You are not logged in. Please register or login.
- Topics: Active | Unanswered
Re: The Video Game Console Thread
Anyone catch the trailer for the new Batman Arkham Origins?
For all his gadgets and combat prowess, a younger, less experienced Batman fails to realize one thing: the Joker is not a villain to take lightly at any age. Even on Christmas Eve, the Clown Prince of Crime’s idea of a gift isn’t a toy, but a series of explosives tied to a nearby building. With Batman disarmed and stunned by a leaner, more true-to-the-comics Bane, the Joker (now voiced by Troy Baker after Mark Hamill made good on his promise that Arkham City was his last turn in the role), mocks his prey, taunting the Dark Knight before detonating his trap. Batman can do nothing but watch in horror as another landmark structure crumbles at the hands of a madman.
Some things don’t change with time. The Joker will always be a force for chaos, ripping through Gotham City no matter what other gangs and criminals are planning. But Warner Bros. Interactive has determined how it wants to attempt to bring change to its Arkham world. Just as with comics and movies, the publisher, through its new Montreal studio, plans to return to Batman’s formative years. Doing so opens up plenty of possibilities and story threads that can not only connect to existing adventures, but lay a foundation for more to come.
This Batman, voiced by Roger Craig Smith (of Ezio, Sonic, and Chris Redfield fame) is described as being more primal, more vicious -- his fighting style raw and unrefined. Just as his enemies are younger and more vibrant, so is Batman, with an armor style that closer resembles Christopher Nolan’s films than anything we’ve seen in previous games. But despite all of these mostly thematic changes, much of what Batman: Arkham Origins is built upon is very, very familiar.
That’s not a bad thing by any means, but make no mistake: this is absolutely a successor to the open-world stylings of Arkham City.
If you’ve played Arkham City, you know exactly what to expect here. Gotham City, now bigger than ever, is still (unfortunately) packed with criminals and super villains, all up to no good. The larger story arc this time revolves around the dominant Black Mask hiring eight assassins, including Deathstroke and Deadshot, to kill Batman, who has made quite an impression the citizens of his city. In fact, while the Caped Crusader feels at home ridding the streets of wretched scum, not everyone is at ease with his arrival. The police, led by Commissioner Loeb, will pursue the Dark Knight and attempt to detain him.
But fundamentally, Arkham Origins plays very much as expected. Grappling, gliding, perching atop gargoyles, ambushing thugs, and maneuvering around Gotham works as it always has. The series’ notably fluid and flexible combat system of course returns. This time around, Warner has added a tracking system to help players assess the efficiency of their combat. Functionally this is entirely informational, as experience points, which flow into a branching upgrade system, are still awarded based on chaining hits into lengthy combos. New enemy types, such as the martial artist thug, mix up the flow and logic of a battle, requiring back-and-forth combos until the criminal makes a mistake.
Warner is building upon some of the concepts introduced in past games. Expect side quests to return in a significant way, both through a radio scanner that helps track criminal activity, and a ‘Most Wanted System’, which will allow Batman to hunt villains like Anarchy, who have stories and motivations that are separate from the main Black Mask thread. For what it’s worth, Warner wouldn’t confirm how significant of a role Joker will have in the game, so it remains to be seen if there’s more to Origins than a lesser known mobster with a grudge.
Warner is also vastly building out how Batman’s detective prowess is represented. The concept of Detective Mode is back, but now can actually be used to track observations and discoveries, allowing players to ‘scrub through’ a crime as it occurred in the past, discovering where more evidence might be. When an assassin’s bullet disables a police helicopter causing it to crash, Batman is able to deduce that a nearby SWAT sniper wasn’t responsible -- tracing the source of the bullet to what was likely Deadshot. By scrubbing through different evidence in different places, Batman assembles the truth piece by piece, allowing him to move to his next target.
In just about every way, Arkham Origins is working with what made Arkham City so successful, and then adding its own twists and improvements. The fact that a fast-travel system is being implemented speaks to the fact that the Montreal team isn’t ignoring feedback. The addition of a device like the Remote Claw, which can attach to two points or enemies and pull them together, means that the team is finding new ways to mix up established concepts.
It’s true that some things don’t change with time. The Joker will always be a force of chaos. Batman will always chase criminals through the streets of Gotham. And that is true whether a story is set in the present, future, or the past. Arkham Origins is a prequel working with a different scenario in a bigger world, but it’s still an Arkham game. Considering how brilliant Arkham Asylum and Arkham City were, however, that’s hardly a bad thing. In fact, we can’t wait for more.
IGN
- Me_Wise_Magic
- Rep: 70
Re: The Video Game Console Thread
Rex wrote:The Last of Us is getting 10s across the board. Fuck, I need this game.
Hadn't heard of it but looks awesome. Wish it was coming out for the 360.
Yeah dude same here! I watched Adam Sessler's and IGN's reviews on it and they gave it nothing but praise. I think the only complaints were you to watch out for your support AI from time to time and the different ways to adapt to various enemy fights can be challenging for newcomers. Other than that it looks fucking gorgeous in terms of environment and level design. I may get a PS4 if it has backwards compatibility with PS3 games; so i catch up on the exclusives.
Re: The Video Game Console Thread
How can Microsoft be this fucking stupid.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/markrogowsk … -xbox-one/
I can't support this shit. I might be buying a Playstation for the first time ever (loyal xbox player).
- Me_Wise_Magic
- Rep: 70
Re: The Video Game Console Thread
Sony had this in the bag when that $399 price tag showed up and they basically in the most gentlemen way gave Microsoft the finger on the no rental fee video.
Plus the bonuses and content going within the policy of the new console seems legit and professional. Appealing to a variety of gamers. Plus..Kingdom Hearts 3 has been officially confirmed with footage so I'm pumped for that. Not sure if that will be exclusive. Sony brought their A-game in the simplest manners and brought back that passion to their fans that at times PS3 severely lacked. The statistics and tech seemed to play out great in the stages they showed. Hope for the best. My plan is to keep my 360 for a few years until MS stops supporting and releasing games for it. I've beaten most of the games I own that I want to finish and expand, and then moving on to PS4 and maybe a nice PC set up years down the road. I still want to hear on some of the Nintendo's games even though I'm getting a 3DS and will only play the Wii U if a friend has it and I feel like joining in. Mostly the new Smash Bros.
Re: The Video Game Console Thread
Regarding BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS--
Definitely looking forward to it, although leaving the TAS/Nolan-world they created in the first two games will be a bit of a shock, not having the duo of Conroy & Hamill leading the way, nor Rocksteady who designed both games.
Not sure what to expect, especially with it being a prequel, but i'm honestly expecting the more fantastical/comic-book element to be toned-down and WB Games using this opportunity to move the franchise more into the Nolan world personally. A game more rooted in realism.
jmho, I think it's gonna be more different than anyone is letting on. Talk is too mum for my tastes.
Re: The Video Game Console Thread
How can Microsoft be this fucking stupid.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/markrogowsk … -xbox-one/
I can't support this shit. I might be buying a Playstation for the first time ever (loyal xbox player).
Same here, except for the loyalty. 360 was my first xbox, when I got cheesed off that PS3 wouldn't be backwards compatible with my PS2 games. Dumb reasoning, but I'm the kind of guy who happily cuts his nose off to spite his face. All in all though, I've LOVED the 360. Can't imagine buying an Xbone now that they've clarified all of the pressing concerns, and the clarifications were all pretty much as bad as what was being imagined upthread.
So I may be back to PS4 land.
Great article on the Xbone presentations at E3 here: http://gameological.com/2013/06/xbox-e3-2013-recap/