Finally got to play these after so long. Were expectations met or exceeded?
Bit of both tbh.
Arkham Asylum
Wasn't really digging how slow the first few minutes were, but as soon as you get into the action, it gets really good. The action is a bit clunky, but immensely fun to pull off. The stealth in particular is fantastic. Really makes you feel like the Caped Crusader himself. It's fucking exhilarating.
The story is simple, yet very effective and a lot of fun, with a star studded lineup of villains for you to battle and encounter.
Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their classic roles and they're as great as always.
The atmosphere and the dinginess of the entire Island is where it succeeds the most and it's genuinely unnerving when traversing some of the sections. Digging into the Arkham secrets or the Riddler puzzles really bring home a real sense of eeriness and unease. One of few games that isn't horror themed to put me on edge.
The infamous Riddler puzzles aren't actually that bad. I managed to collect nearly all of them, save for about eight that I simply couldn't find. They're incredibly addictive and fun to collect, each one either unlocking interview tapes with inmates or little factoids and tidbits that for me, a Batman nerd, was very satisfying.
Be warned however, collecting them all is for only ones with a will of iron.
In short however, Asylum fucking slaps.
Arkham City
I appreciate the scope and range this game goes for, and the story at its foundations is fantastic, but it does get slightly repetitive and monotonous towards the end.
There's double the Riddler trophies, and....yea I only got half of them before I gave up.
The big long stretch from rescuing Mr Freeze to confronting Ras' al Ghul in Wonder City was probably the lowest point for me. It just felt incredibly fetch questy, even if the locales and the atmos were great.
With a bigger open world to play about in, it sounds great, but after you complete the main story and are left with whatever side quests they set up in the main story, it can get pretty tedious after 30 minutes. It's best if you don't play this in one sitting.
The action, and the stealth are improved tenfold and even better than before, and y'know what, flying across Arkham City, traversing rooftops and grappling up large factories as Batman is pretty awesome. Gives you a real adrenaline rush in the same vein as Spider-Man PS4's webslinging.
While I wasn't thrilled on some parts, City is still a decent affair. It has different skins, and that's always a plus. Story was great and the new cast of characters were awesome.
Asylum takes the win for me though.
On we go to Arkham Knight.
Bit of both tbh.
Arkham Asylum
Wasn't really digging how slow the first few minutes were, but as soon as you get into the action, it gets really good. The action is a bit clunky, but immensely fun to pull off. The stealth in particular is fantastic. Really makes you feel like the Caped Crusader himself. It's fucking exhilarating.
The story is simple, yet very effective and a lot of fun, with a star studded lineup of villains for you to battle and encounter.
Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their classic roles and they're as great as always.
The atmosphere and the dinginess of the entire Island is where it succeeds the most and it's genuinely unnerving when traversing some of the sections. Digging into the Arkham secrets or the Riddler puzzles really bring home a real sense of eeriness and unease. One of few games that isn't horror themed to put me on edge.
The infamous Riddler puzzles aren't actually that bad. I managed to collect nearly all of them, save for about eight that I simply couldn't find. They're incredibly addictive and fun to collect, each one either unlocking interview tapes with inmates or little factoids and tidbits that for me, a Batman nerd, was very satisfying.
Be warned however, collecting them all is for only ones with a will of iron.
In short however, Asylum fucking slaps.
Arkham City
I appreciate the scope and range this game goes for, and the story at its foundations is fantastic, but it does get slightly repetitive and monotonous towards the end.
There's double the Riddler trophies, and....yea I only got half of them before I gave up.
The big long stretch from rescuing Mr Freeze to confronting Ras' al Ghul in Wonder City was probably the lowest point for me. It just felt incredibly fetch questy, even if the locales and the atmos were great.
With a bigger open world to play about in, it sounds great, but after you complete the main story and are left with whatever side quests they set up in the main story, it can get pretty tedious after 30 minutes. It's best if you don't play this in one sitting.
The action, and the stealth are improved tenfold and even better than before, and y'know what, flying across Arkham City, traversing rooftops and grappling up large factories as Batman is pretty awesome. Gives you a real adrenaline rush in the same vein as Spider-Man PS4's webslinging.
While I wasn't thrilled on some parts, City is still a decent affair. It has different skins, and that's always a plus. Story was great and the new cast of characters were awesome.
Asylum takes the win for me though.
On we go to Arkham Knight.