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Batman: Arkham Knight |OT| Protect Gotham Racing

SomTervo

Member
It was a challenging (on NG+), unique spin on a combat room, which puts it on the same level as most Origins bosses, above every Asylum boss, but below City's.

Here's hoping the villain DLC brings some good boss fights. I often see people mention Origins as having great ones, so that shouldn't be that hard to match, hopefully.

Huh, yeah, I guess nothing the series ever throws out again will beat Mr Freeze. I would put the one in this discussion in the top three, though.

My hopes for the DLC saving anything in this game are drowning. Except the 1992 skin, but even that might be limited in some way.

I didn't think it was a good boss fight at all, imo.

I was glad to see a more traditional one but even then I'd rank it below Grundy.

I actually had to struggle to remember Grundy when you said this, and the same goes for most of the other bosses in City. Mr Freeze is the exception - that was a masterpiece boss on Metal Gear Solid levels of quality. But Grundy and Clayface etc – they were decently designed but I didn't like the implementation. They were always bit fiddly and the execution never felt right, like the strike mechanics were slightly at odds with your moveset.
The Riddler Machine
boss avoided this by having a very simple, but still satisfying mechanic to attack him when weakened, and using the series' already solid combat aside from that.
 

nortonff

Hi, I'm nortonff. I spend my life going into threads to say that I don't care about the topic of the thread. It's a really good use of my time.
If you have any car armor upgrades left and enough points to spend, use those mid fight to refill health. And keep using the drone hack and missiles — the EMP is helpful, but you're already getting that if you shoot the highlighted tanks.

That hand-to-hand fight after that is a bit challenging as well

Upgrade your tank as much as possible if you haven't already, I like the upgrade that lets you
charge missiles, EMP etc even if you get hit.

Take note of the tanks
that are being hacked by Barbara. They're color coded, some will fight alongside you, others will explode if you shoot them creating an explosion / EMP AoE [temporarily] disabling all tanks surrounding it. Barbara explains this as the battle begins but everything is so hectic it's easy to miss her explanation. Also keep focus on the little choppers, they're easy to overlook but their damage adds up quickly.

It took me about 7 tries to get it done, didn't enjoy one second of it.

No challenge maps really kill the replay value. Nothing to do with the game until the next DLC hits.









Just FYI guys, there's a really easy way to cheese this mission:

Just to the left of the entrance, there's an alleyway which you can fit the Batmobile into. It's covered by a wooden barrier so it's easy to miss. Go in there and only 1-2 enemies can come at you at a time. It's incredibly easy to pick them off one at a time, missiles can't hit you and you can occasionally pop out to blow up the hacked vehicles.

I went to the side of the police station where there is a road above. It's still difficult but I think it helped a bit using walls to hide away from many drones

Thanks a lot for the tips. I'll give a few try again today.
 

Turnstyle

Member
We just finished our podcast video review of Arkham Knight. We managed to chat about it for 90 minutes. There's a lot going on in this game...

http://quitorcontinue.com/batman-arkham-knight-podcast-review/

If you'd rather listen to the audio version, just search Quit or Continue on podcast apps. We'll also be uploading a SpoilerCast in the next few days.

Overall, I really enjoyed the game. I came to it really fresh - I hadn't played a Batman game since Asylum. It took me a while to get to grips with the controls again, and there were parts of the story that I felt I was missing as I hadn't played City, but overall it was a great ride.

My main complaint is the tank. I can't get my head around why anyone thought this was a good idea. When things come to a head later on and you have
to destroy 60 tanks
I almost threw the towel in. It just seemed like a half baked idea taken to far.

It'll be interesting to see where the series goes from here. I know this is Rocksteady's last, but there's no way WB will leave all that money on the table.
 

AEREC

Member
Sold my PS4 version, couldn't be bothered to 100% the game. I may try to do it when they fix my PC copy but for some reason this Batman game just didn't grab me. I thought Asylum and City were masterpieces though (never finished Origins). Maybe the formula is getting tiresome at this point.
 

Morts

Member
If you're having trouble with the tank battles make sure you have the weapons upgrade that makes it so your specials don't lose charge when you take damage. It lets you use the multi-missiles much more liberally.

I finished the main quest the other night, but I'm probably going to go back to The Witcher for a bit before I finish up the side quests. I need to meditate on it for a bit before I decide how Arkham Knight ranks in the series.
 
Bought the Batgirl DLC. I really like her design lol she looks badass! After playing as her I really wish we could have played as other characters and roam around Gotham, for some reason playing as someone besides Batman was really exciting, even if the gameplay doesnt change that much.

Though the dlc was short, I enjoyed the setting and Batgirls animations.
 
Huh, yeah, I guess nothing the series ever throws out again will beat Mr Freeze. I would put the one in this discussion in the top three, though.

My hopes for the DLC saving anything in this game are drowning. Except the 1992 skin, but even that might be limited in some way.

I actually had to struggle to remember Grundy when you said this, and the same goes for most of the other bosses in City. Mr Freeze is the exception - that was a masterpiece boss on Metal Gear Solid levels of quality. But Grundy and Clayface etc – they were decently designed but I didn't like the implementation. They were always bit fiddly and the execution never felt right, like the strike mechanics were slightly at odds with your moveset.
The Riddler Machine
boss avoided this by having a very simple, but still satisfying mechanic to attack him when weakened, and using the series' already solid combat aside from that.

I found Grundy and Ra's almost ripped straight out of a Zelda game, which meant they were solid gameplay-wise, but just felt a bit incongruous with how I'd imagine those fights in other media. Clayface was similar, but was a really good realization of a Clayface fight in every way.

All of these had completely unique scenarios compared to the rest of the game, thematically and mechanically — something I can't really say for Riddler as those robot fights with the color switching mechanic was used already. Thematically, it was fitting, but beyond that it was retreading recent ground.

Mr. Freeze obviously being a standout boss and perfect (on NG+) in every way for a Batman game (doesn't artificially limit player abilities, yet forces player to make use of all skills) suggests to me that freeflow combat doesn't work that well for boss fights that feel substantial. You either need to either have the boss flanked by minions with the boss merely another mook yet with more health, or the boss needs to have a relatively simple attack pattern/means of damaging them in order to mesh well with the way freeflow combat works (not saying this is gospel, but it's just the way it seems after 4 games). It really doesn't led itself well to one-on-one fights as seen with Deathstroke in Origins — even if people like it, it eschews the fundamentals of basic Arkham combat (keeping a combo) and is largely reliant on prompts.

Freeflow gameplay only scales well with enemy numbers and diversity. Tossing in a boss amid them typically gets the reaction from players that they're just freeflow fight with a spin. Freeflow is the best realization of Batman combat in a game and it does a good job of balancing "easy, yet engaging in low-level fights" with "challenging at high-level." That said, I really want to see a completely different approach to combat in future Batman games, one that doesn't rely on a combo meter so much.
 

Alpende

Member
Any tips on the mission:
Where Barbara helps you take out a thousand of tanks in front of the GCPD ? I'm getting my ass kicked.

I had a hard time with this one as well, just keep moving around and try to use the narrow streets on top left side once you leave the
GCPD building
. Do not stay in the middle open area, you'll get your ass kicked.
 
Any tips on the mission:
Where Barbara helps you take out a thousand of tanks in front of the GCPD ? I'm getting my ass kicked.

I had a hard time with this one as well, just keep moving around and try to use the narrow streets on top left side once you leave the
GCPD building
. Do not stay in the middle open area, you'll get your ass kicked.

This guy makes it look easy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr3qxdcl3Fk

I did it the hard way on NG+, staying in front of the
GCPD building
. Had to repeat it three times before succeeding though.
 
Batmobile fights should veer more toward destruction derbies.

I haven't tested it out, but it seems as if the drone tanks lock on and fire faster when the player is outside of tank-mode. Tank mode feels good when using it for the spatial puzzles and for shooting stuff periodically, but long (even just a couple minutes) stretches of being in it doesn't allow for much agency — you're either dodging lines or firing, the abilities don't require much finesse or timing (all three just lock-on) and if you leave tank mode to try something else, you're likely to quickly get hit (which, in this series' combat, has been established to be a failure).

Being able to hit and move (like, completely out of enemies' range) is a considerable part of what makes any enemy engagement in this game fun. It's definitely what makes the predator sections interesting and it helps in basic combat. You can switch back to pursuit mode, drive around a block to build up speed, then blast straight through a whole line of drone tanks, but you're likely to get shot in the process while fleeing, and probably while driving into them. While the same could be said for predator encounters, there are more ways to redirect on-foot enemy attention or to distract them. If the same could be done in Batmobile combat (which it could), you'd then have more freedom where all options are feasible, yet different. Predator gameplay allows players to either be completely stealthy or smash heads loudly and navigate the chaos.

Blowing up tanks in a single shot is satisfying, but one-note. Surprising the operators by driving straight through them in a shower of sparks is satisfying as hell. If it were more often feasible to do the later, I would probably enjoy the former more. I would love to take out half the tanks in the 60 vs. 1 fight by driving through a big crowd of them. And toss in using the power winch in combat (e.g. hook onto a drone tank while moving will rip it in half) and chases (yank the back wheels off a fleeing car) while you're at it.
 

Alienous

Member
Batmobile fights should veer more toward destruction derbies.

I haven't tested it out, but it seems as if the drone tanks lock on and fire faster when the player is outside of tank-mode. Tank mode feels good when using it for the spatial puzzles and for shooting stuff periodically, but long (even just a couple minutes) stretches of being in it doesn't allow for much agency — you're either dodging lines or firing, the abilities don't require much finesse or timing (all three just lock-on) and if you leave tank mode to try something else, you're likely to quickly get hit (which, in this series' combat, has been established to be a failure).

Being able to hit and move (like, completely out of enemies' range) is a considerable part of what makes any enemy engagement in this game fun. It's definitely what makes the predator sections interesting and it helps in basic combat. You can switch back to pursuit mode, drive around a block to build up speed, then blast straight through a whole line of drone tanks, but you're likely to get shot in the process while fleeing, and probably while driving into them. While the same could be said for predator encounters, there are more ways to redirect on-foot enemy attention or to distract them. If the same could be done in Batmobile combat (which it could), you'd then have more freedom where all options are feasible, yet different. Predator gameplay allows players to either be completely stealthy or smash heads loudly and navigate the chaos.

Blowing up tanks in a single shot is satisfying, but one-note. Surprising the operators by driving straight through them in a shower of sparks is satisfying as hell. If it were more often feasible to do the later, I would probably enjoy the former more. I would love to take out half the tanks in the 60 vs. 1 fight by driving through a big crowd of them. And toss in using the power winch in combat (e.g. hook onto a drone tank while moving will rip it in half) and chases (yank the back wheels off a fleeing car) while you're at it.

Yuuuuuuuuuuuup

Blending the pursuit mode into the tank combat would have helped it. Roaming battles where tanks attempt to corner you, you take some down to create an opening, boost through another tank destroying it, then get corned elsewhere. As you mentioned, using things like the winch, perhaps to pull panels off of tanks while you evade incoming fire by dashing left and right.

The fluidity in changing being pursuit and tank mode just wasn't utilized. The tank combat is one-note as a result.
 
The tank combat is one-note as a result.

And that's why it's so divisive. People either like it or dislike it because the one way of playing is so heavily encouraged.

It's not bad, and it's not even "not Batman." It's just that unlike with the other types of gameplay, there's less player choice as far as basic approach is concerned (unlike predator gameplay being offensive, stealthy or something in between). It has less room to be tailored to what the player finds fun and/or "like Batman." Even more so, it doesn't make those options well known — you'll always have people who don't experiment or try other methods despite not enjoying what already they're doing, but being able to hack ALL drones or being able to just boost straight through them are notably not telegraphed as well as they could be here.

Like you say, the fluidity between tank and pursuit modes isn't taken advantage of, but only because the way the ramming option is treated. People don't consider the default controls as being useful (really snappy mode switching, like "hold" crouching in FPS/TPS games) because it's so encouraged to stay in tank mode from the start of a fight to the end because every time the player switches back to pursuit mode, they get shot quicker, and because the bomb diffusing missions keep players in a really small space. It is feasible in any tank fight to use the ramming upgrade to take some out, but getting hit at all — in any kind of combat in this game — really discourages the action that got the player hit in the first place.
 

Reule

Member
I might just have to buy that Challenge Map DLC separately because I'm dying to do some more. I wish that Arkham Asylum/City Remaster was/is real because that would satisfy my hunger. I would not look forward to the Calendar Man trophy again because even though you could change your clock, it was very tedious

By the way, I guess that 2% I was missing from the MW% column for Gotham's Finest was from the Scarecrow DLC. That or something didn't register till I hopped on the game again.
 
I might just have to buy that Challenge Map DLC separately because I'm dying to do some more. I wish that Arkham Asylum/City Remaster was/is real because that would satisfy my hunger. I would not look forward to the Calendar Man trophy again because even though you could change your clock, it was very tedious

If you are willing to playthrough the main game again, you can continually do the militia watchtowers and checkpoints by knocking out everyone inside, then skipping the "destroy commander's control/computer console." Once you leave and come back later, they'll all have respawned, turrets and all.

I just got 200 percent completion on PC, so there's really nothing new to complete, so I may just stick to that on another file.
 

Cindro

Member
We still have no definitive word on whether or not the alt costumes/Batmobiles will be usable in the main game (outside of the DLC challenge tracks and maps), correct? This will likely be the tipping point for me on whether or not I get the season pass. They better not screw this very simple thing (skins usable in all modes) up!
 

Reule

Member
If you are willing to playthrough the main game again, you can continually do the militia watchtowers and checkpoints by knocking out everyone inside, then skipping the "destroy commander's control/computer console." Once you leave and come back later, they'll all have respawned, turrets and all.

I just got 200 percent completion on PC, so there's really nothing new to complete, so I may just stick to that on another file.
Maybe. I enjoy more trying to beat my old scores and my friend's scores (if any of them would actually do the challenges). I'm about to start NG+ today so I might do that.
 
We still have no definitive word on whether or not the alt costumes/Batmobiles will be usable in the main game (outside of the DLC challenge tracks and maps), correct? This will likely be the tipping point for me on whether or not I get the season pass. They better not screw this very simple thing (skins usable in all modes) up!

The skins likely will be usable outside outside of that DLC, but from various descriptions, it sounds like that's not the case for the other Batmobiles since they're functionally different. At the very least, they're supposed to have specific abilities and features (e.g. the Bat-Missile for Returns Batmobile, though that's not confirmed).

Maybe. I enjoy more trying to beat my old scores and my friend's scores (if any of them would actually do the challenges). I'm about to start NG+ today so I might do that.

You still get a score like with any other fight/predator segment, but it isn't recorded anywhere.

I actually enjoy the checkpoints more than challenge maps, since you can go as far away from them as you like and use the Batmobile if you want. It's not as convenient though, definitely. There should be a separate mode with just the whole city and those in it.
 

Wynnebeck

Banned
Ok. Trying to beat story mode and trade it in to Gamestop so I can get the $40 trade in. Just got to the part where
you go down into the tunnels to find the 2nd tree roots
. How much game do I have left? If it's too much, I'll just trade it in and watch the rest on Youtube. Game is fun when it works, but some parts of it just feel like padding like
the Movie Studios act with Harley Quinn
. Just felt unneeded.
 

Alienous

Member
Ok. Trying to beat story mode and trade it in to Gamestop so I can get the $40 trade in. Just got to the part where
you go down into the tunnels to find the 2nd tree roots
. How much game do I have left? If it's too much, I'll just trade it in and watch the rest on Youtube. Game is fun when it works, but some parts of it just feel like padding like
the Movie Studios act with Harley Quinn
. Just felt unneeded.

I'm not sure how much of the main story you have left. Less than 3 hours? It might be somewhere in that region.
 

Reule

Member
You still get a score like with any other fight/predator segment, but it isn't recorded anywhere.

I actually enjoy the checkpoints more than challenge maps, since you can go as far away from them as you like and use the Batmobile if you want. It's not as convenient though, definitely. There should be a separate mode with just the whole city and those in it.
Checkpoints are definitely fun but yeah, I like the record. Wish there were more Challenge Maps in the base game period. Odd how there is a Dual-Team Combat map with Batman and Nightwing but not for Batman and Robin or even Batman and Catwoman. DLC, I'm sure but would've been nice.

Ok. Trying to beat story mode and trade it in to Gamestop so I can get the $40 trade in. Just got to the part where
you go down into the tunnels to find the 2nd tree roots
. How much game do I have left? If it's too much, I'll just trade it in and watch the rest on Youtube. Game is fun when it works, but some parts of it just feel like padding like
the Movie Studios act with Harley Quinn
. Just felt unneeded.
There is a chunk left but you're pretty much in the final act of the game.
Panessa Studios
was my favorite part. :(
 
Batmobile fights should veer more toward destruction derbies.

I haven't tested it out, but it seems as if the drone tanks lock on and fire faster when the player is outside of tank-mode. Tank mode feels good when using it for the spatial puzzles and for shooting stuff periodically, but long (even just a couple minutes) stretches of being in it doesn't allow for much agency — you're either dodging lines or firing, the abilities don't require much finesse or timing (all three just lock-on) and if you leave tank mode to try something else, you're likely to quickly get hit (which, in this series' combat, has been established to be a failure).

Being able to hit and move (like, completely out of enemies' range) is a considerable part of what makes any enemy engagement in this game fun. It's definitely what makes the predator sections interesting and it helps in basic combat. You can switch back to pursuit mode, drive around a block to build up speed, then blast straight through a whole line of drone tanks, but you're likely to get shot in the process while fleeing, and probably while driving into them. While the same could be said for predator encounters, there are more ways to redirect on-foot enemy attention or to distract them. If the same could be done in Batmobile combat (which it could), you'd then have more freedom where all options are feasible, yet different. Predator gameplay allows players to either be completely stealthy or smash heads loudly and navigate the chaos.

Blowing up tanks in a single shot is satisfying, but one-note. Surprising the operators by driving straight through them in a shower of sparks is satisfying as hell. If it were more often feasible to do the later, I would probably enjoy the former more. I would love to take out half the tanks in the 60 vs. 1 fight by driving through a big crowd of them. And toss in using the power winch in combat (e.g. hook onto a drone tank while moving will rip it in half) and chases (yank the back wheels off a fleeing car) while you're at it.

I really enjoyed the tank battles, despite hitting a wall a few times, but these are some great ideas and i have no doubt Rocksteady would iterate on the Batmobile mechanics in these ways if they were making another Batman game. I've actually tried to use a ramming tactic in the big fight, but as you say it isn't very viable, certainly less so than just staying in tank mode. The kind of hit and run attacks that you describe, switching back and forth between pursuit and tank mode, are what made the cobra fights thrilling to me, now that i think of it. Of course those had their own limitation in form of having to shoot weak spots exclusively, but making the same approach more viable in regular tank combat would certainly add to the fun.
 

Falchion

Member
Just finished it last night, I timed it so that I had 100% game completion right before the end of the story so that I didn’t have to wait to see the Knightfall ending and I’m glad I did. Now I’m just itching for more story and am tempted to buy the season pass just for a couple of hours with Batgirl.
 

TheFatMan

Member
Beat the game a few hours ago. Didn't want to bother with the lame Riddler trophies so I googled the
Knightfall
ending.

Gotta say the end of the game had some pretty annoying filler fights, but the final cinematics were fantastic.
 

Muffdraul

Member
This last drone fight is impossible. What the fuck, Rocksteady. I fuckin' hate you. Your ruined a really fun game with this bullshit. Thank you.

I remember thinking one of the drone battles in the middle of the game was impossible, totally unfair, screamed at the TV til my throat hurt. But later on after I upgraded the batmobile's armor and unlocked the perks that make you do more damage against drones, both turret and body, I never had any problems with any drone battles after that.
 
GCPD
? Don't stay in the open, go to the back streets and move around there.

Yeah, I did that but I got shot from four or five different directions. There is no way I can avoid or dodge most of the shots. It's impossible for me. I have no idea how anyone can do this and I already have all the upgrades for my batmobile.
 

Brazil

Living in the shadow of Amaz
Yeah, I did that but I got shot from four or five different directions. There is no way I can avoid or dodge most of the shots. It's impossible for me. I have no idea how anyone can do this and I already have all the upgrades for my batmobile.

Just hide on the street to the left of the tunnel entrance you come out of, if you really can't handle it. They can only shoot you from one direction when you're in there, and you don't even have to bother destroying missiles because they'll just hit the walls before they get to you.

And it's really not hard at all, even if you stay out in the open. Just aim your shots and abuse the dodge command.
 

Gorger

Member
Why does everyone hate this section so much? Needed 4 tries on the hardest difficult.

I needed two tries on the hardest difficulty, but I had my batmobile almost fully upgraded before I came to that section. I can imagine people skipping the upgrades would be struggling quite a bit.

I liked that part, even though I am also in the group who thinks they overdid the Batmobile sections. They definitely could have tuned it down a bit with some variations and traditional boss fights.
 

GAMEPROFF

Banned
I needed two tries on the hardest difficulty, but I had my batmobile almost fully upgraded before I came to that section. I can imagine people skipping the upgrades would be struggling quite a bit.

I liked that part, even though I am also in the group who thinks they overdid the Batmobile sections. They definitely could have tuned it down a bit with some variations and traditional boss fights.
+ more Metroidvania parts.
 

Gorger

Member
Just finished it last night, I timed it so that I had 100% game completion right before the end of the story so that I didn’t have to wait to see the Knightfall ending and I’m glad I did. Now I’m just itching for more story and am tempted to buy the season pass just for a couple of hours with Batgirl.

I want the season pass too, but I feel it's too expensive for not precisely knowing what I am buying. I'll probably wait for more story DLC and then decide if it's worth it. We might get some discounts down the road as well.

Like it is with every Batman game, It always leaves me hungry for more when I've finished it. I just love the batman universe, the characters and villains so much. Not having read the comics or seen the animated stuff makes the world feel like such a mystery, and the snippets of lore we get through the character biographies is truly fascinating to read.
 

Alienous

Member
This last drone fight is impossible. What the fuck, Rocksteady. I fuckin' hate you. Your ruined a really fun game with this bullshit. Thank you.

Doing Batmobile upgrades mid-fight regenerates all of your health. So if you are still struggling and have some available that might help you out in a pickle.
 
Hmmm....thanks for the tips, I'll try it again!

edit: Wait, I can regenerate health? How?

edit 2: Nope, doesn't work at all, already 20 deaths. Fuck this game.

edit3: Omg, I was hiding on wrong street, lol. First try, rofl.
 

AsfaeksBR

Member
I know the Red Hood Pack was pre-order only and will come to Season Pass owners later this Year.
But what about Harley Quinn's Story? Was it exclusive too? If not, where do I find it?
 

Alienous

Member
Hmmm....thanks for the tips, I'll try it again!

edit: Wait, I can regenerate health? How?

edit 2: Nope, doesn't work at all, already 20 deaths. Fuck this game.

edit3: Omg, I was hiding on wrong street, lol. First try, rofl.

I don't recall a street in the "last drone fight".

Anyway, good result.
 

Muffdraul

Member
I know the Red Hood Pack was pre-order only and will come to Season Pass owners later this Year.
But what about Harley Quinn's Story? Was it exclusive too? If not, where do I find it?

I got it about two weeks post launch for PS4 and there were three codes in the box. One of them was for the Harley Quinn stuff. (I think... I redeemed the codes immediately after beating the game and haven't booted it up since then.)
 

daxter01

8/8/2010 Blackace was here
finished it couple minutes ago, great game not as great as Arkham City or Asylum mainly because of terrible side missions which destroys pacing and lack of indoor sections
 

RedAssedApe

Banned
oh god...those batmobile boss battles were awful. not to mention arkham knight final
"sniper" boss battle. Guess Batman didn't teach him detective mode.
.

lol
 
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