Batman: Arkham Origins

I played through the game on two different rigs (go Steam cloud!), and the game spoils with the continued good looks of the series. The game seems better optimized than its predecessor, and the PhysX are amazing with the right setup. I marveled as a busted armored car allowed individual bills to float around the room not as dissipating particles but as physicable objects. The character designs fall well short of highwater marks of the previous titles, but still look good. The static nature of many environments hurt the game, as does the occasional low quality pre-rendered cutscene.

The frequent industrial vibe of sewers, warehouses, and dilapidated buildings, sometimes makes for a monochrome feel that begs for extra detail, but there is a bigger problem. The interior environments while pretty can make for some awkward progression. Batman can only walk through closed doors 'Resident Evil' style, and usually has to find a Batman-sized vent to crawl through. Since the game's side quests demand backtracking through areas like the Gotham City Police Station, the room to room vis-blocking becomes a stifling chore, and has the player looking in every ugly nook and cranny.

While the sound design retains much of what has made the past games stellar sound wise, the disparity between go here, blown up this poison gas container side missions, and actual campaign content, means that there is comparatively little in the soundscape to impress. No vehicle noises, or murmuring citizens, or Bruce's own haunted thoughts, instead the game provides a constant stream of street thug chatter, and stilted Alfred/stubborn Bruce conversations wired directly to the Batman ears. The sizzle of electronics, as when the player levels up is nice, but I never ever found a predator room or boss fight or stoop in the city that was an auditory joy.

The half-hearted prequel treatment, buggy side content, and minor story arc hold back what could have been a must-play title in spite of the familiar trappings. Completing the the data pack collection filled me with a sense of self-loathing strong enough to recommend that most stay away from that aspect altogether. The handful of great boss fights, predator encounters, and still fun combat make the game worth playing, but the formula appears to be wearing thin while plans for DLC and future projects further dilute the original dynamite Batman experience.