Category Archives: Batman
Review: Batman: Arkham Origins
He is the terror that flaps in the night! He is the hang nail that annoys the finger of crime! He! Is! Batman! And wouldn’t you know it, he’s back for a threequel prequel in the Batman: Arkham series, which I think is safe to call the greatest superhero video game series of all time. Batman: Arkham Origins once again puts us deep into the mind and fists of the Dark Knight with an awesome story, a bigger playground and even a new multiplayer mode. But things are a little different this third time around. Original series developer Rocksteady is gone, replaced by Warner Bros. Montreal. The change isn’t noticeable, though, because Warner Bros. Montreal does not fix what isn’t broken – for good or ill.
Batman: Arkham Origins doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it just gives us more of that awesome Arkham action we love.
Game Rating: 9/10 – Great!
Batman: Arkham Origins has been our for two weeks now, and I know my review is late to the game, but I wanted to get my thoughts down anyway. This gives me the opportunity to reflect on what other reviewers are saying, and a lot of them are complaining that Arkham Origins doesn’t do anything new to move the series forward in any significant way. I completely agree with that statement, but I don’t think that makes for a bad game. Far from it. Warner Bros. Montreal took everything that worked in the previous two games – Arkham Asylum and Arkham City – and just keeps the ball rolling.
Batman: Arkham Origins follows the same fun rules of sequels to superhero movies. The first games established the world and the mechanics, and Arkham Origins gets to play around in them. And considering how much fun it is to play around in the Arkham games, what more could we really ask for? How does one improve upon perfection? Just throw a new coat of paint on it, add in a few neat Easter Eggs, and it’s off to the punchfest!
Join me after the jump for my full review. There will be plenty of SPOILERS for the game’s storyline, which, personally, I consider to be the best of the series so far.
The LEGO Movie Continues to Look Amazing
A second trailer is out for The LEGO Movie, and it continues to look like the best, most adorable movie coming out in the near future – possibly the greatest movie of all time. But that has yet to be seen. Still, after viewing this trailer, hopes are high.
Chris Pratt is amazing as the main character, and the frequent Batman jokes are a hoot! The animation looks great, the characters are hilariously diverse; The LEGO Movie could be the film I’ve been waiting for my entire life.
The 6 Best Easter Eggs in Batman: Arkham Origins
A new Batman: Arkham video game is upon us, and once again, it is filled to the brim with action, punching, maniacal giggles and, of course, Easter Eggs! The game developers know that geeks like us love a good reference, and the Arkham games have been famous for all manner of hidden secrets and winks to the fans from Batman lore. Batman: Arkham Origins is no different. Along with hours upon hours of gameplay, the developers have hidden throughout the game small, easy-to-miss hints to the larger Batman world. These are Easter Eggs, and I spent my first weekend with Batman: Arkham Origins finding the best ones!
In the first two games in the series, Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, the developers included big scavenger hunts based around heroes and villains from DC Comics. They wanted you to find the Easter Eggs, which unlocked character bios, trophies and more. Those character-based scavenger hunts are gone from Arkham Origins, replaced with a hunt for famous Gotham City buildings and landmarks called ‘Gotham Intel’. But the developers still added some character-based Eggs, which are now harder – and more rewarding – to find.
So join me after the jump to see the best DC Universe Easter Eggs in Batman: Arkham Origins.
Of course, there will be some SPOILERS for the game, but I’ll try not to give away any of the plot or twists. And if you know of any Easter Eggs I missed, let me know in the comments! Read the rest of this entry
Batman: Arkham Origins is Only Days Away
In preparation for the Friday release of Batman: Arkham Origins, here is the official launch trailer! Sure does look neat!
I’ve got my copy pre-ordered at Gamestop, and I’m on vacation all next week, so I’ll have plenty of time to play! Here’s hoping Arkham Origins lives up to the previous games. And here’s hoping we actually get the origin of Arkham Asylum, otherwise the name makes no sense! Amiright, folks?
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 10/19/13
It is with great disappointment that we read comics this week, because the final issue of J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman’s Batwoman has come out. These geniuses were building up a battle between Batwoman and Batman himself, and we get one single issue to tease their story before their famous walk out goes into effect. And the issue is damn good. In fact, Batwoman #24 wins Comic Book of the Week for me because of the skill and fun with which they set up this fight. This is going to rank up with J. Michael Straczynski’s run on Thor in terms of comic book runs that ended too soon. Same with Straczynski’s Supreme Power…man, that guy really can’t seem to finish a comic.
Batwoman sadness aside, we’ve got some good issues of Infinity, Lights Out and Battle of the Atom, since Big Event crossovers are all the rage these days. We’ve also got the return of Hawkeye after a long hiatus, so that’s a plus. But for my money, nothing beats Batwoman this week.
Comic Reviews: Avengers #21, New Avengers #11, Batwoman #24, Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion #1, Green Lantern: New Guardians #24, Hawkeye #13, Uncanny X-Men #13 and Wonder Woman #24.
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