Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate on 3DS/Vita to Be Almost Identical

[StewShearerOld]

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate on 3DS/Vita to Be Almost Identical

Despite their different capabilities Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate should be almost identical on Vita and 3DS.

It's not hard to understand why <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/previews/10339-Batman-Arkham-Origins-Hands-on-Preview?utm_source=features&utm_medium=index_carousel&utm_campaign=all>Batman: Arkham Origins gets to be the center of attention. Aside from it just being a big game, it's generally had more news to follow than other Batman games. The reveal, for instance, that the Arkham series was switching developers from <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123159-The-Bat-Is-Back-in-Batman-Arkham-Origins>Rocksteady to Warner Bros Games Montreal was an understandable distraction for Bat-fans. Likewise, the supposed departure of franchise veteran voice actor <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123586-Arkham-Origins-Replacing-the-Voice-of-Batman>Kevin Conroy was another rumor that caught fans attention, though it thankfully turned out to <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/124151-It-Looks-Like-Kevin-Conroy-Will-Be-Batman-After-All>be less than true.

While Arkham Origins may be the main dish however, it's worth remembering that other studios are working on Bat-centric projects in tandem with the console game. <a href=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/04/armature_reveals_more_details_for_batman_arkham_origins_blackgate>Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, for instance, looks to bring the Arkham experience to the 3DS and Vita with some changes for portability. Rather than the full 3D that gamers have grown used to in the Arkham console games, Blackgate will be a 2.5D Metroidvania style game taking place after the events of Arkham Origins.

While the game's status as the smaller sibling of Arkham Origins might automatically earn it a few rolled-eyes from skeptical consumers, its developers at Armature Studio are working hard to make sure the game is as excellent as its console counterpart and that the 3DS and Vita versions of the game are equivalent to one another. "It's a combined effort," said Jack Matthews, Technical Director for Armature. "Most everyone has both dev kits on their desk." While the Vita and 3DS are different gaming systems with radically different capabilities, Armature is building the Blackgate so that the only difference gamers playing the different versions should notice are the visuals. "Vita has higher res assets, 3DS has 3D. We have custom tools to help generate ideally sized models for each platform from a common source."

It's not uncommon for the same game across multiple platforms to be a wildly different experience depending on the capabilities of each machine and the developer behind it. That in mind, if the two versions of Blackgate can truly be equivalent experiences outside of their presentation, it will be an welcome feat on Armature's part. Of course, if they wind up being equally awful that would be a shame, but thus far Blackgate is looking good. With luck, it will finish good too.

Source: Siliconera





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[Evil Smurf]

At least the game will make a profit with its reasonable production levels.

 

[MrSundayToSunday]

Cool. Also hate to be that guy, but it's Kevin Conroy.

 

[SonicWaffle]

Likewise, the supposed departure of franchise veteran voice actor <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123586-Arkham-Origins-Replacing-the-Voice-of-Batman>Kevin Roy was another rumor that caught fans attention, though it thankfully turned out to <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/124151-It-Looks-Like-Kevin-Conroy-Will-Be-Batman-After-All>be less than true.

Kevin Conroy. HTH.

OT: Meh. Time will tell whether another developer can recreate the triumph of the first two, but I'm feeling cynical today.

 

[StewShearerOld]

Cool. Also hate to be that guy, but it's Kevin Conroy.

It could be worse. You could be the guy who missed a typo and mispelled Batman's name. I fully expect to find a Batarang lodged in my front door when I get home today.

 

[kailus13]

Cool. Also hate to be that guy, but it's Kevin Conroy.

It could be worse. You could be the guy who missed a typo and mispelled Batman's name. I fully expect to find a Batarang lodged in my front door when I get home today.

No no, Batman is classier than that. He'd leave a note saying "Watch your back" in elegant flowing Bat-script. Pinned to your front door iwth a stylish Bat-pin.

Does anyone ever really buy the handheld versions when you can just buy the console version? It seems like you're paying the same amount for a worse experience.

 

[StewShearerOld]

Cool. Also hate to be that guy, but it's Kevin Conroy.

It could be worse. You could be the guy who missed a typo and mispelled Batman's name. I fully expect to find a Batarang lodged in my front door when I get home today.

No no, Batman is classier than that. He'd leave a note saying "Watch your back" in elegant flowing Bat-script. Pinned to your front door iwth a stylish Bat-pin.

Does anyone ever really buy the handheld versions when you can just buy the console version? It seems like you're paying the same amount for a worse experience.

Ha. You're right. Hell, he'd probably just stalk around my house, startling me Bat-shaped shadows and then disappearing before I can turn around to confront him.

The difference with Blackgate is that's a completely separate game. I'm personally quite excited for it, I think Batman is very well suited to the Metroidvania style.

 

[Big_Boss_Mantis]

Well, did not see that one coming ... (sarcasm)

So, who is to blame?
Sony, but of course.

Arkham series is a big staple of this generation, probably a system seller, and a great addition to any system library.
So instead of pulling strings to have an real iteration of the series in the struggling Vita, what Vita owners get is another crappy port from the 3DS version. (like Lego Batman 2, which was actually a port from the ORIGINAL DS VERSION)
If a developer wants to make a quick "cash in" version for the Vita, JUST. DON'T. LET. THEM.
We don't need that crap. It is not an Arkham game on a Vita. It is just something hurting your brand.

Really, Sony... If you wouldn't fight for it, why did you launched the freaking Vita in the first place?!
It needs legs, it needs help. It needs you to step up AND MAKE IT WORTHWILE.
It doesn't need Killzone. NO ONE NEEDS KILLZONE.

It needs Batman. It needs Gran Turismo. It needs Rockstar on board. It needs Dark Souls.
How about a Mass Effect side story? Or the FALSELY ADVERTISED Bioshock?
Those are the games that would make people buy a Vita.
"Oh, but the studios won't develop for it", then MAKE THEM DO IT. Pay for it. Give them blowjobs. Marry them.
DO SOMETHING, GODDAMMIT!!!

Nintendo managed to get RE: Revelations on the 3DS, even while it was struggling. Nintendo is buying third-party exclusives for both the 3DS and Wii U.
And you are giving us FREAKING KILLZONE!! (look, nothing against Killzone in particular... It's just that Sony's first party efforts, excluding GT, never sells)

I am sorry for ranting about it (constantly actually), but I own both of them. And I relly like my Vita. And I don't like how the 3DS looks or feels. Don't like the hardware. Don't like the Nintendo e-Shop. Don't like the single analog stick, nor the cheap, stylus based, asymetrical, bottom touch-screen, nor the outdated graphics or the unecessary tacked-in 3D effect.
Still, 3DS has a great, ever-growing library of games and it is successful.
While Vita is a masterfully crafted, beautifully designed, PAPERWEIGHT!

And it really, really frustrates me...

 

[Covarr]

Rant rant rant

Did you read the article? The whole point is that the gameplay will be the same, but the graphics are being done individually per system, such that each version will play to that system's strengths. Neither one is "another crappy port", since they're being developed at the same time with their host systems in mind.

P.S. Thanks

 

[COMaestro]

Looking at responses around the web, it seems many people aren't paying attention to the fact that Blackgate is a seperate game from Arkham Origins. Maybe they should have dropped the AO bit from the Vita/3DS titles to avoid confusion. I'm not sure how I feel now about a Metroidvania style Batman game. I agree, Batman seems to lend himself well to that style of game, but after experiencing the free-form exploration of Arkham City (and eventually Arkham Origins), I'm afraid a 2.5D side-scroller is going to feel too confining.

I'll still be getting it though. It's another game for my Vita.

 

[Big_Boss_Mantis]

Rant rant rant

Did you read the article? The whole point is that the gameplay will be the same, but the graphics are being done individually per system, such that each version will play to that system's strengths. Neither one is "another crappy port", since they're being developed at the same time with their host systems in mind.

P.S. Thanks

Well, you have a valid point, but I still don't see it that way...

I did read that the graphics will be tailored to the system. But everything I read could apply to Lego Batman 2, which I mentioned. (and I consider Vita's version an insultingly crappy port)

So, let's say the Vita version has better light and shadow effects... Crispier edges, better framerate ... whatever.
Still, this game was made 2.5D with the 3DS's limitations in mind.
The whole concept of the game is to fit the lowest common denominator (the 3DS, in terms of horsepower).

Vita can run an fluid 3D, open world game (Assassin's Creed and Gravity Rush both come to mind).
And it NEEDS more of this to succeed. It cannot live with "slightly prettier" 3DS games.

At least, the Vita version should be a port of the console versions (an uglier one, that you could take on the go, as happened with the fighting games and racing games).
But, what Vita needed is another game, unique, made from the ground up to its strenghts. And if it could work as an side story or an expansion to the console versions, then I am sure it would hit a homerun.

Even if it is the prettier version, even if it is developed simultaneously... Almost everyone who wants a portable already own an 3DS. Vita needs something unique, something that is "console gaming" on the go for it to succeed.
So, to me, this isn't just another game for the Vita. It is another missed opportunity for Sony to deliver in its promise.

P.S.: I always wanted to ask, never got the opportunity... Why do you always put "P.S. Thanks" at the end of your posts? Is it some kind of mantra? A secret? Tell me! I must know!

CAPTCHA: haters gonna hate. Et tu, captcha?

 

[Covarr]

So, let's say the Vita version has better light and shadow effects... Crispier edges, better framerate ... whatever.
Still, this game was made 2.5D with the 3DS's limitations in mind.
The whole concept of the game is to fit the lowest common denominator (the 3DS, in terms of horsepower).

Except the 3DS can absolutely do full 3D games, and it can do them damn well. Remember, it's got a good deal more oomph than the PSP (faster processor, WAY more RAM), which did open-world games just fine (see: a few GTA games that were quite good). I suspect this was a creative decision, partly because 2D gameplay works better on handhelds, partly because this'll be easier to play in shorter increments. If suppose it's too early to judge, though; we'll see how it turns out when it's released.

P.S.: I always wanted to ask, never got the opportunity... Why do you always put "P.S. Thanks" at the end of your posts? Is it some kind of mantra? A secret? Tell me! I must know!

To stick it to Sony [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/93683-Sony-Trademarks-P-S-Thanks], because it's kinda bullshit to trademark everyday expressions like this. Then again, I think this eventually became PlayStation Plus, so it's not really relevant anymore. At this point it's just a tradition for me.

P.S. Thanks