights are really well done...[O]ne is amazing*.

I didn't like the sequences where they took control away, but the bits in between were awesome.

Biggest problem I have is the font and design of the leveling up UI. Prefer the much more subtle one of Rocksteady's.

Worse than the UI is the 'tree' idea they've had. It won't let me upgrade my armour until I have blade dodge takedown. It's silly.

Same with the challenges. No matter how many times you counter someone mid-beatdown, it won't unlock unless you've also blown three guys up with the explosive gel.

[benji]

I imagine the story/detective stuff doesn't match up

lol at this dope

Worse than the UI is the 'tree' idea they've had. It won't let me upgrade my armour until I have blade dodge takedown. It's silly.

Same with the challenges. No matter how many times you counter someone mid-beatdown, it won't unlock unless you've also blown three guys up with the explosive gel.

That tree got worse the more I was upgrading, like fuck I don't want any of this, I want that thing later related to something else!

Combat in general, almost everything about it, I can't put my finger on it but it just seems ever so slightly off. It's still great and if this was the first game it'd be praised to high heaven but City's seemed more polished.

Which you can basically say about almost all of the game except the writing. No idea how this game dropped into the 70s on metacritic.

[deihatein]

Probably because they felt it was more like(copy paste of) City rather than well say, a good prequel to hold us over the next batman game?

phpBB [video]

Please tell me this will be a story based DLC not just a challenge pack?

[RedPhazon8]

I have yet to play it, but I think it's a challenge map pack, maybe something similar to the challenge map campaigns.

[deihatein]

[benji]

Probably because they felt it was more like(copy paste of) City rather than well say, a good prequel to hold us over the next batman game?

The problem is that it's not a copy-paste and nearly finishing it off cements that notion, it's a better iteration of every City mechanic on a larger map with the best story/villain of any of the games. I'm not sure what you can really "innovate" on and maintain the core mechanics of Rocksteady's Batman, so the only real task is to do it bigger and better each time. I think you go too far in "innovation" and it's not going to be Batman anymore or you're going to lose the many capabilities you constantly have.

The lack of population in Gotham is the only real significant flaw and I think that has more to do with the last gen consoles than anything necessarily design wise. Other than that I would have wanted more to do with the assassins (and some of the "discarded" ones in Black Mask's office would have been better choices) but the way the plot went instead, I'll allow it. Especially if they follow up on this "Origin" with a sequel with say, Harvey Dent/Two Face, etc. as a focus. (This game takes place before The Long Halloween so there's plenty to mine there.)

It's remarkable how WB Montreal pulled this off so quickly taking Rocksteady's model and building a more epic adventure on top of it. I think this only spells good things for Rocksteady's future games, future Batman games and the Suicide Squad game.

I could see people knocking it down to a 8.5-9 from the 9.5-10 of the first two, but that 73 MetaCritic is a real "whaaaaat" but it's likely due to non-Batman fans and the gaming media's obsession with "bullet point innovation" more than anything. (Oh, and it being one of these new French-Canadian factory studios instead of Rocksteady at the helm.)

Also, Arkham City has the better main theme music.

Also, still lol at how long the nights are in Gotham.

Baker's better than Hamill. For the games anyway. This was an almost perfect Joker. Those laughs.

[Lean]

This.

Also, Arkham City has the better main theme music.

[SoF'nAwesome]

This.

Baker's better than Hamill. For the games anyway. This was an almost perfect Joker. Those laughs.