JAKE CURNOW PRESENTS
Batman: Arkham Origins
Xbox 360 Version
Never before has the DC based comic book super hero, Batman, had better video game representation than in the highly acclaimed “Arkham” saga: with Arkham Origins being the third entry into the series. Although the original Arkham Asylum has yet to be surpassed in all its glory, Origins is yet another SPECTACULAR entry into the series providing a balance of both classic Arkham formula and gameplay evolution.
Not a face you want to meet in a dark alley.
With the first two Arkham video games following each other chronologically, Arkham Origins takes you back into the past as a young Bruce Wayne during some of his first encounters with well-known super villains and heroes alike: such as The Joker and Gotham City PD’s Captain Gordon.
The game starts out on Christmas Eve with some of the most notorious criminals wreaking havoc on the streets of Gotham, immediately provoking a response from Batman to get involved in the action. Bruce Wayne quickly figures out that he’s in serious trouble since a vile gangster, known as Black Mask, has put a bounty out on Batman’s head with eight well trained assassins looking to collect the prize. Killer Croc, Deathstroke, Firefly, Copperhead, Deadshot, Electrocutioner, Shiva and Bane aren’t exactly the type of people looking to sit down and enjoy a Christmas Eve picnic with Batman. That said, the core story of Arkham Origins features this legion of assassins trying to take down the Bat while they simultaneously disregard Gotham City property and human life in the process.
Many of Batman’s encounters with these assassins are quite brief, and a bit of a letdown. Nonetheless, three of the most well-known assassins in DC comic book history: Deathstroke, Bane and Killer Croc, deliver action packed full length boss fights, with the Deathstroke encounter being the most intense of the three. Arkham series veterans will remember Killer Croc from the first title in the series, and I can speak for the majority of fans when I say we expected an intense, action packed boss fight from this iconic and well-designed super villain. Although Arkham Asylum failed to deliver in this regard, Arkham Origins does long-time series fans justice by delivering Killer Croc as the game’s very first full length boss fight in a very intense confrontation.
The storyline of Arkham Origins isn’t as complex as a Final Fantasy or Metal Gear Solid video game, but that’s a good thing, since it aids in keeping the game focused on the excellent action and gameplay. The good news is that the Arkham fighting system is back once again, almost exactly as it was in previous games. With such spectacular combat mechanics, one will wonder why Arkham Origins wasn’t able to add more to Batman’s hand to hand arsenal other than shock gloves and minor system tweaks. In addition to Arkham Origins fighting mechanics being carried over from previous entries, the game also features an open world environment with dozens of collectibles, side missions and optional super villain confrontations. This time around, however, Batman has the ability to traverse Gotham City using the Batwing via strategically placed fast travels points throughout the map. This make’s travel far more convenient than it was in Arkham City and helps the player get right back into the action as opposed to gliding through the city or using the grapple gun.
The main campaign was absolutely spectacular, although the final boss encounter fell short of the previous two entries by a long shot. Other than the story mode, however, players also have the opportunity to take on ranked, custom or campaign challenges either in combat, or as a predator. In addition to Batman being a playable character in these extra challenges, you’re also able to play as Deathstroke, and as one would expect, combat and predator challenges are just as exciting as they were in previous Arkham titles.
The single player campaign, combat and predator challenges aren’t all this great title has to offer, since Arkham Origins introduces the first ever online competitive multiplayer in the series. In the first game mode, Invisible Predator Online, players are competing in a turf war inside of Blackgate Prison between the teams of Batman/Robin, Jokers Thugs and Banes Thugs, where lower tier gang members can eventually power up and become either The Joker or Bane himself. Each criminal gang wins by killing all of the opposing team’s players, whereas Batman and Robin win by acquiring intimidation points, which can be earned by taking down gang members.
The second and final online competitive game type is called Hunter, Hunted, where three Joker thugs and three Bane thugs take on Batman in a last man standing match where each character has only one life. Arkham Origins online takes some getting used to, and it feels somewhat incomplete, but it is unquestionably an interesting start to an otherwise single player title. Although just four super heroes and/or villains are playable online, the involvement of others would have definitely made the gameplay and environment more appealing. Deathstroke, Killer Croc, Nightwing, Batgirl, Commissioner Gordon, and Catwoman could have all made for some very unique competition. The Arkham series has had such spectacular offline single player so far that it’d be interesting to see what developers can do with future online competition without sacrificing quality time on the single player campaign.
Batman Arkham Origins isn’t the BEST entry in the three game series, but with each of the previous two entries being so spectacular, taking the top spot would be a challenging endeavor. But with the spectacular production value, excellent voice acting, immersive atmosphere and masterful gameplay design, Batman Arkham Origins will have a hard time leaving series fans disappointed… And with that in mind: I would dare say the developers of the Arkham video gaming series are on an undefeated 3 and 0 streak thus far, which is equally as rare as it is impressive.
OVERALL RATING
8.5/10