Hes right.
I don't know about that. Arkham City is insulting in many ways in terms of how it treats certain characters and how it pulls events and situations out of thin air.
Origin's story wasn't exactly mindblowing, but at least it was coherent, had a clear arc and a good payoff. Arkham City is just random as hell.
Arkham Asylum is still the best by far in terms of narrative.
No it wasn't. Origins was great and if you skipped it you missed out.
AC had a better story than Origins? Come on now. I think that coma really messed you up.
Yes.For one I didn't care for the whole Joker/Batman first get together, the game was marketed as featuring Black Mask and all the assassins hired to get Batman on one night. But, instead of focusing on a fresher story with a less well known character that could be fleshed out they went right back to the tried and true Joker formula even after Rocksteady just closed the chapter on his story. Thus, once the Joker shows up early on the entire assassin plot gets thrown to the wayside and it becomes the Joker/Batman show. But, fine whatever if I let that pass then the "Origin" tale is alright, its nothing spectacular and nothing that hasn't been told before in better comics, movies, or TV shows.
However, while the main Joker plot can be considered "good" everything else surrounded the game's plot sucks really hard and makes no sense. Rocksteady does an amazing job building the world that you inhabit and establishing context for certain events, the reason Batman doesn't have all his fancy gadgets at the start of Asylum is because he is trapped in the Asylum. The reason there are so many goons around Arkham City is because it's an actual prison, a walled off section of the city meant to house them. Now, please tell me why in the hell there are so many goons on the streets and on top of rooftops in Arkham Origins? There is no explanation given and as far as we know Gotham is just always full of nothing but goons. Also, why are there no civilians on the street, plenty of people are out on the streets on Christmas Eve in real life but not in Gotham for some reason. Why does Batman have all of these fancy current gadgets which weren't available in the sequels or which he has to unlock or build in those games? Why does everyone else use current technology like iPhones and whatnot when it is a prequel? How does Joker convert an entire hotel into a funland amusement park full of TV's and traps in such a short span?
All of this and more just chalks up to a lazy effort, the developers couldn't be bothered with creating a unique Batman prequel which would drastically change the gameplay as you play as a younger Batman and just decided to stick with the Arkham formula despite it making zero sense. But, worst of all Origins cheapens the other Arkham games, the whole point to Asylum was this truly creative and original plan by Joker to take over Arkham Asylum yet by the end of Origins he already did such a thing with Blackgate Prison. Again, I just found Origins to be a cheap and lazy attempt at a Batman game, there are some good moments but only because they are building off an already established and well crafted foundation.
.........there's a curfew in Gotham, that's why Origins has no civilians on the streets. How did you play through the game and somehow miss that?
Yeah that's a lame plot device cop out. Gotham residents are very cooperative, there is 100% adherence to the curfew.That is a very poor excuse.
This doesn't ever really happen, but...Walken is far and away the best thing about Returns. And Pfeiffer's Pffierness, if not her character.
I'd say the first legitimately good theatrical Batman movie was Mask of the Phantasm, which has those visuals and music from the Burton films, but with a much stronger Batman story.
I will never understand the logic of developer loyalty or voice actor loyalty.
Yeah that's a lame plot device cop out. Gotham residents are very cooperative, there is 100% adherence to the curfew.
I prefer AC's prison city. At least it makes sense.
The worst part is that breaks any kind of immersion in Origins because literally everyone you encounter is a thug. You see a group of unarmed guys on a rooftop, you swoop down and beat the shit out of them. Why? They're just standing there. They're unarmed, not doing anything illegal. But they're outside so that's a good enough reason to just beat the crap out of them.
I really disliked how Origins handled the city.
FFS. They're all criminals because how else would they stop players from having Bats beat up the people he's supposed to protect?
Purchased it last month but have yet to play it. What am I missing?
Just because Troy Baker can do both voices doesn't mean it makes sense.
a different studio means a different quality of product. that is easy
different voice actor means loss of continuity. its generally not a big deal for most VO's in game. but still its worth talking about.
Had absolutely no issue with Origin's lack of civilians. Christmas eve, in the middle of a snowstorm, while gangs roam the streets. Worked just fine for me.
I don't understand what you're saying here.
Unrealistic expectations.This. Cant understand all the complains about this...
This. Cant understand all the complains about this...
Unrealistic expectations.
"I want a Gotham full of common citizens".
No, you don't, because you don't want to play at 10 frames per second and/or in a city filled just with random content, as there wouldn't be enough resources to manage good setpieces as well.
Yep. Slightly strains credulity that there is no one who's not a thug, but it makes absolute sense in gaming terms.Had absolutely no issue with Origin's lack of civilians. Christmas eve, in the middle of a snowstorm, while gangs roam the streets. Worked just fine for me.
Cold truth. Burton Batman mostly doesn't feel like Batman to me.I'd say the first legitimately good theatrical Batman movie was Mask of the Phantasm, which has those visuals and music from the Burton films, but with a much stronger Batman story.
Yep. Slightly strains credulity that there is no one who's not a thug, but it makes absolute sense in gaming terms.
The idea that the ultimate Batman game is just GTA with a cape is bonkers to me.
Well the excuse has ran out though. I mean, are they going to keep coming up with ridiculous reasons to justify an open city?
I don't think Batman needs an open city, and I'd rather they designed (large) enclosed missions that are perfectly tailored to the mechanics (more Asylum than City, for the most part), but I understand that's a minority position.Well the excuse has ran out though. I mean, are they going to keep coming up with ridiculous reasons to justify an open city?
Nothing much.
The most emotional moment of the trilogy. Origins' story direction is top notch. Miles miles and miles ahead of Rocksteady's.
It has some of those moments you mentioned was why I asked. Glad to hear you've picked it up. Give it a shot...good game.
World of origins is just bloated mess. It destroyed all the work rocksteady had done building a believeable world. I don't want to see what's behind the walls in ac if the answer is literally nothing. In aa and ac gotham felt like a real living world.
It doesn't need to be full of pedestrians, but have some running around. Sort of like the political prisoners in City, but more dynamic.
That's part of the Batman appeal. I don't just want to punch thugs because they're bad, but to prevent them doing bad things, like attacking a civilian.
quick question: is arkham origins story cannon for the game universe? i have no desire to play it, but i may read the story if it's relevant to ak.
Yes, and it's easily the best story in the series so far. It's all just backstory though, and I doubt any of it will come into play in Arkham Knight. Watch a movie edit on YouTube if you're interested. Origins is really good, despite all the bugs.
i should have just played it at launch, but now i don't want to burn myself out before AK.
will check out a yt edit, thanks!
You can see interiors of buildings as you fly past, and you can actually see inside, through windows, into some of the buildings, says studio director Jamie Walker. And I think for me, thats an amazing feeling of being lifelike, and its definitely something that were doing here. You go by and you see in and you say, Oh, thats really cool, and then you can go in as well, which again makes it very believable and authentic.
This is from last Friday but I don't think it's been posted yet
Five Reasons Batman: Arkham Knight Has Us Excited
The easter egg potential :O
This is from last Friday but I don't think it's been posted yet
Five Reasons Batman: Arkham Knight Has Us Excited
The easter egg potential :O
Hes right.
Batman doesn’t start his Arkham Knight adventure with a new suit. The updated armor is a necessity once the Batmobile is introduced. After seeing the intense way he enters and exits the vehicle, it’s clear why a sturdier shell is needed. The design team worked to ensure that Batman’s car and his updated armor were visually – and functionally – compatible with one another.
Attentive fans might notice that Batman’s cape looks different in Arkham Knight, too. It works the same way – even allowing Batman to glide more effectively thanks to an upgrade – but now its design supports its in-game functionality. “The cape still covers the shoulders, but now he has the armor on top,” Feliu says. “If you imagine, if you were gliding down like Batman, down a city, to support that amount of muscle and weight, it makes more sense that it was attached to the cowl. What we did was build this armor thing, and one of the purposes of it was to hold the cape in place when it’s gliding around and all this ridiculous force to keep Batman and the cape attached. The cape is actually still there, it’s just that it’s covered.”
New GI article is up. It justifies the new suite. I like it.
The hell is wrong with his head shape...?
From this opening reveal, its a near seamless transition from CG cinematic to gameplay.
- We cant help but ogle the way the rain patters off Batmans cape as he glides, or how the city lights twinkling through the rain bounce from the puddles collecting on the slickened streets.
- The act of getting around the city seems more effortless than before, thanks to Batmans new suit and superior gadgets.
- Gotham City -- looks more vibrant and alive. It does look like a real city this time, and not a smaller, closed-off version of one thats been left to rot. Gotham proper, the main setting for Arkham Knight, is a far more built-up and densely populated area than Arkham City.
- Once youre fully into combat, things will feel familiar, but there are a few new systems being introduced to ensure that the classic Rocksteady combat still feels fresh. for example, when youre countering, you can push the thumb stick in the direction of the thug attacking you, and Batman will throw him, rewarding you with double damage. You can also pick up and smash your victims into other enemies if youre fast enough.
- The Batmobile -- Its a beast of a thing, looking a bit like a cross between the Tumbler of the Christopher Nolan Dark Knightfilms and the more classic-looking Batmobile models of old. The car itself can smash through pretty much any obstacle or material from stone and steel to street lamps. Its clear the team have spent a fair amount of time and effort on getting every aspect of the Batmobile just so, from the squeal of the tyres to the crack and burst of nitrous flames from the exhaust every time you use the cars rechargable boost to accelerate. Its also invulnerable to machinegun fire.
- While youre inside the vehicle, theres no world mini-map a deliberate design choice, were told, as Rocksteady wants you to be paying attention to whats going on around you, rather than using a map display to navigate. Weve done a lot of work to ensure that the information for the objectives is within the city, Hill reassures us. You can, however, set waypoints, and tyre tracks will periodically appear on the ground to highlight the way ahead.
- Hill claims the game has been designed so that there wouldnt be just one main storyline and a lot of optional side objectives. The city is full of all these different, co-ordinated attacks by the various supervillains, he says. Theyre all designed to push Batman to his limit. We wanted it to feel like there isnt one key main path and [then] all these side missions; all of these different components and attacks by the supervillains have their own really interesting story that you can follow.
- The developer isnt talking about any other villains or characters at the moment, but it does concede that certain storylines begun or teased in Arkham City such as hushs Identity Theft sidemissions or Azraels mysterious prophecy that gotham will burn will likely be further explored and concluded in Arkham Knight.
- Barbara Gordon -- Shes just as feisty and razor-sharp as youd expect her to be. There are some brief references to The Killing Joke during Babs and Bats back and forth.
- The Arkham Knight -- A figure stalks into view. Hes wearing a kind of robotic Batman-like cowl that covers his entire face, and theres a stylised A symbol emblazoned on his heavily armoured chest. There are shades of Prometheus and Wrath about him, even a touch of Jason Todds Red hood in the pseudo military get-up he wears.