Batman Arkham Asylum and City are two of my surprise games of this generation. As a series, it seemed to come from nowhere and Rocksteady took a new approach to comic book hero games, and by doing so created two of the best games of this generation of consoles and set a new standard by which super hero games should be compared. Alarm bells started ringing when the next game in the series was handed over to pastures new. And while Warner Brothers Games Montreal had the building blocks in the shape of the game engine Rocksteady had so carefully mastered, could they possibly live up to the hype and high standards of the games before it?
To begin with, ‘Origins’ is a bit of a misleading title. While this is a prequel to the series, it’s difficult to justify it being called by that name. In a way it is an origins story of the plot that leads into the other games, but at no point did I feel like the young inexperienced Batman that I was meant to be. You start off with a good amount of gadgets, and personally I would have liked to have seen the development of the character along with his abilities at an earlier stage. Of course you develop and unlock new skills and gadgets as you progress, but I felt an ‘Origins’ story should have included something a bit more….from the beginning.
The story as a whole felt disjointed on the whole. The well advertised trailer prior to the games release shows Black Mask hiring 8 assassins to kill Batman. I was surprised and disappointed come the end of the game, that I had skipped by some of the assassins, while I had met the majority, I could complete the game without facing some, with them having their own little side missions. There are plenty of other things on the side to keep the player happy; making more out of things that should play an integral role in the storyline was a mistake in my eyes. And while the story is generally decent, there are times I thought the momentum was taken away just when it was picking up.
There are other annoyances in the game aswell, not least the glitchyness of it. On a number of occasions I’ve been fighting a number of enemies, only to find the last one stuck in the environment, at one point a phone box looked like it had sprouted arms and legs. Even during a boss fight someone ended up on top of a truck, and didn’t know how to get down. 15 grapple hooks later he decided how to get back down. During predator missions (where stealth is key) I’ve seen enemies running on the spot, or running into walls and not stopping. It’s all very bizarre.
Now Origins is still a very solid game, and in all a worthy one to continue on the games before it, but it’s hard to no pick at things when the previous titles are held in such high esteem. Everything which made the other games fun to play is still here - the fantastic combat system which has made the Arkham series what it is (along with new enemy types to try it out on), the open world, the gadgets, gliding around the city and solving puzzles etc. There are plenty of other things to keep you side tracked from the main game, destroying drug caches, hacking radio towers, solving Enigma puzzles to name a few. And I haven’t even mentions the 100+ different challenges to work your way through, trying to use your expertise combat skills to earn the highest score and best trophy. And I’m sure that multiplayer would be worth a mention, but as I couldn’t get into a game after umpteen attempts I can’t comment on what that’s like. But the idea of 3v3v2 is something that I wish I could have tried.
Anyone who has played the Arkham games will be immediately familiar with the controls, and while there are some new gadgets (why on earth would Batman not use shock gloves again!?) nothing will feel foreign. Looks wise, there hasn’t been much of a graphical overhaul, and the city still has the same dark, glum and empty feel to it.
Arkham Origins is without doubt the weakest entry into the series, but with the standard of the series being so great, it’s no surprised that this is still a good game. Fans of the games will find plenty to enjoy here, even if at times it feels like a ‘going through the motions’ affair. The story isn’t the strongest, but still has enough there to make you want to see it through, and the end sets up the first game quite well. And if you need something to fill the time before the launch of your next console, look no further.
