Batman: Arkham Origins

“Batman: Arkham Origins takes no chances and feels a bit derivative as a result, but it's still another round of good times exploring Gotham City as the Dark Knight.”

Origins, the Batman: Arkham series prequel is here, but can WB Montreal successfully duplicate Rocksteady's runaway success?

Electronic devices can be difficult to clean properly as they all have intricate little parts and buttons and switches. I learned that the hardest way possible when I blank-mindedly drooled all over my keyboard after reading a text that said “Wanna review Batman?” I wish I could say that it was regular drool, but it wasn’t. Nope, this drool was one of excitement as I am a Batman fan, and being able to review the latest game had me somewhat excited.  That and whole bags of Cheetos and half a case of Pepsi tend to create more of a syrupy substance than regular saliva. Regardless, I accepted my n...

Batman games are like pizza: even when they’re not very good, they’re still pretty good. Next to Arkham City, Arkham Origins is a bit of a disappointment in its lack of new ideas and use of win buttons, making it the least interesting of the trilogy. But as excuses to dive back into the excellent free-flowing combat and predator takedowns go, this story isn’t bad.

Arkham Origins feels a lot like Arkham City retooled with a new story and the inclusion of a few new gadgets – but that doesn’t really make it any less fun to play. Sure, revisiting locations from past installments can occasionally suck the freshness out of things, and the control response issues can get in the way, but we don't think fans of the series should let those shortcomings ruin what’s another solid Batman outing. One thing we will admit though, is that Batman’s next-gen appearance is most certainly going to need to bring ambitious new mechanics and ideas to the series – if we don’t g...

Over the course of two games, the Batman: Arkham franchise has solidified itself as one of the most critically acclaimed properties of this generation. Both instalments have proven that with a lot of love for the source material, licensed titles don't have to be horribly rushed, soulless productions – but without developer Rocksteady at the helm of this newest chapter, does Batman: Arkham Origins wear its prestigious cape with pride?

Wash... Rinse... Repeat.

The overwhelming sense that you've been here and done this before are unavoidable in Batman: Arkham Origins. Despite an excellent story and a ton of content, there's very little that has changed in the last two years.

If Batman: Arkham Origins does one thing well, it’s epitomize the kind of exploitative garbage that has steadily eroded so much faith in the so-called “AAA” gaming scene. When publishers whine and moan about piracy or used sales, this is the kind of game you can point to when you ask if it’s any surprise that so few customers are willing to gamble $60 on a brand new game. This is the kind of game that, when publishers panic over flagging sales, you can hold up and say, “You did it to yourselves.”

It seems that it doesn’t matter what time of the year it is Batman doesn’t get a break, even on a night where you think the criminals of Gotham City would be preparing to give each other a present. However, it seems that no matter what a hero’s job is never done with the entire criminal underworld of Gotham City out to cause mischief. Christmas Eve has never seemed so dreary and clearly in Gotham City Christmas is not a pleasant affair (unless you are a criminal after weapons), and as we see no people rushing around to collect last minute presents, and no children ensuring Santa knows what the...

Warner Bros. Montreal set out to create a Batman game worthy of Rocksteady’s legacy, and managed just that. There’s some great stuff to see here, but it doesn’t really push the franchise off in a new direction. For a new studio’s first attempt in the franchise, I think that’s really what it needed to be, so they can build their own legacy in the future.

If you’re a Batman fan you should already have Batman: Arkham Origins, but anyone else might want to hold off a couple of weeks for some patches to come through. Even with the bugs though I enjoyed the game all the way through for the 15-20 hours it took me to finish (without having done all the side missions yet), and will once again be combing back-alleys and rooftops for those hidden Riddler/Enigma goodies before tackling the Challenge Maps and New Game Plus. Oh, and the multiplayer too ...