So with Arkham Origins coming out soon, I thought I'd go back and replay where it all began.
When I first played this game, I absolutely fell in love with the entire world and characters and everything. Rocksteady truly did something revolutionary here and it's obvious to see why so many other developers ape them. The environment is organic and the game really makes you feel like you're Batman. It's really a miracle this game managed to happen. That said, it really does not live up to my memories.
Part of it is because a lot of the charm is in not knowing exactly whats going to happen. Scarecrow is the obvious example where foreknowledge just kind of ruins what he has going for him, but there's also just not knowing what villains will show up or getting new gadgets. Cursed with a decent memory, despite not touching the game for 6 years, I remembered almost every beat, so there was no sense of discovery for me, which was a big part of the fun of both Asylum and City.
Another part of it is that, even if you think Asylum is a better game as a whole, there is no denying that City is the mechanically superior game. There were many times where Batman attacked the wrong guy despite me pointing him a different direction, for example. That and minor improvements that City implemented, like being able to grapple without having to land first, just made a monumental difference in the gameplay. It's not the games fault, because the first of anything is always going to be the least polished, but it does present a problem in returning to it.
Last part of it that the first time you play, the good parts of the game are so distractingly good that you focus on them, with the flaws not leaving as much of an impression. The second time you go through it, however, the flaws of the game are more evident. The atrocious boss battles are a given, but then there's also the statonary plants that you have to destroy in like 5 different fields. It was pure busy work and added little to the game. A lot of the interview tapes are essentially the same as well. "We're here to help you." "Fuck your help. Now I'm going to do something awful" "Oh the humanity".
Though, to be honest, what I said up there, despite being true....really doesn't matter as much as you'd think. Yeah, the combat system is rougher than what it would be in the future, it was still really fun. Yeah, the encounters lacked surprises, that didn't change the fact that you are still the goddamn Batman, going head to head with your enemies. Yeah, the story could have been utilized better, but all the extra information and interview tapes and easter eggs made the characters feel like they are more than what is shown, because there is a history to them. And of course the level design is still awesome. You can make plenty of criticisms about the game, but I feel Asylum rises above them despite that.
More than anything, this game is such a labor of love. You can feel how much the developers cared about Batman and went out of their way to do him and his world justice. And they succeeded. I'm still hopeful that we will one day see another superhero game that is made with as much care as Rocksteady did.
When I first played this game, I absolutely fell in love with the entire world and characters and everything. Rocksteady truly did something revolutionary here and it's obvious to see why so many other developers ape them. The environment is organic and the game really makes you feel like you're Batman. It's really a miracle this game managed to happen. That said, it really does not live up to my memories.
Part of it is because a lot of the charm is in not knowing exactly whats going to happen. Scarecrow is the obvious example where foreknowledge just kind of ruins what he has going for him, but there's also just not knowing what villains will show up or getting new gadgets. Cursed with a decent memory, despite not touching the game for 6 years, I remembered almost every beat, so there was no sense of discovery for me, which was a big part of the fun of both Asylum and City.
Another part of it is that, even if you think Asylum is a better game as a whole, there is no denying that City is the mechanically superior game. There were many times where Batman attacked the wrong guy despite me pointing him a different direction, for example. That and minor improvements that City implemented, like being able to grapple without having to land first, just made a monumental difference in the gameplay. It's not the games fault, because the first of anything is always going to be the least polished, but it does present a problem in returning to it.
Last part of it that the first time you play, the good parts of the game are so distractingly good that you focus on them, with the flaws not leaving as much of an impression. The second time you go through it, however, the flaws of the game are more evident. The atrocious boss battles are a given, but then there's also the statonary plants that you have to destroy in like 5 different fields. It was pure busy work and added little to the game. A lot of the interview tapes are essentially the same as well. "We're here to help you." "Fuck your help. Now I'm going to do something awful" "Oh the humanity".
Though, to be honest, what I said up there, despite being true....really doesn't matter as much as you'd think. Yeah, the combat system is rougher than what it would be in the future, it was still really fun. Yeah, the encounters lacked surprises, that didn't change the fact that you are still the goddamn Batman, going head to head with your enemies. Yeah, the story could have been utilized better, but all the extra information and interview tapes and easter eggs made the characters feel like they are more than what is shown, because there is a history to them. And of course the level design is still awesome. You can make plenty of criticisms about the game, but I feel Asylum rises above them despite that.
More than anything, this game is such a labor of love. You can feel how much the developers cared about Batman and went out of their way to do him and his world justice. And they succeeded. I'm still hopeful that we will one day see another superhero game that is made with as much care as Rocksteady did.