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[Papercuts]

The dual fighting stuff has been great from a presentation angle as well. You can hold combos switching mid combat without some jarring transition, I would have actually liked to see even more of these type of things as they've been great.

Yeah, I've found this to be a problem. The brutes seem to punch outside the normal 'rhythm' of combat. I've quite often been hit by them when coming out of an Instant Takedown or something, before I could manage to dodge, which just doesn't happen with other enemy types.

The Blade Dodge Takedown also doesn't seem to work properly, or at least not the way it used to. In Arkham City it was 100% dependable: you pulled the stick back towards yourself, the camera would swing around, and you'd hold the Counter button between slashes. In Arkham Knight it doesn't seem like the camera swings around, so you have to point the stick away from wherever Batman happens to be pointing. Only sometimes the camera does swing around. I don't know, I'll have to experiment with it some more.

I'm a bit disappointed to see the same old Quickfire Gadgets return, too, and this time there isn't even a Freeze Grenade equivalent (unless I missed a double-tap R2 move?). And, yeah, Quickfire Explosive Gel was totally nerfed. Explosive Gel -> Multi-Ground Takedown combos were godlike in Arkham City.

Other than that, I actually really like all the new additions to the combat. It's one area where this game feels perfectly Rocksteady-ish to me, if that makes sense. When WB Montreal tried to tweak the combat in Arkham Origins they just messed it up, but Rocksteady knows exactly how it should be. I really enjoy the added pressure of having to keep the Medics down at all times (or, alternatively, leaving them alone to do their thing, which might result in better scores in challenges). Having to deal with so many different enemy types makes it feel a lot more rewarding to me.

Oh yeah, I don't even know what quickfire explosive gel is even doing anymore. I used to use that all the time.

 

[Exploratory]

This is the best Batman game for new and its not even close. It really just blows all the other ones out of the water imo. My only complaint is detective mode needs to change so that I don't have to use it so much. Wish I could tag guys like in Metal Great Solid V.

Also to those who don't like it are you playing on Normal? I'm playing on Hard and am enjoying the game so much more. Challenging.

 

[GringoSuave89]

Honestly, my only three complaints about this game are lackluster boss fights, the DLC was a joke, and (ending)

Spoiler

that total copout of an ending with Bruce just going "Fuck it", I'm going full time.

Otherwise I loved my time in this game.

Asylum > Knight > or = City > Origins

 

[ironcreed]

Alright, I can't force myself to finish this game. I just can't do it. I might come back to it at some point way down the road, but I have too many other games that I enjoy waiting to be played.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

I can't get over how BIG it all is, for all the animations to be so top-notch, to have alllll these individually made hand-crafted art assets, to write and perform a million lines of dialog, I can see why this could take the better part of 4 years to make. Usually these kind of big open world games have some jank to go along with all that size, but its about as polished(the PS4 version natch) as any more linear AAA title.

And more cinematic, too. The framing and zooms the camera does, the unbroken shots, the use of dutch angles, distortion, lighting, depth of field, slow motion, JUMP SCARES, sound design...and it all just flows very naturally, you almost take it all for granted. Even walking in buildings doesn't have a load screen anymore.

Yeah the polish in the combination of gameplay + graphics + overall presentation is unprecedented in open world games (most linear titles as well). I totally agree that it's being taken for granted, especially with the way the Batmobile dominates any impression of the game, and MOST especially with the vibe surrounding the PC port. I can't knock anyone for being disappointed with the Batmobile, more so the overuse of Tank Mode, but man almost every 5 minutes something so smooth and seamless happens where I have to take a step back and think "Good lord, this is an open world game?" It's beyond just "Well they have a AAA budget and lots of dev time." I haven't seen stuff this solidly built and effortlessly flashy on this scale from any other comparable game.

 

[AusRoachman]

So i started this game without hints and was surprised it gives you no real tutorials. Is there a combat tutorial anywhere ?

only about 30 mins in so happy to restart if required.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

The dual fighting stuff has been great from a presentation angle as well. You can hold combos switching mid combat without some jarring transition, I would have actually liked to see even more of these type of things as they've been great.

I really like those as a change of pace from the normal Batman encounters. It lets them throw a bigger mob than usual at you, but all the things they are good about the Arkham combat is still there. The various enemy types, the powerful sound design, the "flow" and rhythm of a good combo of critical strikes/quickfire gadgets/special takedowns. I also like the new additions of environmental takedowns and being bale to use non-lethal weapons.

The double team stuff works because Robin/Nightwing/Catwoman still have most of Batman's moves, but lot of great unique animations of their own, and building up the double team takedown for a stylish unbroken shot takedown is a fun metagame between your own combo-building and special move usage.

 

[matrix-cat]

Stuff like the detective vision on the

Spoiler

Pyg

bodies aren't exactly taxing, but I like it as a small bit of variety in-between all the other stuff ya do. Plus, its rare you get to see Batman to actual detective work.

I wish there'd been more to it than 'find the glowy bit, switch to next layer, find glowy bit, switch to next layer, find last glowy bit' all six times. I want to be involved in the detective work as a player, y'know? Something that irritated me about Origins was that those cool CSI crime reconstruction things were a lot of fun to watch, but required pretty much nothing in the way of deductive reasoning on the player's part; you were just watching Batman figure things out on his own. Arkham Knight has those bits where you scrub through video feeds, which I quite liked, but I was sort of hoping for an evolution on Origins' crime scene investigations. I thought it was so weird that you do it once in Arkham Knight, and then never again

 

[Drayco21]

Had my first PS4 crash; Firefly may not be turning Gotham into cinders tonight, but he's certainly lighting my console on fire :lol

 

[truestatic]

How do you get on to Founders Island with the Batmobile? Do I have to wait for a story mission?

Yup.

 

[Beelzebufo]

Is the property damage in this game a nod to Batman v Superman, the sequel to Property Damage: The Movie?

 

[Davide]

How short is the story? It feels like I've barely gotten into it and I'm 24% done already. I'm

Spoiler

tracking the Arkham Knight with Barbara.

 

[Catdaddy]

*Bruce will remember that

10/10

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Yeah the polish in the combination of gameplay + graphics + overall presentation is unprecedented in open world games (most linear titles as well). I totally agree that it's being taken for granted, especially with the way the Batmobile dominates any impression of the game, and MOST especially with the vibe surrounding the PC port. I can't knock anyone for being disappointed with the Batmobile, more so the overuse of Tank Mode, but man almost every 5 minutes something so smooth and seamless happens where I have to take a step back and think "Good lord, this is an open world game?" It's beyond just "Well they have a AAA budget and lots of dev time." I haven't seen stuff this solidly built and effortlessly flashy on this scale from any other comparable game.

As far as cinematic action game thing, its pretty much at the top. They had some surprisingly robust but accessible game design systems in place back in '09 with the navigation, gadgets, combat, predator, riddles, the XP/upgrade tree. They went big in City with one of the best traversal mechanics of all-time. Now they had carte blanche to polish the fuck out that for 3+ years to make it all impossibly smooth and slick, on top of having a shitload of content that all feeds into each other.

Its very easy to take all that for granted, because we've played 3 very similar games in the past 6 years already, and the newest addition with the Batmobile is one of the weaker core systems, but just lookin at the entire package and comparing it all the other would-be blockbuster action/open world games out there...its in a class of its own with a lot of style and substance its packing. I don't know any other open world game where getting around from place to place looks, sounds, and feels this badass.

 

[The Xtortionist]

Batmobile would be 100% OK for me if there were less tank battles in the early game, and if the difficulty/enemy compositions ramped up quicker. Mechanically, I think they're totally fine. Even with what we got, it was never a game breaker. Then again, I upgraded the shit out of the batmobile's weapon tree early on.

Love, love, love the batmobile out of combat. Like, to get a Riddler informant in City, you would have to glide down and beat up a bunch of their cohorts to isolate them. In Knight, you can use the batmobile's non-lethal shots to quickly take down everyone in the group except for the informant, then hop out and interrogate him. Nice and easy. Some of the puzzles have used it quite well, and using the remote batmobile mechanic to get Batman of a tight spot is seriously empowering. Driving hits a nice spot, and made me often feel like I was on the edge of being in control. It takes some getting used to, but becomes pretty satisfying when you do.

Overall, I think the game is less focused than the previous ones due to its added batmobile pillar, but it offers much greater variety without sacrificing polish. Really hard to rank the Rocksteady Arkham games imo. Asylum is the most focused, City loses a bit of focus for more variety, and Knight trades a lot of focus for the greatest variety. I think all three still stand as distinct experiences. If anything, Knight's visual presentation stands out as the one thing that definitively towers above anything else in the franchise. I came into Knight expecting little more than another great Batman game, but some of the stuff Rocksteady pulls off with their storytelling devices (camera work, etc) rises far beyond pretty much anything else I've seen in games, even making me rethink what's possible. That makes me more excited than anything else for their next game.

 

[Fletcher]

Spoiler

Manbat

startled the shit outta me. Was not expecting that at that moment at all.

 

[Staf]

I need to put this game down for a while. I'm at the

Spoiler

Ace chemical

batmobile boss fight. This. Is. Not. Fun.

 

[codhand]

diggin the long form impressions

 

[pahamrick]

I need to put this game down for a while. I'm at the

Spoiler

Ace chemical

batmobile boss fight. This. Is. Not. Fun.

I was having severe problems with that fight until I realized

Spoiler

you can shoot down the missles with the turret gun (R1/RIght Bumper) and don't forget about dash dodging with the Batmobile.

 

[Nori Chan]

Does anybody know what the locked skins are? I don't think they're dlc.

I need to put this game down for a while. I'm at the

Spoiler

Ace chemical

batmobile boss fight. This. Is. Not. Fun.

I have some bad news for you

 

[EroticSushi]

Batmobile would be 100% OK for me if there were less tank battles in the early game, and if the difficulty/enemy compositions ramped up quicker. Mechanically, I think they're totally fine. Even with what we got, it was never a game breaker. Then again, I upgraded the shit out of the batmobile's weapon tree early on.

Love, love, love the batmobile out of combat. Like, to get a Riddler informant in City, you would have to glide down and beat up a bunch of their cohorts to isolate them. In Knight, you can use the batmobile's non-lethal shots to quickly take down everyone in the group except for the informant, then hop out and interrogate him. Nice and easy. Some of the puzzles have used it quite well, and using the remote batmobile mechanic to get Batman of a tight spot is seriously empowering. Driving hits a nice spot, and made me often feel like I was on the edge of being in control. It takes some getting used to, but becomes pretty satisfying when you do.

I think the tank stuff in general should have been toned down. I feel like it was a real distraction from everything else in the game. I get that they wanted to incorporate the Batmobile into the game but it felt like it was too much. I just finished the game, sitting at roughly 90% and have about 21 hours into and the thing that I remember the most out of this game is using the Batmobile and the tank mode.

Dismantling mines around Gotham? Batmobile

Spoiler

Deathstroke?

Batmobile
Firefly? Batmobile
Riddler? Batmobile

Even the main story missions require you to drag the Batmobile into interior places and use it to help you out. Felt like the Batmobile in general was just overshadowing everything else. I love the game and I love using it to chase cars down and gliding out of it but it should have been toned down to just that. Give us less tank stuff and more Batman + Robin/Nightwing/Catwoman.

 

[ezekial45]

Did anyone else get a jump scare from

Spoiler

man bat?

I was already on the run from some tanks, but soon as I got to the edge of the building this happened. I jumped big time. lol

YES, YES, YES. I said 'HOLY SHIT' very loudly.

 

[leng jai]

Man the way they've integrated the Batmobile into literally 80% of the story from what I've played so far is absurd. None of it makes any sense whatsoever or even remotely close to something resembling "fun".

 

[Net_Wrecker]

Its very easy to take all that for granted, because we've played 3 very similar games in the past 6 years already, and the newest addition with the Batmobile is one of the weaker core systems, but just lookin at the entire package and comparing it all the other would-be blockbuster action/open world games out there...its in a class of its own with a lot of style and substance its packing. I don't know any other open world game where getting around from place to place looks, sounds, and feels this badass.

I came into Knight expecting little more than another great Batman game, but some of the stuff Rocksteady pulls off with their storytelling devices (camera work, etc) rises far beyond pretty much anything else I've seen in games, even making me rethink what's possible. That makes me more excited than anything else for their next game.

Co-sign all of this. I can't allow the tank battles to ruin the game for me because the presentation and fluidity of gameplay is pretty much blowing me away. It's easy to wave off some of this stuff as "Big budget sheen, yeah yeah" but this is next level execution.

 

[MilesTeg]

Spoiler

Think I'm nearly done with the story. Arkham Knight has been revealed, Scarecrow currently has Gordon. I've also captured Two-Face, Penguin, Fire Fly, rescued Cat Woman, captured the Pig face killer and Man-Bat. Cool that new game plus the riddler trophies carry over cause I don't really want to do it right now. Kinda surprised I'm already this close to finishing the game, guess Witcher 3 kinda set my expectations for game length to a new level.

 

[PeskyToaster]

Tank battle are super easy. You have a didge. They have a similar rhythm to on foot battles. Surprisingly well done considering impressions. I find them quite fun.

 

[Bubba_Sparks]

Overall, I like it so far, though I think I am going to wait for it to be patched/re-relaesed. I think the batmobile is actually very enjoyable to drive and I like the tank combat! Hope they get the performance issues fixed.

 

[Staf]

I was having severe problems with that fight until I realized

Spoiler

you can shoot down the missles with the turret gun (R1/RIght Bumper) and don't forget about dash dodging with the Batmobile.

Figured that one out, still died about 5 times. Please tell me there are predator bosses akin to Mr. Freeze in city later on? Need something to motivate me to keep grinding through these batmobile sequences.

It's just a shame because this is one of the most polished games i've played on the PS4. Looks great, no FPS drops and the hand-to-hand combat feels extremely satisfying. But man does the Batmobile sequences really ruin the experience.

 

[Nori Chan]

Dismantling mines around Gotham? Bat mobile

Spoiler

Deathstroke?

Batmobile
Firefly? Batmobile
Riddler? Batmobile

Spoiler

Deathstroke

? Batmobile

.

Welp that would've been nice to find out on my own.

 

[The Xtortionist]

Co-sign all of this. I can't allow the tank battles to ruin the game for me because the presentation and fluidity of gameplay is pretty much blowing me away. It's easy to wave off some of this stuff as "Big budget sheen, yeah yeah" but this is next level execution.

If you haven't already, upgrade the crap out of your batmobile weapons (extra damage and faster buildup for special weapons are godsends). And aim for enemy turrets for bonus damage. Some of the later-game tank battles were really fun for me with the massive enemy variety (multi-shot tanks, choppers, AoE attacks, missiles)...just a shame it takes so long to get to that point.

 

[pahamrick]

Figured that one out, still died about 5 times. Please tell me there are predator bosses akin to Mr. Freeze in city later on? Need something to motivate me to keep grinding through these batmobile sequences.

It's just a shame because this is one of the most polished games i've played on the PS4. Looks great, no FPS drops and the hand-to-hand combat feels extremely satisfying. But man does the Batmobile sequences really ruin the experience.

There's at least one predator style boss encounter I've come across so far.

 

[Beelzebufo]

What the fuck. I get to the (early spoilers?)

Spoiler

Missed me?

part and as soon as that happens the game tells me its not fully loaded haha. Unless that's part of the whole schtick and I'm making an ass of myself here.

 

[The Xtortionist]

What the fuck. I get to the (early spoilers?)

Spoiler

Missed me?

part and as soon as that happens the game tells me its not fully loaded haha. Unless that's part of the whole schtick and I'm making an ass of myself here.

Happened to me as well. The install process seems to be borked when the game is running. I ended up returning to the main menu, exiting to dashboard, and waiting until I heard the disk stop spinning (PS4 version).

 

[ANDS]

Whomever thought that the Batmobile handled well enough for that last Riddler Race needs to be fired. Seriously.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

If you haven't already, upgrade the crap out of your batmobile weapons (extra damage and faster buildup for special weapons are godsends). And aim for enemy turrets for bonus damage. Some of the later-game tank battles were really fun for me with the massive enemy variety (multi-shot tanks, choppers, AoE attacks, missiles)...just a shame it takes so long to get to that point.

I also got to the point where I actually...kinda...enjoy the tank battles. For the reasons you stated, because of the increased variety of threats to manage, but also the weapons you get to take them down. You get more dodges, you can upgrade to shooting 12 missiles at once, there's a REALLY good upgrade where you can store up secondary weapon ammo even if you get hit...you actually feel kinda badass even if its totally un-Batmanlike, lmao

 

[Beelzebufo]

Happened to me as well. The install process seems to be borked when the game is running. I ended up returning to the main menu, exiting to dashboard, and waiting until I heard the disk stop spinning (PS4 version).

At least now I have an excuse to go to bed lol

 

[JehutyRunner]

Jesus. Just finished the main campaign

Spoiler

but gonna take a break from the game for a few weeks and do a Metal Gear crash course ahead of TPP before getting to sweep up Arkham Knight to activate Knightfall

.

All I can say after all that is (end-game spoiler)

Spoiler

Rocksteady really took a page from the book of PT and crossed it with Doctor Who a bit. That and the jumpscares the game gave me throughout really makes me hope Rocksteady won't do a horror game as their next thing. Or a horror FPS for that matter. Because I wouldn't be able to handle it. Fuck.

 

[StormyTheRabbit]

So I just watched the 100% completion ending. Has Rocksteady or anyone commented on what in the actual fuck it means?

 

[The Xtortionist]

I also got to the point where I actually...kinda...enjoy the tank battles. For the reasons you stated, because of the increased variety of threats to manage, but also the weapons you get to take them down. You get more dodges, you can upgrade to shooting 12 missiles at once, there's a REALLY good upgrade where you can store up secondary weapon ammo even if you get hit...you actually feel kinda badass even if its totally un-Batmanlike, lmao

I believe NG+ has remixed enemy encounters, so I'm hoping that also goes for tank fights.

Side note, it's not traditional tank combat, but my hands were seriously shaking after I finished the (late game spoiler)

Spoiler

Cloudburst segment (Papercuts hard mode)

. Such a fucking relief when I beat that...

 

[SomewhatGroovy]

Alright, I can't force myself to finish this game. I just can't do it. I might come back to it at some point way down the road, but I have too many other games that I enjoy waiting to be played.

Thanks for going out of your way to let us know, ha ha. I really think you are being too irrational about this game but perhaps because it did not align to what you were expecting.

This is easily superior to every iteration that came before it and the batmobile sections make up a small % of the overall experience. The psychological thriller is immense and has never been accomplished the way it has here in any videogame. I have yet to see you comment on any other aspect of the game that wasnt related to batmobile.

So I just watched the 100% completion ending. Has Rocksteady or anyone commented on what in the actual fuck it means?

Discuss in spoiler thread

 

[Net_Wrecker]

If you haven't already, upgrade the crap out of your batmobile weapons (extra damage and faster buildup for special weapons are godsends). And aim for enemy turrets for bonus damage. Some of the later-game tank battles were really fun for me with the massive enemy variety (multi-shot tanks, choppers, AoE attacks, missiles)...just a shame it takes so long to get to that point.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I hate the tank sections (at least not yet ) but even while recognizing it as the weakest aspect of gameplay, it hasn't done enough damage to outweigh what the game does not just "well", but better than any game.

 

[Blitzrules240]

The Riddler can go to hell.

 

[xKilltheMx]

How do you change the batmobile controls? I just started the game and wanted to change it before I even started the game.

 

[Tovarisc]

So I just watched the 100% completion ending. Has Rocksteady or anyone commented on what in the actual fuck it means?

Spoiler

Bruce's identity is compromised so he stages his own death after which he goes Batman full time, "It's only way to protect them". Robin and Oracle has gotten married and Gordon is Mayor, I think. Thing we see at the end is him using Scarecrow's feargas on those goons as he attacks them, Bruce is immune to that shit now.

 

[Dead Man Typing]

I played on Hard mode first time through, because I know the previous Arkham games so I didn't think it'd be an issue. Boy was I wrong when it came to the

Spoiler

final tank battle

in the main story. Maybe I was tired or something but I died again and again. It was very frustrating.

I generally liked the Batmobile sections except that there were just too many of them. In a way I'm impressed that the designers went the whole hog with the new feature instead of it just being a seldom used gimmick. For better or worse, the batmobile is a big part of the game.

I'm looking forward to doing more of the side content, I stuck to the main path most of the time with a few detours. Wish I'd done more side stuff and upgraded the suit and batmobile more.

Overall I really enjoyed it and played the game spoiler free. Woo.

 

[The Xtortionist]

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I hate the tank sections (at least not yet ) but even while recognizing it as the weakest aspect of gameplay, it hasn't done enough damage to outweigh what the game does not just "well", but better than any game.

They only get better, so if you handled the early ones fine, the final impression should be a good one

 

[DUFFMCWALIN]

diggin the long form impressions

Same. Makes for good need time reading.

 

[Durden77]

God damn I love this game.

I'm almost at the end of the story. About 85%.

I know it has problems, (they got a little too excited about the Batmobile), but god damn. When it comes down to it, this game is incredible for making you feel like Batman.

No matter the criticisms, god bless you Rocksteady. You did good. You could've done just a bit better by not getting too entrapped by that sexy machine, but you did good. I understand you had way too much fun with the Batmobile.

It might not be my favorite of the series, we'll see, but I'm so glad it exists.

 

[SomewhatGroovy]

Let me preface. This game is fantastic.

I don't know how to feel though. This game is missing the dungeon-esque charm of the other three games as well as more common thug fights and predator sections. I miss that dearly and I wish there was more of it. But on the other hand, I remember playing Origins and thinking just how similar it was to the other two and wishing for something new. With Arkham Knight, the game feels very new and introduces a lot of cool stuff. I love the batmobile and everything. I'm glad this game is different, but I guess only time will tell if I think this is the best batman game or not.

asylum and City will never go away. They're always there when the itch for what you described comes about. The only reason I had zero interest in this game was because i was afraid that we would be getting City 2.0. When i had read that the game was more varried, i found a new interest for it and do not regret it. I think many here are being extemely hyperbolic about assertions of what this game in. You would think from reading a lot of comments here that 75% of the game has you driving and fighting from your car.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I hate the tank sections (at least not yet ) but even while recognizing it as the weakest aspect of gameplay, it hasn't done enough damage to outweigh what the game does not just "well", but better than any game.

Exactly

 

[Sober]

The dual fighting stuff has been great from a presentation angle as well. You can hold combos switching mid combat without some jarring transition, I would have actually liked to see even more of these type of things as they've been great.



Oh yeah, I don't even know what quickfire explosive gel is even doing anymore. I used to use that all the time.

Just tried it and quickfire gel is basically nerfed hard into the ground. It's probably worse than the disruptor grenade from Origins (which replaced the REC from AC). The boosted freeflow effect I don't have but from the upgrade video it looks like it just boosts it to the original range of the old disruptor grenade effect in AO.

It's gross, the gel doesn't even knock anyone over anymore, not even the boosted version. It produces roughly the same effect that dropping smoke into a group does and makes the affected thugs disoriented and swing wildly. But it has the weakest explosion radius, you have to get another thug almost on top for it to actually hit anyone else. Disappointing to say the least.