Origins

So I've started this blog as an outlet for writing about my main hobby (video games). Figure I start by talking about the latest game I played, Batman: Arkham Origins. This is a game that, in my opinion has been extremely unappreciated. It holds a Metacritic score of 74, which is extremely low compared to the previous two entries in the franchise, which hold scores in the 90s. Now, a score is just a score, and frankly to me they don't mean much. In this context, however, I'm using them only as a point of comparison between the three games in the franchise, which would seem to suggest that Origins just plain bad compared to the first two games, or at least, of much lower quality, which in my opinion is just not true. I loved this game!

I'm not going to say this game doesn't have problems, because it does. For example, the plot has a weak start, but it certainly picks up a third of the way in, and turns into quite an interesting story, with quite an engrossing exposition of the relationship between Batman and The Joker. There's also a bit off with the combat, which in some instances doesn't quite 'flow' like in the previous two games. It took me quite a while to put my finger on it, but I finally realized it has to do with enemy AI and how some fights are set up in such a way that break the perfect balance that was ubiquitous in the previous two games. This problem is not pervasive, and one gets used to it after a while, but that's the thing, they changed the dance, and at times it just doesn't feel quite right. Other than that, the combat system is just as engaging as it was in the previous games.

So maybe this game places below the previous Batman games, but not to the extent it was made out to be.