Line #20 YMMV/BatmanArkhamSeries


1	* ''YMMV/BatmanArkhamAsylum''
2	* ''YMMV/BatmanArkhamCity''
3	* ''YMMV/BatmanArkhamOrigins''
4	** ''YMMV/BatmanArkhamOriginsBlackgate''
5	* ''YMMV/BatmanAssaultOnArkham''
6	* ''YMMV/BatmanArkhamKnight''
7	* ''YMMV/BatmanArkhamVR''
8	* ''YMMV/SuicideSquadKillTheJusticeLeague''
9	----
10	* Sugarwiki/AwesomeArt: One thing that every game in the series nails is the environmental design. Even things like the size of the moon are taken to account!
11	** ''Asylum'''s titular Arkham Asylum and the island its built on provides a very memorable gothic setting, with each building providing an unique experience, ranging from dark hallways to huge gardens. Depending on who you ask, the remaster's added rain makes it even more gorgeous to look at.
12	** ''City'' provides the player an isolated part of Gotham City turned into an improvised prison, and like its predecessor, manages to give all its' four parts an unique appearance. The various walls are covered in large neon signs, [[SceneryGorn the roads are littered with garbage and junk]], and the light snowfall Gotham is experiencing adds a nice finishing touch to the cramped hellhole that is Arkham City.
13	** ''Origins'' takes an almost full 180 from the gothic ruins of the previous two titles and instead shows the setting in it's prime; the new areas of the map offer the player skyscrapers and open streets, and even the returning areas are given a refreshing new coat of paint since they have yet to fall into ruin. All of this is topped off with a memorable Christmas setting, meaning seasonal lights are plentiful and nearly everything is covered in snow.
14	** ''Knight'' takes a middle of the road between the gothic and modern takes on Gotham, and once again provides the player with multiple areas that all feel distinct from all another. The city is a massive maze of old and new architecture, with open roads, small alleyways and large plazas, all absolutely soaked in water from the endless heavy rainfall that continues all throughout the night.
15	* BrokenBase: What's the best game in the franchise? Each game has their case. ''[[FirstInstallmentWins Asylum]]'' laid the groundwork for the series with it's innovative combat and stealth systems, and many believe that the level design and {{Metroidvania}} elements cause it to stand above its peers. At the same time many of the gameplay elements feel unrefined compared to later games, and it's known for having a very DisappointingLastLevel. ''[[EvenBetterSequel City]]'' improves almost every single gameplay mechanic from the first game and is known for having unique and interesting side content, as well as having an extremely engaging story to experience. At the same time, the loss of the Metroidvania level design of ''Asylum'' is felt, and some elements (like the uneven pacing of the plot and turning the Joker into a major SpotlightStealingSquad) mean that it isn't ''quite'' the best it could be. ''Origins'' is beloved for its unique Christmas atmosphere, a surprisingly interesting plot that really delves into the theme at the core of the series- [[spoiler: the relationship between Batman and the Joker]], and creative boss fights. At the same time it's basically a MissionPackSequel for ''City'' and is very [[ObviousBeta rough around the edges]], lacking much of the design polish that Rocksteady put into their games. Lastly there's ''[[GrandFinale Knight]]'', which is an even stronger improvement to the design that ''City'' put forth, but also carries with it many of the problems from ''City'', now even more magnified. The game has some serious SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome and some very fun side content to tackle, but the emphasis on the Batmobile, [[spoiler: Joker once again [[HijackedByGanon stealing emphasis from the supposed main villain]]]] and the overall lackluster plot hold the game back. All in all, while every game is ''good'', which one is the ''best'' is still hotly debated almost a decade after the release of ''Knight''.
16	* CantUnHearIt: While helped by having Creator/KevinConroy and Creator/MarkHamill around, many fans' favorite voices Batman and the Joker respectively, if they're not picturing Conroy and Hamill's ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''[='=]s costars, they're probably picturing their costars here, including Creator/GreyDeLisle as Catwoman, Creator/MartinJarvis as Alfred, Creator/TomKane or Creator/JonathanBanks as Commissioner Gordon, Creator/WallyWingert as the Riddler, Creator/TasiaValenza as Poison Ivy, Creator/StanaKatic as Talia, Creator/MatthewMercer as Tim Drake, Creator/ScottPorter as Nightwing, Creator/TroyBaker as Two-Face and [[spoiler:Red Hood]], Creator/KimberlyBrooks or Creator/AshleyGreene as Batgirl/Oracle, Creator/DinoAndrade or Creator/JohnNoble as the Scarecrow, and Creator/FredTatasciore or Creator/JBBlanc as Bane. Additionally, it gave voices to the Michael Lane incarnation of Azrael (Creator/KharyPayton) and Lady Shiva (Creator/KellyHu).
17	* CommonKnowledge: A lot of fans (and even [[Creator/JBBlanc one voice actor]] in the series) thought Creator/KevinConroy had retired from the role of Batman after ''City'' with Creator/MarkHamill as the Joker, especially with the part being recast with Creator/RogerCraigSmith in ''Origins''. Even putting aside Hamill's FlipFlopOfGod, there's no place where Conroy said he was done, and not only was this proven wrong [[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDoom a couple of months later]], 2013 (the same year ''Origins'' was released) also saw the release of ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' and ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueTheFlashpointParadox'', which had Conroy as Batman.
18	* CompleteMonster: Joker, Scarecrow, Hugo Strange, Firefly, Calendar Man, Simon Stagg, and Riddler. [[Monster/DCVideoGames See here for more details]].%%Please DO NOT add any more villains without going to the Complete Monster cleanup thread first.
19	* ContinuityLockout: In two ways.
20	** Due to being a four-game story, there are details (Batman and Joker's [[spoiler:Titan Poisoning]] in ''City'', Deathstroke's sudden appearance in ''Knight'') that won't make sense unless you've played the other ones.
21	** Some plot points require at least some cursory knowledge of the comic books, though the games rectify this somewhat by giving you profiles regarding characters, but still occasionally falls into this trope, particularly in the case of [[spoiler:Jason Todd]], whose presence was almost completely absent until ''Knight''.
22	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
23	** The Arkhamverse version of Harley Quinn is one of the more popular secondary villains, going from a supporting role in the first two games, to being the BigBad of her own [=DLC=], to being fully playable in ''Arkham Knight''. Harley's portrayal in the games also raised to profile of the comics version.
24	** Scarecrow. His nightmare sequences in ''Arkham Asylum'' were considered some of the best parts in the game. When he was absent in ''Arkham City,'' people were disappointed. This may have something to do with him being promoted to BigBad in ''Arkham Knight,'' where he is subjected to a lot of AdaptationalBadass-ery.
25	** Officer Boles, the DirtyCop working for Joker, but not for the reasons you'd expect. When the subreddit fell to insanity, they had a lot of fun with the fact that it's so easy to [[{{Mondegreen}} mishear]] his name as Officer ''Balls''. As a result, he's one of the most common character jokes.
26	%%* EscapistCharacter: Batman, as usual.
27	* EpilepticTree: With ''City'''s revelation that a Lazarus Pit has always existed beneath Gotham, the fact that repeated exposure to pit chemicals causes mental illness, and it's confirmed in ''Knight'' that there's trace amounts in Gotham's water supply leads to some [[https://www.reddit.com/r/FanTheories/comments/ay6fpe/batmandc_comics_i_think_i_figured_out_why_gotham/ worrying implications]].
28	* EvenBetterSequel: ''Arkham City'' is [[http://www.gamesradar.com/why-batman-arkham-city-one-greatest-games-ever-made/ considered by some]] to be the overall best game of the franchise especially since it built on Asylum's features while adding crucial features (namely the iconic gliding and grapnel traversal mechanic where in the first game it was merely scripted), more combat and stealth options (varied combo finishers, multiple environmental takedowns), amping up the difficulty (with armored thugs and jammer-packs), adding Catwoman as a playable character, having one of the most praised boss fights in the franchise (Mr. Freeze), [[http://kotaku.com/5852095/batman-arkham-city-the-kotaku-review and for its rich storyline with its shocking twists that]] most DidntSeeThatComing: [[spoiler:the Two Jokers/Clayface reveal, and the Joker's death at the end]]. [[http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-critically-acclaimed-superhero-videogame/ Arkham City even held the Guinness World Record for Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever in 2011 based on an average Metacritic score of 95.94.]] Perhaps fittingly, the game it ended up dethroning was its own predecessor, ''Arkham Asylum''.
29	* EvilIsCool: The villains are usually the most well-written characters featured in each game. ComicBook/TheJoker, [[ComicBook/TheScarecrow Scarecrow]], and the Arkham Knight are probably the best examples.
30	* FandomRivalry:
31	** An inter-franchise one in the case of the fans of ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' and the games by Rocksteady. The former had a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_Arkham_Origins#Critical_reception weaker critical reception than the other games]] but was better received by fans while the games by Rocksteady are SacredCow owing to OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight sentiments.
32	** It also developed a low-key one with ''[[VideoGame/SpiderManInsomniac Marvel's Spider-Man]]'' which is also part of the overall meta DC v. Marvel rivalry. Several ''Arkham'' fans dismiss the latter for borrowing too much from their game and being too light-hearted. Conversely, several ''Spider-Man'' fans argue that their game has better combat and traversal while also having a sense of lightness that contrasted against the bleakness of the Rocksteady games. This escalated when ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'' outsold ''Arkham City'' and took the record for best-selling superhero game despite being a platform exclusive as opposed to Rocksteady's multi-platform release.
33	* FanNickname:
34	** The Arkhamverse.
35	** [[Website/{{Reddit}} [=r/BatmanArkham=]]], after its descent into insanity, came up with funny names for the characters and joke that those ''are'' their actual names and will respond with confusion if the real names are used.
36	*** Batman --> Man
37	*** Bruce Wayne --> Bruised Wang
38	*** Joker --> Jonkler/Jerker/Jimbler
39	*** Nightwing --> Dick
40	*** Robin --> Bin
41	*** Batgirl --> Girl
42	*** Commissioner Gordon --> Cummissioner/Conditioner Gordon
43	*** Catwoman --> Woman
44	*** Harley Quinn --> Horny Queef
45	*** Two-Face --> Face
46	*** The Penguin --> Pen/Gobblecock
47	*** Poison Ivy --> Pissin Ivy
48	*** Scarecrow --> Scatcrow/Crow
49	*** Killer Croc --> Killer Cock
50	*** Bane --> Ban/Bone
51	*** Riddler --> Rizzler/Diddler/Fiddler
52	*** Ra's al Ghul --> Racial Ghoul
53	*** Deathstroke --> Stroke
54	*** Deadshot --> Cumshot/Deadcock
55	*** Firefly --> Fly
56	*** Clayface --> Shitface/Cumface
57	*** Man-Bat --> Bat
58	*** The Flash --> The
59	*** Superman --> Supe/Soup
60	*** Wonder Woman --> (Also) Woman
61	*** Green Lantern --> Green
62	*** Cyborg --> Borg
63	*** Lex Luthor --> Sex Luthor
64	*** Rocksteady --> Cocksteady
65	*** Spider-Man --> -Man/Man 2
66	*** Venom --> Nom/Nam; also 19 Inches of Venom, thanks to a weirdly-worded tweet from [=PlayStation=] UK advertising a 19-inch Venom figurine tying into ''VideoGame/MarvelsSpiderMan2''
67	*** The Batman Who Laughs --> Man Who Jerks/Jonks/Jonkles
68	*** Owlman --> Anti-Man/Evil Man
69	*** Arkham --> Ham/Arkcum
70	*** Asylum --> Alsume/Aslume/Asslume
71	*** Gotham --> Goth Ham
72	*** And lastly (but not less important), the ever-amusing Mondegreen of Officer Balls for Officer Boles.
73	* FranchiseOriginalSin:
74	** While all the games are generally well reviewed and well received, the prominence of the Joker and his tendency to [[HijackedByGanon usurp other villains by virtue of his status as the most prominent among them]] have been criticized, as it ensured other villains could never truly take center stage even when the Joker's plots were largely [[TrappedByMountainLions disconnected from the actual main plotline]]. But this has been a wider-franchise problem for Batman on the whole, since the Joker is so inherently charismatic that he has overshadowed others for a long time in the comics, the cartoons, and avoided doing so in Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy only because of Creator/HeathLedger's death. The Arkham games, being a tribute to Batman in different media, could not help over-representing the already over-exposed Joker. But the issue was thrown into stark relief by constantly ''teasing'' other villains' schemes being front and center this time, only for the Joker to hijack the plot every time, eventually [[spoiler: from beyond the grave]].
75	** In most Batman media, the tension between Batman-Joker is subtext and only becomes relevant to the plot in stories where Joker is the main threat. In the case of the Arkham games, it worked well in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' because the game's smaller island facility setting, overall BedlamHouse atmosphere and the main plot (which is the only time Joker is actually at the helm from the start) fits that motif better. But in the sequels, the main plot and threat is Hugo Strange's Protocol 10 (and [[spoiler:Ra's Al Ghul's plans for Gotham]]) and Scarecrow's plans to unleash fear toxin and humiliate Batman. In both cases, the Joker's involvement in the plot, and the time devoted to their ''relationship'' becomes a RomanticPlotTumor since every game ends up offering some commentary on their rivalry and mutual obsession. ''Origins'' had a good general plot which advertised the Joker as merely part of Black Mask's general scheme, and comics fans were excited thinking Black Mask [[RedHerring was going to be a more prominent villain than he was]], only to find out that ''Origins'' was in fact about Joker's debut in the criminal underworld and the start of his and Batman's "relationship" while Black Mask gets submitted to a thoroughly humiliating AdaptationDecay [[spoiler:ending with him being killed off brutally in ''Arkham Knight's '' Red Hood DLC, while begging for mercy]].
76	** The series and its poor track record with making good boss fights is another example. The original game was criticized for reusing the same bullfight setup with Bane or opting for thug attack waves instead of direct battles for most of its encounters with any other boss fights being deemed lackluster or boring (with the exception of the penultimate battle with Poison Ivy). While City was praised for having the famous Mr. Freeze showdown and some more original boss fights, overall it remained a criticism due to the presence of several (albeit mostly justified) AntiClimaxBoss segments. ''Origins'', a secondary game made by a different studio, was widely praised in its handling of boss battles, making it appear to be an inversion at first. However, ''Knight'', with a few exceptions (notably fighting Riddler in a giant robot suit and tag-teaming with Nightwing to take down Killer Croc in the DLC) lacked several proper boss fights while many combat encounters with thugs and Batmobile tank battles filled their place. This reached its nadir in ''Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League'' where the Flash, Superman, and [[spoiler: Brainiac]] are all {{Moveset Clone}}s of one another, and Batman is fought as a giant StationaryBoss in an abstract sequence that makes it difficult to visualize what's actually happening, a problem exacerbated by the game's repetitive and limited number of mission types.
77	* FriendlyFandoms: Marvel vs DC rivalry aside, there’s a considerable overlap between fans of these games and fans of the ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'' series. Both series are critically acclaimed open world games with semi-grounded, DarkerAndEdgier takes on each company's most popular superhero. It helps that Insomniac Games directly cited the ''Arkham'' games as [[FollowTheLeader a source of inspiration]] when developing their Spider-Man universe.
78	* GenreTurningPoint:
79	** For licensed games in general. Before ''Arkham Asylum'', most AAA license titles were movie tie-ins like the ''VideoGame/HarryPotter'' games, which adapted the movies rather than serve, as the Arkham games, as an adaptation of the license tailored to the video game medium. Since the success of the ''Arkham'' games, most licensed games are standalone games rather than explicit tie-ins to a then-popular movie. While some movie tie-ins do exist such as ''VideoGame/TheAmazingSpiderMan'', they are more or less relegated to mobile games, and with the most recent ''VideoGame/SpidermanPS4'' following Arkham's approach in adapting the license to the game rather than make a movie tie-in. Most famously, where ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' had movie tie-in hack-and-slash licensed games, for ''Film/TheHobbit'', Monolith Studios made a game-centric adaptation of the licensed property, leading to the critically acclaimed ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor''. Monolith explicitly cited Rocksteady as their inspiration noting that it raised the bar for adapting licensed properties by insisting that it work first and foremost by providing entertaining gameplay.
80	** The unique, free-form combat system redefined how to even make games with heavy use of melee and[=/=]or unarmed combat, becoming the new standard within just a few years thanks to countless imitators that further improved on the concept and execution. And while there were games prior that used environment for combat, they treated it as a gimmick rather than a fixture of the formula.
81	* GoodBadBugs: For both ''Asylum'' and ''City'', Batman's quick ground takedown consisted of straddling a prone thug and punching him in the head, but due to the target rolling back and forth while dazed, the combat animation could randomly flip him around and have Batman hit him straight in [[GroinAttack the pelvis]] [[AssShove or tailbone]]. While ''Origins'' tried to correct this mistake, it also introduced a variation where Batman leaned down and punched the victim's ribs, which sometimes meant he accidentally shoved his face into goons' crotches. It was finally fixed in ''Knight'', where Batman leaps to the side before striking.
82	* HarsherInHindsight: How shall we put it? ComicBook/TheJoker himself has been a DeathSeeker from the very beginning of the series. [[spoiler:In ''Arkham Origins'', he tries to shoot himself in the head in order [[DrivenToSuicide to end it all]], but [[SaveTheVillain Batman stops him from doing so]] for reasons he can't comprehend. In ''Arkham Asylum'', after the Joker says, "I have nothing left to live for," he ''does'' shoot himself, but with a Titan formula gun to the throat. His "suicide" is very painfully slow, as it takes a year for the Titan poisoning to course through his bloodstream before his death and its nature complete their course at the end of ''Arkham City'', in fulfillment of his deserving to die as a monster, all the while Batman is unable to intervene with him.]]
83	* HilariousInHindsight:
84	** Casting Creator/WallyWingert as the voice of The Riddler, an InsufferableGenius who frequently gloats about being smarter than the people around him, after he voiced the [[PsychoRangers Blue Psycho Ranger]] in ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'', whose group boasted about being better than the Power Rangers with the Blue one boasting about them being smarter.
85	** The comments section on Destructoid had a RunningGag about which infamous C-list Batman villains [[SarcasmMode they'd love to see]] in the Arkham games, with the most common target for ridicule being Professor Pyg. Lazlo Valentin would eventually get a sidequest to himself in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight''.
86	** In ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'', Creator/TroyBaker voices a young Joker who seems to use [[ComicBook/TheKillingJoke the Red Hood]] as the preferred branch of his MultipleChoicePast. In ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'', [[spoiler: Troy plays the [[AntagonistTitle subtitular Arkham Knight]], later revealed to be Jason Todd, who like in the comics had previously been the second Red Hood]].
87	*** There's also the fact that Troy's roles in the ''Arkham'' games, along with his roles in ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'', the ''VideoGame/LEGOBatman'' games, and ''VideoGame/BatmanTheTelltaleSeries'' mean that he's voiced all of the male members of the Bat-Family, and a couple of their enemies too.
88	** The Penguin is depicted as a [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain brazen homophobe]]. Come ''Series/{{Gotham}}'', he's bi.
89	* HypeBacklash: The franchise became a critical darling with fans and journalist alike for its story and forits innovative "Free-Form Combat." Since the release, however [[OnceOriginalNowCommon a number of other games took inspiration from and improved on the combat]] so a number of first-time gamers going back to play these games have found themselves confused that it garnered so much hype.
90	* TheInverseLawOfFandomLevity: The game series is a dark, gothic take on the Batman mythos, showcasing Batman going through hell as he faces off against his evil RoguesGallery. The fandom, especially those on [[Website/{{Reddit}} r/BatmanArkham]], are incredibly goofy using over the top memes like Man and Jonkler to refer to Batman and Joker respectively as well as creating deliberately nonsensical nitpicks using phrases like "Is he stupid?".
91	* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: The Arkham VR game starts off with the death of ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}, and near the end[[spoiler: Killer Croc takes a bite out of Robin,]] which few people believed would stick. [[spoiler: It also takes place between City and Knight, and is a hallucination/dream sequence.]]
92	* LoveToHate: This version of Batman's RoguesGallery has a lot of great villains, but these ones here stand out for how vile and yet so enjoyable they are:
93	** ComicBook/TheJoker, as for usual, is a monstrous psychopath and one of the most evil enemies that Batman faced in his entire life. But at the same time, he is a [[DiabolicalMastermind cunning mastermind]] and is [[LaughablyEvil incredibly hilarious]] in a very twisted way. The fact that even after [[spoiler: his death at the end of City]] he still manages to make his presence felt at Gotham says a lot about his strength and influence.
94	** [[ComicBook/TheScarecrow Scarecrow]] here is the embodiment of EvilIsCool. In Asylum, his fights are easily one of the creepiest and most iconic parts of the game. Especially [[FissionMailed his third encounter]], for exploiting not only Batman's fears, but the players' fears as well. In Knight, he gets upgraded to BigBad and [[TheChessmaster clever chessmaster]], successfully taking over Gotham City in one night. Also, how many villains can boast on how they, [[spoiler: not only discovered Batman's secret identity, but also revealed it to the entire world besides Scarecrow?]]
95	** This incarnation of [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler The Riddler]] is probably the [[Franchise/HarryPotter Dolores Umbridge]] of the ''Arkhamverse''. So [[InsufferableGenius detestable]] that he makes the main villains seem like pretenders, yet you can't help but pat Rocksteady on the back for making him so vile. It also helps that he’s legitimately pretty funny and is one of the few foes in the games that can go toe to toe with Batman in the intellect department.
96	* MagnificentBastard: Catwoman, Two-Face, Ra's Al-Ghul, Bane, Clayface, [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins Lady Shiva]] and [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight Henry Adams]]. See [[MagnificentBastard/DCVideoGames here]].
97	* MemeticLoser: The Riddler, thanks to being a whiny PsychopathicManchild who constantly has to assure himself that he's [[{{Narcissist}} smarter than everyone (especially Batman)]], [[VillainousBreakdown throws a petulant tantrum]] whenever someone manages to outsmart or even correct him, and routinely suffers a HumiliationConga whenever he's defeated. The fact that he constantly refers to himself as [[SmallNameBigEgo Batman's "greatest enemy"]], despite clear evidence to the contrary, doesn't help. He may even be considered this InUniverse, given that none of the other villains like him and don't take him very seriously.
98	* MemeticMolester: Riddler became one when the game's subreddit devolved into shitposts due to no content for eight years where he's given the FanNickname the Diddler or the Fiddler.
99	* MemeticMutation: [[Memes/BatmanArkhamSeries Has its own page.]]
100	** [[SarcasmMode Batman doesn’t kill.]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]Fans have posted many short video clips on [=YouTube=] and Reddit showing Batman performing takedowns that would almost certainly be lethal in real life, poking fun at Batman holding onto his [[ThouShaltNotKill no-kill rule]] and Detective Mode being programmed by the devs to always say that everyone Batman takes down is merely unconscious[[/labelnote]]
101	** ''Batman: Arkham World'' [[labelnote:Explanation]] Quite bizarrely, in 2022 – 7 years after the as-of-this-writing final main installment of the saga – fans of the series (especially on reddit) [[https://www.kotaku.com.au/2022/08/the-fake-game-taking-over-the-batman-arkham-fandom-explained/ not only started collectively pretending that there was a new game in the series, but that it was the best entry yet]], discussing what moments were the best and even celebrating its 1-year anniversary. The whole thing can be traced back to an [[https://youtu.be/FDiIHA453YE?si=4MZ0YCw3Vj7txVpE unused 'award speech']] for the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards where Joker publicly discards a folder labeled "Batman: Arkham World script" before musing about spoilers. [[/labelnote]]
102	** Even the odds. [[labelnote:Explanation]]In Arkham Knight, Batman rescues a police officer from getting killed by a bunch of criminals. The police officer explains the situation, and asks Batman what he's going to do. He responds "Evening the odds." A button prompt labelled "Even the odds" then appears, which summons the Batmobile.[[/labelnote]]
103	** "Why is his right hand bigger than his left?"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Due to the games keeping the camera to the player character's right, from certain angles their right hand looks bigger than their left. While usually only directed at Batman himself, this has led to endless amounts of jokes about the characters having more than one way to exercise.[[/labelnote]]
104	** The Aslume/Alsume [[labelnote:Explanation]]The [=r/BatmanArkham=] subreddit is infamous for having gone as bonkers as the inmates of the titular place, now almost entirely consisting of shitposts and is recognized as a bountiful FountainOfMemes. This is now the subreddit's nickname, originating from [[https://www.reddit.com/r/BatmanArkham/comments/vz9nr7/worst_arkham_game/?share_id=_VuwTwLa1cRyfeMTDpvzw&utm_content=1&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1 this post]], which is also cited as the beginning of the subreddit's descent into madness.[[/labelnote]]
105	*** Why doesn't (character) do (sensical action)? Is he stupid?[[labelnote:Explanation]]Originated from [[Series/BreakingBad r/okbuddychicanery]], but popularized by [[Website/{{Reddit}} r/BatmanArkham]], it supposedly started from [[https://www.reddit.com/r/BatmanArkham/comments/10u798q/why_doesnt_batman_just_call_the_justice_league/ this shitpost]] parodying the FridgeLogic questions related to the games. The subreddit then got recurring posts with this template and similar joking tone, before it spreaded out to other gaming subreddits like [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 r/tf2]] (which is often mistaken for the origin of this post template). Not only it was quickly widespread, but it was also highly effective in baiting genuine replies to the given topic when it was supposed to be a joke, earning the uninformed users confusion at best or annoyance at worst.[[/labelnote]]
106	*** Jonkler/Jerker/Jimbler [[labelnote:Explanation]]Corruptions of The Joker's name which became a borderline FanNickname for the Arkham version of The Joker. Memes referring to him usually show a still of Joker making a shocked expression[[/labelnote]]
107	*** Man [[labelnote:Explanation]][[BlandNameProduct Batman with all his Bat iconography removed]]. Has crossed over to other characters, such as [[ComicBook/TheJoker Joe]], [[ComicBook/TheFlash The]], and [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Green]]. [[/labelnote]]
108	*** What would Man's favourite (band) song be? [[labelnote:Explanation]] A snowclone popular on music and video game subreddits, where commenters respond with what they think Man's favourite song from that particular band or video game OST would be. Any SanitySlippageSong is a popular choice because of how their lyrics describe the typical resident of the Aslume. [[/labelnote]]
109	*** Who the fuck is this? / Created a new character, what the [[PrecisionFStrike FUCK]] should I name them? [[labelnote:Explanation]]A trend of posting pictures of significant characters from the Arkham series or from other media or even real life coupled with this phrase.[[/labelnote]]
110	*** Is there a lore reason?[[labelnote:Explanation]] Similar to "Is he stupid?", it started in a post from [[Website/{{Reddit}} r/BatmanArkham]], where an user asks for the InUniverse reason [[https://www.reddit.com/r/BatmanArkham/comments/yaquos/is_there_a_lore_reason_why_hes_called_the_arkham/ for the Arkham Knight name]]. This caused many post parodying it, asking for explanations for things taken out of context, or overlaping it with other memes, frequently the aforementioned "Is he stupid?".[[/labelnote]]
111	*** Killer Cock[[labelnote:Explanation]]A FanNickname for Killer Croc, with the main joke being how users will comically lust after him and see him as irresistibly sexy.[[/labelnote]]
112	*** Bone[[labelnote:Explanation]]FanNickname for Bane, used in the same vein as Killer Cock.[[/labelnote]]
113	*** Nude Bone pics[[labelnote:Explanation]]Images tagged as NSFW promised to be Bane naked. These turn out to be troll posts.[[/labelnote]]
114	*** I'm proud of you, Dick.[[labelnote:Explanation]]A quote said by Batman to Nightwing before he initiates the Knightfall Protocol. [[UnfortunateName Since Dick is now more commonly slang for a penis]], it caught on with the crude humor the subreddit adopted.[[/labelnote]]
115	*** The bomb's payload is exposed. I can use the power winch to trigger a controlled explosion.[[labelnote:Explanation]]A line said by Batman [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin that's exactly as it sounds like]] that the subreddit adopted as a euphemism for sex/masturbation.[[/labelnote]]
116	*** What Arkham quote should I use?[[labelnote:Explanation]]A shitpost template where someone will say they did or experienced something and ask this question. The most popular are Joker's "Stand back fool, I've got a bomb!" and "I'd be happy to drop my pants."[[/labelnote]]
117	*** What movie becomes completely different once you end it with [X]?[[labelnote:Explanation]]A meme prompt where the thing added is something incredibly vulgar.[[/labelnote]]
118	*** Fake swipe[[labelnote:Explanation]]A joke stemming from troll posts where the poster would trick users into thinking there were galleries when in fact the picture of the swipe icon and numbered slides were just pictures.[[/labelnote]]
119	*** Hi, I'm [X]. AMA.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Where users will pretend to be minor characters or inanimate objects present throughout the series and sometimes outside for [=QnA=] sessions.[[/labelnote]]
120	*** We need a new joke. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Users expressing dismay at the continual cycle of the same jokes being reused ended up becoming one of those same jokes that kept getting reused.[[/labelnote]]
121	*** He wasn't stupid. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The original "Is he stupid?" post was why Bruce didn't call the Justice League during ''Arkham Knight'' under the assumption the League existed then. In the leadup to ''VideoGame/SuicideSquadKillTheJusticeLeague'', set in the Arkhamverse, a test player revealed on Twitter that the game would reveal the League hadn't been formed yet. Cue users expressing shock that they finally had their "lore reason" and it made their insanity AllForNothing. However, people still pointed out that the FridgeLogic still stands in that Easter Eggs in ''Knight'' confirmed heroes like Superman were active in that time.[[/labelnote]]
122	*** Can we all agree the Arkham saga ended here? [[labelnote:Explanation]]The poor reception of ''VideoGame/SuicideSquadKillTheJusticeLeague'' lead to a slew of memes showing various scenes requesting that the Fandom pretend that nothing else occurred in the Arkhamverse following that point, which naturally devolved into the exact first scenes in the franchise or scenes from completely different one.[[/labelnote]]
123	*** Can we all agree that this should have been the Arkhamverse Suicide Squad?/Why weren't they the Arkhamverse suicide squad? [[labelnote:Explanation]]Memes depicting various groups that should have been the Suicide Squad, such as the LEGO variants of the characters or the [[VideoGame/{{Team Fortress 2}} [=TF2 mercenaries.=]]][[/labelnote]]
124	*** Officer Balls[[labelnote:Explanation]]A Mondegreen of Batman addressing Officer Boles. It's followed by Joker [[HehHehYouSaidX laughing his ass off]].[[/labelnote]]
125	*** r/[=ArkhamRehabilitation=][[labelnote:Explanation]]A joke sub created in response to this sub, that takes the form of an actual mental ward where users are rehabilitated from the Aslume. "Doctors" here will prescribe "Anti-Aslume pills".[[/labelnote]]
126	*** Explosive gel[[labelnote:Explanation (NSFW)]]Referring to an infamous incident where a user posted a picture of his Poison Ivy statue covered in his "explosive gel" (his semen). "Explosive gel" has now become a byword for horny fans and whenever mentioned will result in faux-traumatized responses.[[/labelnote]]
127	* MoralEventHorizon: See [[MoralEventHorizon/DCVideoGames here]].
128	* {{Narm}}: When Batman interrogates Riddler informants to mark the locations of trophies and riddles on the map, he exchanges a brief scene where he threatens them into talking, and then knocks them out. The silliness comes in when you get an exchange where neither of them mentions the Riddler, and in all of them the player never actually hears the info they're giving Batman. This often leads to nonsensical interactions like this.
129	-->'''Batman:''' Talk! Or I'll break every bone in your body. \
130	'''Thug:''' Don't hurt me, I'll tell you everything! \
131	'''Batman:''' Good call. ''punches them in the face''
132	* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames: Not only are these considered the best ''Batman'' games ever made, not ''only'' are they considered to be among the best-licensed games ever made, they're often placed in the top tier of character action games ever made, ''period''. Related to this is...
133	* OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight:
134	** Rocksteady Studios developed the ''Arkham'' IP and did it so well their [[CreatorWorship popularity exploded]]. So when ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' was announced as being developed by Warner Bros. Montreal -- essentially a stop-gap game to fill time while Rocksteady was busy making ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' -- there was genuine concern about how the game would turn out. However, despite lacking [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks serious gameplay changes]] and [[GoodBadBugs the polish]] of Rocksteady's games, ''Origins'' was well-received as an expansion of the ''Arkham'' universe, with some consider it to have a very compelling story, dialogue and more varied boss battles than the first two games. Furthermore, ''Knight'''s status as a ContestedSequel and the problems and controversy of its PC Port has led to Arkham Origins being better regarded by some.
135	** Part of ''Arkham Knight's'' mixed reaction is a whole other form of this; Paul Dini wrote the story of ''Asylum'' and ''City'', while another writing team handled the story of ''Origins''; neither of those writing teams were involved with ''Knight's'' story, and many fans feel that it's inferior to the earlier stories.
136	** In an [[InvertedTrope inversion]], [=WBM=] is often considered to be better at designing boss fights, due to being better at avoiding [[PlayedForLaughs unintentional]] examples of AntiClimaxBoss and ZeroEffortBoss which Rocksteady has been criticized for -- while Rocksteady has some standouts (ComicBook/MrFreeze being the most obvious example), they prefer to design their bosses around a specific gadget, while [=WBM=] designs them around the combat & stealth mechanics; as such, their bosses feel much more varied than Rocksteady's, who tend to rely a bit too much on gadget spamming and evading. The facts that [=WBM=] also managed to give proper boss fights to characters who had a weak fight on Rocksteady's games (Deadshot, Bane), and pulled off more examples of a FinalExamBoss than Rocksteady also helps their case. [[note]]''Knight'''s Story [=DLCs=] provide a good comparision between the two companies - the four developed by WB (Scarecrow Nightmare, Red Hood, Harley Quinn and Batgirl) all end with boss fights, while the only Rocksteady DLC with new bosses are the Season of Infamy and ''arguably'' the Community Challenge Pack that reuses Killer Croc as an OptionalBoss.[[/note]]
137	* PolishedPort: The ''Return to Arkham'' package is a mixed bag - it has much better character models and graphics, adds some new detail to the environments, and comes with all DLC pre-installed (even the previously VersionExclusiveContent), but comes with the cost of the occasional framerate drop, the downgrading of certain effects, and some "[[TheyChangedItNowItSucks controversial]]" changes in presentation. That said, they still lean to the "polished" side over the [[PortingDisaster alternative]], thanks to the more stable gameplay (at least compared to the 7th gen consoles) and outright gorgeous visuals.
138	* QuestionableCasting:
139	** This pretty much sums up many fans' reaction to the fact that Commissioner Gordon ''keeps'' getting recast. Across the whole franchise, he's had '''five''' voice actors[[note]]Creator/RickDWasserman voiced a young Gordon in ''Asylum'', but that was TimeShiftedActor[[/note]], going from Creator/TomKane in ''Asylum'', to Creator/DavidKaye in ''City'', to Creator/MichaelJGough in ''Origins'' and ''Blackgate'', to Creator/ChrisCox in ''Assault on Arkham'', to Creator/JonathanBanks in ''Knight''.
140	** There's also the matter of Creator/TroyBaker and how many different characters he plays- first he's Two Face and Robin in ''City,'' then Joker in ''Origins,'' and '''then''' the Arkham Knight/[[spoiler:Jason Todd]] in ''Knight.'' That's overall five different characters done by one actor, which had several fans aghast, especially since Baker appears in nearly every major video game these days.
141	* ScrappyMechanic:
142	** The otherwise excellent combat system's biggest problem is that it relies on a largely automatic priorization; it generally does exactly what you're trying to do, but once it decides to attack the wrong enemy, the results can be devastating. Spent your instant takedown on an enemy that is immune to it on your left, while you were actually trying to use it on an armored thug to your left? Martial Artists and the challenge map Shiva boss in ''Origins'' are especially guilty of this, but it can happen in other games as well.
143	** More and more critics of the series' Detective Vision have popped up over time. Aside from the occasional Predator Mode fight with enemies that jam your Detective Vision or detect you if you're using it, there's no real disadvantage to just leaving it on 24/7 aside from the game's gorgeous visuals being replaced with an ugly VR-style aesthetic. Later games in the series tried to make the Detective Vision aesthetic less overwhelming, and other games who drew inspiration from it such as ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'' ''do'' leave it on by default without replacing the game's visuals.
144	** The first three games, at least on consoles, had several stealth mechanics bound to the same buttons and button combinations, which can sometimes result in unwanted situations - for example, on Playstation, corner cover, entering a floor grate and hanging from a ledge are all bound to R2+X, all the while both R2 and X are also used for basic movement. In areas where there's more than one option, say a corner near a ledge, it's sometimes down to luck whether Batman performs the one you wanted instead of another one that could result in being shot at, made even worse if you're playing on a high difficulty and are already being ventilated. ''Knight'' made this much more tolerable by keeping corner cover on R2+X but moving ledges/grates to R2+O, but even then it's still possible for the game to pick the option you didn't want.
145	* SelfImposedChallenge: Entire [=YouTube=] channels have been built around playing these games and using quick fire gadgets, the grapnel gun, or the glider cape as little as possible.
146	* SpecialEffectFailure: The trailer for the ''Return to Arkham'' collection (''Asylum'' and ''City'', remastered with more advanced textures and lighting effects for the [=PlayStation=] 4 and Xbox One) was met with considerable criticism, with many alleging that although the environments were vastly improved, [[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pEXmZUtzacU/maxresdefault.jpg the new cutscenes looked far LESS cinematic and improperly composited under the new lights]] (keep in mind, the remaster is the one on the '''left'''). In the finished remaster, some of the cutscenes (mainly in in ''Asylum'') do look worse than they did before.
147	* ThatOneSidequest: Some predator challenge map medals can be frustrating, to say the least. Even when they make one medal easy as long as you don't alert the guards, it's often the simper ones that cause headaches.
148	** In general, challenges that require you to remain unseen or take no damage also tend to require another medal that's already difficult without that limitation. Like taking no damage while also lining up two mooks so you can line launcher kick one before shooting another line and kicking another thug, who's probably turned around after hearing you kick the first one.
149	** Vent cover takedowns aren't hard per se, but at times it feels like the guards are programmed to avoid vents you're in. Getting into a vent usually requires you to remove at least one vent cover, thus reducing potential spots to perform the move, and getting a mook close enough to attack is almost entirely luck based if you're playing as someone with no way to control enemy routes. Even if you have some sort of distraction gadget, you can't use it in the vent itself. And finally, if the guy near a vent is accompanied by a bunch of other mooks, there's a good chance that taking the opportunity will result in death before you're able to escape.
150	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: There are quite a number of fan who hate the brighter, more comic book-esque character models used in the ''Return to Arkham'' [=PS4=] port of the first two games, ''especially'' in the case of ''Asylum'', feeling that they don't fit the mood of the games.
151	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Examples from specific games go to their respective pages.
152	** Two-Face is considered by many to be the most underutilized villain throughout the series, as his role in each game is pretty insignificant. In ''City'' he's only there to capture Catwoman so Batman can rescue her, and later get beaten up by Catwoman after the main story ends. ''Knight'' is a bit better about this, as his split personality is brought up more and portrayed in a sympathetic manner, but his side-mission is one of the shortest ones in the entire game. One can't help but feel that had he not been mentioned in ''Asylum'' his origin story could have been a nice subplot in ''City'', as he could easily have been written as an ally in the fight against ''Arkham City'', and have Hugo Strange slowly break Harvey during the game and bring Two-Face out as an attempt to break the Batman.
153	** Black Mask is built up as this poweful StarterVillain for Batman with both the mob and the cops at his payroll. He is taken out by Joker offscreen who then takes over his organization. While seeing his downfall throughout the series is kind of cool, he never really got a chance to be the cruel badass he is in the comics, as he tends to be resident ButtMonkey of tye Arkhamverse. ''Knight'''s Red Hood DLC implies that he is slowly managing to regain his former power, but gets killed by Jason before he really gets anywhere.
154	** [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]] is the most uninteresting of the three Robins, as he first appeared as a quiet DLC character in City, and his personality doesn't come up at all.[[note]]To be fair, City's credits imply he was meant to have a speaking role.[[/note]] Like Harvey above, he gets a better role in ''Knight'', but it's still pretty small. (At least he can talk in ''Knight''.)
155	** [[ComicBook/TaliaAlGhul Talia]] is stated to be Batman's true love in this series. However, she's got maybe ten minutes of screen time across all four of the games and their relationship is never really actually developed.
156	* ToughActToFollow:
157	** The first two entries were widely acclaimed that later entries, while still earning generally positive reception, are considered to be {{Contested Sequel}}s.
158	** ''VideoGame/GothamKnights2022'', a BatFamilyCrossover set in a different universe to the Arkhamverse, got harshly judged from its announcement by sheer virtue of not being a sequel to ''Arkham Knight'', with most agreeing that it fell short of the high standards of the Arkham games, being SoOkayItsAverage at best. Particularly because the setup of the game sounded like a perfect segue from the end of ''Arkham Knight'', making many confused that it was a standalone and leading to inevitable comparisons.
159	** Many are of the opinion Rocksteady choosing to canonically follow up the Arkham games with ''VideoGame/SuicideSquadKillTheJusticeLeague'' was a bad idea, in part due to the tetralogy often being considered the best DC licensed games ever, if not licensed games period, and in part due to the almost nine-year gap between ''Arkham Knight'' and this, with only a VR spin-off in between, heightening expectations. Choosing to make this game connected to the Arkhamverse invited heavy criticisms regarding numerous story and character inconsistencies between it and the other games, with many feeling it failed to live up to the standards and tone set by its predecessors. [[spoiler:The fact that the story ends with the hero of those games ''brainwashed and murdered'' definitely did the connection no favors.]] The backlash was so great that it made a significant number of fans think back more positively on ''Gotham Knights'' in retrospect.
160	* UnderusedGameMechanic: All games following ''Asylum'' allow you to listen to radio stations using the Cryptographic Sequences, one of these being the police dispatch channel. These have a fair amount of content. Unfortunately, most players are unlikely to hear much of this because the only way is to do so stay in place with the gadget out. There is no way to have it playing while you proceed with other gameplay.
161	* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: The series' first three games were rated T for Teen (strongly suggested children under 14 would need parental guidance and that's it). The games have very minimal blood/gore, but is full of brutal death, intense violence, psychological horror, sexual content, corruption, and of course Batman and his villains acting more nightmarish than ever before, all packaged along with extremely dark themes and storylines that can be chilling from their concepts alone. There's a very good argument to be made that they are '''the''' darkest ''Batman'' adaptations ever made. There was quite a lot of video game industry chatter on the effectiveness of the [=ESRB=] rating system when both ''Arkham Asylum'' and ''Arkham City'' were released and were not rated M for Mature. This was finally rectified with ''Arkham Knight'', which was rated M.

Context YMMV / BatmanArkhamSeries