Batman: Arkham Origins Review (PS3)
Story
1) Singleplayer Mode
The gameplay is the same as previous Batman: Arkham games. Open-world exploration, with a good amount of indoor locations to be explored. As Batman, you can glide to travel further. You may also able to use Fast Travel feature once you have unlocked the Fast Travel points. The game also takes place in Gotham City, which also includes Arkham City's area. You may also return to Batcave to talk to Alfred or complete Challenges.
Progression and exploration is similar to previous games. To progress the story, you must complete Story Missions and complete it's objectives. A number of the objectives involve you tracking people, fighting bosses and thugs. Many of the game's areas require you to use specific gadgets to progress, which are acquired while doing Story Missions. Side Missions are optional, but they will reward you experience points called WayneTech Points. Some of the game's Side Missions and collectibles require you to use gadgets, so it is best to complete the Story Missions before doing them.
The upgrading system is the same as the previous games. You will obtain experience points called WayneTech Points after completing a Mission, fighting enemies in both combat or predator encounters, finding collectibles. and other activities Once you have accumulated sufficient WayneTech Points, you will get an Upgrade Point which you can use to purchase upgrades. The upgrades include combat moves, armor, and gadgets. Careful decision is advised when choosing upgrades, as they can help you to survive in harder difficulties.
There are two main types of encounters in the game. The first one is combat encounters where you must fight enemies in close encounter using your fists, kicks, and gadgets. The combat still uses the same Freeflow combat from previous Batman: Arkham games, so it is not an issue to experienced Batman: Arkham players. While there are nothing new to the combat, the game also introduces two types of enemies that can be a challenge, which are martial artists and Venom users. Freeflow Combat allows you to attack seamlessly from one enemy to another unless you are interrupted. You may also counter, stun enemies, and use gadgets like Batarangs to stun enemies. WayneTech points will be awarded to you on how long the Freeflow combo is as well as variety of moves you used in a combo.
The second encounter is predator encounters. Predator encounters are stealth encounters, where Batman must take down enemies quietly. If discovered by enemies, they will open fire at you and you must escape to avoid damage. There are lots of ways to hide, such as hiding from corners, gargoyles, grates, and vents. You also has access to stealth takedown moves such as taking down an enemy from a gargoyle. You will also be rewarded of WayneTech points on how well you do in predator encounters.
This game also features a good amount of boss fights, where each boss fight is substantially different to each other. They also require specific strategies to beat, as the bosses can be incredibly tough in harder difficulties.
There are also many side activities to be done, such as capturing other assassins in side missions, collect Enigma's collectibles and solve his riddles, complete unsolved cases, or completing Challenges.
2) Online Multiplayer Mode
This game also offers an online multiplayer mode. You can join in Public Matches or create Private Matches and invite your friends in, Before you start the game, you will be randomly assigned to a Faction, which are Bane Faction, Joker Faction, or the Heroes Faction. While there are not many differences between Bane Faction and Joker Faction, what differentiates them the most are certain access to special weapons, and different controllable super-villain. Heroes Faction are specialised to take down enemies stealthily, with their gadgets or their combat moves.
There are only two types of matches, which are Invisible Predator Online and Hunter, Hunted modes. I will describe Invisible Predator Online mode more in detail as it was the most popular type of match.
In this mode, it will be a three-way battle between Joker Faction, Bane Faction, and Heroes Faction. The objectives of Joker Faction and Bane Faction are simple: to deplete enemy faction's reinforcement to zero and avoid the heroes. The objective of the Heroes Faction is to take down enemy factions non-lethally and inspire fear on them by using a variety of takedown moves while being unharmed. Heroes Faction have unlimited reinforcements, but they cannot win the game solely just by beating up the enemies. They have a gauge called the Fear Guage which can be filled up by doing a variety of takedown moves.
The two supervillain factions have access to firearms to kill enemies and thermal goggles that allow them to spot enemies as well. As a regular thug, you can roll, shoot enemies in third person view, or use tools like grenades or controllable Joker missile. Not only that, after a certain amount of reinforcements have gone, you can call and control a supervillain to even the odds in the match. Each of the super-villain has access to different weapons, and they have more health than regular thugs in the matches. The match will over if either Joker or Bane side's reinforcements have been depleted to zero, or the Heroes Faction's Fear Gauge is maxed out.
You will also gain experience points in the game, separately for each faction. You will have access to new weapons or tools once you have leveled up.
3) Gameplay Conclusion
The singleplayer gameplay is solid, but unfortunately there are no new features to the gameplay that makes it better over the first two games. There are not many new gadgets, and the good ones are the Shock Gloves and Remote Claw, which are useful in enemy encounters. Exploration is not improved much, except the addition of Fast Travel. Combat is improved slightly with the addition of two new types of enemies, and the boss fights are the real highlights of this game.
The multiplayer mode has some interesting ideas, but it is not necessary. Online matchmaking was also problematic, as frequent disconnects often occur while waiting in the lobby or while playing in a match. There are also reused assets from Batman: Arkham City, such as Glue Grenade being a substitute for Freeze Grenade in Batman: Arkham City and inclusion of Arkham City map.
The game has nice character models. However, performance issues often occur while playing the singleplayer mode, such as screen tearing. The multiplayer mode is also rough, where lots of delays happened while playing it. Glitches are also present in both modes, and there are game-breaking bugs before installing any updates. It is recommended for new players to download the update as soon as possible to avoid gamebreaking bugs.
Replay Value
This game has good replay value. You can play the game in different difficulty modes, play the game again in New Game Plus playthrough, or play in the I Am the Night mode. I Am the Night mode is the most difficult mode in main Arkham games, where you have only one life in the whole playthrough, where you must restart from the start of the game upon dying at any pint while playing in that mode. You may also choose to play the game's multiplayer mode, although the servers have been shut down this month.
The game is solid, with great boss battles, good replay value, good story and characters, as well as solid combat. However, this game has the least amount of new features compared to previous games, as it is developed by Warner Bros Montreal, and not Rocksteady Studios itself. The multiplayer mode itself was outsourced to Splash Damage, which is not well-optimised and the multiplayer mode itself is both interesting and unnecessary. As the servers have shut down this month, the game's singleplayer mode is still worth playing to see a different side in Batman and other villains in the game, the boss fights and the story.
Play as the younger Batman in Gotham City.
This game takes place before Batman: Arkham Asylum. Bruce Wayne is in his younger days, still new to his vigilante act as Batman, found out that Black Mask has hired a group of assassins to kill him. Many of the assassins are professionals, which include Deadshot, Deathstroke, and Bane. Later Batman will find out that Black Mask is a much dangerous person than he thought, and there is more to him that meets the eye.
The story is well-told, and I like Batman's personality in this game, Younger, less experienced, and a loner. Other characters have decent exposures and memorable appearances, like Deathstroke, Deadshot, Black Mask, Shiva, and especially Bane. The game also deals Batman's issues with the police force, who do not trust him as a hero, but as a dangerous man.
The story is well-told, and I like Batman's personality in this game, Younger, less experienced, and a loner. Other characters have decent exposures and memorable appearances, like Deathstroke, Deadshot, Black Mask, Shiva, and especially Bane. The game also deals Batman's issues with the police force, who do not trust him as a hero, but as a dangerous man.
Gameplay
1) Singleplayer Mode
Roam the Gotham City and find the assassins.
The gameplay is the same as previous Batman: Arkham games. Open-world exploration, with a good amount of indoor locations to be explored. As Batman, you can glide to travel further. You may also able to use Fast Travel feature once you have unlocked the Fast Travel points. The game also takes place in Gotham City, which also includes Arkham City's area. You may also return to Batcave to talk to Alfred or complete Challenges.
Progression and exploration is similar to previous games. To progress the story, you must complete Story Missions and complete it's objectives. A number of the objectives involve you tracking people, fighting bosses and thugs. Many of the game's areas require you to use specific gadgets to progress, which are acquired while doing Story Missions. Side Missions are optional, but they will reward you experience points called WayneTech Points. Some of the game's Side Missions and collectibles require you to use gadgets, so it is best to complete the Story Missions before doing them.
The upgrading system is the same as the previous games. You will obtain experience points called WayneTech Points after completing a Mission, fighting enemies in both combat or predator encounters, finding collectibles. and other activities Once you have accumulated sufficient WayneTech Points, you will get an Upgrade Point which you can use to purchase upgrades. The upgrades include combat moves, armor, and gadgets. Careful decision is advised when choosing upgrades, as they can help you to survive in harder difficulties.
There are two main types of encounters in the game. The first one is combat encounters where you must fight enemies in close encounter using your fists, kicks, and gadgets. The combat still uses the same Freeflow combat from previous Batman: Arkham games, so it is not an issue to experienced Batman: Arkham players. While there are nothing new to the combat, the game also introduces two types of enemies that can be a challenge, which are martial artists and Venom users. Freeflow Combat allows you to attack seamlessly from one enemy to another unless you are interrupted. You may also counter, stun enemies, and use gadgets like Batarangs to stun enemies. WayneTech points will be awarded to you on how long the Freeflow combo is as well as variety of moves you used in a combo.
The second encounter is predator encounters. Predator encounters are stealth encounters, where Batman must take down enemies quietly. If discovered by enemies, they will open fire at you and you must escape to avoid damage. There are lots of ways to hide, such as hiding from corners, gargoyles, grates, and vents. You also has access to stealth takedown moves such as taking down an enemy from a gargoyle. You will also be rewarded of WayneTech points on how well you do in predator encounters.
This game also features a good amount of boss fights, where each boss fight is substantially different to each other. They also require specific strategies to beat, as the bosses can be incredibly tough in harder difficulties.
There are also many side activities to be done, such as capturing other assassins in side missions, collect Enigma's collectibles and solve his riddles, complete unsolved cases, or completing Challenges.
2) Online Multiplayer Mode
Play as a Joker thug, Bane mercenary or as a superhero.
This game also offers an online multiplayer mode. You can join in Public Matches or create Private Matches and invite your friends in, Before you start the game, you will be randomly assigned to a Faction, which are Bane Faction, Joker Faction, or the Heroes Faction. While there are not many differences between Bane Faction and Joker Faction, what differentiates them the most are certain access to special weapons, and different controllable super-villain. Heroes Faction are specialised to take down enemies stealthily, with their gadgets or their combat moves.
There are only two types of matches, which are Invisible Predator Online and Hunter, Hunted modes. I will describe Invisible Predator Online mode more in detail as it was the most popular type of match.
In this mode, it will be a three-way battle between Joker Faction, Bane Faction, and Heroes Faction. The objectives of Joker Faction and Bane Faction are simple: to deplete enemy faction's reinforcement to zero and avoid the heroes. The objective of the Heroes Faction is to take down enemy factions non-lethally and inspire fear on them by using a variety of takedown moves while being unharmed. Heroes Faction have unlimited reinforcements, but they cannot win the game solely just by beating up the enemies. They have a gauge called the Fear Guage which can be filled up by doing a variety of takedown moves.
The two supervillain factions have access to firearms to kill enemies and thermal goggles that allow them to spot enemies as well. As a regular thug, you can roll, shoot enemies in third person view, or use tools like grenades or controllable Joker missile. Not only that, after a certain amount of reinforcements have gone, you can call and control a supervillain to even the odds in the match. Each of the super-villain has access to different weapons, and they have more health than regular thugs in the matches. The match will over if either Joker or Bane side's reinforcements have been depleted to zero, or the Heroes Faction's Fear Gauge is maxed out.
You will also gain experience points in the game, separately for each faction. You will have access to new weapons or tools once you have leveled up.
3) Gameplay Conclusion
Solid gameplay.
The singleplayer gameplay is solid, but unfortunately there are no new features to the gameplay that makes it better over the first two games. There are not many new gadgets, and the good ones are the Shock Gloves and Remote Claw, which are useful in enemy encounters. Exploration is not improved much, except the addition of Fast Travel. Combat is improved slightly with the addition of two new types of enemies, and the boss fights are the real highlights of this game.
The multiplayer mode has some interesting ideas, but it is not necessary. Online matchmaking was also problematic, as frequent disconnects often occur while waiting in the lobby or while playing in a match. There are also reused assets from Batman: Arkham City, such as Glue Grenade being a substitute for Freeze Grenade in Batman: Arkham City and inclusion of Arkham City map.
Graphics
Nice looking characters, although bugs and glitches are present.
The game has nice character models. However, performance issues often occur while playing the singleplayer mode, such as screen tearing. The multiplayer mode is also rough, where lots of delays happened while playing it. Glitches are also present in both modes, and there are game-breaking bugs before installing any updates. It is recommended for new players to download the update as soon as possible to avoid gamebreaking bugs.
Sound
Good voice acting and soundtrack.
This game has good voice acting, despite several existing characters in the game are voiced by different voice actors. The soundtrack is excellent as well, with more bombastic and epic themes such as the game's title theme, and the theme of the assassins in the game.
Replay Value
Good replay value.
This game has good replay value. You can play the game in different difficulty modes, play the game again in New Game Plus playthrough, or play in the I Am the Night mode. I Am the Night mode is the most difficult mode in main Arkham games, where you have only one life in the whole playthrough, where you must restart from the start of the game upon dying at any pint while playing in that mode. You may also choose to play the game's multiplayer mode, although the servers have been shut down this month.
Conclusion
Worth playing despite some issues.
The game is solid, with great boss battles, good replay value, good story and characters, as well as solid combat. However, this game has the least amount of new features compared to previous games, as it is developed by Warner Bros Montreal, and not Rocksteady Studios itself. The multiplayer mode itself was outsourced to Splash Damage, which is not well-optimised and the multiplayer mode itself is both interesting and unnecessary. As the servers have shut down this month, the game's singleplayer mode is still worth playing to see a different side in Batman and other villains in the game, the boss fights and the story.
Score
Story: 10/10
Gameplay: 7/10
Graphics: 7/10
Sound: 8/10
Final Score: 8.0/10.0 or 32/40
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Excellent story.
- Interesting characters, both heroes and villains.
- Solid gameplay.
- Excellent boss fights.
- Interesting multiplayer ideas.
- Excellent voice acting.
- Good soundtrack.
- Good replay value.
Cons
- Not many new features in the game.
- Moderate amount of reused assets from Batman: Arkham City.
- Unnecessary online multiplayer mode.
- Online multiplayer issues.
- Technical performance issues, like bugs and glitches.
- Unnecessary recasting of voice actors for the recurring characters from previous games, such as Batman.
**Images are downloaded from official Batman: Arkham Origins site.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Excellent story.
- Interesting characters, both heroes and villains.
- Solid gameplay.
- Excellent boss fights.
- Interesting multiplayer ideas.
- Excellent voice acting.
- Good soundtrack.
- Good replay value.
Cons
- Not many new features in the game.
- Moderate amount of reused assets from Batman: Arkham City.
- Unnecessary online multiplayer mode.
- Online multiplayer issues.
- Technical performance issues, like bugs and glitches.
- Unnecessary recasting of voice actors for the recurring characters from previous games, such as Batman.
**Images are downloaded from official Batman: Arkham Origins site.
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