Batman Arkham Origins is Available…But Does it Deliver?

Who doesn’t want to get the opportunity to be Batman, even if it’s only through a video game console? Batman Arkham Origins was released on October 25, 2013 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and as a PC game. Being released behind such big hits as Arkham Asylum and Arkham City left Arkham Origins with big shoes to fill. So just how does it stack up to the previous entries in the Arkham catalog in terms of the storyline and the gameplay?

Arkham Origins

First things first. There were 2 major changes with Arkham Origins. First, Rocksteady, who developed both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City did not develop Arkham Origins. It was Warner Bros who developed Arkham Origins. As a result of this, gamers are certain to notice some subtle differences throughout the game. Second, and perhaps more disappointing to hard-core fans is the fact that the voices of Batman and the Joker (originally voiced by Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill) have been replaced with other voice actors. The other actors do a credible job, of course, but it’s just not the same.

The storyline of Arkham Origins finds a young Batman 5 years before the events that happened in Arkham Asylum. A rich criminal puts a large bounty on Batman’s head and 8 different assassins line up to try and collect that bounty. Sounds interesting, right? It also happens on Christmas Eve in Gotham which adds to the tension.

As far as the gameplay goes, Arkham Origins is much the same as its 2 predecessors. Combat and travelling around the city will feel immediately familiar. Unique in Origins, however, is the ability for Batman to call his Batwing to help him quickly travel around Gotham.

What’s the Verdict?

Many reviewers are finding that this Batman installment feels a little too…familiar. The fighting is the same (with the exception of the shock gloves which pretty much allow Batman to win any fight), grappling around the environment is essentially the same, and the overall gameplay is the same. Batman still uses his gadgets, he still solves puzzles, and he still has to go into CSI mode to look for evidence.

Indeed, it seems it is not as groundbreaking of a game as its 2 forerunners. Is it a bad game? No. Is it the best Batman game available? No. Will it still sell a ton of copies? You bet. Should you check it out for yourself? Of course. As stated at the beginning of the post – who doesn’t want to be Batman for a while?

[Image via cinemablend]