It used to be best to avoid games that use an already established intellectual property because they usually, quite frankly, sucked. Just look at Superman 64 as a prime example. There was a lot of hype for that title because of the name and then it launched with abysmal reviews. Sure there are exceptions like Goldeneye but then look at every single James Bond title thereafter. For the past decade though, we’ve finally seen the emergence of more and more mature and extremely competent games tackle existing franchises and succeed. One of these emergences has definitely got to be Batman with Arkham Asylum. It was then further refined in Arkham City. Both titles we’re critically acclaimed and very, very well received. This now brings us to the next title in the series, Batman: Arkham Origins. There is one slight difference this time around though, as the first two titles were developed by Rocksteady, this one was tackled by Warner Bros. Games Montreal. The Arkham franchise is undoubtedly great but in new hands, can it be just as good?

The game starts on Christmas with an attack by Black Mask on the Arkham prison facility. Batman learns that Black Mask has hired assassins to kill him, promising that anyone that does will become rich and famous. Obvious this lures the top crop of thug to Gotham City which you unfortunately have to deal with. The setup does not feel that impressive or unique but as you reach each centerpiece it unfolds quite nicely and you learn the story is not as simplistic as early indications seem.

If you’re familiar with the prior games in this franchise, you’ll be right at home with the gameplay. I have unfortunately only played a fraction of Arkham Asylum and none of Arkham City. The combat system feels like a more combo intensive Assassins Creed. You will commonly fight multiples of enemies at once and punish each one a little at a time until you defeat them all. The difference though is that in Assassins Creed, if you pull off the right timing or get lucky, you’ll instantly kill one or two. The fights in Arkham Origins, even on easy difficulty, are typically long and tedious. Most of the time it’s as simple as mashing buttons over and over until the encounter is over. It doesn’t help that attaining a high combo is as simple as hitting the attack button over and over with the occasional counter. If you try to get fancy and do a special move, this will make you miss or not hit someone for a fraction of a second and your combo will fizzle. Boss battles are a challenge until you find the particular move or two that beats them which makes them a little frustrating and the combination that solves the equation more than a little boring. At the beginning of the game, fights takes entirely too long to resolve themselves. Once you get a grasp of the system in place, this is mediated slightly and a glimmer of fun starts to emerge but never feels great.

Fighting is not the only way to solve your problems in this game as you’ll get a variety of tools that will assist you in navigating the world as well as dealing with enemies. When the game starts out, you already have a wide array of tools in your arsenal. One might suspect that this is a typical opening where you will lose them after the prologue but nope. Finally a game where you get to keep them all but the problem is that a lot of the tools feel incredible close to each other and the game thinks it’s clever by utilizing each unique facet of each one as you progress. So typically you’ll come to points where to proceed you just cycle through your handful of tools until you come upon the right one and move along. A lot of these situations could easily be context sensitive. I suppose those that like analyzing and equipping the right tool over and over will enjoy these parts but I feel like they could be expedited a little bit. The criminal scene investigations are nice but sort of suffer from a similar issue. If you could free-flowingly investigate, it would be decent. But instead, they are quite linear and you just simply boring as you walk from waypoint to waypoint and then rewinding the reconstruction to find even more waypoints. The analysis from Batman is nice but the linear progression of waypoints makes it dull and lengthy.

The multiplayer option in this game is quite interesting. One of the things that is common in the videogame industry is tacked on multiplayer with no thought. The premise of this one definitely shows a lot of promise though. The basic idea is that there are two three man teams that represent the gangs of Joker and Bane with Batman and Robin causing havoc on top of them. So in essence, you have 3 teams all pitted against each other with varying abilities. Unfortunately, the only way to access public games is through quick match which is frustrating. This makes it so that you have no idea how many games are going on currently and of course, no join in progress. Once you get into a game, it can be quite fun. The roles of Batman and Robin can be overwhelming but that’s fine. The gangs can call in their boss characters, which is extremely cool. There is an item system similar to Mass Effect’s so as you play matches, you get credits that can go towards purchasing crates that will provide you with randomized loot but you also have a traditional unlock system to take comfort in. Overall if you’re a fan of multiplayer that takes a little more thought like Splinter Cell’s, you’ll be at home here. The biggest downfall is simply trying to get into games to play.

The game takes place entirely at night and this really helps set the mood while obscuring minor graphical issues. Overall the world is nicely detailed though and the world is fairly large. Occasional texture pop-in or just simply very low detailed textures do happen though. It’s unfortunate that sometimes these low resolution textures are also played in your face, like when Batman pulls his arm up to communicate something to Alfred. The interiors are better than the exteriors. While the exteriors are nice, a lot of the world looks the same except for the key landmarks. Interiors have numerous nice touches, like snow and wind blowing through an open door. Curtains flowing in the wind. Light rays from the lights outside are also nice. Going through doors harkens back to old Resident Evil days where going through a door stops everything and you calmly walk through. There is no way to quickly bust open a door which can hurt some more hurried sequences. Overall, there are some moments that shine but others are marred by graphical missteps or a feeling of déjà vu.
The music is moody and the environmental effects are great. For example, each punch feels like there is serious weight behind it even if the gameplay doesn’t feel that way. Despite being the third in the series, some of the voice actors have changed. Mark Hamill isn’t here anymore as the voice of the Joker. The new actor definitely does a good job but isn’t nearly as good and what was presented in the prior games. The voice of Batman has also changed but is not that distracting. The voices of the various bosses are definitely a step down but sort of feel at home in a cheesy comic world. The voice acting for the rest of the ensemble is decently done too except for a couple parts.

As someone who has only partially played a single game in this series, I found myself drifting from having fun to simply going through the paces. Combat scenarios where you’re planning out how to take out all the enemies is quite fun, especially once you unlock new tools and abilities. But when your plan fails or you go into hand-to-hand combat, the fighting feels like it takes too long. It feels like repetitively hitting a punching bag. The first couple punches can be really satisfying but after a while it’s just not that great. There is certainly a lot of fun to be had in this game, the gameplay just hurts it from time to time. The multiplayer is one of the better aspects of the title but sometimes, due to lack of people, it’s hard to get games going. If you’re fan of the series, it is hard to say you shouldn’t get this title but just note, this title might be missing something the earlier ones had. If you are just leaping in now, it is very easy to say start at the beginning. This is not due to the story being confusing or you missing out from not playing the earlier titles, it just feels like they are better.

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BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS Screenshots: