BulletBees
Member
I'd say...Asylum, Origins, City, and then Knight. I hate putting Arkham Knight at the end because I did love it. But, the Batmobile stuff ruined it. All of them are awesome games.
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Ranking the Batman: Arkham games
- Thread starter Solidsoul
- Start date
Regginator
Member
This thread made me realise apparently Arkham City doesn't get a lot of love here on GAF? Can someone add a poll? I thought City (alongside Asylum) were both considered to be the very best, very close to each other. But now I'm reading something else.
plasmawave
Banned
If you want to just follow the story then Origins is not mandatory.
Permanently A
Junior Member
Origins does have a good story. It feels like City 2.5 except it is buggier and the combat is a little janky. But its worth playing, I guess. Its like a 7/10 where Asylum is an 8.5/10 and City is a 9/10.
Vire
Member
There is zero universe where Asylum is an 8.5.
Sure Joker Titan was a horrible way to end the game, but that game is a masterpiece aside from that.
Permanently A
Junior Member
Its an 8.5 in comparison to the rest of the series I mean. City has a lot more depth to the combat and I don't value story/immersion as much in games.
SargerusBR
I love Pokken!
Story: Origins > Knight > City > Asylum
Gameplay: Knight > City > Origins > Asylum
Replay Value: City > Origins > Knight > Asylum
Overall: Knight = City > Origins > Asylum
Gameplay: Knight > City > Origins > Asylum
Replay Value: City > Origins > Knight > Asylum
Overall: Knight = City > Origins > Asylum
Razgriz-Specter
Member
Each has its own thing going for it but
1. Origins & Knight
2. City
3. Asylum
Asylum was the bigger achievement and most special though.
1. Origins & Knight
2. City
3. Asylum
Asylum was the bigger achievement and most special though.
That's pretty much what it comes down to for me too.
Asylum was a great start. The context in which it released (being a great superhero game) made it spectacular. But as an actual game I think City is better in most regards.
8.5/10 is pretty fair for Asylum, I'd say. It's a really good game, but it isn't perfect. City gets closer to that.
EDIT:
And I rate City and Asylum above Knight because I think those were better experiences. I had more fun. They were better paced. Neither has sections that I dread to replay; the closest that I can think of is searching for the coldest point in Arkham City, and that's nothing. Knight is certainly bigger, but that didn't make it better for me. I think City is just the better, more carefully designed game.
Ascenion
Member
Yeah for real. The plot points are so weak I'm having to criticize the feasibility of evacuating millions for one day. The whole one night bullshit is stupid at this point. I'd prefer a Dead Rising approach above the suspension of disbelief.
I see where you are coming from. The previous games had similarly ridiculous events (like building a walled prison out of a segment of the city), but it tries to contextualize them in a way that makes comic-book sense (mind-control of a powerful politician, for instance).
There are a lot of contrivances in Arkham Knight to get to certain story points without consideration paid to context. The city evacuation, Batman having a tank with a fucking vulcan minigun that shoots actual bullets on it. Why? I dunno. There are a number of small things that add up to present a plot built on conveniences. I don't have a big problem with it, but it's lazy.
ProvenDeadly
Member
Asylum
Knight
City
Origins
Knight
City
Origins
Spring-Loaded
Member
It is an amazing accomplishment and a good syart for the series, but the gameplay in no way lives up to its potential. 8.5 is probably generous.
Apoleptica
Banned
This is better asked after the Arkham Knight hype wears off. And not sure but I have a feeling some of you have no clue how to use the greater than or less than symbols. Remember kids, the alligator eats the thing that is bigger / better ie: 100 > 50
Solidsoul
Banned
There are a few refrences to Origins in the game. I personally think Origins is very good in it's own right, but it's definitley not essential to play Arkham Knight.
D
Deleted member 30609
Unconfirmed Member
for my money, Asylum is still the best, but Knight is a worthy alternative
I own Origins but haven't played it yet. Currently working my way through Knight. I've played through Asylum and City multiple times, and can't decide which I like better.
So my ranking is:
1) Arkham Knight, if it keeps being amazing
2) Asylum = City yes, apples and oranges, but both delicious fruit
3) Origins(???)
So my ranking is:
1) Arkham Knight, if it keeps being amazing
2) Asylum = City yes, apples and oranges, but both delicious fruit
3) Origins(???)
InfiniteCombo
Banned
This seems to be the proper ranking to me. I haven't played Knight yet, but out of the first three games, City easily towers above the rest.
darth_infamous
Member
If Origins isn't in your top two...
Yep, I'm that guy who liked Origins.
Yep, I'm that guy who liked Origins.
Trashcan Man
Banned
Asylum
Origins
City
Knight
Origins
City
Knight
Knight, City, Origins, Asylum.
They are all great games but i think the openworld structure really added to the atmosphere and the feeling of "being Batman" with all the flying around and all the different quests and the random stuff that can happen. That's why Asylum is my least favourite of them.
They are all great games but i think the openworld structure really added to the atmosphere and the feeling of "being Batman" with all the flying around and all the different quests and the random stuff that can happen. That's why Asylum is my least favourite of them.
Wait it's not "The bird faces the thing that is bigger/better"?
matrix-cat
Member
City
Asylum
(reasonably large gap in quality)
Knight
Origins
Asylum and City are two of my favourite games, full stop. I absolutely adore them, and I've replayed them both every few months since their releases. City gets the edge for me because it felt like such a brilliant evolution over Asylum; they expanded on every gameplay mechanic for the better, and the Freeze bossfight was such a clever way of flipping your expectation of the usual gameplay style on its head.
Arkham Knight still does a lot of the things I loved about Rocksteady's first two, but all the villains are relegated to awful Ubisoft side missions, it got rid of any semblance of Metroidvania-ish design, it has absolutely rubbish bossfights and those awful Bat-tank battles shoved in at every possible juncture. I really like most uses of the Batmobile, but making you strafe around arenas blowing up wave after wave of enemy drones is an awful gameplay mechanic that doesn't come anywhere near Rocksteady's usual standard of quality, and this game makes you do it so many times.
Origins just... didn't get it. They took the basic framework of City and made every part of it a little bit worse, unbalancing the combat and stealth gameplay, ruining the upgrade system for no apparent reason, throwing in an underwhelming freakout scene because I suppose you can't do a Batman game without one. They brought back the tedious 'drag yourself around on a raft' mechanic, apparently not realising that it was only there in City so you could have that moment of catharsis when you got the Line Launcher and were able to skip it all. All that leadup to a story about Batman having to face nine assassins in a night was wasted when it turned out they were actually doing a bog-standard Batman/Joker 'We're not so different, you and I' story (I'm pretty sure he literally says that line at the end). That game had great character models, though
Asylum
(reasonably large gap in quality)
Knight
Origins
Asylum and City are two of my favourite games, full stop. I absolutely adore them, and I've replayed them both every few months since their releases. City gets the edge for me because it felt like such a brilliant evolution over Asylum; they expanded on every gameplay mechanic for the better, and the Freeze bossfight was such a clever way of flipping your expectation of the usual gameplay style on its head.
Arkham Knight still does a lot of the things I loved about Rocksteady's first two, but all the villains are relegated to awful Ubisoft side missions, it got rid of any semblance of Metroidvania-ish design, it has absolutely rubbish bossfights and those awful Bat-tank battles shoved in at every possible juncture. I really like most uses of the Batmobile, but making you strafe around arenas blowing up wave after wave of enemy drones is an awful gameplay mechanic that doesn't come anywhere near Rocksteady's usual standard of quality, and this game makes you do it so many times.
Origins just... didn't get it. They took the basic framework of City and made every part of it a little bit worse, unbalancing the combat and stealth gameplay, ruining the upgrade system for no apparent reason, throwing in an underwhelming freakout scene because I suppose you can't do a Batman game without one. They brought back the tedious 'drag yourself around on a raft' mechanic, apparently not realising that it was only there in City so you could have that moment of catharsis when you got the Line Launcher and were able to skip it all. All that leadup to a story about Batman having to face nine assassins in a night was wasted when it turned out they were actually doing a bog-standard Batman/Joker 'We're not so different, you and I' story (I'm pretty sure he literally says that line at the end). That game had great character models, though
JimJamJones
Member
Asylum
Knight
Origins
City
Knight
Origins
City
Origins is City but better. Gets way too much hate
cr_blah_blah
Member
The combat sucks in Origins. It's easily the worst.
RobertJCross
Neo Member
Having played all of them.
Knight = City = Asylum = Origins
I love them all.
Knight = City = Asylum = Origins
I love them all.
Fallout-with-swords
Banned
Really like all of them, haven't finished Knight yet but I would say:
Asylum > Knight > City
Need to play more of Knight to know for sure, but I always felt like City was a smaller game being forced to fit into an open world, I felt like Knight really improved on that. The mechanics the were in the game since the beginning finally felt at home in an open world. The Batmobile actually helped a lot in that respect I think. All great games though.
Asylum > Knight > City
Need to play more of Knight to know for sure, but I always felt like City was a smaller game being forced to fit into an open world, I felt like Knight really improved on that. The mechanics the were in the game since the beginning finally felt at home in an open world. The Batmobile actually helped a lot in that respect I think. All great games though.
TheWorthyEdge
Member
Knight>City>Asylum>Origins
Knight felt so refreshing to me but not because of the Batmobile which is weird. I felt like the Batmobile was used way to much tankwise but I loved driving in it even though I don't like the controls. There was a lot done wrong with Knight but there is so many moments and design choices besides the Batmobile that make this game superb. It felt like a Christopher Nolan Batman film, and go top it off it felt like Batman Begins. I'm an odd one as my list is TDKR>Begins>TDK but I felt like this one was a mix of TDKR and Begins. This game truly made me feel like I was Batman in everything I did.
Also. The cinematography of the game and how everything is done seamlessly rivals Naughty Dog in that respect and I'd go to the lengths of saying its better simply because there were less cutscenes. So good.
Knight felt so refreshing to me but not because of the Batmobile which is weird. I felt like the Batmobile was used way to much tankwise but I loved driving in it even though I don't like the controls. There was a lot done wrong with Knight but there is so many moments and design choices besides the Batmobile that make this game superb. It felt like a Christopher Nolan Batman film, and go top it off it felt like Batman Begins. I'm an odd one as my list is TDKR>Begins>TDK but I felt like this one was a mix of TDKR and Begins. This game truly made me feel like I was Batman in everything I did.
Also. The cinematography of the game and how everything is done seamlessly rivals Naughty Dog in that respect and I'd go to the lengths of saying its better simply because there were less cutscenes. So good.
Ascenion
Member
That's the most damning thing in this game. I mean yeah he's broken his no gun rule in other media with his toys but seriously this game is horse shit with that. He has a fucking cannon that blows up other tanks around people, he runs over people and I'm also sure he blows up APCs with people inside. The whole game is a sad justification for the batmobile in my opinion and it suffers severely for it.
Doctor Ironic
Member
Knight>Asylum>City>Origins
You can literally lock yourself out of content forever in Origins, that's ten times more unforgivable of a sin than a car that people can't figure out how to drive right.
You can literally lock yourself out of content forever in Origins, that's ten times more unforgivable of a sin than a car that people can't figure out how to drive right.
flaxknuckles
Member
Haven't played Knight yet but my rank is as follows:
City
Asylum
poop
Origins
Asylum is much more limited than the other games but I'd say it is way better than Origins since the level design and pacing are god-tier.
Origins didn't make any actual improvements on the formula, just regressions and weird changes. They messed up the combat speed, had boring level design and pacing, and for some reason thought it'd be a good idea to make the world twice the size and add story progression-locked, fast-travel towers everywhere. Plus, the upgrade system that forced you to buy a whole bunch of crap before upgrading the good stuff sucked and also making some upgrades locked behind predator mission challenges that weren't fun and constrained my playstyle. The only good thing about this game was the character design and angry Batman.
City is the best. It retained that god-tier pacing from Asylum while expanding on the world so you could glide around and divebomb bitches. Don't have much else to say, it's just great.
EDIT: Oh yeah, the story in all of them are trash except for Origins which was great until the fucking Joker popped up wtf I hate his oversaturation.
City
Asylum
poop
Origins
Asylum is much more limited than the other games but I'd say it is way better than Origins since the level design and pacing are god-tier.
Origins didn't make any actual improvements on the formula, just regressions and weird changes. They messed up the combat speed, had boring level design and pacing, and for some reason thought it'd be a good idea to make the world twice the size and add story progression-locked, fast-travel towers everywhere. Plus, the upgrade system that forced you to buy a whole bunch of crap before upgrading the good stuff sucked and also making some upgrades locked behind predator mission challenges that weren't fun and constrained my playstyle. The only good thing about this game was the character design and angry Batman.
City is the best. It retained that god-tier pacing from Asylum while expanding on the world so you could glide around and divebomb bitches. Don't have much else to say, it's just great.
EDIT: Oh yeah, the story in all of them are trash except for Origins which was great until the fucking Joker popped up wtf I hate his oversaturation.
GringoSuave89
Banned
Asylum >>>>>>>>> Knight > City >> Origins
Only thing City has on Knight is the bossfights. And Origins was still great, but the combat was so off it was painful in places. Oh, and the Dark Knight system was a blight to the world. Fuck that system.
Only thing City has on Knight is the bossfights. And Origins was still great, but the combat was so off it was painful in places. Oh, and the Dark Knight system was a blight to the world. Fuck that system.
AHA-Lambda
Member
Asylum
Origins
City
Knight
Still there's not a lot separating them, all great games.
Origins
City
Knight
Still there's not a lot separating them, all great games.
City>Asylum>>>>Knight>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Origins
Origins actually has the best story of the four, but the way they broke the combat makes it nigh unplayable to me. I still like Knight but it just felt like less than what it should have been. The Batmobile was a tremendous mistake.
Origins actually has the best story of the four, but the way they broke the combat makes it nigh unplayable to me. I still like Knight but it just felt like less than what it should have been. The Batmobile was a tremendous mistake.
MiguelItUp
Member
For me I'd have to say...
(From top to bottom)
Arkham Knight (Not complete, yet)
Arkham City
Arkham Asylum
Arkham Origins (Not complete)
(From top to bottom)
Arkham Knight (Not complete, yet)
Arkham City
Arkham Asylum
Arkham Origins (Not complete)
Giger Pilot
Banned
Asylum > Knight >>> City >>> Origins
Asylum and Knight are very close. It might be recency bias, but I've flip-flopped those two a few times. I think once we're several years removed the series release I'll like Asylum best, that's why I picked it. What a wonderful game, completely took me by surprise, I've replayed it half a dozen times. It was probably my favorite game that year.
I didn't really care for City or Origins much.
Asylum and Knight are very close. It might be recency bias, but I've flip-flopped those two a few times. I think once we're several years removed the series release I'll like Asylum best, that's why I picked it. What a wonderful game, completely took me by surprise, I've replayed it half a dozen times. It was probably my favorite game that year.
I didn't really care for City or Origins much.