This is the Batman game I’ve played the most of. Batman Arkham Origins was my introduction to pc gaming, and I remember my little 5th grade ass being so excited every time the release date to Arkham knight got closer, and so sad every time it got pushed back. I’ve beat it roughly 6-7 times to date, and by no means is it absolutely perfect.
But…
This is the height of the Batman experience. The combat has been absolutely refined and has so much depth as the 4th entry into the series. Stealth is eat its peak as well, all the gadgets are great supplementaries, and the traversal is at its peak. Accelerating your bat tank through the streets of Gotham to shoot out at breakneck speed into the air is such a sick feeling. Gliding is fast as ever and honestly makes replaying the older entries feel sluggish. The character design is really good as well. I love scarecrow especially, who looks like a mushed up banana with a flour sack on top of him, after killer croc mangled him in the sewers of Arkham asylum. Batman’s suit looks so good in this one. Some people don’t really like the military aesthetic of it, but I think it strikes a perfect balance. The headpiece is so sleek and sharp, the shoulder pads broadens Batman’s striking appearance, the entire look of the suit is definitely one of my favorites in any Batman media. Graphics are fucking unreal for 2015. The rain and it being nighttime helps, but god damn this shit looks better than some games released today due to the development time and attention to detail. The story is not as terrible as some people make it out to be. After Arkham city, which most consider to be the best Batman story in the series (I can’t speak to that, I honestly need a replay) Arkham knight was for some reason a serious letdown for those fans. I honestly think it’s worth your time. The Arkham knight reveal is predictable and I wish it was someone else under the mask, but I guess it works for what it is. I’m not going to speak too much on it just because I’m sure nostalgia plays a part, but having recently played through the story twice on PC, I can say it holds up. What I’m really impressed by is the side content. Every side mission feels on par with the production value of the story. There’s cutscenes and most of them are varied and fun to complete. DLC content is absolutely worth it too. There’s like 5 dlc expansions that you can play through which range from decent-very good in terms of narrative and gameplay quality. Batgirls DLC is definitely the best one. Suit selection is huge, with not just Batman’s suits to choose from. You can customize every playable character which is a great addition. To address the elephant in the room.. yeah there’s a lot of bat tank. There’s a good chunk of the game you’re put into it. But honestly, I think that the bad pc port at launch and the fact most people were playing this game on console locked at 30fps was a huge detriment to the tank features. If you can get your hands on this game on PC today and play it at 60fps+ with keyboard and mouse, you can fly through the tank sections really easy. It’s honestly ridiculous how much more natural it feels over controller. Despite it’s flaws, this game is insanely repayable to me, and I’ll probably come back to it every few years. I wish you could do more than 1 new game plus per save file though. Definitely the definitive Batman experience.
But…
This is the height of the Batman experience. The combat has been absolutely refined and has so much depth as the 4th entry into the series. Stealth is eat its peak as well, all the gadgets are great supplementaries, and the traversal is at its peak. Accelerating your bat tank through the streets of Gotham to shoot out at breakneck speed into the air is such a sick feeling. Gliding is fast as ever and honestly makes replaying the older entries feel sluggish. The character design is really good as well. I love scarecrow especially, who looks like a mushed up banana with a flour sack on top of him, after killer croc mangled him in the sewers of Arkham asylum. Batman’s suit looks so good in this one. Some people don’t really like the military aesthetic of it, but I think it strikes a perfect balance. The headpiece is so sleek and sharp, the shoulder pads broadens Batman’s striking appearance, the entire look of the suit is definitely one of my favorites in any Batman media. Graphics are fucking unreal for 2015. The rain and it being nighttime helps, but god damn this shit looks better than some games released today due to the development time and attention to detail. The story is not as terrible as some people make it out to be. After Arkham city, which most consider to be the best Batman story in the series (I can’t speak to that, I honestly need a replay) Arkham knight was for some reason a serious letdown for those fans. I honestly think it’s worth your time. The Arkham knight reveal is predictable and I wish it was someone else under the mask, but I guess it works for what it is. I’m not going to speak too much on it just because I’m sure nostalgia plays a part, but having recently played through the story twice on PC, I can say it holds up. What I’m really impressed by is the side content. Every side mission feels on par with the production value of the story. There’s cutscenes and most of them are varied and fun to complete. DLC content is absolutely worth it too. There’s like 5 dlc expansions that you can play through which range from decent-very good in terms of narrative and gameplay quality. Batgirls DLC is definitely the best one. Suit selection is huge, with not just Batman’s suits to choose from. You can customize every playable character which is a great addition. To address the elephant in the room.. yeah there’s a lot of bat tank. There’s a good chunk of the game you’re put into it. But honestly, I think that the bad pc port at launch and the fact most people were playing this game on console locked at 30fps was a huge detriment to the tank features. If you can get your hands on this game on PC today and play it at 60fps+ with keyboard and mouse, you can fly through the tank sections really easy. It’s honestly ridiculous how much more natural it feels over controller. Despite it’s flaws, this game is insanely repayable to me, and I’ll probably come back to it every few years. I wish you could do more than 1 new game plus per save file though. Definitely the definitive Batman experience.