11 replies to this topic

[Veteran]

It'll be a while before I get this, maybe I'll wait for the GOTY version I don't know. What I would like to know however is if the Arkham Knight character is Joker or not.

I didn't get a 'hijacked by Ganon' feeling from Origins because I knew Black Mask wasn't actually Black Mask before playing. And while I don't want to know precisely who the Arkham Knight is, if I go in blind and it turns out to be Joker I will be disappointed. If I go in knowing it's not Joker I'll be excited.

I know, I'm weird.

So, can someone oblige me?

[DarkJuno]

I've really only opened up the second section of the city, but it's not likely. I could be wrong, but I can't say a whole lot more then that without saying too much.

[Selena]

Because I don't care about spoilers, I looked it up for you.

 

 

No, he's not the Joker. I was pleasantly surprised by his real identity.

[Veteran]

Awesome, thanks Lena. You took one for the team.

[Green Goblin]

I was honestly pissed off at his reveal.  Because it's clear to anyone who knows Batman lore, but Rocksteady straight up lied to us about it.

 

 

In anycase, I have the game.  It's great.  More of Arkham City, the Batmobile controls well (though it's off that Batman drives a literal tank) and I find myself just eating up all the Batman lore I can handle.

 

Despite the big reveal being called, the story itself is honestly pretty solid.  They recycle a few bits, but a lot of the stuff is new territory.  Like i always did wonder what the Dark Knight would do if the Joker finally dies.  One idea I had for an arch in the comics would be what if  no-name rookie cop just shows up in Arkham and just executes him.  Doesn't tell anyone his plan, doesn't do a lot of prep work, doesn't telegraph his motives.  Just upon seeing him, shoots him point blank in the face.  How would Gotham react?  How would Batman react?  What would happen to the cop?  Well, this game puts me in a small bit of that world and for that, I'm thankful.  Oh, and Joker's 100% dead in this universe.  It was clear at the end of the last game too, but they hammer it home with the start of this one.

[DarkJuno]

Eh, so it probably is exactly who I think it is? Fortunately the story is well told so far so I can live with that. I just got to the exact halfway point of the main story where that thing happens with that character who was taken. Holy crap, I hope there's more to it yen that because otherwise that feels an awful waste just for the sake of a plot twist. If there is, then great, didn't see it coming.

I'm really pleased with just how well made this game is so far, and almost all the side quests are interesting enough too. Pleasantly surprised that Rocksteady was true to their word in saying that the maligned Origins (that I thought was fine, just a little samey) was part of canon with all the acknowledgements of it and even the handheld game, Blackgate. There's even a clever little wink towards the Assault on Arkham animated feature from last year that fits in with a throwaway Riddler riddle from the first game. Graphically, the game is amazing and is shocking, and honestly is the first current gen game to basically stick in other developers' faces and show them they have no excuse. It looks gorgeous, the details are stunning, and the game itself is a big seamless world, the only loading times are if you die. The open world, the different buildings you enter, the underground, everything is loaded up and that's that.

As for the Batmobile....in and of itself it's fine, even if it somehow manages to be the love child of the Warthog and Mako, but I was super happy that a lot of that was front loaded and it's not nearly as annoying as the Ace Chemicals mission made it out to be. Tank mode is just a bizarre way to turn it into a third person shooter (left trigger to aim, right trigger to shoot, click the stick to iron sight/zoom), but you're better off changing the option to make it so the Batmobile drives like a normal game car and not the crazy default. It's fine, but it being overused kinda makes me hate it.

Also, to hell with the Riddler missions. The riddles themselves are great, loved those in Asylum, the trophies are...annoying but you can kinda make sense of the puzzles since they require your brain but a lot of them get janky and weird with the physics, but the racetracks are silly and don't even try to pretend they're super video gamey wven with the explanation.

Anyway, looking forward to finishing this, I haven't had a game in a while that I think about while at work.

Edited by DarkJuno, 01 July 2015 - 08:16 PM.

[SL the Pyro]

The Arkham Knight's identity is... well, it's a "love it or hate it" situation. You'll either be pleasantly surprised, or slap your forehead and shout "DUH!". Sadly it was the latter for me, somewhat spoiled by my (limited) knowledge of Batman lore and thinking this character had his day in the limelight already.

 

...That gripe aside though, the game is still awesome on several levels and worth playing for all the reasons listed by DJ above even if you aren't a Batman fan. About the only gripes I had were the Arkham Knight's identity, and

Spoiler

how the Hush arc is settled. All that build-up from the previous game just comes to a silent, abrupt halt.

[Green Goblin]

Just 100%'d the game and the Batgirl DLC.  
Game was great.  9/10 for what it was. 

Spoiler

Yeah, I think the tank stuff was a bit overdone (Stealth tank missions are without a doubt the worst thing in the game), but reclaiming Gotham with the checkpoints?  Stopping Penguin's smuggling operations?  Firefly's serial arson?  Two-Face's bank Robberies?  Yeah, I'm ALL about that.  

Riddler's is honestly the oddest, but I can't say that I wasn't satisfied with it.  Yeah, his fixation with your car was weird, but I genuinely had fun racing on the tracks (it was the most videogameass videogame section I'd played in a long time).  And there's nothing better than hearing him damage control when you start closing in on the number of riddles.  It starts right around the halfway point.  

And I didn't know how much I wanted Joker Navi before this game, but it was just wonderful the entire way through, through his serenade all the way up to his final line ("I need you!!").

And story wise, Rocksteady really hammered it home as the end of their Batman universe.  It's done.  They want no one else to touch their baby and I'm inclined to agree. 

 

If you're expecting actual detective work, go buy Witcher III.  If you wanna bury yourself in comic book lore and familiar combat and stealth, this is still a worthy investment.  Asylum's still the best, but I honestly feel this outranks City. 

Edited by Green Goblin, 29 July 2015 - 04:21 PM.

[SteveT]

I just started the game tonight.  I already hate the Batmobile and everything it stands for.

[DarkJuno]

Now that I've slipped free from Persona 4 Golden, got back into this to finally put it to bed.

 

You'll probably keep hating the Batmobile. I was right about it being front loaded, but every time I'm forced - yes, forced - to drive it, I just get a feeling of dread and just want to stop playing. All the "Eh, it's not that bad really" stuff I sad up there? Forget it, it sucks, and honestly knocks an entire point of whatever theoretical score I'll give this game, it's that bad. All credit to Rocksteady, they wanted to try something new and the Batmobile is an important iconic part of the comic that they wanted to use, and being the third game they needed something more then just "more of the same," so I get it. But man, the car just does not fit the gameplay style at all, and all the tanks just feel like a big excuse to make it relevant. If the Batmobile were just used to drive from place to place, even in a Saints Row IV sort of way where it's pointless since gliding is SO much faster and more satisfying, I think it would've been preferable. Like this, I.....kinda hate it. This game, which is awesome in just about every other way, somehow made me hate the Batmobile.

 

Impressive, in and of itself, but...huh.

 

Add in that the car glitched for me when you're underground doing that thing for a certain character and wouldn't let me switch back to Batman to complete a puzzle, and I just got grumpy and had to stop playing. It all just feels so overly gamey, Batman never had a need for the car in prior games, he did just as much hacking and whatnot using things in his belt in the past two (three, really) games without the car that it feels really dumb and overcomplicated. I think I prefer the Batmobile just being used to crash into Bane in the first game to this.

 

Anyway, that aside, I'm pretty impressed by the game's twists and turns so far - I think it's getting a little overhyped about how dark and brooding it is, but I'm glad to see its earned its M rating naturally rather then by being overly crass and violent, it all fits and comes across naturally for the most part. I still haven't gotten to the Arkham Knight reveal, but at this point I'd say my initial thought when you first meet him are right on. Am I weird in thinking that Tara Strong Harley just doesn't seem right? She was good when she first took over in City and was great in Injustice, but ever since she just doesn't feel right to me, something about the performance feels off. I think Hynden Welch from the Direct to DVD movie nails it a bit better, this and a lot of her appearances lately just come across grating without the fun or energy as before.

 

Whatever, I'll beat it sooner rather then later, if only so I cans top avoiding spoilers. It's not like it's a bad game at all, the rest of it is terrific, it's just that damn Batmobile I can't get over.

[Green Goblin]

I learned to like the tank sections (except for that ONE fucking Bomb in the Narrows, under the overpass), I stomached through the APV chases and the Riddler races (despite being the most blatantly pointless things ever) were actually pretty fun.  But the "stealth tank" missions?  FUUUUUUUUCK THAAAAAAAT SHIIIIIIIIIIT.  Fuck EVERYTHING about that shit.  Thankfully, it only ever occurs like twice in the game, but I could not STAND them. 

[DarkJuno]

Finally beat the game's main story. I like how it wrapped up and how things turned out, though the Batmobile can still go to hell.

 

Spoiler

 

I kinda like that they don't go straight into credits and instead just go back into the open world to "mop up" the side quests and leave it up to you to go and initiate the ending. I'll say right now though that screw the Riddler crap, I'll solve the actual riddles because that's the sort of thing Riddler would do, but anything that involves the car beyond the story stuff can go stuff itself. 

 

Yeah, the Arkham Knight reveal was incredibly obvious from the scene you meet him at Ace Chemicals, but I'd like to hear from people who DON'T know a lot about Batman but like these games and see if maybe it was a surprise to them.....except they foreshadow the hell out of it in the studio, so eh. 

 

Like the stuff with Joker for sure, and TECHNICALLY, Mark Hamill was telling the truth about him not playing Joker anymore save for the upcoming Killing Joke adaptation - he's not the Joker here, he's a part of Batman's psyche affected by Batman's guilt in his part in Joker's death, the fear gas, and whatever it was Joker did with his blood. The bit at the end was cool too, and it makes you wonder how much of that was planned before WB Montreal did their thing with Joker in Origins.

 

 

Overall, yeah, that was a great, awesome game, even with the one black mark on them in somehow making me hate the Batmobile...though the fact that the 1989 movie pack actually changes the look of the car rather then just a paint job sorta gets me in the right place. Rocksteady did a great job with the series, though it can get a little overhyped, and you know what, they get massive respect points for taking a look at Origins, going "Hey, that stuff they did was kinda cool" and put some of that Detective Mode in as well as acknowledging the storyline from that game.

 

Also, the slight glee I get in seeing all the people who hated Origins tripping all over themselves trying to find a way to pretend it still isn't canon is pretty great.

 

I kinda wonder what happens next. I don't know if I really want a different DC game from them, especially if they stick to the atmosphere. Grim and gritty is great for Batman and a couple other guys....not so much for Superman or Wonder Woman. Before Origins came out, the rumor was that it would be a Golden Age Batman game, and I would've LOVED that, especially if every combo take down you perform has a "POW!" or "BAM!" pop up on screen, but that's probably not going to happen now.