Support NeoGAF

[LinkToTheFuture]

I don't think it's anywhere near as bad as you make it seem.

This. I really think some toxicity toward the batmobile is spreading. I have seen more and more people completely blow the batmobile as a "bad mechanic" way out of proportion. i can understand if it feels forced some times but these dramatic claims like the batmobile is the main character are really silly.

 

[John Bender]

It isn't. The hyperbole around the Batmobile thingy needs to stop already.
Shit is getting annoying.

 

[cyba89]

Hyperbole much?

 

[ajvizzgamer101]

It's alright. Not the worst. It just wasn't utilized the best way it could be. Too many missions where you need to battle waves of drones. Thats very early 2000's gameplay.

 

[Impulsor]

I just found two segments of Batmobile gameplay jarring, other than that, I absolutely love it. I couldn't see myself liking this game as much without it, in fact.

 

[leng jai]

So many false equivalencies in this thread. Listening mode in TLOU? Roach in W3? Inspect in The Order? All of these are practically non factors if you want to ignore them, while the Batmobile is mandatory for close to 70% of the game.

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

How about you just take this

give it some popup rubber bullet machine guns(89 style) give it the EMP, forensics scanner and tow cable.
No need for the Battank.

 

[jon bones]

ehhhh, i loved every second of Batmobile gameplay in Arkham Knight.

i don't understand where the hate comes from at all.

Nope. The worst AAA mechanic is having to blow into the GamePad in SM3DW to activate things in game. It wasn't super prevalent, but easily the most pointless mechanic that I can remember.

this was pretty terrible tho. only happened in like 3 levels but it made no sense there.

 

[Xater]

I really liked the Batmobile stuff. I was worried about it because it was really overused during the whole Ace Chamicals thing, but it was fine after that.

 

[swearing-circle]

I really don't get all the hate for Roach. Don't have any problems with her.

I don't get it either. She spawns badly but she controls well imo.

 

[Mister Megative]

I disagree. I actually love the batmobile. In all honesty I don't get the hate. Especially when you consider the horse in Witcher 3. Roach controls so badly that my wife hates him and she's never played it (because she can't tear herself away from Lumines).

 

[semiconscious]

It isn't. The hyperbole around the Batmobile thingy needs to stop already.
Shit is getting annoying.

Hyperbole much?

not seeing any hyperbole here:

This. This really gets to me. It's a really fucking critical flaw in your Batman game if all the big fights against opponents happen while you're both in vehicles. I can't understand it. That and the car stealth sections. The Batmobile should've been added for the open world and side missions and OCCASIONALLY in the story but it covers about half of the story missions, if not more. It really galls me because there's potential being wasted. Nothing like the awesome Bane and Deathstroke fights from Origins in this one, aside from one battle.

now whether you personally like it or not is another thing...

 

[Akai__]

Don't understand the hate, loving it personally. Driving at high speeds wrecking and blasting shit with it is highly enjoyable.

It has it's moments where it's not fun to use, but it's freaking awesome 99% of the time.

Arkham series nailed fist fight combat and now they even nailed vehicular combat. I'm sad this series has come to an end.

 

[Y2Kev]

I tried not to use it at first. I preferred using the grapple hook thing to shoot around the city, but then it was like SIRRRR, THERE ARE TANKSSS etc.

I love it in "dungeon" puzzle solving.

 

[Corpekata]

Roach would only be comparable if there were like a dozen side quests and several climactic story scenes dedicated to you sitting in a small area having to do the shitty horseback combat against 20 enemies.

Oh god I haven't finished the Witcher 3 yet, it totally ends with like Geralt plinking away at some asshole on the horse doesn't it?

 

[PHOENIXZERO]

I haven't gotten sick of the The Batmobile yet but it is kind of the Poochie of the Arkham series.

"One, Poochie needs to be louder, angrier, and have access to a time machine. Two, whenever Poochie's not on screen, all the other characters should be asking "Where's Poochie"?

I wish the Batmobile had a time machine. Personally I wish the stuff you can do with it was more varied and interesting instead of just feeling tacked on and forced. There's pretty much nothing of value to do with the Batmobile (outside the mission/side mission stuff) in terms of encounters aside from the infinite number of criminals driving around.

 

[cackhyena]

The forced batmobile stuff is severely bringing down an otherwise solid core as I play this game.

 

[Skynet87]

I enjoy the batmobile. I liked it simply because it added something new to the series. Yes, I love fighting and sneaking around as batman and gliding but doing that for two games (Asylum, City) got kind of old for me. So deciding to add another mechanic is welcoming and awesome. I like driving around and the tank missions, it just makes batman more of a badass to me.

 

[xrnzaaas]

I wouldn't say that Arkham Knight plays and feels like Batmobile: The Game. Sure, there's plenty of batmobile missions and challenges, but that's fully understandable since so many people wanted it after three Batman games without it. Plus it's actually fun to operate it so it's not like you're cursing for being forced to do something you don't want to.

 

[Collateral22]

I think people criticizing the batmobile are crazy. It's a great feature. If you think it controls bad then you must never have driven anything in a game before. If they didn't put it in everyone would be crying for it.

 

[CrichtonKicks]

I started out thinking "this feels slippery and too fast for its own good" in Pursuit Mode, and "a bit impotent" in Battle Mode, but after an hour of play it started to click, and I thought, "Holy shit, this is amazing."

The Batmobile feels incredibly empowering, the way you chew up the scenery, demolishing everything in your path (yet harmlessly pushing aside pedestrians with your force field, and knocking them out with slam shells — how convenient!). The entire city is designed around it, destructible at every corner so as to not slow down the Batman. There's something addictive about the sense of speed and power in Pursuit Mode, and the twitch maneuverability in Battle Mode — dodging one way while shooting another, and the satisfying *POP* of enemy drones as they burst into particle effects.

I love seeing the crisscrossing lines where an enemy is about to fire, and prancing between them like a ballet dancer on the battlefield. Or shutting everyone down with an EMP blast, or turning the drones against each other. The missile lock-ons can be annoying at times, but a quick spray from the turret shuts them down. The slow-mo effect when you destroy the last drone is always nice.

There's also something to be said about the way Batman can dive into the Batmobile anytime he's near a road, whether he's mid-glide or looking down from a rooftop. The many different ways Batman can scramble into the cockpit just adds to the seamlessness of the experience. Having a mobile launching platform that can eject Batman, at speed, straight into a glide is a fun alternative to the usual grappling hook. And having a way to traverse the city at street level, other than walking or running, really allows you to appreciate the detail of Gotham City. In the other Arkham games, the fastest way around the city was grappling and gliding, which often took place high above the city. Now you can travel equally fast on the streets.

The best part about the Batmobile, however, is the "tension and release" it provides, and the way this benefits pacing. There are many sequences where you infiltrate a facility as Batman and must find a way to grant the Batmobile access. Inside the facility, Batman is outnumbered and outgunned by heavy artillery he can't defeat by himself. The sweet release when you finally get the Batmobile into the room to wreck everyone's shit is one of the best parts of this game.

Really, the Batmobile is so great that I wonder if the previous Arkham games will now feel a bit "empty" or "slow" without it. Just having the option makes the experience so much more exciting. It's a great addition, without a doubt.

Great write up! This is exactly why I love the batmobile.

 

[kinggroin]

You don't HAVE to use the horse in Witcher 3 the same way you HAVE to use the tank in Batman.


But, the tank is dope and fun, so I don't care anyways.

 

[Zakalwe]

I started out thinking "this feels slippery and too fast for its own good" in Pursuit Mode, and "a bit impotent" in Battle Mode, but after an hour of play it started to click, and I thought, "Holy shit, this is amazing."

The Batmobile feels incredibly empowering, the way you chew up the scenery, demolishing everything in your path (yet harmlessly pushing aside pedestrians with your force field, and knocking them out with slam shells — how convenient!). The entire city is designed around it, destructible at every corner so as to not slow down the Batman. There's something addictive about the sense of speed and power in Pursuit Mode, and the twitch maneuverability in Battle Mode — dodging one way while shooting another, and the satisfying *POP* of enemy drones as they burst into particle effects.

I love seeing the crisscrossing lines where an enemy is about to fire, and prancing between them like a ballet dancer on the battlefield. Or shutting everyone down with an EMP blast, or turning the drones against each other. The missile lock-ons can be annoying at times, but a quick spray from the turret shuts them down. The slow-mo effect when you destroy the last drone is always nice.

There's also something to be said about the way Batman can dive into the Batmobile anytime he's near a road, whether he's mid-glide or looking down from a rooftop. The many different ways Batman can scramble into the cockpit just adds to the seamlessness of the experience. Having a mobile launching platform that can eject Batman, at speed, straight into a glide is a fun alternative to the usual grappling hook. And having a way to traverse the city at street level, other than walking or running, really allows you to appreciate the detail of Gotham City. In the other Arkham games, the fastest way around the city was grappling and gliding, which often took place high above the city. Now you can travel equally fast on the streets.

The best part about the Batmobile, however, is the "tension and release" it provides, and the way this benefits pacing. There are many sequences where you infiltrate a facility as Batman and must find a way to grant the Batmobile access. Inside the facility, Batman is outnumbered and outgunned by heavy artillery he can't defeat by himself. The sweet release when you finally get the Batmobile into the room to wreck everyone's shit is one of the best parts of this game.

Really, the Batmobile is so great that I wonder if the previous Arkham games will now feel a bit "empty" or "slow" without it. Just having the option makes the experience so much more exciting. It's a great addition, without a doubt.

Very well written.

Especially the part about tension and release.

There's a certain point toward end game where (very mild non-story spoilers, but just in case)

Spoiler

you're surrounded by a very large amount of enemies and the game initiates hand to hand combat. At first you might think "this is going to be a nightmare", then you realise what's parked two feet away from you...

Great moment.

 

[Doctoglethorpe]

Oh come on. The Batmobile is great and imo the game uses it as much as it should. Not too much, not too little. Its certainly different, takes getting used to, but thats what a good sequel is. Not just a rehash but something new. The Batmobile injects the series with some well needed freshness, and a good deal of it. Its not just an addedmechanic, its a whole new gameplay angle. If you don't like it, you can always replay the first three games. They are still excellent. I think 3 is enough though, its time to move on.

Personally, I'm loking forward to flying the Batwing on PS5.

 

[CrichtonKicks]

Oh so there is logic behind it, I always thought it just popped up, didn't know this, thanks. Might be more beneficial to just use the missile tho if this is case. Depending on the situation.

Hacking can be a lot more beneficial than missiles. Not only does hacking take a drone out of the fight just as well but that drone starts targeting other drones which will then target the hacked vehicle. And hacked vehicles are pretty resilient, lasting through a good portion of the fight. The effect ends up taking a huge amount of pressure off of you. It's incredibly effective.

Given the fact that you are able to glide over such long distances, the Batmobile is largely useless for traversal, even with its launch boost. I like launching myself out of the car but it isn't exactly a critical feature, given that you can be swooping across the city in short order just using the grapnel. You may get a quicker burst with the car but it's mostly just an aesthetic thing (it looks cool, basically). Worse is that the actual gliding/grapnel mechanic is one of the best traversal systems in any open world, which makes the Batmobile feel even more like fluff as an actual car.

In a lot of situations the batmobile is definitely faster than gliding. Some of the Riddler "races" in the city can't really be done without using the batmobile for at least some of it because otherwise you will never get to your destination in time if you rely on gliding.

 

[RS4-]

The bow in Witcher 3. What fucking trash.

 

[DieH@rd]

I like the Batmobile.

 

[Zakalwe]

Given the fact that you are able to glide over such long distances, the Batmobile is largely useless for traversal, even with its launch boost. I like launching myself out of the car but it isn't exactly a critical feature, given that you can be swooping across the city in short order just using the grapnel. You may get a quicker burst with the car but it's mostly just an aesthetic thing (it looks cool, basically). Worse is that the actual gliding/grapnel mechanic is one of the best traversal systems in any open world, which makes the Batmobile feel even more like fluff as an actual car.

The BM makes for faster traversal at times, depends which part of the city you're in and how dense the buildings are.

The tank combat is repetitive, and at least at point I'm at, rather easy. I like the way the car handles during combat mode, but the encounters leave zero room for creativity and little room for skill. In my case, they are just something to get out of the way before I can go on to something fun.

The encounters leave plenty of room for skill. Direct hits to turrets, well aimed vulcan in between cannon recharge, knowing when to use which secondary weapon at which point, knowing the most efficient places to dodge to in the heat of the moment, knowing which targets to prioritise....

Takes skill to wreck drones as quickly and efficiently as possible, absolutely.

 

[Lionheart1827]

No it was an awesome addition. It may have been used a little much but it's still awesome Imo.
People are way too hard on it.

I love how when you accelerate from a stop the music kicks up as well. Nice touch.

Awesome stuff:
-Ejecting yourself into a glide makes me feel like a fighter jet catapulting off an aircraft carrier
-Taking out enemies with the Batmobile gun while in a fist fight
-being able to transform on the fly from an armored car to a full-fledged tank
-remotely calling the Batmobile from just about anywhere and automatically jumping in
-seems like so much shit is destructible when smashing into it
-I love randomly taking out bad guy cars with the immobilizer missiles

Annoying stuff:
-it slides around a bit much for my liking
-maybe a bit too much forced use in main missions but it didn't bother me because I loved using it

The forced wiimote in DKC returns is something that is shitty

 

[ramshot]

That's a silly hyperbole title. If you literally think that, you've skipped out on a lot of really bad AAA games.

There's too much repetition with it, but it's perfectly fine as far as controls/execution go. It's definitely more of a plus in the game than it is a negative thing. I wish just wish they had cut down on the number of times you're forced to blow up a bunch of tanks.

 

[Alienous]

It's key to distinguish the battle-mode from the pursuit-mode.

The pursuit-mode is the part of the Batmobile that is a core part of the vehicle; speeding around, some lateral movement, getting involved in chases, jumping over gaps.

The battle-mode is the part of the Batmobile that has no relevance in the fiction of Batman. It's a tank, with a grenade launcher and a minigun that mows down tons of other tanks while avoiding enemy fire.

It's the second thing Batman: Arkham Knight could do without.

 

[Zakalwe]

It's key to distinguish the battle-mode from the pursuit-mode.

The pursuit-mode is the part of the Batmobile that is a core part of the vehicle; speeding around, some lateral movement, getting involved in chases, jumping over gaps.

The battle-mode is the part of the Batmobile that has no relevance in the fiction of Batman. It's a tank, with a grenade launcher and a minigun that mows down tons of other tanks while avoiding enemy fire.

It's the second thing Batman: Arkham Knight could do without.

It has relevance actually, The Dark Knight Returns's BM /was/ a tnak. Although maybe not cannon to the main universe, the main universe is a such a convoluted mess that it doesn't really matter. It has precedent.

It is a great addition to the game, very well integrated and mixes up gameplay.

 

[Noray]

You can't tell me anyone thinks that the boss fight against the

Spoiler

drill machine

wasn't the dumbest shit ever, and frustrating to boot. The previous Batmobile boss fight wasn't much better. What a waste. Bat tank STEALTH. Just, why.

 

[TGO]

Nope, the Batmobile is awesome
It was stupid that it wasn't in City, Batman don't glade everywhere
The tank sections are questionable thou

 

[Zakalwe]

You can't tell me anyone thinks that the boss fight against the

Spoiler

drill machine

wasn't the dumbest shit ever, and frustrating to boot. The previous Batmobile boss fight wasn't much better. What a waste.

Really enjoyed it, it was pretty simple to

Spoiler

trick the excavator to follow you

, and the

Spoiler

raceways were easy to navigate.

The

Spoiler

Cloudburst

too.

 

[Alienous]

It has relevance actually, The Dark Knight Returns's BM /was/ a tnak. Although maybe not cannon to the main universe, the main universe is a such a convoluted mess that it doesn't really matter. It has precedent.

It is a great addition to the game, very well integrated and mixes up gameplay.

A riot tank ("rubber bullets") and a machine of war are two completely different things.

 

[Zakalwe]

A riot tank ("rubber bullets") and a machine of war are two completely different things.

It has similarities is the point, they're both tanks. Therefore it has roots in the history of Batman.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

I didn't like them very much, but no, they aren't that bad. The driving sections were fine except for the terrible (Ending spoilers)

Spoiler

tunnel section

at the end. There were just too many of them.

The tank sections are bad because they're repetitive and the only difficulty comes from the fact that a lot of the enemies spawn and stay outside of your movement zone. I played on hard and I don't think I died more then once on anything but the

Spoiler

Deathstroke tank battle. Which is another lame forced use of the Batmobile. It makes no sense that I fought a master assassin in a tank vs tank battle.

It's literally just strafe, shoot (And if you want to make them REALLY easy) use the secondary weapons over and over and over.

 

[Genio88]

It's not that bad, it's good in some cases worse in others, but overall i think it's a good add-on

 

[Alienous]

It has similarities is the point, they're both tanks. Therefore it has roots in the history of Batman.

Those are different contexts, just like carrying a grapnel gun and a Luger pistol are different.

It barely has roots in the history of Batman. You can contrive a way to include it, but it's a contrivance. The pursuit-mode Batmobile, however, isn't. But you hear people defend the entire Batmobile because it's part of Batman's arsenal in the comic books, but the battle-mode never really was.

 

[Nibel]

Nope. The worst AAA mechanic is having to blow into the GamePad in SM3DW to activate things in game. It wasn't super prevalent, but easily the most pointless mechanic that I can remember.

3 levels of 93 use this mechanic, stages which are a few minutes long, compared to the Batmobile which is a major part of Arkham Knight and is forced on you; come on, son.

 

[Camwi]

I like all the individual elements of the Batmobile - it's fun to drive, it's neat in puzzles, and the tank combat works - but it's just used too much, the tank stuff especially. I wouldn't call it the worst addition, but it does feel overused.

I think the first few weeks of FFXIV's Hunt system are the worst addition to a big game I've experienced recently. Granted, not really an addition to a series so much as a patched-in new mechanic, but the early days of Hunts was a real lord of the flies situation.

I haven't played FF14 yet. Could you go into more detail on Hunts and what they did wrong with the system?

 

[Zakalwe]

Those are different contexts, just like carrying a grapnel gun and a Luger pistol are different.

It barely has roots in the history of Batman. You can contrive a way to include it, but it's a contrivance. The pursuit-mode Batmobile, however, isn't. But you hear people defend the entire Batmobile because it's part of Batman's arsenal in the comic books, but the battle-mode never really was.

Two things:

1. TDKR has a tank, and that's one of the most influential Batman comics of all time. So it was probably an inspiration and it probably has roots (it was originally built as a riot suppressor, so it has more similarities to the game's version than you seem to think).

2. The entire point of Batman is that he's prepared for every single outcome, every eventuality. Ever read the story where he has to take down the Justice League? One of the first things he did when he joined was prepare a way to take them out if something required it.

The city is attacked by tanks. Batman will have something to use against them, that's the entire point of his character. He's a boyscout with a vengeance.

So yes, it fits the game and universe snugly.

 

[Greddleok]

Nope. The worst AAA mechanic is having to blow into the GamePad in SM3DW to activate things in game. It wasn't super prevalent, but easily the most pointless mechanic that I can remember.

I agree it was pointless, but it wasn't bad. It made me smile the first time, then after that it was just another interaction that could have been done any other way.

 

[Corpekata]

Guess it's just a good thing his tank contigency plan also included "of course the enemy will only use unmanned drones in their tanks for reasons" otherwise his preparation for a tank invasion would be kind of sucky.

 

[Snkfanatic]

I disagree, I really enjoy it in the game so far. About half way through the game and it hasn't bothered me yet.

 

[Zakalwe]

Guess it's just a good thing his tank contigency plan also included "of course the enemy's will only use unmanned drones in their tanks for reasons" otherwise his preparation for a tank invasion would be kind of sucky given.

Not really, he'd probably change it to make it shut down the tanks using some kind of focused emp weapon or something.

 

[CosmicGroinPull]

No it was an awesome addition. It may have been used a little much but it's still awesome Imo.
People are way too hard on it.

I love how when you accelerate from a stop the music kicks up as well. Nice touch.

Awesome stuff:
-Ejecting yourself into a glide makes me feel like a fighter jet catapulting off an aircraft carrier
-Taking out enemies with the Batmobile gun while in a fist fight
-being able to transform on the fly from an armored car to a full-fledged tank
-remotely calling the Batmobile from just about anywhere and automatically jumping in
-seems like so much shit is destructible when smashing into it
-I love randomly taking out bad guy cars with the immobilizer missiles

Annoying stuff:
-it slides around a bit much for my liking
-maybe a bit too much forced use in main missions but it didn't bother me because I loved using it

The forced wiimote in DKC returns is something that is shitty

True though.

I especially like chickening out from a 10-20 goon fistfight and luring them to the batmobile and just using its guns. They run back to safety, I just lure them out again. Wish the gun had rapid fire though.

Yes about the sliding around too. Stop using damn snow tires, Batman.

 

[nkarafo]

This thread reminded me about Tomb Raider 2.

So there was this fuss about Lara being able to ride vehicles (like a boat in particular).

But the way they did it was awful. Basically you had the "normal section" and the "boat section". At some point you were forced to use the boat and after you reached the end of that section, there was no reason to use it at all (or you just couldn't anymore)

So basically, the whole vehicle thing in this game was just a gimmick. At least as far as i gone through. Never finished it.

 

[stn]

The only thing I dislike about it is how the braking works. Its not responsive and makes the car harder to handle.