I am a huge Batman fan. I have been ever since I first heard Kevin Conroy voice the World’s Greatest Detective in “Batman: The Animated Series”. When Arkham Asylum was first announced, I was immediately ready to throw money at Rocksteady and they rewarded me with 3 incredible games.
But there was one Arkham game that stood out to me most of all. And it was the one that didn’t come from Rocksteady. Batman: Arkham Origins was developed by WB Games Montreal as the third installment in the series to be released in between Arkham City and Arkham Knight. The main story hook here was that we got to control a version of Batman that was relatively new to the cape and cowl (and voiced by Roger Craig Smith doing a damn good Bats).
BATMAN: sOPHOMORE SEASON
The game was set eight years before the events of Asylum during Batman’s second year patrolling Gotham City. This is a Batman that hasn’t dealt with the level of supervillain he would later become familiar with. Until Black Mask puts some money on his head and 8 assassins show up to collect.
The gameplay was the same as the Rocksteady games and it was perfectly done. There were also some new gadgets we didn’t see in the other games. But the most important thing about this game? It has the series’ best battle.
The fight with Deathstroke is by far the best designed boss fight in the series. It feels like an intense back and forth fight with a trained assassin. WB Montreal nailed this one. They also nailed the story. The narrative really leaned on not just Batman’s inexperience but how Alfred perceived him in the early stages. It really hammers home the moment where Batman locks in and becomes the version of himself he’s meant to be.
Arkham Origins is the Batman game we didn’t know we needed. A chance to control a younger Batman and to see how his crusade got rolling. The introduction of The Joker and his involvement in the story sets up everything we’ve seen in the other three games. Play it all in order and it all slots in perfectly together. If you can, give this one another run. It’s a perfect representation of early Batman.
The post ‘Batman: Arkham Origins’ is Better Than You Remember appeared first on VICE.
The post ‘Batman: Arkham Origins’ is Better Than You Remember appeared first on VICE.
