Daniel McDevitt

The writing is terrible, and the gameplay can't make up for it. Just YouTube some scenes and you'll see what I mean. Pros: -Movement is kind of fun at some points. Cons: -Everything else.

I tried to dive into this, I really did. I wanted to like it, as I loved the old Batman Arkham games. And maybe, in time, my opinion will change, but for right now here it is: WB Montreal was the studio that gave us Arkham Origins; a largely forgettable disappointment. They continued the trend with this game. If you enjoyed this game, you were probably just looking for a new Batman movie to watch. I'm not hating this game solely because it's not more Arkham, this game simply does not have enough to stand on on its own and does not deserve a space in the Batman video game series. Atmosphere: This game lacks character, grit, and the classic Gotham feel. The voice actors are all okay, except for Batgirl who was very poorly cast (talented actress, but the voice doesn't feel at all appropriate). Although the writing isn't terrible, it leaves much to be desired, and honestly I couldn't care less about the story. Where each scene and setting was lovingly crafted in past Batman games, I moved through an entire building without stopping to look at any of the scenery. Where before there were Riddler trophies or background animations and movements, now there are simply long hallways with nothing to interact with and cookie cutter art. The outfits are terrible, and the 'thematic movement' is just annoying. The map is literally just 4 identical zones stacked vertically. How lazy can you get? The plot/premise: Could not care less about the plot, and trust me, my standards are not high. It's a shame, because the premise, Batman's proteges solving his murder and stepping out from his shadow, is a fantastic one. Gameplay: This handles like someone couldn't decide if they wanted to play Batman or Spiderman and took the worst parts of both. Movement is sensitive and irregular. Imagine the unique movement of Catwoman from Arkham City, but make it not at all skill based or fun. The batcycle has nothing on the batmobile and feels gross. Combat: is a joke. Where once Batman was a challenge and you'd carefully engage multiple enemies with various abilities at the same time, upgrading your reactions so you could take out the enemy with the knife with three perfectly timed dodges, now you just tap dodge and launch yourself fifteen feet away from any enemy, then button mash attack to close those fifteen feet immediately, and punch some life numbers out of a goon. Any upgrades are convenience based. Stealth: Ha. Gone are the days of carefully taking down enemies from the shadows because if you were spotted the goons with the guns would open fire. Just jump down on enemies and punch your way out, dodging the slowly bullets (which are accompanied by two warning icons and a slow down). The first animation for the intro drew me in, and I fell right back out. In the same quality category as the Eragon, Avatar the Last Airbender, Percy Jackson, and Artemis Fowl movies. Wish I could get my money back. TL;DR: Don't waste your money. What a disappointment. Why is WB Montreal trusted with anything at this point?