Developer: Warner Bros Montreal
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC
Genre: Action-Adventure
Rating: 16+

As anyone who has played them can attest to, Arkham Asylum and Arkham City aren’t just two of the best comic book games, but two of the best video-games of the last decade, full stop. Rocksteady perfectly mixed platforming, a new approach to fighting, some puzzles, and some fantastic Gotham-set stories set around everyone’s favorite grumpy superhero. But Origins faces an uphill battle: Rocksteady aren’t behind it this time, and after the (SPOILERS!) death of a major character at the end of City, Origins is naturally a prequel, which rarely work.

In fact, even the title feels incorrect, as when we meet Bruce Wayne, he’s already Batman, fighting crime. It’s Christmas Eve, and The Black Mask has hired eight assassins to kill Batman, having put a $50 million price tag on his head. So we must survive the night, and find out why this hit has been taken out.


For anyone who loved Asylum and City, you’ll find a lot to love here, too. Gotham looks fantastically desolate due to a constant snow storm, and the story we’ve been dropped into is satisfyingly complicated and full with some of the characters we love. It also feel tremendously dark, much more so than the previous two games, with a huge amount of citizens killed via collateral damage or just wanton destruction and murder.

But everything else just feels a little… samey. There is none of the innovation that was felt previously in the series, as most of everything feels like we’ve done it before, and slightly better. From the uses of Batman’s wonderful toys, to The Riddler’s city-wide puzzles, there is a lot to do, but none of it is being used in any new or interesting ways. Also, the visuals are so busy that you’ll find yourself leaving the “Detective Vision” on for about 50% of the time, just so you can see where the hell it is that you’re supposed to be going.

While it’s great to get to control the Bat in an even larger environment, and there are A LOT of things to do in the city, this isn’t the MUST BUY that the previous two instalments were. Don’t get us wrong, it’s not a bad game by any means. You just won’t fall in love with it the way you did before.

Presentation: 3 out of 5
Gameplay: 4 out of 5
Replay: 3 out of 5
Overall: 3.5 out of 5
 

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