Support NeoGAF

[SpokkX]

Does the game still use prerendered cutscenes? They really did take you out the experience last time :/

 

[DeathbyVolcano]

I guess I could just read some reviews to find out but I'll ask you anyway. Is the game still kind of Metroid-y in that you gain powers and those powers allow you access to new areas?

from what I can garner, it's less like Metroid and more like Zelda. Of course, both of those games utilize similar methods of exploration and progress, so you can expect a little of the same Metroid-progress in City as well.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

Well the 10 dollars is nice because there's no K-Mart around me for their 30 dollar deal. I doubt calling them would remedy the situation. Did everyone's Amazon orders ship already? I always preorder games too close to the release date, haha.

Wait, $30 what?

 

[Korosenai]

Anyone know how to locate Mr. Freeze? I'm in front of the GCPD building, but can't get in.

Spoiler tags?

 

[Uno Venova]

Spoiler tags?

Why did you quote it again without the spoiler tags?

 

[MetalGuardian]

I watched Year One and Under the Red Hood yesterday, right now I'm watching Batman Begins, and tonight I'm watching The Dark Knight. Anything to pass the time until the midnight launch

I haven't been to a midnight launch since... Smash Bros. Brawl, I believe. It is safe to say that I'm more hyped for this game than I have been for any other in years

 

[steven28]

Not sure if this has been posted but this is the first video i have seen of the unboxing of the collectors edition,if anyone is intereastead (i didn't make the video btw)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akgEBT-sYsk

 

[LProtag]

Wait, $30 what?

You can get a 30 dollar game coupon at K-Mart if you're part of their reward program deal if you preorder this or something. I don't know the exact details, there isn't a K-Mart anywhere near me.

 

[kaskade]

Not sure if this has been posted but this is the first video i have seen of the unboxing of the collectors edition,if anyone is intereastead (i didn't make the video btw)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akgEBT-sYsk

Thank you. I've been waiting to see one of these. It seems like amazon isn't doing release date shipping anymore so I don't think I'm going to be switching.

Edit: Yeah, I don't think it's worth it. I'll stick with the regular edition.

 

[Feep]

Anyone know how to

Spoiler

locate Mr. Freeze? I'm in front of the GCPD building, but can't get in

Spoilers there, buddy.

But anyway,

Spoiler

The entrance is a bit hard to find...you have to go to the lowest level you can, and use the electric charge gun to open up a gate, if I recall correctly.

 

[FHIZ]

Does anyone know how Best Buy is with shipping games? I wanted Robin early, and was apparently really lazy and just ordered online rather than going to the store. I've got the fastest shipping they got, so is there any chance that it ships before tuesday?

 

[MetalGuardian]

Not sure if this has been posted but this is the first video i have seen of the unboxing of the collectors edition,if anyone is intereastead (i didn't make the video btw)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akgEBT-sYsk

The collector's edition looks so disappointing. The statue looks neat, but why is the game encased in the art book? With those completely badass steel cases some other countries are getting, it's a shame that the overpriced U.S. collectors edition is so poor by comparison. It should have included ALL alternate Batman skins from the upcoming DLC pack in December, The Robin challenge maps, and if they had to include a movie they should have included the newly released Year One instead of a movie that came out several years ago. It's so crazy the disconnect between how Rocksteady put such loving genius into making this game while WB makes it's launch into the poster child for everything that is wrong in the industry

 

[The Elite]

I guess I could just read some reviews to find out but I'll ask you anyway. Is the game still kind of Metroid-y in that you gain powers and those powers allow you access to new areas?

It feels a lot less Metroid-y this time around. Like the other poster mentioned, it feels more like Zelda. Maybe Darksiders with a touch of inFamous is a better comparison. You go from one super villains dungeon to the next. Some stories for a villain take you to multiple dungeons which makes things more interesting.

I think my big issue is that, besides the compass, I'm having trouble finding any noticeable landmarks to guide me through the world. Still, combat is a lot of fun

 

[vodka-bull]

The collector's edition looks so disappointing. The statue looks neat, but why is the game encased in the art book? With those completely badass steel cases some other countries are getting, it's a shame that the overpriced U.S. collectors edition is so poor by comparison. It should have included ALL alternate Batman skins from the upcoming DLC pack in December, The Robin challenge maps, and if they had to include a movie they should have included the newly released Year One instead of a movie that came out several years ago. It's so crazy the disconnect between how Rocksteady put such loving genius into making this game while WB makes it's launch into the poster child for everything that is wrong in the industry

Still better than AA CE though.

 

[Jintor]

It feels a lot less Metroid-y this time around. Like the other poster mentioned, it feels more like Zelda. Maybe Darksiders with a touch of inFamous is a better comparison. You go from one super villains dungeon to the next. Some stories for a villain take you to multiple dungeons which makes things more interesting.

I think my big issue is that, besides the compass, I'm having trouble finding any noticeable landmarks to guide me through the world. Still, combat is a lot of fun

The Church, the Museum, the Courthouse, the Casino, the Steel Mill. But yeah, especially without having to stick to roads, difficult to map the city in your head.

 

[JohngPR]

I'm surprised that there hasn't really been any talk about the PS3 version. Has anyone even mentioned it in reviews? I haven't gone though them and read a whole lot of them because I'm trying to go into the game fresh.

 

[funkystudent]

Any ps3 footage?

I wounder if they have the god ray's coming from the moon other light sources that have been seen in the 360 version.

I think Shadow of the damned was the first ps3 UE game to have them so I wounder if they are in batman.

 

[Amir0x]

Arkham City panel at NYCC this morning confirmed this game is going to be epic.

Guy estimated 30 hours playthrough time for the average gamer minus considering sidequests.

It's really amazing how this 'relative unknown' Rocksteady has gone and embarrassed the entire licensed game industry in two titles, singlehandedly putting the lie to the idea that these games have to be throwaway affairs.

Amazing shit.

 

[DevelopmentArrested]

Arkham City panel at NYCC this morning confirmed this game is going to be epic.

Guy estimated 30 hours playthrough time for the average gamer minus considering sidequests.

Interesting. Jeff from Giant Bomb keeps saying it took him half that time and he did half of the side missions.

 

[Solo]

Yeah, Gametrailers says 12 hours for the main quest.

 

[Riposte]

Jeff Gerstmann

Gaming's greatest melee combat system gets even better with a few key improvements

Hahahahaha... wow. I hope the improves are not AC2 -> Brotherhood kind of improvements.

 

[Jintor]

Interesting. Jeff from Giant Bomb keeps saying it took him half that time and he did half of the side missions.

I can only assume Jeff is godlike, or playing on normal. Probably the former to be honest.

 

[Amir0x]

Jeff from Giant Bomb keeps saying it took him half that time and he did half of the side missions.

Giant Bomb is terrible in all ways so what they say doesn't matter, but if Gametrailers says 12 hours I'm inclined to believe it over the devs. They were saying before that game testers were beating it in average 20 hours or something, and many of those played it over and over.

greatest melee combat system if you forget about all the far superior melee combat systems out there that is

giant bomb is such a terrible site

 

[TheExodu5]

Gaming's greatest melee combat system? Really, Jeff?

 

[keltickennedy]

Not sure if this has been posted but this is the first video i have seen of the unboxing of the collectors edition,if anyone is intereastead (i didn't make the video btw)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akgEBT-sYsk

The third hand that comes into the shot aroung 2 mins freaked me out. Lol. Thought it was just one guy filming.

 

[jediyoshi]

Giant Bomb is terrible in all ways so what they say doesn't matter, but if Gametrailers says 12 hours I'm inclined to believe it over the devs.

I see what you did there.

 

[Amir0x]

I see what you did there.

Solo said Gametrailers said 12 hours so it's more believable!

 

[Fjordson]

Damn, Gerstmann's opinion gettin' people ornery.

Ahhh, I just preordered on Amazon with prime and it's saying estimated delivery Oct 21st.

Whyyyyy.

I was just about to ask about this. Not seeing it either =( which is weird since I've ordered many a game from Amazon this close to release and was still able to get release date shipping. Says the earliest I can get it at this point is the 20th. Weird.

 

[TheExodu5]

Batman's combat system is good because it doesn't get in the way of things. There's really no depth to it whatsoever, though.

Gerstmann is a bit of a baby gamer so it suits him.

 

[Bisnic]

Bought AA on Steam after all the hype AC got. Will keep me busy until the PC version of AC is released. I'm still at the beginning and i couldn't resist taking this pic as my wallpaper, i'm sure others did too when the game was still new. How long is the campaign by the way?

 

[TheExodu5]

That outdoor shot is what I hate about AA's visuals. I hate that UE3.0 depth of field.

I'm really hoping AC has the updated UE3.5 lighting engine.

 

[Jintor]

Batman's combat system is good because it doesn't get in the way of things. There's really no depth to it whatsoever, though.

Gerstmann is a bit of a baby gamer so it suits him.

There's quite a bit of enemy management in there, but it's just a matter of prioritising and reflexes.

 

[TheExodu5]

There's quite a bit of enemy management in there, but it's just a matter of prioritising and reflexes.

The fun parts are the stealth segments as you take out enemies one by one. That's where the game shines. The brawls with 10+ enemies are just kind of boring, but like I said, they don't get in the way of things so I think the combat system suits the game well.

I mean, you can throw batarangs and put down explosives or what have you for the brawls, but there's really no point since they're over within 30 seconds of hitting consecutive attacks with the occasional counter.

 

[Bisnic]

That outdoor shot is what I hate about AA's visuals. I hate that UE3.0 depth of field.

I'm really hoping AC has the updated UE3.5 lighting engine.

What's so bad about it? The small "fog" for buildings in the back?

 

[Jintor]

I disagree, I really enjoy both Predator and Combat.

Yeah, it's no Bayonetta, but it's not really going for that. Freeflow combat bro. All about that combat multiplier. And the variety multiplier. And the challenges...

 

[Feep]

Restating: I completed the campaign in sixteen hours, including Catwoman's content, maybe a third of the sidequests, and some assorted Riddler-hunting.

 

[TheExodu5]

What's so bad about it? The small "fog" for buildings in the back?

I always have trouble describing it, but it's a very distinctive look. It's like it washes out the picture and peppers it with compression artifacts to simulate blur. It gives everything in the distance a very unpleasant glow as well, which makes it stand out in a bad way. It's definitely my least favorite DoF effect out there. It's a shame it's basically tied into all of the post-processing in UE3.0, as you can't disable it by itself. UE3.5 fixes this in a big way, though. The updated engine has some of the best DoF I've seen.

edit: here's the update 3.5 lighting/dof:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwIM7NhqvrM

 

[-tetsuo-]

More time with the game, 20-25 hours to do absolutely everything sounds about right.

 

[Salsa]

Restating: I completed the campaign in sixteen hours, including Catwoman's content, maybe a third of the sidequests, and some assorted Riddler-hunting.

noice

i'll be surprised if i go under 25 doing everything. Heck im already at 17 on RAGE.

 

[Inferno313]

For those like Jintor and Feep that have played the game. Is the Catwoman code to unlock content on the disc or download DLC? Is it a big download? Will I have to wait before starting?

 

[Jintor]

Restating: I completed the campaign in sixteen hours, including Catwoman's content, maybe a third of the sidequests, and some assorted Riddler-hunting.

I was really annoyed to find no game timer hidden within those extremely extensive statistics tab.

 

[Unai]

I'm so exited about this game!

 

[Khezu]

I liked batmans combat, it wasn't very deep, but when you where in the zone and had a good rhythm going, it was very enjoyable.

Challenge maps only though, most of the story fights were way to easy, even on hard.

 

[Uno Venova]

It's one of the best combat systems I've ever played so I'm fine with Jeff's p.o.v.

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

anywhere to get batman arkham PC for cheap? don't feel like paying $20 for it when i already own it on PS3 but i tried the demo out and the graphics are a pretty substantial improvement in my eyes. worth a playthrough again while i wait for arkham city to come out but not $20!

 

[Amir0x]

Damn, Gerstmann's opinion gettin' people ornery.

People who say Arkham Asylum or City have the best action melee combat system may indeed have an "opinion" on the matter, but it is an objectively wrong one and they should feel bad.

But Gerstmann's opinions don't get anyone ornery (or at least, it shouldn't). Giant Bomb in general is just a terrible site so anything that comes from there is simply roundly ignored by me.

In their defense, though, almost all dedicated gaming websites these days are awful though.

Restating: I completed the campaign in sixteen hours, including Catwoman's content, maybe a third of the sidequests, and some assorted Riddler-hunting.

It took me 17 hours to beat everything in the original Batman Arkham Asylum, so I have no doubt I'll probably max it at 25~30 hours in City. It IS a bigger game, no doubt.

 

[MasterShotgun]

So three more days until Arkham City midnight release. I think I have enough time to finally tackle Arkham Asylum on hard. It should be a good way to build up the hype.

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

Any ps3 footage?

I wounder if they have the god ray's coming from the moon other light sources that have been seen in the 360 version.

I think Shadow of the damned was the first ps3 UE game to have them so I wounder if they are in batman.

I'm curious about how the PS3 version compares as well. I'm about to bite on this but if there are technical problems I'll probably wait for PC release.

 

[Fjordson]

But Gerstmann's opinions don't get anyone ornery (or at least, it shouldn't). Giant Bomb in general is just a terrible site so anything that comes from there is simply roundly ignored by me.

Haha, alrighty then.

 

[Jintor]

For those like Jintor and Feep that have played the game. Is the Catwoman code to unlock content on the disc or download DLC? Is it a big download? Will I have to wait before starting?

I think it's a download. The reviewer experience in regards to DLC is way different from the consumer experience though so...