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[Where's my goat?]

Is the online any good?

I was having a lot of fun the first day but now I can't get anyone else to join my lobby on PS3. There also seems to be a 1 in 5 chance that it'll lock up while loading.

Still, it is fun when it works.

 

[ElRenoRaven]

Agre with pretty much everything here.

Re: the Batclaw thing, all those fire extinguishers and stuff lying around would have ended up in people's faces if I could quickfire it.

And the concussion grenades are totally useless. What I found strange was that right after you get them you go into the

Spoiler

Police headquarters and Alfred says something like, "hey you shouldn't just kick everyone's ass" or something implying that I should use them on those guys.

But then I tried it and it essentially just works as a group-effect batarang. So Instead of kicking their ass, I throw a grenade thing at them that pisses them off first, then kick their ass.

yea that's the one gadget that I really found useless. I liked all the others though.

 

[foxtrot3d]

Did he play the same Rocksteady games I did? Because I distinctly remembered a completely ramshackle plot and barely coherent pacing in City.

Also that review is garbage, and is barely even about the game. Sterling largely tosses aside the game itself and instead uses the review as a soapbox to bitch at publishers for making "unnecessary sequels". I mean shit Jim I understand your frustrated and all (except in this context RS really has no right to claim ownership of the batman IP in any capacity at all), but save that shit for an editorial or a Jimquisition.

Should have expected this after he was on twitter talking about how he was upset at not getting a review copy on time. Shame petty publisher/editorial shit had to get in the way like this.

Gonna have to agree with Jim about the story in Origins, I found it to be the weakest of all the games. The plot is really scattershot and the whole assassin plotline just falls away as soon as the Joker is introduced. And then, the Joker plotline while offering a few good moments lacks any sort of coherence or focus. The game also has horrible pacing and relies WAY too much on over extended fight scenes. Rocksteady knew how to properly pace the game and never spent too much time on anyone aspect, WB fails to do so.

Nowhere is the lack of focus and proper pacing more evident than in the ending. It just doesn't feel like an ending but rather just another event. There isn't a real buildup to it and their really isn't much at stake. The game overall just feels like imitation rather than original thought, their just isnt that magic that the Rocksteady games have.

 

[Nephrahim]

The online SEEMS solid, assuming two things.

1. they can get it to work. On PC it's a mess, with most of your progress not even being saved.

2. It stays balanced. I managed to win as Batman once, but I've yet to see anyone else do it. Also I find that Joker gang wins a LOT more then bane, though I don't know why. Could just coincidences.

 

[Screaming Meat]

Pretty sure he gave MW3 very high marks (like a 9 or something idk) last year. Don't quote me on that exactly though, as I don't visit DS very often nor read CoD reviews.

Well, if that's the case, that'd be quite the hypocritical position.

 

[Ephemeris]

Wow the Royal Hotel and the stuff directly afterwards was freaking amazing. Lightyears ahead of anything else in the game so far.

That was really, REALLY well done.

Absolutely. There's that Asylum vibe I missed.

And I was totally

Spoiler

kicking Bane's ass. COME ON ALFRED,

I TOLD YOU I GOT THIS.

 

[Asd202]

It's strange that the game is reviewed so harshly. If Rocksteady is making another Batman game they really have a tough nut to crack I mean AA and AC were so good it will be hard to top and it seems people don't really like the rehash of ideas with little changes.

 

[dex3108]

Well, if that's the case, that'd be quite the hypocritical position.

Yeap 9.5 for MW3

http://www.destructoid.com/review-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3-215404.phtml

 

[pa22word]

Gonna have to agree with Jim about the story in Origins, I found it to be the weakest of all the games. The plot is really scattershot and the whole assassin plotline just falls away as soon as the Joker is introduced. And then, the Joker plotline while offering a few good moments lacks any sort of coherence or focus. The game also has horrible pacing and relies WAY too much on over extended fight scenes.

Switch Origins with City, batman identity with assassin and that last Joker with /arkham city villian of the hour and you have Arkham City to a T. Seriously, I can not for the life of me see how people can praise City's story. The plot is a complete clusterfuck in every sense of the word. The game constantly introduces and tosses away antagonists like they're toilet paper, and the game's core plot ends once, restarts, and quickly twists on you out of nowhere (twice) for the sake of it. Oh and Catwoman and twoface copy/pasta epilogue fight because why the hell not.

I generally love Dini's work, but the plot and story of AC was just awful.

 

[chickdigger802]

Crime Alley still cracks me up.

It's soo dumb.

WB montreal has the chops for sure. I can see some promising stuff in the future.

hope they can branch out a bit. i don't need them alternating with rocksteady making batman a yearly franchise.

 

[Schweinehund]

The online SEEMS solid, assuming two things.

1. they can get it to work. On PC it's a mess, with most of your progress not even being saved.

2. It stays balanced. I managed to win as Batman once, but I've yet to see anyone else do it. Also I find that Joker gang wins a LOT more then bane, though I don't know why. Could just coincidences.

Oh wow you won with batman? That's impressive. I haven't seen a b/r win once yet out of like 20 matches or so. If they lowered the intimidation loss when batman/robin die, or made it so each player had their own separate pool (so if you have a new team mate you can still win even though they keep dying), then it might be fine.

 

[Derrick01]

So this is beating Arkham City for me, does anyone else feel that way or am I just crazy?

I'm still not very far but I feel like there's lots of little things it does better, but the combat problems are impeding any progress it's making so far. It's like a 1 step forward 2 back kind of thing. The combat was perfect in AC and this 1 problem in AO is hurting the entire way combat was designed in these Arkham games. I can't feel like batman when I'm spending entire battles countering instead of pulling off 80% of his entire move set in 1 battle with a 30+ combo.

I dunno maybe I'll figure it out as I keep playing. Story wise I just did the part where you have to interrogate

Spoiler

Penguin's thug to find him

when I made that angry rant against the combat late last night, so I'm still VERY early in. I think maybe it's just me playing on Hard that could be the problem. I did that because I'm so used to AA and AC's combat style that I figured playing this on normal would be way too easy.

 

[UrbanRats]

Congrats Dtoid for the most terrible review of this game.

http://www.destructoid.com/review-batman-arkham-origins-264357.phtml

3.5/10

How drunk or high was Sterling when he wrote this?

Weirdly harsh tone, i disagree with a bunch of points, but most of all, i don't see the existence of the game itself to be as damning as he points out in the review.

Anyhow, anybody got any good Arkham city combat videos? I guess i dont' have a problem with AO because i'm apparently 'boring' who mostly just use counters and strikes and the 2 button 8x moves in all the arkham games. Curious how to utilize all the gadgets well (I have a super hard time keeping a combo going with gadgets)

In NG+, without the counter prompts and the harder difficulty (in Arkham City) i had to use them a lot, especially in the boss fights with all the goons (like the one with Joker).
Especially the ice bombs and the explosive gel roll, as well as the batclaw and batarang to disarm rifle users.

 

[Schweinehund]

Crime Alley still cracks me up.

It's soo dumb.

WB montreal has the chops for sure. I can see some promising stuff in the future.

hope they can branch out a bit. i don't need them alternating with rocksteady making batman a yearly franchise.

I wonder who is working on

Spoiler

The suicide squad game. Linky its obvious by the ending that deathstroke will be one of the characters. I also like the blurb that will be really violent, this game made deathstroke look like a pacifist.

 

[chickdigger802]

I'm still not very far but I feel like there's lots of little things it does better, but the combat problems are impeding any progress it's making so far. It's like a 1 step forward 2 back kind of thing. The combat was perfect in AC and this 1 problem in AO is hurting the entire way combat was designed in these Arkham games. I can't feel like batman when I'm spending entire battles countering instead of pulling off 80% of his entire move set in 1 battle with a 30+ combo.

I dunno maybe I'll figure it out as I keep playing. Story wise I just did the part where you have to interrogate

Spoiler

Penguin's thug to find him

when I made that angry rant against the combat late last night, so I'm still VERY early in. I think maybe it's just me playing on Hard that could be the problem. I did that because I'm so used to AA and AC's combat style that I figured playing this on normal would be way too easy.

normal isn't really easy. i mean you are way less squishy, but its still quite hard to keep a solid combo going.

 

[Ephemeris]

do you really need crowd control though? My counter button is my crowd control.

I use it to annoy shield dudes.

AC shock gun was way much better.
The enchanced version was godlike.

yes yes

 

[chickdigger802]

I use it to annoy shield dudes.


yes yes

the delay before it works is kinda crappy for how fast combat goes though. And shield guys are irrelevant after you get shock gloves.

 

[Nephrahim]

Oh wow you won with batman? That's impressive. I haven't seen a b/r win once yet out of like 20 matches or so. If they lowered the intimidation loss when batman/robin die, or made it so each player had their own separate pool (so if you have a new team mate you can still win even though they keep dying), then it might be fine.

Yeah, the problem is you need someone good with both Batman AND robin, and you generally need to work together if the gangs are staying clumped up.

That said, if the gang is being really careful, it might just be impossible to win as them, I could have just gotten lucky. I wonder if they would be willing to tweak things if it turned out nobody could win with the heroes.

 

[Schweinehund]

The combati s much better once you get critical strikes. Which is about a 1/3rd through the game.

 

[SJRB]

Sterling has been complaining about Origins on Twitter for days, I actually considered unfollowing him because it really got on my nerves. I've been pretty harsh about this game in this thread, but this review is surreal.

the entire campaign feels like little more than a delivery system for more paid content, which is fairly despicable.

Gotham was apparently Arkham City years before the events of Arkham City, at least according to Arkham Origins. Makes you wonder what it was that Dr. Strange actually did to change anything in the previous game.

It's contemptuously pissed all over what Rocksteady accomplished with the previous Arkham games and shat out a soulless wreckage of a game.

If Batman: Arkham Origins does one thing well, it's epitomize the kind of exploitative garbage that has steadily eroded so much faith in the so-called "AAA" gaming scene.

What the hell is he even talking about?

But congrats on the +1 click, Sterling!

 

[pa22word]

I'm still not very far but I feel like there's lots of little things it does better, but the combat problems are impeding any progress it's making so far. It's like a 1 step forward 2 back kind of thing. The combat was perfect in AC and this 1 problem in AO is hurting the entire way combat was designed in these Arkham games. I can't feel like batman when I'm spending entire battles countering instead of pulling off 80% of his entire move set in 1 battle with a 30+ combo.

I dunno maybe I'll figure it out as I keep playing. Story wise I just did the part where you have to interrogate

Spoiler

Penguin's thug to find him

when I made that angry rant against the combat late last night, so I'm still VERY early in. I think maybe it's just me playing on Hard that could be the problem. I did that because I'm so used to AA and AC's combat style that I figured playing this on normal would be way too easy.

Honestly dude just take your lickings and drop it down to normal if hard is (aptly enough!) too hard for you on your first run. It's getting kind of tiring hearing you complain about how much the game is "holding you back" from fulfilling your Batman power fantasy because it's too hard for you.

I mean hell man there's no shame in playing on Normal. That's what it's there for, lol.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Oh phooey. The Beware the Batman skin is only if you have both the ps3 version and vita game blackgate? Wonder if they will sell it by itself soon?

 

[haikira]

What the hell is he even talking about?

But congrats on the +1 click, Sterling!

I do slightly agree with him on the second point. Other than that, yeah... What the hell's he on about? He should stick to creating satirical videos pointing out what's wrong with the industry, rather than reviewing any actual games.

 

[Nephrahim]

I'm still not very far but I feel like there's lots of little things it does better, but the combat problems are impeding any progress it's making so far. It's like a 1 step forward 2 back kind of thing. The combat was perfect in AC and this 1 problem in AO is hurting the entire way combat was designed in these Arkham games. I can't feel like batman when I'm spending entire battles countering instead of pulling off 80% of his entire move set in 1 battle with a 30+ combo.

I dunno maybe I'll figure it out as I keep playing. Story wise I just did the part where you have to interrogate

Spoiler

Penguin's thug to find him

when I made that angry rant against the combat late last night, so I'm still VERY early in. I think maybe it's just me playing on Hard that could be the problem. I did that because I'm so used to AA and AC's combat style that I figured playing this on normal would be way too easy.

Normal isn't THAT easy.

That said, I played on hard, and I got a lot closer to dying at most early fights then the later ones, when you have all your upgrades. The exception being a few boss fights which were a PAIN.

 

[Screaming Meat]

I'm still not very far but I feel like there's lots of little things it does better, but the combat problems are impeding any progress it's making so far. It's like a 1 step forward 2 back kind of thing. The combat was perfect in AC and this 1 problem in AO is hurting the entire way combat was designed in these Arkham games. I can't feel like batman when I'm spending entire battles countering instead of pulling off 80% of his entire move set in 1 battle with a 30+ combo.

I dunno maybe I'll figure it out as I keep playing. Story wise I just did the part where you have to interrogate

Spoiler

Penguin's thug to find him

when I made that angry rant against the combat late last night, so I'm still VERY early in. I think maybe it's just me playing on Hard that could be the problem. I did that because I'm so used to AA and AC's combat style that I figured playing this on normal would be way too easy.

Have you tried relying on Evading more? I haven't changed my tactics from AC to Origins and I tend to Evade between every two moves. Although, having said that, I'm playing on Normal currently.

Yeap 9.5 for MW3

http://www.destructoid.com/review-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3-215404.phtml

He's a bad man.

 

[dave is ok]

Probably already covered, but does anyone else have to delete BMEngine.ini EVERY TIME they start the game?

PC version has some really annoying bugs

 

[spacemonkeynation]

Yup, that kind of review is exactly why I don't take Destructoid seriously. It's nice to have a game politic site to point out industry missteps but it's borderline unethical for the same site to review games if this is the result.

And why the hell would he use this game as his soapbox platform? Perhaps because amidst the next gen hype he figures no one would pay attention enough to call him on his bullshit?

 

[The_Intruder]

Congrats Dtoid for the most terrible review of this game.

http://www.destructoid.com/review-batman-arkham-origins-264357.phtml

3.5/10

How drunk or high was Sterling when he wrote this?

This remind me Kid Icarus Uprising review...

 

[Derrick01]

Have you tried relying on Evading more? I haven't changed my tactics from AC to Origins, although I'm playing on Normal currently, so I tend to Evade between every other two moves.

I'm doing more flips than an olympic gymnast in battles. You're pretty much forced to unless you want to stand there mashing the counter button.

Also that review is ridiculous. I'm not even that far in the game and I'll still say it's no 3/10. Nowhere near that.

I had a problem with most of the reviews for this game where it was being hammered for being more of the same when they let Assassin's Creed, COD, Battlefield, EA sports games, and Halo (as well as many other games) get away with that every year. The only time a game gets called out for being more of the same is when reviewers feel like they can get away with doing it. Notice how this game didn't seem like it had a lot of hype to it before it came out? It was easy to see what reviewers were going to do because of that. No hype cycle= bash for things they wouldn't normally bash.

 

[AkuMifune]

What the hell is he even talking about?

Yeah, he's chosen the wrong crusade this time. I generally think Origins is great, and so far isn't nearly as vile with it's DLC as City was. Is he forgetting what a fucking joke how that Catwoman DLC was implemented? You only got half the game unless you paid for it.

I've only just gotten past

Spoiler

Copperhead

, but I like the aggressive AI and I've even turned off the hints which disables counter icons. I like the combat a lot and and glad it challenges me more than just providing DMC combo time wrecking house every encounter. This Batman is more of a thug, sloppier and bullheaded. I like these flaws. Just like Origins itself, he's rough around the edges and a little more brutal. I love it.

 

[Screaming Meat]

I'm doing more flips than an olympic gymnast in battles. You're pretty much forced to unless you want to stand there mashing the counter button.

Eep. That's how I played AA and AC, too... is that a bad thing? I find it gives you a chance to access your inventory of moves, pick out the tough nuts etc. If you're doing that, I can't see where the issue lies. You can get Apex Vigilante pretty consistently with that.

 

[UrbanRats]

I play on normal, and i still have to keep my focus in bigger fights.

 

[chickdigger802]

a bit disappointed that they put so much emphasize on how there are like 8 assassins, but maybe only half of them, they put any effort into.

you put down a set number, plan around it, or just say 4 assassins.

At least give each assassin at least 1 unique counter animation. jeez.

 

[Ikuu]

Reviews like that are why I don't pay any attention to the gaming media.

 

[Nephrahim]

Flipping is fine. If you're having trouble though, try to "Clear space" with counters. What I mean is, walk right into the group of guys, and just counter the first few attacks (4 or 5) after that, you'll most likely get a window of opportunity to strike, and from there you can keep snowballing.

 

[Ephemeris]

the delay before it works is kinda crappy for how fast combat goes though. And shield guys are irrelevant after you get shock gloves.

Geez. I thought people were exaggerating on the effectiveness of the gloves.

I was so wrong.

80 hit combos out of nowhere.

 

[Kai Dracon]

Wow at the Sterling review.

Wow at the Sterling 9.5 for MW3.

Yeah, Jim should maybe focus more on industry commentary rather than trying to quantify games with numbers.

 

[icespide]

that destructoid review is terrrrrrible

 

[pa22word]

I'm doing more flips than an olympic gymnast in battles. You're pretty much forced to unless you want to stand there mashing the counter button.

.

Try getting creative with your quickfire batbomb paste. Flip away, lay a bomb, flip away again, then trigger and blow up 3-4 guys who were standing where you used to be. Instant breathing room for combos.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

To chime in, the combat in this is fantastic and the best out of the three games. I hope we see Rocksteady stick with it. A few tweaks (namely speed Bats up a little) and it'd be perfect.

 

[Squishy3]

Geez. I thought people were exaggerating on the effectiveness of the gloves.

I was so wrong.

80 hit combos out of nowhere.

Give praise to our lord and savior the jobber that is the Electrocutioner.

 

[chickdigger802]

Geez. I thought people were exaggerating on the effectiveness of the gloves.

I was so wrong.

80 hit combos out of nowhere.

you can literally destroy enforcer types in a few seconds lol. you don't even needa stun them because you finish them off before they can even swipe at ya.

 

[rmanthorp]

Give praise to our lord and savior the jobber that is the Electrocutioner.

PRAISE THE CUTIONER

 

[strafer]

I dont know why Batman ditched the gloves.

Would have been awesome to have in AA and AC.

 

[Nephrahim]

I never bothered stunning them anyway. I'd just flip over them when they were about to hit me.

I assume they also destroy armored enforces though, that's lol. So did they JUST include him for that power-up? He's the only assassin I did not recognize (And I'm a comic book fan.)

 

[Jaded Alyx]

I dont know why Batman ditched the gloves.

Would have been awesome to have in AA and AC.

Weren't they in the Wii U version of AC? Always thought that was weird.

 

[chickdigger802]

I dont know why Batman ditched the gloves.

Would have been awesome to have in AA and AC.

well he uses them in the wii u version of AC (which was ported by this team lol).


A bit confused what batman even did. he saw the gloves, tapped some buttons on his hand, boom I have electric gloves!

 

[Jaded Alyx]

well he uses them in the wii u version of AC (which was ported by this team lol).


A bit confused what batman even did. he saw the gloves, tapped some buttons on his hand, boom I have electric gloves!

He's Batman. He can do that.

 

[Psykoboy2]

Hard to trust the long standing reviewers in the field. Most of them seem to write and judge games as though they've forgotten what it was like to be a consumer and have become complacent in their position and standing.

It feels that way to me sometimes when reading reviews or even their tweets on certain issues or games.

 

[strafer]

Weren't they in the Wii U version of AC? Always thought that was weird.

well he uses them in the wii u version of AC (which was ported by this team lol).


A bit confused what batman even did. he saw the gloves, tapped some buttons on his hand, boom I have electric gloves!

Ah okay then. Haven't played the Wii U version.

Also, how good are you guys at doing dodging knives takedowns? I'm still mastering it.