What, no Batman: Arkham Origins thread??

[W8taminute]

Just some input into this discussion:

I've played and thoroughly enjoyed Arkham City.  I'm toying with getting Arkham Asylum as you can find it pretty cheap these days.  I've heard that there are horrible lags and bugs in the console version of Origins so I'm staying away for now.

I have to agree though that playing as Batman in these games really does give you a good sense of being unstoppable but you do have to work at it though.  Some of the fights can get pretty intense.

[JasonPratt]

Just some input into this discussion:

I've played and thoroughly enjoyed Arkham City.  I'm toying with getting Arkham Asylum as you can find it pretty cheap these days.

You absolutely should: it's just as enjoyable, for mostly similar but also somewhat different reasons. (The plot is much more linear but also thus more focused; I'd also say more atmospheric. Which is why I recommended it to Gus on his Halloween list.) Ignore the Riddler missions, since you have to break the story to win before the end of the game (also true for Arkham City unless you're playing a New Game Plus), and the brief audio reward isn't worth it IMO.

I've heard that there are horrible lags and bugs in the console version of Origins so I'm staying away for now.

I haven't experienced horrible bugs (unless I have...? Do you remember what bugs? I've suspected a couple, though not necessarily game-breaking ones. Might make the Riddler story unwinnable though...)

Lags, yes (on a PS3), but not in any way that affects gameplay. The most persistent is a fast-travel desynch of sound and video: almost every time the grappel sounds will occur before the video, and I'd say around half the time the sound from the subsequent traveling cutscene (with Batman in the Wing) doesn't happen at all. But the sound always kicks back in.

I have to agree though that playing as Batman in these games really does give you a good sense of being unstoppable but you do have to work at it though.  Some of the fights can get pretty intense.

True. It's very much a tactical brawler. This is increased a little more in AO with the introduction of some new mook enemies.

[Nefaro]

Having to jump through hoops to get my free B:AO game redeemed through Nvidia.   Rarely do I have to scan my copy of a game/doe and send in a copy of my invoice but OH YES DO THAT!   :D

At least the Nvidia help site's customer service has been prompt with replies.  If I had to do something like this with Steam, I would've gone on a rampage in a MacHole with an AK.   Because they would've given me the metaphoric finger.

[W8taminute]

^LOL

A gun toting Ronald?  That's pretty scary actually.   :)

[Dolan50]

Yo Biatch,
We don't be serving Whoppers here!

[JasonPratt]

Have now played far enough to finish the Copperhead, Shiva and Deadshot boss fights, two of which are disguised as side missions (meaning they could be theoretically ignored entirely while finishing the main story, I guess). All three fights fit the enemies well, and I like the costume designs for Copperhead and Shiva (for different reasons -- I'm glad they had enough sense to keep Shiva's outfit classy, unlike the no-underwear assless chaps of Talia from Arkham City. A detail the designers thought would be funny to call attention to with a special lighting effect while Batman is following her, plus a quip from Batman himself! "I've followed worse..."  :P Not in keeping with Talia's character, guys.)

The Deadshot mission is VASTLY MUCH HARDER than in Arkham City where essentially it's a series of puzzles: now the player has to fight (directly, not with a cheap grate jump) not only Deadshot (who being armored is immune to normal punching and who doesn't take damage from most special attacks although they'll incapacitate him briefly, and who can shoot literally anywhere in the room once he finds Batman by using angles), but two or three waves of four to six gunmen each. In a fairly small room without many places to run and hide once the bullets start flying. And with the third wave bringing a jammer to mess up Batman's cowl. And with Deadshot taking a hostage once he's down to his final health, meaning Batman not only has to sneak up on him (without running into any mines previously set nearby by the enemies), but cannot be directly detected by Deadshot while ghosting the final set of gunmen, or Deadshot shoots the hostage, game over.

Yeesh. Did someone get critiqued a little harshly for the surprisingly easy Deadshot missions in AO?? I restarted that final fight no less than 10 times trying to win.

Some other observations previously unmentioned:

1.) The player can mine some extra experience (at least enough in total to pick up an extra gadget unlock, maybe two) by returning to the Batcave on occasion and talking with Alfred, which so far is almost the only reason (aside from one brief story requirement) to return to the cave. I feel this is a missed opportunity to let Batman pick up a repaired suit, especially since in the New Game Plus the player can return to the cave anytime to put on an alternate suit (depending on bought or included DLC), including the Azbats Knightfall costume and...

... I am not kidding ...

... THE ADAM WEST 1960S SUIT!!! (Both of those come with the same DLC package, btw, which also features a post-game epilogue campaign recreating Bane's strategy from the Knightfall series. Alternate suits can actually be worn in the first play through any time, so long as they stay in the cave and stick with training virtual reality fights.)

1b.) Alfred has his own mini-storyline involving a giant bat infesting the cave. At first I thought he was just being dryly British, trolling Batman with an allegorical description of Batman himself -- and that might still be the case, I guess. (A Christmas Eve dinner stolen by the giant bat and deposited as bones? Maybe that's Alfred criticizing Bruce for not being around Christmas Eve??)

2.) I've read some people saying the outside map seems smaller, but that cannot be literally true. The top third of the map is an earlier version of AO's map, but with more of AO's area opened up (since in AO that portion has been sectioned off for central security and cannot be accessed in-game.) The bottom third is an equivalently large area. In between is a very large bridge; but even discounting that, the game area (outside anyway) is a little more than double AO. And the "newer" (or in game terms "older") AO area map resembles AO only in some ways, not in others, so it's only a little like zipping around the AO map.

I suspect part of the problem is that the fast-travel system makes the whole map feel smaller; and on the other hand the original AO map was set up so that the player couldn't travel in a straight line from the lower left to lower right portions (except through the subway maps, which took even more time, assuming they were even unlocked yet), but had to go around the big blocked-out area in the middle. This naturally made the map feel bigger than it actually was; but since the player doesn't have to do that in the prequel then that same area feels smaller.

[Nefaro]

Got my activation code issue resolved with Nvidia.

Gotta admit, their customer service was prompt and satisfactory.

Now I probably won't even d/l the game for another year.  :D

[Grim.Reaper]

Just curious, do folks think worth $16?  I can pick this up for that but have read luke-warm reviews.  Thanks.

[JasonPratt]

If it's on PS3, yes. Of course I received it for free as a birthday present, but I wouldn't feel disappointed had I paid full price.

If it's on PC (and maybe XBox), I kind of recommend waiting, as the Steam forum for the game still resounds with bug reports, mostly due to graphic card problems at this point.

Oh, update: finished the game last night.

1.) They do go for the Red Hood plot after all, but they implement it in such a whackadoo fashion that anyone who doesn't know the canonical Joker origin will have no idea what the hell is going on. um... good job?  ??? I don't mean that in a sarcastic way, because they do a great artistic job of it.

1.2.) On the other hand, why is it that writers seem addicted now to portraying the Joker as secretly gay for Batman? If you're trying to be inclusive for your audience, making the worst and most insane supercriminal of the group fit your target demographic is DOING IT WRONG!

1.3.) On the other hand, the introduction of Harleen Quinzell is handled well. Better than her origin story in Arkham Asylum, although that brings up...

2.) ...this game changes the established game-canon in a couple of ways, mostly to do with Harley and the Riddler. This will be a bit janky when playing Arkham Asylum (and to a lesser extent Arkham City) again. (Riddler's change fits the later game canon better than Harley's does -- theoretically the two could mesh, although then it's hard to explain why his psychiatrists keep calling him Edward Nygma.)

3.) The game implements a weak version of the Knightfall storyline along the way, sort of, minus Batman getting his back broken. And then undoes it later. (The "Knightfall" DLC "campaign" is nothing of the sort, just a series of predator and combat punching missions. I played them using the 1960s Adam West suit, which was hilarious.)

4.) Re: the Shockster or Electrocue or whatever his name was: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!! I take back (almost) everything I said about the writers trying to introduce their own 'better' Batman villain. Well played, very well played. (But still, no way does he walk away faster than Deathstroke. C'mon guys.)

4.1.) Yep, all the "bosses" have nicely appropriate boss fights. Well done.

5.) Overall, does the story measure up to Paul Dini's work from the other two games? ...yeah, pretty much!

6.) No way am I going to play New Game Plus, though. This is for at least two reasons.

6.1.) The fights generally are much harder, and were already punishingly hard by the end of the regular game. (Anyone who finishes the regular game will be trained to win at the other two Arkham games without much effort I'd say.) Why would I put myself through worse?

6.2.) To finally beat the Riddler data gathering quest? From what I've heard, there's even less reason to do so than in AA. Never the hell mind.

6.3.) To play the missions in an alternate costume? Not worth the effort.

7.) I've heard that the designers are working on a pre-Origins Wayne training DLC campaign, set before he becomes Batman at all.

7.1.) That... would be okay, I guess, if I didn't have a creeping suspicion they only mean a loose "campaign" of combat and predator boards.

7.2.) But still I'd rather have a full First Two Year prequel campaign set in the city as Bruce slowly builds his Batman presence and stock of gadgets.

8.1.) I never did finish the saga of Alfred and the giant bat in the cave. (Is that supposed to be Man-Bat???)

8.2.) Was Calendar Man supposed to show up again, after being set free at the very start of the game? I guess not? Seems like a missed opportunity for a final detective mini-story, since he'd be compelled to kill someone on Christmas Eve (which his capture and incipient execution was going to stop. His cell, which Batman passes through during the first five minutes of the game, indicates he was planning something.)

[Batman]

This thread meets my interests

TL;DR

But this enrages me more than crime does

[Gusington]

If any thread was ever TL;DR it's this one, Batman.

[JasonPratt]

Well, this is a weird necro-threading.  ???

For what it's worth, I'm sure I've played AO at least three times since this thread, maybe four. I love this game (and series) like cake.

[mirth]

Well, this is a weird necro-threading.  ???

Batman plays by his own rules.

[BanzaiCat]

He's kind of a troll.

[mirth]

Now you've done it.