Batman: Arkham Origins: PS3 Review

Batman: Arkham Origins: PS3 Review

Released by Warner Bros Montreal

Platform: PS3

The Bat is back.

One of the best games a couple of years ago was Batman: Arkham City. The combination of a good solid Batman story and some incredible combat action and graphics meant it was one of the most playable games for a while.

This time around though, the game’s been built by a different studio, so any perceived differences are ones wrought by studio creativity – this is a Warner Bros Montreal, prior games by Rocksteady Games.

Set five years before those two titles, Arkham Origins finds a younger Batman facing off against the Black Mask, a baddie who’s assigned eight assassins to take out Bats on a snowy night in Gotham City. It’s a heavy snowstorm which only really the bad guys and Batman seem to be able to glide through but it’s a nice different setting for the game and adds a bit more atmosphere to the whole shebang.

On the surface though, it’s pretty much the same game – there’s plenty of the old combat moves, the stealth skulking about and the villains. Even if these villains predate their actual mythological counterparts – so instead of Riddler, there’s E Nigma causing disruption for the Bat as he disrupts towers stopping Batman from flying around the night skies.  The Bat Cave is a little more impressive this time around as you get to fast travel to locations here and there once the towers have been released from their evil control.

Various assassins such as Deathstroke are to be taken down and these rely on you learning in your combat training rather than just simply mashing buttons and hoping for the best. While that’s a good thing, it can also lead to a level of frustration – a couple of hours was lost taking on Deathstroke at an underground lair and certainly left me feeling riled up with pent-up anger as I was beaten time and time again.

Outside of the missions, the side quests are good fun – tracking down data packs, tagging Anarky’s appearances around the city and generally taking on the thugs loitering on the streets. Combat works as before, with gradual moves building up to a cacophony of ballet-like smackdowns if you play it properly.

There’s a grittiness to this game which is impressive; and a level of playability which may initially appear reminiscent of what’s gone already but fondly reminded me why I utterly adored those two games. 

Complete with gadgets, such as a crime scene replicator, there’s plenty for Batman to do as he scoots around the skies and tackles the baddies. There’s certainly plenty of joy to be had hurtling around the air, looking at the horrors of the world below and exploring the world of Gotham City.

All in all, while Batman Arkham Origins may lack a degree of freshness, it’s a welcome return to the wonderful world of the Bat. Completely solid and challenging, it’s an impressive turn from Warner Bros Montreal and a good start – here’s hoping they develop more of the Batman series and add some of their own unique touches to the gameplay over the years to come.

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