Game rating: Batman Arkham Origins

[Binnatics]

Game title
Batman Arkham Origins

Category	Rating	Comments
Story line	7	In this third edition of the Batman franchise we go back in time. We learn to know what happened before Arkham Asylum was founded, and why. We also learn how the Joker first appeared. Since I've never read a lot of Batman comics and only watched the Batman Movie where Jack Nickolson plays the Joker, I was curious for this history trip. After playing the game I must say the story is a bit disappointing. I had hoped for more spectacular personalities dominating the story, but unfortunately both Bane and Blackmask fail to deliver what I'd hoped for. The introduction of the Joker was a relief at first, because I already missed his mad twists and sick humour, but when he was finally there he didnot fully convince me either. The story wasn't as adventurous as in Arkham city, like when you enter the ancient, trippy world where the Assassins dominate. Or the botanical gardens in Arkham Asylum, or the Museum where you meet the Penguin in his icy environment. Here you just visit a Bank, the Steelmill (again) the police headquarters and a huge hotel. Oh, and of course an old cruise ship owned by the Penguin. It was cool to learn how the Asylum was founded and where the Joker appeared, but for people who already knew the story it must have been a bigger disappointment.
Graphics	6	The graphics are worse than in Arkham City. I noticed it from the start. Batman is poorly designed, too short and with enormous upper legs, like some sort of Popeye. I don't know what they did to the game, but the whole graphics experience is downgraded from the "9" I gave it in Arkham City to a poor 6 right now. We are a few years ahead, and all they managed to design is a game that looks less appealing than its prequel. Incredible. The detail level is poor, there's less quality in the "drawing" and there's most definitely nothing new. In fact, the way they developed the world is even simpler, with less variety.
Sound	4	The sound in the game is bad. The whole damn story gets accompanied with the same music, no matter what you do. Even when playing challenges it stays the same. Stiku pointed me to the poor voice acting, which is something I didn't really pay attention to until then. They hired new voice actors, instead of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, which is why the characters lost their value. I don't have to say a lot more about it, the sounds are just shitty.
Game play	9	The Batman Franchise has become famous because of their flawless gameplay; the massive combat system with perfectly worked out moves and combo system which really gives the skilled player the feeling of completely ruling everything that is happening in the game. I graded the gameplay with 10 in Arkham City, and even on this part of the game I have to admit that it hasn't been able to equal that score. The newly introduced gadgets and moves aren't adding to what was already perfect. The electrical gloves are making the combat system too easy. Suddenly there's a difference in the fighting performance between challenge mode and story mode. And the game has a lot of tiny bugs. Like getting stuck in a railing, or not being able to properly start a flight (using your bat-cape). The gameplay is still very good, and I've had a lot of fun with all the fighting sequences as well as the predator challenges in the game, but it's just not enough to fully convince me; a 9.
Replay value	7	Usually the achievements in the Batman games are the things that keep me going. They make me want to complete another playthrough, and another. This time it didn't w@&k out that way. The story is not so interesting that you'd want to do it again, and the newly introduced "I Am The Knight" mode, which is basically another hard playthrough with just one life (die and start over from scratch) is only adding frustration to the gaming experience. Usually I can bear a bit (or a lot) of frustration, but this is different. Most boss fights are just stupid. Only the boss fight against Deathstroke is cool. The rest sux, and makes the IATN mode a joke. You will have to have a parallel playthrough at hand to practise these boss fights to make sure you wouldn't fail them in the IATN mode. After a while I found out that you can still restart a sequence in the menu. WTF??? So if you are quick enough and press ESC before someone gives you the fatal hit, you can restart that sequence as many times as you want. So completing the IATN mode is just "being very good at pressing ESC". So much for I Am The Night mode. There's also a multiplayer part in this game. I have only taken a quick look at it, and it didnot really convince me. Many people say it's crap. My first impression was that it worked, and might even be fun, but I just didn't want to share my "being-the-dark-knight-feeling" with others. So I skipped it.

Final thoughts
6.6 average. That says about all. This game is the first not created by the Rocksteady studios and the new developers have not been able to keep the high standards alive. In fact I think they created a cheap trick to tear more money out of the franchise, destroying the high standards and excellent quality it is known for.
For those who love the Batman games it still delivers a good bit of joy, but it is only a shadow of what Rocksteady created with Arkham City.
I had planned to get all achievements, as I did before with Batman games, but I gave up somewhere at 70%. Not because I couldn't make it, but because I lost the fun in doing it. If you know me a bit, that says about everything.
I will be very careful with the next Batman title, and will probably wait until it appears in Steam's special offers.
Glad I didn't pay the full price for this one ;)

[Art Blade]

excellent review, +1 :-X ^-^

The only voice I liked was the butler's. The game was a (k)nightmare for me, I didn't like it at all. I even stopped somewhere 3/4 or so of the main story, I just couldn't be bothered anymore. The only thing about the game that I like are some of the combat challenges.

[PZ]

Although not my kind of game to begin with, very nice review, Binn.  :-X +1 from me as well

[fragger]

+1 from me too Binn for the cool review.

I can't ever see myself playing a Batman title as that kind of game isn't really my thing, plus I'm not crazy about superheroes, but I enjoyed your review nonetheless :) :-X

[Stiku]

 :-X

Almost agreewith you, but that combat system isn't what it was in AA and AC.  :D
as I was born in the early 80's,so I grew up watching BTAC(cartoon), and which had Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill voicing the same characters, the deepness of Conroys voice and the Hamill's passion doing the voices is something that you cant live without in these cartoons, this is why Rocksteady(developer of AA/AC) opted to get these actors.

[Binnatics]

Thanx guys! And thanx Stiku, for the additional info about the voice acting.

[Binnatics]

And btw, that was my hundredest kudo ^-^ :-X

[Art Blade]

 :-D :-X

[JRD]

Nice review Binn

The Batman games changed studios for this release (Rocksteady was the first developer and it changed to another one I can't remember now - I'm writing without any prior research  ) so we may put all the low ratings at their tab somehow. Too bad seeing a franchise go down through the wrong road.

I was always a fan of the comic books and the previous games were just amazing, even if AA was very indoor-sy and linear and both AA and AC had boss fights. The visual and combat were truly refreshing and satisfying at the same time. Free roaming Arkham City kept me busy for quite a while and being able to switch to challenge mode at any point and back to the campaign was excellent!  :-X

I do have a AO installed but didn't fire it yet. I'm am mostly playing Remember Me and AC:B but will certainly give it a try very soon!  >:D

[Binnatics]

I'm really looking forward to your first impressions and final opinion on the game. I think the new company is a part of the warner brothers studios, montreal or something?