Batman: The Telltale Series - Guardian of Gotham
Overview -
Telltale's 'Batman' has been rolling out much quicker than their usual series (except for 'Minecraft'), with the fourth and penultimate episode 'Guardian of Gotham' dropping less than four months since the first episode. In comparison, 'The Wolf Among Us' needed almost a year. Previous episodes of 'Batman' consist of 'Realm of Shadows', 'Children of Arkham', and 'New World Order'. The fifth and final outing is scheduled for release sometime in January.
Video Review
The slowly escalating engine issues have finally culminated in a truly miserable technical performance. Constant stutters, abysmal framerate, clipping and jagged textures, and so forth. I missed most of the QTEs because the game just can't keep up, not that they result in a checkpoint restart or anything. Historically it has been worth it for Telltale, but it's become a serious problem. (In contrast, aside from a few visual and audio bugs the PC version is very strong. -BH)
Audio Review
The sound is nearly as bad as the video. I played almost the entire episode with no syncing from the voice acting or sound effects, leading to an almost comically unprofessional display, not unlike a bootleg.
Final Thoughts
The writing team is doing a decent job with the direction and script of 'Batman: The Telltale Series', but the severely strained engine rears its ugly head at every opportunity. Telltale's formula and tech both are very familiar by now and have their flaws, which we've been able to overlook for the sake of an otherwise enjoyable story. The lag has nearly reached a critical mass, however.