Twas the Night Before Christmas - Batman: Arkham Origins Review

Finally, I'm back from this unexpected and prolonged hiatus which was completely unintentional. Basically a combination of computer trouble and schoolwork has kept me from posting here. This is truly a shame because this blog is something I love doing and yes I know that my countdown of anime characters has extended into November. So now that I'm back, let's talk about one of the other things that has been preoccupying my time, Batman: Arkham Origins for Xbox 360 and PS3. It's the third installment in the Arkham video game series.

So in Arkham Origins we have the third game in a series, expect for the fact that it's acting like a prequel to the the first two games: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. The group that worked on the first two games, Rocksteady, decided that they wanted to work on a future Arkham game and so they passed the torch over to WB Games Montreal. Basically, the game takes place in Gotham, with Bruce Wayne having taken up the mantle of Batman for only about two years at this point. Gotham still isn't sure if Batman is a hero or a criminal at this point and some aren't even convinced that he's even real. On Christmas Eve, big-time crime boss, Black Mask, decides that he wants to spoil Batman's Christmas Eve and send 9 assassins after him, all in search of a $50 million payoff. So it's up to Batman to stop Black Mask as well as the many other villains who want Batman are dead but are willing to let the main story conclude before actually trying to execute their plans (how courteous of them!). This being a prequel, there's plenty of continuity porn for players to digest. "Oh my god, it's a 15 year old Barbara Gordon! Look at how young Captain Gordon is! Riddler still calls himself Enigma!!" There's enough here to make Batman fans squee with delight as all their favorite characters have been brought back to a surreal Arkham/Year One era where everyone is still making up their minds about the Batman.

Can't help but think that Arkham Origins missed a really cool opportunity here

The plot is the best selling point of Origins and it's much better plot-wise than the last two games in the series. Those felt more like excuses to collect all of Batman's rogue's gallery and put give them their own fanservicey time with the World's Greatest Detective. This plot is all about establishing Batman's relationships with Captain Gordon and The Joker all while bringing up the debate as to whether Batman's methods really are effective or not. It's the heaviest hitting plot of all the Arkham games so far. So that's the good, let me brace you for the bad. Notice how all my praising of the plot came without mentioning how great Black Mask was as a character? It's a rather major spoiler to throw in but it's worth mentioning that Black Mask simply gets tossed aside so that the game can have you focus on everyone's favorite, The Joker. Seriously, I love the Joker as a character, but does he really need to be the main character, final boss. of every Batman game? Ever since The Dark Knight came out in 2008, everyone has had this obsession with the Joker. I will admit, the Joker fits much better in Origins than he did in City but it just feels like a missed opportunity. The trailer for Origins teased Black Mask and Deathstroke heavily as the main two villains of the game. Deathtroke is in the game for a single boss battle before disappearing sans two cutscenes towards the game's close and feels more like fanservice than anything else. Black Mask meanwhile becomes incredibly insignificant as it was the Joker the whole time blah blah blah. I wouldn't mind this so much if Joker didn't feel like such a crutch for Batman writers to lean on. Not only that but Joker takes away from the 9 assassins, another plotline which gets thrown into the wind upon Joker's appearance. Each assassin offers some variety in characters similar to Asylum and City. bringing some of the lesser known characters of Batman's rogue's gallery. Unfortunately, the game never really expands on any of the assassins as characters and they end up being there just because the game requires them to be. Hell, 3 of them wind being completely insignificant to the game's plot. This is disappointing considering that the assassins were one of the game's facets that was marketed heavily.

The city is certainly big and pretty but the doesn't feel as open and flowing as it should

So with my grievances about the plot out of the way, how about the gameplay? Don't worry, everything you loved about the past two games is still here. Nothing has really changed since the last two installments which is a good thing and at the same time a bad thing. Combat is still as fun as ever, as the FreeFlow system makes you really feel like Batman as you battle through huge numbers of enemies. The stealth maps are still loads of fun as well. Unfortunately, there's this feeling of been there done that with the series. As fun as the game can be, it's hampered by the fact that we've done this all before, the gameplay hasn't evolved since we last saw it in City. I found myself going through the motions more than anything while actually playing the game which is a shame given how compelling the game's plot was. Not to mention that the game as a whole just felt like less of a challenge than the last two games. This could be attributed to the additions of the Remote Claw and Shock Glove gadgets which make the game infinitely easier for the player upon acquiring them. Origins seems intent on holding your hand and walking you through the game rather than letting you figure things out for yourself like City did. The open world of Gotham feels incredibly limited as well, rather than being the large, immersive world it proposes to you. The world hardly feels open and flowing as it feels like there's less points to grapple and glide around the city. The game has even introduced fast travel among the districts as if it's embarrassed about hard it can be to get around the city. Sometimes the game world forces Batman to huff it on foot rather than gliding across rooftops. This doesn't make me feel like Batman (well. maybe THIS Batman). But it's ok because the game keeps you out of the open world and makes sure to keep you on the linear track. It's the same formula that City used (maybe these people really are embarrassed at how not open their open world is?). I guess in summation, Origins doesn't do anything new or improve on any of the things that were wrong with City. There's nothing really wrong about the gameplay, I just wish there was some new features to really pull me in (and I'm talking single player here for those who will argue about the new multiplayer mode). Also, I miss the ability to play as other characters than Batman. There's no Catwoman or Robin this time to change things up. This is understandable given the time period this game takes place in but this was a feature I really liked from the last game, why isn't it here? Instead we're given Deathstroke, but only as a character in challenge maps. Thus would be cool if he didn't play exactly like Batman. Once again, fanservice at it's finest.

Troy Baker does a fantastic job portraying a younger and much more unhinged Joker

The big question everyone had for the game's launch was who was going to replace Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamil as the voices of Batman and the Joker respectively. After all, the two have been staples of their respective characters since Batman: The Animated Series. The real pressure was on Troy Baker, the new voice of the Joker, since Hamil's portrayal of the character rivals Heath Ledger's in popularity among fans. I know Baker from his voice work in Code Geass and Soul Eater, both roles that show how versatile he can be as a voice actor. His Joker feels more like an impersonation of Hamil's Joker than one of his own. However, one can't really blame him because he excels at replicating the voice and it's more likely the fans would have revolted against him had he tried something new for the character. (How dare he) However, Baker's Joker does possess some distinctive features of it's own. This a younger Joker, one that is even more unhinged than his later and better known incarnations. Baker plays this role perfectly. The same goes for Smith as his Batman replicates Conroy well enough and isn't afraid to even throw in some Christian Bale if necessary. Like the Joker, this is a younger, much more aggressive Batman. The rest of the voice work in the game is very well done (kudos to them for portraying Bane in the intelligent light that the character deserves). The snark to snark combat between Batman and his butler Alfred is still present here and at times better than ever. The real highlight to me is the interactions between the young Barbara Gordon and Batman (makes me wish we could have seen a young Dick Grayson too). Visually, the game looks phenomenal. The snow effects in the open world are beautifully rendered and the character designs are all done in that same Arkham style that littered the previous two games.

In conclusion, Arkham Origins is a good game, a great one at times. However, it doesn't do anything new or special to separate itself from it's older installments. If you're looking for a great story that gets down to the roots of the conflict between the Joker and Batman, then look no further. However, just don't be expecting anything new or revolutionary in the way of gameplay. I still enjoyed the game and I'm very excited to see Rocksteady get back in the game with their next installment. Those looking for the kind of replayability that City had may end up disappointed but overall Origins is a fun experience that shouldn't be missed by any Batman fan. Just don't expect anything revolutionary or new.

My Score: 4/5

Pros: It still has the great gameplay that we've come to love over the years. The plot is fantastic for fans of the Batman/Joker relationship. Troy effing Baker.

Cons: Gameplay, while good, doesn't feel much different from the past two games. New gadgets make the game too easy. Open world doesn't feel that open or immersive.