Batman Arkham Origins Blew Me Away

[King Billi]

Great shout with Bane, he did feel very badass.

I must have fell lucky with the bugts, throughout my entire playthough (which saw all the side missions comleted except the Enigma ones, which I've left at 72% currently to return to later) I didn't have one bug or one crash. that was on an installed 360 version.

The upgrade restrictions is a valid criticism. It didn't bother me personally, but I can't disagree there.

And I have to say, the way they

Spoiler

introduced the joker and made him the main villain I absolutely loved. I can understand why others wouldn't, but I personally thought it was a great introduction to him, especially the way they portrayed his facsination and "love" for Batman

I was also one of the lucky ones when it came to bugs and glitches, didn't encounter any though I played it on PS3... was it just one particular platform that had the glitches or not?

I hear the criticism alot that people are fed up with the Joker and always having him be the main baddie in these games and I totally get it, I held the same opinion of this game before playing as I was looking forward to seeing another villian take the spotlight.
The thing is that those concerns were immediately offset just by how good the Joker was in this game. I thought his "reveal" in the game was awesome though it probbaly would have been a better twist if they hadn't made me anticipate it by showing off the Joker so much in advertising before the game was released.
I really like that while this game is primarily focused on Batman and Jokers first encounter it dosen't start out focused on that. The plot starts out focused just on the bounty put on Batmans head but as it goes on the focus shifts as different characters are revealed and plans change. I can get why alot of people would be annoyed at this and call it disjointed and unfocused but I really liked it. It made the story much more interesting than if it had just stayed focused on the bounty hunters like it did at the beginning and made me unsure of where the plot was going to go next.

The upgrade restrictions are a pretty big issue if you care about 100% completion, I recall one specific set of challenges could only be completed in stealth sections during the main story, if you completed the main game, new game plus and I am the night mode without getting them then there was no way you could complete them without starting a whole new game. Sure three whole playthroughs of the game gives you quite a few chances to complete these but only if you're paying attention and actively try to get them if you wait until the very end then you'd be in for a unpleasant surprise.

 

[Danbo Jambo]

I was also one of the lucky ones when it came to bugs and glitches, didn't encounter any though I played it on PS3... was it just one particular platform that had the glitches or not?

I hear the criticism alot that people are fed up with the Joker and always having him be the main baddie in these games and I totally get it, I held the same opinion of this game before playing as I was looking forward to seeing another villian take the spotlight.
The thing is that those concerns were immediately offset just by how good the Joker was in this game. I thought his "reveal" in the game was awesome though it probbaly would have been a better twist if they hadn't made me anticipate it by showing off the Joker so much in advertising before the game was released.
I really like that while this game is primarily focused on Batman and Jokers first encounter it dosen't start out focused on that. The plot starts out focused just on the bounty put on Batmans head but as it goes on the focus shifts as different characters are revealed and plans change. I can get why alot of people would be annoyed at this and call it disjointed and unfocused but I really liked it. It made the story much more interesting than if it had just stayed focused on the bounty hunters like it did at the beginning and made me unsure of where the plot was going to go next.

The upgrade restrictions are a pretty big issue if you care about 100% completion, I recall one specific set of challenges could only be completed in stealth sections during the main story, if you completed the main game, new game plus and I am the night mode without getting them then there was no way you could complete them without starting a whole new game. Sure three whole playthroughs of the game gives you quite a few chances to complete these but only if you're paying attention and actively try to get them if you wait until the very end then you'd be in for a unpleasant surprise.

Bang on. Baring in mind I didn't know who was the main villain before, the reveal was mint. I totally agree with your plot summary.

And yeah, I can see that. But personally it didn't affect my enjoyment of the game one bit.

I think AO is actually a great PH test of people themselves. If you allow yourself to enjoy it chances are you will.

 

[BarryMcCociner]

To me, BamHam games have always been pretty meh. The atmosphere hits all the right notes for a more 'adult' Batman experience without losing the silliness we all love about superheroes and still doesn't dip into the 'ass-pull powers out of fucking nowhere' lazy writing we see in pretty much 90% of all Superhero stories to ever exist.

But other than that it dips into the "Magic see everyone through walls vision" that games can't stop wanking over. The combat requires mastery of two buttons, three if you're feeling super fancy, four if you're an expert at the game (you'll hit this point about three hours in). The Optimization could be improved, especially on consoles. I was at a friends house and saw his sister playing it on PS3 and I nearly vomited, we're talking under 15fps, not even peasants should be subject to that.

It feels like it's a good Batman experience, which is obviously what everyone wants when you buy a Batman game but it's not a great game.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

The upgrade restrictions is a valid criticism. It didn't bother me personally, but I can't disagree there.

The main reason it bugged me was that my favorite new feature and upgrade in City (by far) was the "disarm" upgrade. It just looked so bad-ass when Batman would snatch the rifle or shotgun from the bad guy and then strip it down in 2 seconds.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason in Origins, they placed this arbitrary restriction on that upgrade where you had to complete a certain mission, and I wasn't able to obtain it until about 90% of the way through the game.

But damn it, now I kinda want to go play through Origins again

Oh, one warning, I won't try and spoil this one too much, but the reward for completing the Enigma missions?

Spoiler

Really, really, really lame. Seriously, I'd just go watch a youtube video of it, it's not worth it the effort.

 

[Danbo Jambo]

The upgrade restrictions is a valid criticism. It didn't bother me personally, but I can't disagree there.

The main reason it bugged me was that my favorite new feature and upgrade in City (by far) was the "disarm" upgrade. It just looked so bad-ass when Batman would snatch the rifle or shotgun from the bad guy and then strip it down in 2 seconds.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason in Origins, they placed this arbitrary restriction on that upgrade where you had to complete a certain mission, and I wasn't able to obtain it until about 90% of the way through the game.

But damn it, now I kinda want to go play through Origins again

Oh, one warning, I won't try and spoil this one too much, but the reward for completing the Enigma missions?

Spoiler

Really, really, really lame. Seriously, I'd just go watch a youtube video of it, it's not worth it the effort.

Thanks, I used to be a completionist but now, ever since FF12 and the likes of Kingdom's of Amalur Reckoning etc. I tend to just grap bits if they appear. I'll return to do a few Enigma bits as I said, but only as time killer whilst waiting for my dinner to cook etc., not with any real effort.

 

[COMaestro]

I really enjoyed Origins story, I thought they did a great job making this one hellish night for a neophyte Batman. However, the gameplay itself felt a bit unpolished. The camera was always too close to the player, so it was harder to see all your opponents, meaning that you'd occasionally get hit by someone you didn't know was there. It just felt a bit clunky overall compared to the previous titles, which I blame on a different studio handling it.

Of course, there was also the whole holographic crime scene reconstructions, which were okay and all, but why have something feel so high-tech in a prequel that was not present in the other games which take place later in time?

I was actually somewhat looking forward to trying the multiplayer, as at least having the Batman and Robin faction would play very differently than your typical MP gameplay, but I was NEVER able to join a game. Usually I could never find enough players to start, and then the one or two times I did, the game would cancel as it was loading, bringing me back to the MP menu. Really disappointing...

 

[Ieyke]

As a big fan of Arkham Asylum, I was massively disapointed by the short, and "cash-in" feel which, IMO, Arkham City had. You spent more time hearing about DLC characters than you did anything else. Strangely, AC was/is hailed as the best in the trilogy.

So, after reading similar criticisms against Origins, I decided to leave it until it was bottom dollar to play.

Having now played it, I thought it was stunning, absolutely stunning. I thought they took WAY more time and care with the main story, gave you plenty to do with the sidequests whilst keeping it feeling significant, and honed down the mechanics to a tee.

The sandbox element of City also felt really "filler" like, whereas in Origins - whilst still a tad "filler" - it just seemed to fit in with the main game better.

Just wanted to spread a little love for a game which I think got a bit of a hard rap. I absolutely loved it.

I've not played Origins yet, but City absolutely blows Asylum away....
Asylum is this short little linear thing. Kinda boring.

City is massive and epic. You actually get to go around BEING Batman. There are multiple entire arcs to the story.... It plays better, you have better gear, basically EVERYTHING about it is better than Asylum.

 

[EHKOS]

I was surprised at how not shit it was after I heard all that terrible stuff about it at launch. It only crashed on me once, and I did enjoy myself, even when I didn't quite want to. It's hard to match up AC and Origins, I think I'll like AC better just because I get to use the Batman Beyond suit.

I don't know I just like the side stories/quests better than the main stories. Mad Hatter is always a treat.

 

[Conner42]

I think the only thing I need to say is that having the third game be a prequel proves that nobody has the balls to do a Batman game without the Joker in it.

I could go on about the story problems, but I think that part just sums it all up.

I am looking forward to the next game...though, I'm kind of wondering if they'll find some convoluted way to bring back Joker.

 

[votemarvel]

Asylum for me is the best of the series. The combat is great and the island is large enough to give you chance to explore but not so big that the main story ever becomes lost.

For me both City and Origins are a victim of their own size. All too often I'd be approaching a story mission only to be dragged half-way across the map by a Zzazz phone call or police call for help.

Plus I do confess that I felt the combat in Origins to be oddly 'off' in feel. It's hard to describe but it never felt as sharp as it did in the first two.

 

[badseed]

(or not-really Batman villains like Deathstroke and Deadshot)

Just 'cause my inner geek won't let me rest until I say this: though Deadshot is nowadays much more associated with the Suicide Squad, he was originally a Batman villain, so he counts. Totally right on Deathstroke, though.

 

[EscapeGoat_v1legacy]

I have to admit I enjoyed Arkham Origins but I don't think it's that good. Like, the writing is good, the gameplay is still good (of course it is, it's exactly the same as in Arkham City) and it's the first game in the series to have a load of decent boss fights. Origins does also have the best piece of DLC for the series so far as well, with Cold, Cold Heart because Mr. Freeze is the best.

But yeah, while I liked it a lot more than I expected to, it still doesn't hold a candle to Asylum or City for me. It doesn't have the comic-book feel or scope of City and nor does it have the killer atmosphere of Asylum. While I think the Joker and Bane are both good villains and it's really cool to see their beginnings alongside Batman's, falling back to rely on them is really dull and I would have definitely have preferred it if WB Montreal had stuck to using Batman's traditional early villains, like the mob families and the non-supervillain assassins. It particularly irked me how they showed off so much of Deathstroke and then he's done so early into the
game.

Also, parts of the Gotham map are copied from City and the new bits added are devoid of character - whereas the different areas of Arkham City each had a kind of character, all of Gotham in Origins is dreary and grey. While I enjoyed the character of Enigma as an origin story for the Riddler, actually collecting his data packs was a chore, at least compared to the previous games where collecting the Riddler trophies was broken up by solving Riddles. And, of course in general, the game was a cash-grab. A decent cash-grab, and I'm always up for a Batman cash-grab, but a rushed out, slightly glitchy, unambitious cash-grab all the same.

But yeah, it's still decent, but not as good as either Asylum or City for me.

 

[bossfight1]

I liked Origins, though the Gotham overworld didn't feel that... alive. I mean, sure, it was the middle of the night, but I'd still expect to see SOME cars in the streets, SOME people out and about that weren't criminals or corrupt cops. There weren't that many QUALITY boss fights - nothing that compared to Mr Freeze in AC, and even in the Cold, Cold Heart DLC for AC, the Mr Freeze fight was made really annoying by having armed guards in addition to Freeze himself. The Deathstroke fight was great, sure, but otherwise Copperhead was just your average brawl with dozens of her clones, Deadshot was another stealth boss fight... the Bane fights were alright, if underwhelming. All in all, the whole thing felt like an extended DLC for AC, with not a whole lot to put itself apart from the other games.

Arkham City, I absolutely loved, but I felt its story had its issues - I mean, all the games have had their problems in story, but... yeah.
-Hugo Strange threatens to reveal Batman's identity if Batman attempts to interfere with Protocol 10, yet he does fuck-all with that threat even when Batman is climbing Wonder Tower to stop him.
-Batman finds out that Protocol 10 is an official plan made by Gotham's leadership, yet doesn't call Jim Gordon and tell him 'Hey, Hugo Strange is trying to manipulate events so we have no choice but to enact Protocol 10!'
-Batman stops worrying about Protocol 10 partway through to start worrying about finding the cure to his Titan sickness.
-Batman elects not to tell Joker that he's still working on finding the cure, leading to Joker actively hindering his progress.
-Mr. Freeze chooses not to cure Batman until he finds Nora, not thinking that Batman would have found her in any case because THAT IS HIS THING.
-Gotham's authorities do fuck-all to stop Hugo Strange when he has several innocent people thrown in Arkham City.
-Batman lies to Talia about wanting to join the League of Shadows, instead of truthfully stating that he needs a sample of her dad's blood or he's going to die; I would think Ra's al Ghul would be willing to donate if he knew his most favored potential successor was going to die.
-When you complete Bane's side missions and he turns on Batman, he's trapped by a steel gate that is apparently significantly stronger than the brick walls he easily smashed through in Arkham Asylum. (Getting nitpicky here.)
-The hundreds of people in Gotham infected with Joker's Titan sickness are, supposedly, never cured because none of the cure made it out of Arkham City.
-The Harley Quinn's Revenge DLC had absolutely NO overall effect on the plot; the status quo is restored, no game-changing reveals are made, the only bit of legit story we see is that Batman is in gloomy grief mode and detaching himself from his friends. Waste of potential.

 

[Jonbodhi]

I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were lots of fun moments (the Bane fight that ends up televised) and little touches (after you beat Anarchy, if you wait around in the courtroom, he has at least an additional ten minutes of dialogue where he talks himself into and back out if admiration for Batman).

The voice acting was superior. Some criticized Troy Baker for doing a Mark Hammil impression, but since this was part if a series, I'm not sure what they'd expect. One of my favorite bits of dialogue was post-death when Firefly threatens to burn the city. I thought: 'there's a man who enjoys his work'. Many of the random thugs around town had priceless lines too.

The Joker/Harlequin meeting was not only the best cut-scene of the Arkham series, but was downright Shakespearean in its wit and subtlety compared to most video-game writing.

I had some of the same problems with it: the counter button seemed off during fights, and Deathstroke should have gotten the same multiple boss fight treatment Bane got


I agree that The Joker and Bane are both well used here (and I don't even like Bane). The game really should have explained a bit more about his motives though (had to consult Wikipedia)

I played in a PS3 and suffered no major bugs, but I can't fault the disappointment of those who did. Seems the studio's main issue is QA.

I've played it twice, and probably will again before Arkham Knight.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Nyeh. The game was a disappointment in almost every way.

 

[RealRT]

When I finally got around to play City, it blew Asylum away from me. When I finally got around to play Origins, it didn't blow City away... but it did replace it for me. Gotham is bigger, the story is tighter and more focused, the new VAs give surprisingly great performances (Hamill can go to rest for Troy Baker can keep up his legacy) and overall, while it misses the mark in some regards, it's still a true Arkham game and is still awesome.
The multiplayer was also surprisingly interesting, too bad almost nobody plays it.

 

[Danbo Jambo]

I've not played Origins yet, but City absolutely blows Asylum away....
Asylum is this short little linear thing. Kinda boring.

City is massive and epic. You actually get to go around BEING Batman. There are multiple entire arcs to the story.... It plays better, you have better gear, basically EVERYTHING about it is better than Asylum.

Personally I found most of the sandbox elements in City dull + filler like, and the whole thing felt as if it rushed you along for your next upgrades. Going back to expectancy & pre-judgements, the feeling of being Batman doesn't really mean much for me, I just want a good game to play and I prefered the more tight knit way Asylum was.

But that's all obviously personal preferance. What I'd say about Origins is that it nailed the best elements of both previous games, and had a superb balance between sandox elememts & story driven ones.

 

[Ieyke]

Arkham City was the stuff that made the series great. I just don't feel Arkham Asylum was particularly good. It was way too...artificial.
Oh, now I'm in the lava world. Next is the ice world. Then Bowser's castle. It was very video gamey and forced.

Arkham City was more like an actual microcosm of Batman's world, where everything is within a part of Gotham, and the vague boundaries are determined by being the turf of one villain or another. Nothing went full crazy theme until you battled your way into the heart of each villain's lair.

I very much hope Arkham Knight is the entirety of Gotham with lots of regular Gotham and civilians, and then the territories of the villains where they actually want to be - not just locked inside the weird little Arkham City portion.
Make Batman really use his investigative skills to figure out where to go and who to talk to.
Arkham Asylum was lazy. You just walked into the next hallway to go to the sky world and fight the next Koopaling.

 

[Danbo Jambo]

Arkham City was the stuff that made the series great. I just don't feel Arkham Asylum was particularly good. It was way too...artificial.
Oh, now I'm in the lava world. Next is the ice world. Then Bowser's castle. It was very video gamey and forced.

Arkham City was more like an actual microcosm of Batman's world, where everything is within a part of Gotham, and the vague boundaries are determined by being the turf of one villain or another. Nothing went full crazy theme until you battled your way into the heart of each villain's lair.

I very much hope Arkham Knight is the entirety of Gotham with lots of regular Gotham and civilians, and then the territories of the villains where they actually want to be - not just locked inside the weird little Arkham City portion.
Make Batman really use his investigative skills to figure out where to go and who to talk to.
Arkham Asylum was lazy. You just walked into the next hallway to go to the sky world and fight the next Koopaling.

I wouldn't say a game being linear and based around a tight, plot driven core is lazy. Remember, Asylum was the starting point for everything else to evolve, it would have been a big ask for the devs to create something like City off the bat to start with (excuse the co-incidental pun).

It's a bit like saying "flipping heck, here's a baddie, here's a goodie, there's a herione, goodie defeats baddie........the original Star Wars is another bland sci-fi flick"

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

When you actually isolate the game itself as a stand alone game to play, and play it like I did - not paying attention to any of the promotion and not expecting anything in particular - it's a brilliant stand alone game.

You could say the same about Dark Souls 2: 'great game in its own right - why would anyone ever dare question it!'. But it's a needless rehash with less polish and thought compared to what came before.

I'm not a Batman fan in the slightest (apart from maybe Nolan/Bale/Zimmer/Pfister's version), and so it took me a while to bother checking out Asylum. I enjoyed it enough to want to play City, and that became one of my most admired games of last gen, in terms of sheer polish, focus, and precision mechanics (the challenge rooms elevated its combat to something akin to score attack genius).

Origins? I ignored, and will always do so. Not the same dev, so I have no reason to trust 'em. Couldn't give a stuff about half-arsed prequel timelines - especially given how City had the guts to make certain plot events stick (ergo winding back the clock felt pathetically conservative and not at all interesting). Add to that the other points raised by people who sat through it (re starting gear, waste of origin potential, more bugs, etc), and I think it deserves all the criticism it got, and then some.

Can a prequel cash-in by a lesser dev be good 'in its own right', removed out of all context that may otherwise cast it in a less favourable light? Sure, why not. But Asylum and City deserved better, and more. Hopefully, Rocksteady and Arkham Knight will do the IP justice.