Mostly video games
WOW ! Have you seen this? a tear silent rolled down my eye watching this. After years of playing this game and getting into it, I’ve longed for more content and this is it. This isn’t the first time they’ve done something like this, but every time they do it, it makes me excited. Here you go folks, cheers League, you’re simply the best!
Assassins Unite !
The game looks fantastic; graphics look incredible and it seems like it’s set in France. I thought maybe it was repetitive, but after seeing the trailer right through it looks amazing. Here’s what it says at the bottom:
“With over 50 E3 awards & nominations, enjoy the acclaimed Assassin’s Creed Unity. Paris, 1793. Paris is plunged into chaos. In this dark era, one man will give commoners the courage to take up arms against the oppressors. Discover Arno as he fights for justice and raises people’s hope for freedom and unity.” – Assassin’s Creed UK
Yet another game to add to my list! I still have to play Assassins Creed 4, but I’m not worried, I’ve played most of them and I can say they’re truly amazing.
I can’t believe this…Could this be real?! Someone said it was. Dunk Master Darius skin folks ! It could really be happening!
Whew! After long hours of trying to get my controller to work I finally got to play Batman Arkham Origins. It took me about 2 weeks to beat the game. I did take a break after a few days to switch to playing something else, and I still have a few more stuff to complete. I can say I thoroughly enjoyed this game, though there were a few kinks here and there, they weren’t enough to soil it for me. So without further ado here’s my review of Arkham Origins. Check out the trailer below first before reading it’ll give you an idea of the story and yes…possible spoiler alert folks so be warned!
I’ll begin by saying this: The Batman Arkham series has been incredible; this is the 3rd game in the series and I’ve had the privilege of playing them all at this point. Batman Arkham Origins was worth the wait for me; after its release I told myself that I needed to come back and play it. I kept replaying the above trailer, I loved the music, characters and plot that was unfolding based on the trailer. The game was no slouch on that. I loved the music and sound effects, I felt like It really brought me into the environment and set the mood for what was happening.
Gotham City on a Christmas Eve was a beautiful choice for the setting; I enjoyed traveling around Gotham, and to the Bat cave and actually walk around in there too. I almost wish it was Christmas time so that I can get into the holiday spirit as I beat criminals to a pulp and solve crime scenes. The graphics were well done, the cut scenes and even mini scenes were compelling to the point where I felt like it should be made into a movie. Seriously, the plot they used for this was fantastic.
There was a colorful array of people and villains all present and they stayed true to what they set out to do. The plot also had a few twists, I knew the Joker would make an appearance, but as usual when he enters the scene he’s sure to steal the show, and believe me he did that in Arkham Origins. Troy Baker, Joker’s voice actor, also did a great job; from the moment I heard him at the conference I knew he’d be spot on with it and I was right.
The other villains? I liked the idea of the mixed cast of villains. We saw penguin and mad hatter, but no Two-Face or Catwoman (which Catwoman I can understand). I also liked Anarky, Black Mask, Deathstroke, Firefly, a female Copperhead (loved her as a Latina with an accent), Lady Shiva and Bane. Electrocutioner didn’t have a huge role and he really didn’t do much for the story, I would have preferred if they used another major villain (maybe Two-Face) and added that into the story. Electrocutioner was the easiest boss to beat (you practically didn’t beat him.) Bane was my favorites and I felt they did him correctly up until the very end (a personal preference, I prefer him strong, on venom and smart instead of just a muscle head, but I did like his final fight…suspense!)
Did I mention Bane was my favorite? Bane played a huge role and had such a commanding presence, but I really thought he was going to “break” Batman and then we’d see Batman return after some time to fight him. Still, he was my fav. villain next to Joker, and I was also excited to see Deathstroke and Copperhead. The fight with Deathstroke was one of my favorites, but I was a little surprised that it was placed earlier…
Bruce Wayne/Batman voice acting was pretty good. I wasn’t keen on the new voice actor, and before you go on and rant about accepting change I’ll say this. I grew up watching Batman the animated series and let’s face it, Kevin Conroy had THE voice, but I am open to new possibilities. I’m actually re-watching that series now and the one thing I realize that really makes a Batman shine is his ability to strike fear into villains. His tone of voice when dealing with criminals contributes to this and though Roger Craig Smith (Batman’s voice actor) tried his best (least we hope so), it didn’t convince me enough. He just didn’t seem to have a commanding voice, though he was aggressive and portrayed this emotion well in his scenes. It didn’t detract from my experience, but if Kevin Conroy had done the voice It would have greatly added to the game.
In terms of Batman/Bruce Wayne in-game: I understood that it was an origins story, but they did say that he had been active as Batman for 2 years in the story, however I felt he was a bigger asshole than usual. I really felt he treated Alfred like garbage in some cases and I thought after all his training abroad, being raised by him after his parents died, and having donned the cowl for 2 years that he and Alfred (his partner and help) would have a better relationship. Maybe it’s all the comics I’ve read, but I prefer when Bruce and Alfred are friends and not Master/Servant. The opening scene where he tells Vicky Vale, “You just ran outta time,” was also a bit unnecessary in my opinion. I’m accustomed to Bruce just shrinking back humbly, dodging questions and then leaving, or just playing up the cocky, millionaire playboy routine. He did this in the last game; maybe because this is an origins game that they chose to do this way instead.
Gameplay: The creators did a great job with the fighting and I thought the gadgets were on point. We were introduced to a few new gadgets and saw a host of old favorites return. As usual, I live for the stealth take-downs and the in street fighting. I really enjoyed the detective mode upgrade from the last games and thought it was quite crafty the way you really got into solving crimes. I liked the idea of tracking down criminals and separate objectives from the main story. While I’m not fond of chasing down the Riddler’s stupid boxes (God he’s annoying) Arkham Origins wouldn’t have been the same without him.
The game felt so real for me, I felt like I was really Batman as police, average criminals and assassins were after me (though it would have been cool if they randomly attacked me, maybe a thought for later…) Batman’s fighting techniques, gadgets, detective skills and occasional wit were all there. However, there were some things that I felt didn’t make sense or were poorly done, and the game almost suffered because of it.
The Cons list isn’t highly populated, but I did have some game play issues. Maybe it’s just my version, I am playing it on PC and I downloaded it from Steam (maybe this is why?) but I had a restart my game a few times because of graphical/gameplay problems. Characters disappeared into the floor; one character kept walking toward me and Batman stayed in fight mode, but you couldn’t hit him. Another character kept running at the wall. The biggest issue was the rag doll effect after a battle. When I finish off a group of goons and deliver the finishing blows unconscious bodies went soaring upward like rag dolls only to hit the ground shortly after. It wasn’t unbearable, but it isn’t acceptable either, not since the first two games played so fantastically without these kinds of errors (at least not on my versions and I played them both on different systems.)
The other thing that I noticed was the Bat signal in the sky. I noticed it early in the game; why is there a Bat signal in the sky and who turned it on? Commissioner Gordon wasn’t on the Bat’s side, he was trying to apprehend him from the start so it didn’t have a place there until later. At some point during the game, Alfred also calls Batman to wish him Merry Christmas and he replies “Thank you,” but then the story doesn’t match this until later. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it doesn’t turn into Christmas until after the Bane fight and I received that X-mas greeting much earlier.
I also found it weird how Batman did everything in the course of 1 evening; I mean I know he’s Batman, but couldn’t they have spread it out till New Years Eve and bring in the New Year with a bang? The fighting in the streets also became a little repetitive. I’d fly down, beat up criminals and then leave, then I’d try to find a stupid Enigma box (God I hate that shit), go after the main plot or side missions, and then rinse and repeat. Of course there’s repetition, but something inside me sighed after doing it for the 30th time especially knowing that I’d probably be doing it again and again.
Lastly, have you tried the “Fast travel” option? It’s not fast at all…I swear I can make it across city faster by grapnel boosting and I think I actually went to the bathroom and came back before it was finished. Oh well, we can’t win every battle right?
What’s my score out of 10? I’d give the game a 7.5 rating. It can’t get a 9, and I hardly give out a 10, but if it were devoid of graphical problems and a few other things were cleaned up, I’d certainly hand it a 10. I loved the plot and story, I liked Batman and the game play, I loved Gotham city (design, layout, traveling all around the city) and the overall mood. There were some intense scenes that made me really excited and some other scenes that made me feel it was time to take a break for a while, but all in all, it’s a great game.
I’d love to see this made into a movie or comic. I liked the mix of villains, the objectives, the fighting, the take downs and being able to use the training mode and walk around in the Bat cave. If you’re an Arkham fan, play this game..it’s worth playing, but I just hope you don’t run into some of the problems I did.
HA! You thought because I said things were “pretty good” and used so many other positive phrases earlier that I was too soft eh? Think again! I do believe in encouraging words, but when there’s an obvious problem I’ll point it out. I’m not some troll who loves to beat on people’s hard work. The game was fantastic, I’d definitely say pick it up and play it, but I’m a little surprised with the glitches and a few odds and ends here and there.
Thanks for reading folks !
Nick
P.s. a Like, subscribe and/or share would be fantastic :). Let me know what you thought about the game. Comment on the post below.
That’s right folks, as the title of this wonderful post implies, many of you could earn a scholarship if you’re into video games. Check out this post on ABC. Notice the main games being played? League of Legends (I’m so excited!) and Call of Duty.
I’ve always heard the expressions “you’re pro!” or “pro moves,” but apparently you can really be a professional video game player. Can you imagine making 6 figures through gaming? Talk about perfecting your craft and building your team. You can also get a college scholarship from Robert Morris University.
It’s interesting, there’s a ton of work involved and even more team work. I admire the players; they utilize much of the team player tactics that you learn in college programs and at work. It’s amazing how Riot games has shaped online gaming. I remember playing DOTA and then making the jump to League of Legends 4 years ago. League has grown so big that it needs to be divided into regions and it’s still growing! I’ve recently taken a break, but I can’t stay away for long. I thoroughly enjoy the game and I think Riot has done a fantastic job. They even do research on the players in the attempt to making the gaming experience more enjoyable and because the trolls and malicious behavior we often see in online gaming needs to be curbed.
Game on folks!
My Personal View 