Rrrrrrrrrighty just for a change here is a post on a video game and this one will be on Batman Arkham Origins, which is a prequel to the events of Batman Arkham Asylum. So let's load up the batsuit, get the bat grapple and take a dive into this game.....
I won't go into the plot too much here (so don't worry there won't be four long paragraphs of plot ahead!) but the story is set five years before the events of Arkham Asylum on Christmas Eve. And Batman (voiced by Roger Craig Smith) is a younger more stubborn version of himself who is determined to set things to right on his own without the help of anyone, particularly the Gotham police force, whom he sees are filled with corrupt cops. Batman learns that a bounty has been placed on his head by the crime lord, the Black mask, which draws the world's eight best assassins to Gotham. This allows new villains such as the Joker (voiced by Troy Baker) and Anarky to establish themselves in Gotham wreak their own havoc. Batman also relies on his butler Alfred (Martin Jarvis) to help analyse crime scenes remotely and retrieve any information he can. As the plot progress Batman manages to take down the assassins and captures the Joker who is imprisoned in Blackgate prison. However all is not over and pretty soon, the Joker escapes and takes over Blackagte prison where Batman has to find a way to stop the demented killer.
While it isn't in the same league as the Arkham Asylum or Arkham City, Arkham Origins still has plenty going for it and perhaps to its credit it doesn't deviate from the elements that made the first two games so good to play, as the movement and combat system are terrific. Where Arkham City does deviate from the previous two games is the departure of its two main voice actors who did Batman and the Joker, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill respectively. And while their prescence is missed it doesn't really detract from the game too much especially as Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker both do fine jobs as their replacements.
The game also keeps the third person perspective action as before and also places a bit more emphasis on Batman's detective skills and stealth abilities, which he can enhance as the game progresses. This is actually one of the game's finer aspects in the in-game menus where Batman can customise and upgrade his equipment and also his combat moves, which is layed out and presented very well and in the same fashion as before in the previous games. There are also some new additions in Arkham Origins although given the huge amount add-ons from Arkham City we don't get too much more here. However the new additions include the remote batclaw which can be used to pull two objects together or pull objects and use them to hit enemies. The remote claw can also be used to create a tightrope which Batman can use to cross over areas which are difficult to reach. Then there are shock gloves which Batman acquires from the villain, Electrocutioner and he can use them to stun enemies and knock them out as well as to short circuit elevator control panels or door lock panels.
Another addition to the game is the fast travel system which allows Batman to summon his plane, the Batwing remotely to pick him up and drop him off at a selected point, this can be done while Batman is in the batcave or out and about in the city. This is definitely a good new feature which cuts down on the amount of time taken for Batman to glide over grapple his way to new locations. And finally there is the concussion grenade which can be used to knock multiple enemies unconscious, although I found myself not using this feature too much in all honesty. But Batman has already acquired a fine arsenal weapons from the previous games such as that batclaw used to hook onto surfaces and to remove other objects such as ventilation shaft covers. Batman also has other equipment such as the batarang, a throwing weapon which can be used to knock out enemies or stun them, and is available in a remote control version which can be slowed down or used to change direction. Then there is the disruptor, which Batman can use to neturalise enemies weapons, the crytpographic sequencer which will unlock encrypted door locks, smoke pellets used so Batman can escape enemy gunfire and explosive gel which can be used on vulnerable structures and a glue grenade, which is new addition, which Batman can use to slow down enemies, create a raft on water and also seal off steam pipes.
The game's combat is superb and remains unchanged with Batman being able to put together a chain of successive hits when fighting multiple enemies. And the more hits Batman dishes out the more experience points he will gain in the game's XP (Experience) system and he can learn new combo moves as he moves on in the story, which also let's Batman upgrade his equipment too. The boss fights in Arkham Origins are also excellent and at times a bit frustrating as they can be pretty tough, especially when Batman fights the sharp shooter assassin, Deathstroke, and the musclebound Bane. And in a new feature for the game, as part of Batman's detective mode, or vision, he can also scan evidence of crimes and from that perform a recreation of a crime and how it might have happened, and Batman can either reverse or forward the crime simulation as required. Batman can also carry out side missions and respond to a crime in progress, where he can help out Gotham police officers.
Getting onto the game's graphics it uses the same engine as before and uses Nvidia's PhysX engine to produce more dynamic and realistic interactions within the game and the game itself looks superb. Arkham Origins is also an open world game and the game's environment is vast as Batman can travel far throughout the city and there is a huge variety in terms of the environments from the cold city streets to insides of the Gotham City Police Department, Blackgate Prison, and the Royal Hotel where Joker resides in the middle of the game. The characters models are also terrific and again there is great variety in the enemies that are available, with Batman standing as an imposing figure, who's batsuit takes heavy damage as the combat in the game get's tougher, which was feature also in the previous two games. The game's music score by Christopher Drake is also noteworthy and is really good, although it isn't quite as impressive the amazing score that features in Arkham City but it still has plenty of good moments. And the voice acting by Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker as Batman and the Joker is both excellent throughout, and the supporting cast is equally impressive and features such actors as Martin Jarvis as Alfred, Mark Rolston (who is best known as Drake, the badass marine from Aliens!) who voices Deathstroke and Nolan North who reprises his role as the Penguin.
Sneaking onto the game's flaws, well it has to be said it does have some, starting with the main one which many gaming reviewers have criticised it for in that it relies a bit too heavily on the game's existing features and doesn't offer that much in the way of new features or much innovation. The game's tone while fairly consistent with the previous game, it does paint Batman in a less than flattering light, as he is morely an arrogant, stubborn guy who refuses to listen to anyone, especially Alfred who offers him sage advice throughout. Batman is also certainly that bit more brutal in his combat and the inclusion of interrogation allows for Batman to inflict some heavy duty blows on his enemies, although at least he doesn't resort to killing anyone, which is something that the Bat has never done in the game series. Another thing that did bug me about the game was that as Batman makes his returns to the batcave and given his batsuit has sustained damage during combat, why doesn't he simply change his suit to a new one??! As there is even an option in the game where in the Batcave that Bruce Wayne can bring up a container that holds a batsuit, so why aren't you allowed to change into it?! So I always found that to be a bit frustrating, as its almost like someone dangling something you want infront of you and its taken away before you can get it! And the fast travel system while it is handy, I think it still doesn't drop you off close enough to your chosen destination as you still can have a bit traversing to do at times before you get to where you want.
In terms of the storyline there are times where you wonder where Batman's alliegance lies as half the time he beats the crap out of the corrupt SWAT team members who are out to take him down and collect the bounty on his head, but yet during the side missions you can help the Gotham police force to stop crimes in progress. However I guess that shows signs of Batman realising that not all the Gotham police force are corrupt and as the game progresses he eventually relies on Commissioner Gordon helping him out, but it seems a bit bizarre that even though the SWAT teams are corrupt cops that the rest of the police force will just sweep Batman's multiple attacks on them under the carpet. Another criticism that can be aimed at the game is that Gotham is indeed rather empty as Batman roams the streets there are hardly any civilians, but then again it is set during Christmas Eve and it is a freezing wintery night so I guess you wouldn't see too many punters out there!
The game also on its release even in the console versions has suffered from numerous bugs such as corrupted save files (which happened to me and I had to restart it all over again early on!) and other bugs such as the game crashes and freezes as well at times and a weird bug where Batman falls endlessly, which prevents players completing a mission. But hopefully these are issues that can be resolved with updates and patch fixes and while I encountered the odd crash and a corrupted save file, I still managed to complete the story campaign fine.
Soooooooo that's it for me look at Batman Arkham Origins, which is a solid and very entertaining addition to the Batman Arkham series, and even though it isn't in the same class as the previous two games and takes a wee while to get going, once it does, it becomes a really good game and one that's worth playing.
So with that I shall bid yee good night!
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