S. Griffin
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Post by S. Griffin on Oct 26, 2013 13:08:43 GMT -5
Just finished the story. Trust me Raz Joker steals the show. Hopefully Troy Baker gets to voice him more. And Bane is an actual fucking threat. I'm so tired of people gushing over Nolan's Bane. He was barely a step above Batman & Robin's Bane imo. THANK YOU
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GhostRider5289
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Post by GhostRider5289 on Oct 26, 2013 13:11:59 GMT -5
Whoa that was quick! I hope it doesn't end too soon. It's probably my fault. I've been playing almost nonstop since yesterday without stopping to work on the side quests.
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okcomputer
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Post by okcomputer on Oct 26, 2013 15:58:52 GMT -5
So how does it compare to Arkham City? From what I've read the consensus is Origins is less polished and just not quite as good. True?
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GhostRider5289
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Post by GhostRider5289 on Oct 26, 2013 16:25:15 GMT -5
I loved it. Story wise I think it's just as good maybe even a little better and the boss fights are definitely better. That said I think AC looked better graphics wise. Everything else I'd say is on par with AC (combat, gadgets, voices, etc.). Pretty much if you love the other 2 (I sure do) then this one should be right up your alley.
Also now that I've finished the story mode I've been knocking out the side stuff as Adam West. I can't stop laughing while playing.
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 26, 2013 16:30:57 GMT -5
Ghostrider probably knows better having beaten it, but here's my take:
I'd say there's like 15% less polish to it, a couple times I've had Batman go through walls a little while crouching, not fully through or anything, just like his arm disappears into it. A minor issue, but AC was flawless so it stands out. Also had some bad slowdown during a couple segments, few and far between but makes it feels a bit rougher around the edges. I've heard other people say it's very buggy but other than those issues it seems the same to me. I do still think from what I've seen so far of the story, it's more cheesy and one-dimensional, closer to the Finch comic I read the other day than the Paul Dini quality stuff from before--but I think I have a long way left to go. I also expected more when I heard "fully explorable Gotham". It's really just the area where AC takes place and 3 more districts across the bridge, but I prefer smaller open worlds so I guess that's for the best.
But don't get me wrong, it's absolutely a must-play if you enjoyed the others, it looks and plays just as well, more city, more riddles, more villains, more side-missions. This metaphor may be confusing since the game takes place on Christmas--but every minute playing it feels like Christmas morning. It's a blast and seeing the same city from AC before it's Arkhamified is constantly cool. The boss battles seem to vary greatly in quality and difficulty but some of them are the best in the series. Go buy it now!
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 26, 2013 16:37:23 GMT -5
I loved it. Story wise I think it's just as good maybe even a little better and the boss fights are definitely better. That said I think AC looked better graphics wise. Everything else I'd say is on par with AC (combat, gadgets, voices, etc.). Pretty much if you love the other 2 (I sure do) then this one should be right up your alley. Also now that I've finished the story mode I've been knocking out the side stuff as Adam West. I can't stop laughing while playing. As for the visuals, AC benefitted from being tinted blue & orange, the white/gray skies in Origins can be too bright and highlight imperfections. I spent a while redoing my tv's color settings and got it looking just as good I think.
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GhostRider5289
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Post by GhostRider5289 on Oct 26, 2013 16:59:35 GMT -5
I'll have to give that a try but in no way did I think the graphics look bad or anything. Plus I may have been having way too much fun to notice the glitches but I'm sure there may have been a couple.
And I can't express how much I loved Bane in this game. It's pretty much what I expected out of Bane in Rises but didn't suck. Also they weren't kidding when they said the boss fights were going to change up a bit. Firefly and Mad Hatter were awesome.
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GhostRider5289
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Post by GhostRider5289 on Oct 27, 2013 13:53:57 GMT -5
Thinking of the awesome story again I noticed (or maybe just failed to notice) that Harvey Dent never appeared which was somewhat disappointing. I was hoping to see him and maybe a little forshadowing of Two-Face.
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 28, 2013 10:35:12 GMT -5
^Yeah, I was hoping for Two-Face and Scarecrow. I'm guessing Rocksteady had dibs on some of the better characters. Even though it's a prequel they probably didn't want their thunder stolen if they had big plans for certain villains. I thought Copperhead, Electrocutioner, and Shiva were pretty darn lame.
I think I'm nearing the end of the story on normal and the fights are getting ridiculously difficult. I've finished all of the side-missions except one and Riddler's data-packets, so I might be able to sum up my thoughts later today and move on to multiplayer.
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GhostRider5289
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Post by GhostRider5289 on Oct 28, 2013 10:56:59 GMT -5
Yeah I was really hoping for Scarecrow too.
Raz after you fought Deathstroke and Penguin was locked in his office did you ever see him again or did I just fuck up?
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 28, 2013 11:07:22 GMT -5
*SPOILERS* I just passed him in his cell at Blackgate and there was a little cutscene conversation, but that's all. I was hoping to fight him a couple more times.
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 28, 2013 11:30:06 GMT -5
Ugh, just found out why that fight was so crazy hard. It was supposed to be an in-progress fight where half of the guys were unconscious, but it loaded them all conscious so I was fighting like 50 guys instead of 25. When I exited the game and loaded it back up it initiated the sequence properly.
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GhostRider5289
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Post by GhostRider5289 on Oct 28, 2013 13:05:40 GMT -5
My bad I was talking about Penguin. I saw the scene with Slade too.
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 28, 2013 13:10:46 GMT -5
Sweet, you get the "Batman: Noel" costume for completing the story! Seriously, everyone should own that trade.
Okay, having completed the story and almost all of the side stuff, here's what I thought:
The story picked up a bit at the very end but overall I thought it was a far cry from the previous games. The assassins plot had so much potential but then they each just nonchalantly pop up like standard villains and exit the game after a quick confrontation or two, I guess I expected something more memorable like Metal Gear bosses or something. I was hyped for Black Mask cuz I knew very little about him and he looked cool; unfortunately he was a complete waste of a character like Two-Face in AC. I wish they left Joker out of this and gave some other villains the spotlight.
There really just wasn't much story, it seemed like 1/5 as long and involved as AC and tonally it felt a lot more like Nolan's stuff with a bunch of heavy-handed melodramatics about hope and sacrifice; I really didn't care for it. But the worst part was the dialogue, it's so dumb and cheesy compared to the previous games, I found it constantly cringeworthy. The worst instance was probably the Firefly boss fight. It's such an awesome sequence, but the unbelievably cheesy lines he spouts over it totally kill the mood. "You say lip balm, I say napalm!" ...What in the fuck? The replacement voice actors didn't work for me either, I straight up didn't like Batman or Joker in this game.
Luckily, I really loved the previous games and this copies most of what matters pretty darn well. Gliding around Gotham exploring, solving riddles, battling random goons, and completing side-missions is about as fun as ever. It is a shame that the game world doesn't seem nearly as detailed or easter egg-laden this time around but it is really cool to see pre-Arkham City Gotham regardless. Ultimately, Origins delivers more Arkham, and while I found it slighly inferior in every way except combat and significantly weaker in the story department; for die-hard fans it offers many fresh hours of the Batman experience we can't get enough of. 8/10
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okcomputer
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Post by okcomputer on Oct 28, 2013 13:42:20 GMT -5
Sounds like my concerns about all the changes (new developer, new writer, new voice actors) were well-founded. And raz, would you say making it a prequel to the other games was a bad move?
Still, since Asylum and City are among my favorite games of recent years, I'll probably still get Origins eventually. I might wait for the price to drop though.
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 28, 2013 14:07:02 GMT -5
I think prequel was the right move if a different studio had to make an Arkham game because I wouldn't want them messing up Rocksteady's continuity. Most people seem to be liking the story just fine though, and I've also heard people bashing City's story, so like most Batman things it seems different styles work for different people. I still think it easily packs enough new Arkham fun to warrant the full price, most of my time playing it has been the same 'ol Arkham bliss. I can't ignore the things I didn't find quite up to par, but they really didn't hurt the enjoyment too much. If you love the gameplay you'll be glad you picked it up.
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 29, 2013 10:56:44 GMT -5
Watched some reviews. Sessler gave it a 4/5 and thought it featured the best writing of the series and says the story alone is worth the price of admission, but the unchanged gameplay felt routine at this point and got tedious in between the plot advancement and boss battles. I mostly agreed with Gamespot's criticisms but they gave it a 6/10 which seems crazy harsh. The gameplay is still just as incredibly fun to me, less inspired but still awesome.
How people feel about the story seems to vary greatly depending on what kind of Batman you like. To me, Origins' storytelling was more gritty, straightforward, and heavy-handed. I thought the previous games had an unspoken depth to them and a more fantasy atmosphere, like you were transported into the universe of the animated series. The constant twists and surprises didn't hurt either. I also felt the previous games were more meticulously designed, richer with detail and personality, and loaded with fanservice. But give me a fresh place to glide around for hours punching baddies and solving riddles and I'm the happiest boy. Less than 8/10 is madness.
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SkellyMan
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Post by SkellyMan on Oct 29, 2013 14:49:43 GMT -5
No batmobile though?
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 29, 2013 15:10:28 GMT -5
^No. You see it in the Batcave but it's still being built. Did you hear the rumor that we'd get to drive through the streets too? Maybe they're saving it for Rocksteady's next game. You'd probably need a much larger world to make the most of it anyway. In this one I can see it being fun at first but ultimately just making the city feel much smaller. I kind of don't like the addition of fast travel for that reason already, I like having to glide a long distance to the next objective and discovering new things along the way. Driving would be a happy medium and nice change of pace, but they'd have to find a way to stop the player from running over every bad guy.
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 30, 2013 10:19:17 GMT -5
Wow, IGN's review was actually the most detailed, accurate, and entertaining. They summed it perfectly with the analogy that Arkham games are like pizza, even when they aren't that great, they're still great. That pretty much nails my feelings on it.
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 30, 2013 12:18:05 GMT -5
+Playing as Deathstroke on the challenge maps is extremely badass.
-The Batman: Noel costume is busted, Batmam's back is constantly clipping through the cape. Bummer.
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 30, 2013 18:41:01 GMT -5
Multiplayer's actually gotten worse since the already unreliable beta. Takes forever to get into a match and there's a 50% chance you'll get disconnected after waiting through the lobby and load screens. When you do get in it's mostly frustrating because you die really easily, but when you do well it's very rewarding. I like that you can use your unlocked singleplayer skins in multiplayer right away but wish it worked both ways so you could use the unlockable Arkham City skins in Origins' singleplayer.
There's still just the one mode which is disappointing. I think a mode that foregoes the thugs and let's everyone play as supervillains could be awesome.
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GhostRider5289
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Post by GhostRider5289 on Oct 30, 2013 19:44:44 GMT -5
Made a lot of progress with my last two side missions today. 3 districts completely done against Enigma and all but 4 Blackgate prisoners captured.
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 30, 2013 21:01:54 GMT -5
^ Nice! I'm like right behind ya. What 'stume you usin'?
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GhostRider5289
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Post by GhostRider5289 on Oct 30, 2013 21:40:17 GMT -5
Knightfall. I'm loving it so much.
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 30, 2013 23:07:11 GMT -5
I love it too, I hope DCC makes a figure of it but they haven't done any alt costumes yet. I've been trying to get my hands on the Knightfall trades but the library keeps saying they're in stock when they're not. Should get to read it in a couple weeks, I've always been intrigued by it.
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GhostRider5289
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Post by GhostRider5289 on Oct 30, 2013 23:11:35 GMT -5
I loved it. Jean-Paul was a great anti-hero Batman.
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 31, 2013 6:50:47 GMT -5
^Did you see that in the extras menu you can unlock the dynamic XMB themes they sell on the PS Store for free? It's neat to have Batman with the snow falling around him as a background.
And even if you don't get into the multiplayer it's fun to use the Cobblepot Crates earned in singleplayer in the mp store menu. It basically gives you tons of free character customization pieces without making you go through the trouble of levelling up to earn them.
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GhostRider5289
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Post by GhostRider5289 on Oct 31, 2013 11:13:17 GMT -5
Yeah I'm using that Batman theme. Haven't even thought about mp yet. Don't really care for it in general.
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 31, 2013 11:35:16 GMT -5
I got the last of the convicts and just have 1 riddle left in The Bowery, Industrial District, and Pioneers Bridge. I'm stumped on 'em for now but hoping they'll click for me after taking a break.
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