Playing this right after City has put it better into perspective for me. It is very much a "fuck Knight won't be done for another few years, here other team make a game" type of game, yet it doesn't feel as cynical as many of those that I've played. This is a very talented team with the unenviable job of following up what many would consider the best game of it's generation, and certainly the best Batman game up to that point, but I think they pulled it off really damn well. It fixes a lot of my problems with City while sadly introducing a few of its own.
The combat this time is basically just City again. It feels basically the same, with a few small tweaks. Hitting dudes in these games just feels so damn satisfying. The shock gloves were a nice addition, rewarding you for playing well by making it easier to recover from mistakes. The open world is my first real problem with this game. It's bigger than City's, adding the part of Gotham that was across the bridge, but sadly adding that extra made it feel just a little bloated. Not as bad as most open world games, but just a smidge too big for the City traversal system. It wouldn't be too bad if getting between sections of the city didn't require you to cross a bridge that just has nothing going on. It's mostly just wasted space. The one place Origins is an unarguable improvement over City is the boss fights. Some people call Mr. Freeze the best boss in the series, and I'm not going to call them wrong for that, but overall I think Origins has the best fights in the series. The Deathstroke fight is my personal favorite in the series. It really feels like you're fighting against Batman's equal and it is incredibly satisfying to figure him out.
The story was the biggest disappointment in City for me, so it's nice to see that they didn't flounder here in Origins. It's a nice little early years Batman story, of course about how he met the Joker. It's nothing too complicated, but its well written enough with some great character moments for Bruce. Now, some people may have problems with the new voice actors for Batman and Joker, but I liked them quite a bit. The main problem is that Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are the perfect voices for them. No one will ever live up to them. If you can set that aside though, Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker do really great jobs.
I like Arkham Origins a lot. Like a lot, a lot. I used to call it my favorite in the series. Having now played it and City back to back, I can say they are about equal to me now. Both have strengths and weaknesses, but one thing's for sure. They are both stellar games.
The combat this time is basically just City again. It feels basically the same, with a few small tweaks. Hitting dudes in these games just feels so damn satisfying. The shock gloves were a nice addition, rewarding you for playing well by making it easier to recover from mistakes. The open world is my first real problem with this game. It's bigger than City's, adding the part of Gotham that was across the bridge, but sadly adding that extra made it feel just a little bloated. Not as bad as most open world games, but just a smidge too big for the City traversal system. It wouldn't be too bad if getting between sections of the city didn't require you to cross a bridge that just has nothing going on. It's mostly just wasted space. The one place Origins is an unarguable improvement over City is the boss fights. Some people call Mr. Freeze the best boss in the series, and I'm not going to call them wrong for that, but overall I think Origins has the best fights in the series. The Deathstroke fight is my personal favorite in the series. It really feels like you're fighting against Batman's equal and it is incredibly satisfying to figure him out.
The story was the biggest disappointment in City for me, so it's nice to see that they didn't flounder here in Origins. It's a nice little early years Batman story, of course about how he met the Joker. It's nothing too complicated, but its well written enough with some great character moments for Bruce. Now, some people may have problems with the new voice actors for Batman and Joker, but I liked them quite a bit. The main problem is that Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are the perfect voices for them. No one will ever live up to them. If you can set that aside though, Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker do really great jobs.
I like Arkham Origins a lot. Like a lot, a lot. I used to call it my favorite in the series. Having now played it and City back to back, I can say they are about equal to me now. Both have strengths and weaknesses, but one thing's for sure. They are both stellar games.