Batman: Arkham Knight

[Victarion]

Where is it that these games fall apart - the story or game mechanics? I've heard a lot of mixed stuff about City and Knight, while Asylum and Origins seem to be pretty well-loved.

 

[Snow Queen]

Story mainly, though Knight's heavy focus on the Batmobile certainly shot it in the foot. City improved the gameplay but the story wasn't as compelling as it could have been and felt a bit too "go here, then here, then here, pick up this, double back to there, go here with the thing that they gave you there, etc...". Knight's story is...pretty bad.

 

[Broseph44]

That's right, walk away.

Yeah yeah

 

[Tron Bonne]

Where is it that these games fall apart - the story or game mechanics? I've heard a lot of mixed stuff about City and Knight, while Asylum and Origins seem to be pretty well-loved.

Story, for sure, with the main three Rocksteady games. Asylum is fine, though it falls into cliche video game tropes of villains getting more powers because reasons, but the overall story is a simple and straightforward one with solid characterizations and solid writing that captured the characters well with a few key exceptions such as Bane.

City started fine, but became a mess about half way through by shoving in way, way too many villains while discarding a very interesting one they had been building with Hugo Strange, and then discarding all of the other villains they didn't need to be there to begin with just to focus on another Joker/Batman lovefest that we've seen a thousand times in one way or another for a shock ending that was, honestly, kind of dumb and pointless even if it made you go, "Wow, they went there. How about that?"

Knight is just kind of a mess from the beginning. A lot of stuff going on, much of which just isn't built up well at all, such as the Arkham Knight himself, whose storyline and arc is so mishandled it basically makes no sense anyway, Joker needlessly just in for...reasons? And a plot that kind of, sort of makes sense, but really doesn't so much, and it obviously more of a reason just to have another empty open world city than anything else. Stuff with Scarecrow is pretty solid, though, so there is that.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

If City was another 5 hours long in terms of the narrative, it could have been truly great. The problem is that they present all these ideas, and then don't really do much with them. Ra's, Talia, Hugo. So much potential. The only bit they nailed was the Joker and Harley, which to be fair, they always nail.

This is one of the reasons that even with all its problem, Origins rocks. It fulfills the potential they promise early on.

 

[The Joker]

Where is it that these games fall apart - the story or game mechanics? I've heard a lot of mixed stuff about City and Knight, while Asylum and Origins seem to be pretty well-loved.

Story, and that's mainly with AA, AC, and AK. The only one that is also an issue with the gameplay for me is AK, because of the tedious over abundance of Batmobile gameplay.

 

[BradenPickering]

I actually thought Harley was wasted in Knight. There was huge potential for revenge or losing her mind (even more so) after the events of City, to the point where she probably could have even been the big bad in this game. Instead she just felt like another generic side mission. Perhaps all that was covered in the DLC for City, but still, they handled it like the events of the last game never happened, which is a character arc I was really looking forward to seeing unfold before the game came out. Not that it made me like the game less overall, but still, it was just one more thing that felt half baked to me. Definitely my favorite interpretation of Scarecrow, though, and Poison Ivy as well.

 

[Slade W]

I found the ending of City, where Batman lifted the Joker out and placed him down tenderly while leaving Talia behind to be quite ridiculous and silly.

 

[The Joker]

That was a huge face palm moment. Even if Talia's dead body had not been there, Batman wouldn't tenderly lay Joker's body (dead or alive) down anywhere. He'd throw him in the trash;

 

[Slade W]

That is the image I was thinking of when I made that post. Batman laying him down tenderly the way he did does not make sense to me in any way.

 

[Mani-Man]

Story, and that's mainly with AA, AC, and AK. The only one that is also an issue with the gameplay for me is AK, because of the tedious over abundance of Batmobile gameplay.

Pretty much.
Asylum falls apart in the very end with the joker boss fight i think...otherwise it was actually pretty even.

City falls apart for me, the moment you encounter one of the assassins...the whole plot with Ra's is what destoryed a great story for me.

Knight falls apart pretty early.

Origins falls apart with the whole joker reveal.

Gameplay wise the games never really bring the game down...its the story that hurts each game a bit imo.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I don't necessarily disagree with you guys, but it's probably worth noting that image is actually a fake Batman. It's from a story about three ex-cops who are Batman imposters. On the page right before that, a second fake Batman shots Joker in the face.

 

[The Joker]

No, that was definitely the real Batman who threw him in the trash.

 

[Tron Bonne]

No, it was a fake. The next page has a conversation where Batman and Commissioner Gordon are talking in the hospital and talks about people think it was him but it wasn't. The fake Batmen dress like the real one until they adapt their own look later on.

 

[The Joker]

I have the issue in front of me. I can scan it for you if you like. Gordon says it was one fake Batman. An ex Cop who snapped and tried to clean up the city himself. He shot Joker. The real Batman threw him in the trash.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Well, I could be wrong then, but I think it's also referenced again in the actual Three Ghosts of Batman arc later.

 

[The Joker]

You're probably thinking of the fake Batman who shot Joker. He was one of the three ghosts of Batman.

 

[Swordmaster]

Yeah, fake Batman shot Joker just as real Batman arrived on the scene. I believe a cop or EMT said that he's still alive, and that's when Batman threw him into the dumpster.

 

[batfreakforever]

The hd masters look way better. Can't wait to play them and go over what the differences are.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

The hd masters look way better. Can't wait to play them and go over what the differences are.

They really, really don't.

 

[O'Haire]

Some shots look quite good. But most look even worse somehow. Probably a rush job just to crap these out and get more money.

 

[I Am The Knight]

I hope everyone kept their PS3 copies of the games...

 

[The Joker]

Would never part with them. More precious than ever now after seeing those "remaster" shots.

 

[AnneFan]

In light of these images I don't feel so disappointed now that Origins didn't get this treatment.

Yep. The remasters look garbage and I think they're pointless anyway.

 

[Nardz937]

Just getting a couple things that I hate what I see so far off my chest.

- The character models are horrendous. Bad. Awful. Utter, utter garbage. The amazing detail is gone. They look cartoon-ish. Batman has duck lips, Hugo Strange has cater-pillar eyebrows, etc.

- The lighting. The dark gloominess that fit the theme and atmosphere of Asylum so amazingly appears to gone. They've brightened everything up. WHY?