Asger
Since: Feb, 2011
03/06/2014 00:00:00
Oh well, at least the Batmobile is in Rocksteady's upcoming game.
Leave a Comment:
Enjoyable but underwhelming
Batman is one of the greatest fictional characters of all time and I am allowed to say this because, as a blogger, I can make unsubstantiated statements that I claim to be absolutes (he is, though). Thus, Batman can be many things: violent, anti-social, heroic, crusading, angst-ridden, driven, and even funny.
Never boring.
Arkham Origins, the third installment of the popular Arkham Asylum series, is a work painfully driven by corporate desire to capitalize on the previous installment's success. Arkham City was a top contender for Charles Phipps' Best Game of All Time. I say that as an unmitigated Batman fanboy and by no means an unbiased judge. Arkham Origins builds on Arkham City's engine, map, and even storytelling engine to create itself.
The results are, unfortunately, underwhelming.
Arkham Origins is by no means a bad game, but this is damning with faint praise. So okay, it's average (thank you, TV tropes) would be a good description of how I feel about it. After the tremendous success of Arkham City, Montreal game developers were always going to have a tough act to follow. Still, I think they could have done better as the haste in which this game was pumped out and it's myriad flaws show everywhere.
The first problem with Arkham Origins is this premise isn't bad but it's lacking punch. There's also a twist with this premise I won't spoil but proves to be wholly unnecessary. The next problem is Gotham City feels rather lifeless. Travel time is a problem in Gotham City as well. Then there's the fact the game is bugged. Not so bugged as to make it unplayable, at least on my Xbox 360 but enough to be noticeable.
So what are the good points of Arkham Origins? The things which stand out as original compared to Arkham City? The first thing is Gotham City is gorgeous. The Boss Battles of Arkham Origins are a massive improvement over Arkham City's own. I also give the game props for excellent voice-acting. Despite the absence of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, both Batman and the Joker are still recognizable.
In conclusion, Arkham Origins is a game which could have been so much better if it had been edited and tweaked as well as properly play-tested.
7.5/10