Triggerhappytel
Member
It means it's more focused. City has so much going on that it's less consistent, it's scattershot, it feels bloated.
Why Batman: Arkham City is better than Batman: Arkham Asylum
- Thread starter Spring-Loaded
- Start date
It means it's more focused. City has so much going on that it's less consistent, it's scattershot, it feels bloated.
dancingphlower
Member
A giant waypoint in City wasn't enough direction for you?
Shining Sunshine
Banned
~sets way point and goes to it~
"Hey Batman, you see all those shitty Riddler batarang puzzles? 100% completion"
"Batman, break these TITAN crates for me or I break your back"
"Ring Ring it's Zsasz, do these shitty telephone mini games cuz uh I'll kill someone"
"Batman, you don't know how to use your Glider, but you will after doing these crappy gliding simulations"
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA" - Joker Balloon
Yeah, no direction as in the fucking designers didn't know what the fuck they wanted to do.
City is better in every category I think. Everything Asylum does City does better as a whole. There might be certain moments you can point to as crests in Asylum as being better than City but those come at the expense of valleys that City just doesn't really have. You can list Scarecrow as many times as you want but it doesn't make up for Killer Croc, or the Titan style bosses in place of unique encounters.
What I don't understand is people holding up Asylum as some better designed world. It's the same thing. You have buildings and zones which are separate from one another. The only thing that's really different is the amount of overworld space in between them.
I'm not sure where I would stick Origins. It's certainly weaker than City but I don't know if it makes more mistakes than Asylum. Asylum I'm inclined to cut some slack as it was the first and Origins had the superior City template to work from.
What I don't understand is people holding up Asylum as some better designed world. It's the same thing. You have buildings and zones which are separate from one another. The only thing that's really different is the amount of overworld space in between them.
I'm not sure where I would stick Origins. It's certainly weaker than City but I don't know if it makes more mistakes than Asylum. Asylum I'm inclined to cut some slack as it was the first and Origins had the superior City template to work from.
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
r u srs?
Either you can't correctly find your way to the objective, which may be a bigger personal problem when there's a map, compass, and giant Batsignal showing you where it is; or you were purposely distracted by the OPTIONAL side activities.
In either scenario, your complaints make you seem pretty dense.
Iva Demilcol
Member
I liked both games but I prefer Arkham City overall. It does have more content and I don't mean it has more missions and collectibles and things like that, what I mean is that the villains you face in City are actually better than the ones in Asylum, also you're in a "city" so that makes more sense than being thrown into a prison where casually there's a Batcave built under the surface.
B-B-Bomba!
Member
I came late to City but believe it would have been a great game with more focus and narrative constriction. The very idea of all of that stuff happening in one night just gave me a headache and reminded me too much of my job.
I always have a problem with games that give you an INCREDIBLY URGENT problem with one hand but seem with the other to be expecting you piddle around with side missions and exploration.
Personally I don't have the kind of mind to cope with that sort of dissonance.
I always have a problem with games that give you an INCREDIBLY URGENT problem with one hand but seem with the other to be expecting you piddle around with side missions and exploration.
Personally I don't have the kind of mind to cope with that sort of dissonance.
Arkham City is a better game because it doesn't repeat the same boss fight for the entirety of the game, and The Joker doesn't turn into a different variation of the same boss fight at the end.
The combat is better as well and the ending isn't a disappointment, the final scene in City is amazing.
The combat is better as well and the ending isn't a disappointment, the final scene in City is amazing.
Shining Sunshine
Banned
No, you don't get it.
You are just completely distracted by a shitton of side shit that makes the whole game poorly paced.
It's such a piece of shit.
ninjablade
Banned
had lots of fun doing all those missions.
Plinko
Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
Count me in this group. Origins was easily the most entertaining one of the bunch.
Origins>>>>>City>>>>>>>>>>>Asylum
Shining Sunshine
Banned
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
Again, how are you distracted by side missions? After they're introduced, it becomes obvious that that's exactly what they are and you can go along your merry way to finish the main story. You do the side stuff if you want to and if not you just ignore it. I don't see the problem here.
The reason why the game throws these things at you in the first place is to tell you "hey, there's another story here if you want to know more" and for the most part, they lead to some fantastic conclusions. It doesn't tell you to stop Zsasz or find one who's lopping people's faces off, it teases you a bit and says "follow me down the rabbit hole".
Also, there's no way that a game which refines the gameplay of its quality predecessor successfully can be a "piece of shit".
E the Shaggy
Junior Member
Ignore all those. Do the main quest. Problem solved.
I remember Freeze sort of. Ras Al Ghul I don't even remember fighting, Lol.
I also remember disliking the game because the hard mode sucked so much. In Asylum, Hard mode meant that the counter prompt went away. In AC it meant you fight more enemies and they're stronger. Counter prompt still there. Felt so cheap.
Amentallica
Unconfirmed Member
They're distracting, regardless of whether you choose to pursue the main story line or not. They take away from the feeling of an objective. I like options just as much as the next person, and I wouldn't have asked for them to remove them, but simply make the narrators shut the fuck up, putting the missions in a main menu. I hate City's pacing.
Glass Rebel
Member
I can't think of any specific examples since it's been a while since I last played it but I just found the island in AA better realized than the city in AC. There was nothing really memorable about Arkham City for me whereas Asylum had the Penitentiary, the Botanical Gardens, the Medical Facility, Intensive Treatment and Arkham Manor. It is designed in such a way that you start to intuitively recognize the layout while you go from point to point. It's true that AA isn't like Metroid but it evokes similar feelings. City might as well have had textureless blocks randomly strewn around. And the random thugs waiting for you to beat them up certainly didn't make it any more exciting.
LaunchpadMcQ
Banned
Just worth noting, City's hard mode is harder, harder than Asylum's hard mode in the sense that enemies do more damage and they attack more frequently; the no counter prompt is instated in NG+.
City is everything a sequel should be. It improves on every aspect of the original and then goes beyond.
I agree 100% with the OP. I can't go back and play Asylum anymore after playing City. It's just great o so many levels. The cast of characters, the scope, the story... Batman faces a challenge so big with so many obstacles on one night he actually has to team up with enemies and friends make an appearance.
As Mentioned, the combat is superior on every level. And traversal is more batman-like then anything you do in Asylum. In City, I feel like batman. Swinging thru the city, in Asylum I feel cramped.
I could go on, but every time this subject comes up I find it so hard to believe that people can prefer Asylum over City.
I agree 100% with the OP. I can't go back and play Asylum anymore after playing City. It's just great o so many levels. The cast of characters, the scope, the story... Batman faces a challenge so big with so many obstacles on one night he actually has to team up with enemies and friends make an appearance.
As Mentioned, the combat is superior on every level. And traversal is more batman-like then anything you do in Asylum. In City, I feel like batman. Swinging thru the city, in Asylum I feel cramped.
I could go on, but every time this subject comes up I find it so hard to believe that people can prefer Asylum over City.
You're supposed to feel overwhelmed since that's how it feels to be Batman. Even then, it's not hard to ignore the side content and continue with the story. This argument makes no sense.
AA to AC (and now to AK) is the perfect natural progression to the Arkham series and how the definitive Batman experience should be.
The counter prompt is removed on Hard in AC too.
Yea but that kind of "difficulty" felt artificial to me. More enemies with more health. That's lazy FPS stuff. The lack of counter prompt was cool because it made the combat more fun and completely changed how I approached the encounters.
Not from what I saw.
Fudgepuppy
Banned
The story in AA felt so farse with how Batman and Joker interacted, AC felt like a real story with characters acting without restraint and the story following suit.
For true tension, there needs to be that feeling that someone will get hurt if the protagonist doesn't stop the antagonist. In AA, Joker's intentions were just screwing and playing with Batman. In AC, he wanted to hurt him, kill him and crush everything he stands for. In AC Batman actually showed motivation in stopping Joker, whereas in AA it played like the 1960's-series with Joker being just a prankster, and Batman being a pacifist, resulting in the story being incredibly unengaging and toothless.
AC is top-notch, AA is kind of dull.
For true tension, there needs to be that feeling that someone will get hurt if the protagonist doesn't stop the antagonist. In AA, Joker's intentions were just screwing and playing with Batman. In AC, he wanted to hurt him, kill him and crush everything he stands for. In AC Batman actually showed motivation in stopping Joker, whereas in AA it played like the 1960's-series with Joker being just a prankster, and Batman being a pacifist, resulting in the story being incredibly unengaging and toothless.
AC is top-notch, AA is kind of dull.
Spring-Loaded
Member
Added this bulleted list to the OP
COMBAT
STEALTH/PREDATOR GAMEPLAY
OVERALL WORLD DESIGN
BOSS FIGHTS
SIDE CONTENT
AC can be overwhelming the first time through. The progression overall is fine, it just could've stood to be stretched out over more time. Too much happens in quick succession and players will naturally be inclined to move from one main objective to the next. Especially when coming off of AA, AC can feel like there's too much to learn and get used to.
It is possible to get used to and make good use of all the new features, even during a first playthough. AA packaged its content really well, but only because it had to there's nothing more to that game's basic gameplay loop other than some basic linear traversal, combat against regular dudes and titan dudes, and then predator rooms, all completely separate from one another. Combat and predator gameplay is fun in that game, but it's super basic and doesn't evolve throughout the main game. AC manages to mix things up with all of its gameplay throughout it's technically shorter campaign.
Since they hinge on traversal and traversal can actually be engaging and fun in AC, those side missions can be fun. A friend of mine never got the grapnel boost takedown and on the final Zsasz call, he reached the phone with one second left
I have to attribute that to how long the player has to spend in each of those areas. There are multiple exits from most locations in AC, whereas there's usually only a single way into each in AA. AC's indoor locations are all very distinct visually and structurally (at least as distinct as each in AA), but there's more chances to move between them at one's leisure throughout. That's the only reason I can think of the locations being more memorable for one game over the other for someone since not much is done to distinguish each area in AA (not that it needed to since it's all in one location).
COMBAT
- Arkham City has much better/more extensive integration of basic gadgets/moves in combat than Arkham Asylum
- All use of gadgets during combat is optional (special enemies can be taken out using only the basic abilities that were in AA [e.g. armored thugs are new, but can be taken out with Instant Takedown, Titan thugs just need to be hit with three cape stuns)
- More diverse enemy types that demand better crowd management/timing
- Enemy types/abilities are introduced throughout the main game so that you're not merely fighting more-and-more of the same basic enemies in place of a proper pre-final boss fight like in AA
- All enemy types allow for a combo to be retained (titan thugs no longer require waiting for them to charge before attacking them, so even if they're the last enemy, a combo can be retained)
- Double/triple counters, blade counters and un-counterable attacks demand more from player, either by countering them straight-up, dodging, disabling enemies/their weapons prior to attack, or other gadgets in that instant
- Fights in outdoor areas allow traversal to be tied into combat (e.g. divebomb takedowns that can swing enemies into others for more instant takedowns, grapnel boost takedowns
- Weapon disarming with Batclaw works on stun batons, knives, bottles, guns
- Weapon dismantling works on everything
- Basic combat can be blended with predator segments due to being able to throw three batarangs in quick succession, smokebombs, divebomb attacks and quickfire functions for almost all gadgets, even outside of a combo lack of options/traversal in AA meant Predator segments were much more separate from combat ones
STEALTH/PREDATOR GAMEPLAY
- Player can knockout an enemy during a silent takedown (e.g. DDT)
- Line-launcher has tightrope feature that can be used to make a makeshift perch
- Smoke bombs allow for tactics in between pure stealth and attacking head-on (enemies will fire into smoke even if they're not in it, can be used to divert attention
- Reverse-batarang feature for remote controlled batarang another option for misdirection
- Double-ledge takedowns, hanging ledge takedowns from above, vent takedowns, weak wall takedowns, ice smash takedowns
- Enemies frozen with ice grenade can be used as bait
- Mine detonator/gun jammer can be used to allow taking down an enemy in the open while others try to fire disabled guns or lead them into a trap as they try to get new weapons, can also detonate concussive mines near enemies
- REC shock device will cause enemies to fire wildly to distract/scare surrounding enemies
- Enemies will destroy perches when they notice they're being attacked from them, which helps force the player to mix up tactics rather than continually rely on them throughout a predator segment
- Enemies with thermal goggles will check perches and can see through smoke from smoke bombs/fire extinguishers
- Armored enemies require a non-silent takedown, puttin gmore pressure on player
OVERALL WORLD DESIGN
- City and Asylum similar in overall design to the point that a similar experience to Asylum (going from one story-beat/main objective to the next) can be achieved by going from one story-beat/main objective to the next in Arkham City. The games are not fundamentally different and are each much more about their basic gameplay mechanics than about the level design itself. Punching dudes in tight corridors isn't automatically better than punching them out in a city setting
- Nothing special done with Asylum's particular overworld design. Anythign it did could be (or was) done in Arkham City's interiors/underground areas
- AA's backtracking is scripted, there's no Dark Souls/Super Metroid-like "looping upon itself" world design; player never has to figure out where to go next, thus making it seem Metroid-like on the surface while being as linear as Uncharted, but with repeated scenery
- AA actually takes longer to traverse from one end to the next because of how most of it consists of hallways, corridors, rooms (that are devoid of enemies/objectives outside of scripted points
- Going back for Arkham ciphers and Riddler trophies/riddles only showcase how barren the game world is
- AC allows players options on how to traverse the game world players can run around if they want, grapnel without gliding, just gliding by diving then pulling up, or combinations of both
- It takes much less time to get from any one end of AC to the other than it would in AA
- AC still manages to have labyrinth-like areas that require atypical traversal (ice rafts, climbing, line-launcher/tightrope)
- AA has no true shortcuts to unlock, and while AC doesn't really either, it isn't restrictive and full of tight hallways as AA
- In AC, players can use the grapnel, then cancel it mid-pull which isn't possible in AA
- Players can grapnel up to a ledge without climbing it, immediately climb over it, roll over the ledge after using the grapnel directly into a run, grapnel boost past the ledge into a glide (or w/o a glide), or "grapnel boost takedown" and enemy near a ledge
- Players can glide, dive, then pull up into a glide in order to gain distance without using the grapnel
- Sliding at a ledge can be used to immediately go into a ledge-hang
- Line-Launcher can be redirected without touching the ground mid zipline, and can be be turned into a tightrope, space permitting
- AA consists almost entirely of running from point to point with very, very little choice for the player as to how to get around
BOSS FIGHTS
- Mr. Freeze isn't a slightly longer version of a fight against a previous subboss (AA's Bane), a slow walking segment, the intensity of which can be circumvented by crouching (Killer Croc), a wash, rinse-repeat fight with added minions (Poison Ivy) or a t a traversal timing minigame with regular enemies sprinkled in (Scarecrow).
- Arkham City doesn't end with a dull wash-rinse-repeat "fight" against and uncharacteristically altered enemy (you know who)
- Mr. Freeze on New Game Plus requires the player use all their takedown moves against him as he'll adapt and ice over the environment after each attack. It manages to be demanding without artificially or inexplicably gimping what the player can do.
- The other AC bosses that do fall into the wash-rinse-repeat cycle still manage to be more engaging than the average AA boss
- Both games suffer from janky, weak narratives. While AC's story progression isn't great, AA's has nothing considerable/notable happen throughout except for one of the main characters dying in an explosion, post Bane battle cutscene, poison ivy spreading her vines throughout the island and the "conclusion." The game is continually building up to some type of resolution and/or reveal, yet it ends with another roided up boss that's even less of a fight than the previous ones. Doesn't come close to something like Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
- AA's scarecrow hallucinations were great, each for different reasons. None have affect on the overall story at all.
- AA's optional post game reveal would've been great as an actual ending and wouldn't have felt terribly anticlimactic, but it remains optional (and boring to collect the Arkham ciphers if you missed any)
- AC actually has story developments throughout, and ends with a noteworthy finish. It's not great, but it actually delivers on some of its promise rather than not delivering at all.
SIDE CONTENT
- Both games have challenge maps. AC's added abilities allow the specific challenges for predator maps to be more creative/demanding, if the player chooses to do them
- Riddler trophies in AC are far too numerous, yet the amount of player thought/input for acquiring each one is much higher on average than for AA. There are legitimate puzzles for acquiring most of the trophies and going for them is far more engaging than it is in AA
- Riddler's informants can be interrogated to get trophy/riddle locations to show up on the minimap, integrating combat/predator gameplay into a colect-a-thon side mission (informant has to be kept conscious until they're the last one left out of their group) a mild, minimal form of detective work which still captures Batman's detective side better than anything in AA
- Riddler trophies/riddles lead to rescuing hostages from Riddler's deathtraps. Deathtrap rooms need to be solved/traversed and demand use of gadgets, much like many of the trophies themselves this gives tangible results for completing Riddler content unlike in AA where acquiring them only leads to acquiring them
- AA's Riddler implementation is limited only to trophies and riddles (both of which are in AC) and nothing more. Upon completion, you only get an audio resolution to the side quest without confronting Riddler yourself
- Other side-missions in AC tend to be very basic, yet they actually exist. If the player wants side content, they have it, if they don't want it, they're entirely optional.
- Player can save non-criminal political prisoners from assaults outside of scripted story points you can straight-up swoop down and save someone from a criminal, beat the hell out of the criminal, hear the victim whisper thanks, then fly off into the night. AA does not have this sadly
TLR
Anyway, AA >>>>>> AC for me. Big time. The open city didn't do anything for me whereas I loved the design of the first game's world. Also, I found the story more tense and engaging, the ability progression way more satisfying and the bosses more interesting/fun (yep, even Killer Croc). In general, AA felt way more coherent.
AC can be overwhelming the first time through. The progression overall is fine, it just could've stood to be stretched out over more time. Too much happens in quick succession and players will naturally be inclined to move from one main objective to the next. Especially when coming off of AA, AC can feel like there's too much to learn and get used to.
It is possible to get used to and make good use of all the new features, even during a first playthough. AA packaged its content really well, but only because it had to there's nothing more to that game's basic gameplay loop other than some basic linear traversal, combat against regular dudes and titan dudes, and then predator rooms, all completely separate from one another. Combat and predator gameplay is fun in that game, but it's super basic and doesn't evolve throughout the main game. AC manages to mix things up with all of its gameplay throughout it's technically shorter campaign.
Since they hinge on traversal and traversal can actually be engaging and fun in AC, those side missions can be fun. A friend of mine never got the grapnel boost takedown and on the final Zsasz call, he reached the phone with one second left
I have to attribute that to how long the player has to spend in each of those areas. There are multiple exits from most locations in AC, whereas there's usually only a single way into each in AA. AC's indoor locations are all very distinct visually and structurally (at least as distinct as each in AA), but there's more chances to move between them at one's leisure throughout. That's the only reason I can think of the locations being more memorable for one game over the other for someone since not much is done to distinguish each area in AA (not that it needed to since it's all in one location).
Right it was NG+ that got rid of counter prompts (thought it was Hard). From what I recall, the Freeze fight was pretty unique on Hard since you'd have to use all the different ways to take him down. And Batman was built like a cardboard so it provided enough of a challenge.
I would assume that it means the game is more focused on the narrative and the core narrative. While it has optional content, it doesn't make up the bulk of your time when playing the game. You're always pressing forward with Batman's goal of returning order to Arkham Asylum, right up until the end when you get in the punch up with the Joker.
Arkham City, while it's got a pretty expansive world and introduces some awesome new mechanics like flight instead of gliding, does so at the expense of pacing. The need to constantly traverse large swathes of the city means that you're crossing back and forth over the same areas over and over again, sometimes to the point of tedium. The fourth or fifth time I was told "Okay, now go to this objective on the opposite side of the map!" I was like "Ugh, really? I know you want to show off the new cape flying mechanic Rocksteady, but really..."
ubersticky
Member
Catwoman.
keltickennedy
Member
Counter prompts went away on higher difficulties in AC too. Or maybe I'm just thinking about New Game+
Revolutionary
Member
I think they're both excellent games but City's mistreatment of Strange (tossed aside like a ragdoll - Asylum's profile on Strange describes him as Batman's physical and mental equal) and Ra's knocks it down a notch.
I played through AA twice and loved it both times.
I played about 4 or 5 hours of AC and never touched it again. It was ok I guess but for whatever reason, didn't hold my attention like AA.
Worth noting is that the 2nd time I played through AA was AFTER I stopped playing AC so it wasn't a matter of batman fatigue that caused me to put down AC.
I played about 4 or 5 hours of AC and never touched it again. It was ok I guess but for whatever reason, didn't hold my attention like AA.
Worth noting is that the 2nd time I played through AA was AFTER I stopped playing AC so it wasn't a matter of batman fatigue that caused me to put down AC.
Banderdash
Member
Holy crap... I didn't know we were allowed to post fan fiction on Gaf.
Spring-Loaded
Member
AA has no choice but to focus on the "main game" because that's all it is. Not only that, but there's little done with the Asylum takeover setup that makes that narrative focus worthwhile. There was potential for an interesting story, but all that compels the player to advance (story-wise) is the getting to Joker, an extremely anticlimactic boss "fight." Origins had a better, more Joker-like final encounter — if Rocksteady weren't going to make it an actual fight, then they should've just gone a similar route to what WB Games Montreal did. All that's left aside from AA's story is moment-to-moment gameplay, and City offers the same gameplay, but better with more options to the player.
Most traversal doesn't involve going from one side of AC to the other, and even at its most egregious, you can get from one end to the other (w/o the grapnel boost) in less than three minutes, less with the grapnel boost. Since there isn't one linear path to get from point to point, I can't in all good conscience say AA's traversal is in any way better, even if you see the same areas less often. A hallway is a hallway, no matter how they're themed. I'd rather glide from place to place where I've already been with the option to do a side mission or fight/torment some random goons than to go through Asylum's corridors for the first time. Bakctracking in AA was far more tedious.
This is fanfiction.
This OP is merely the truth.
dancingphlower
Member
I remember Wonder City, Mr. Freeze, the Shark, Grundy, the Museum, etc. more than anything in Asylum. What if I told you that the pacing in City was better than Asylum?
I liked them both a lot. The only thing I really disliked about AC was it's pacing got bogged down pretty good in the end. Also, I did tend to enjoy the setting of AA more. It felt more intimate and unique.
That being said, I will concede that AA had superior gameplay in most every respect.
That being said, I will concede that AA had superior gameplay in most every respect.
Yea it was New Game+. Didn't like the game enough to do that. Certainly didn't hate it but the counter situation soured me a bit. I can't explain how much fun that made the first game for me. The second I noticed they changed that I don't think I was going to like it no matter what.
I love it when people say they are overwhelmed when playing City. You are perfect examples of what Rocksteady wanted to achieve.
You do get that's part of the game right? That Rocksteady made made a conscious decision to make you feel that way. To make you FEEL like batman, Overwhelmed, almost desperate forced to team up with unlikely allies, ect. Multiple forces in the story collaborate simultaneously to create this effect, the ominous countdown, batman getting sick, people being held captive, his identity on the line.... It's a master class in story pacing and it's pretty evidenced by all the comments I've read over the years about how it was all too much.
That's what it feels like to be batman. It can feel like too much. Like there's no way you'll be able to everything done. You are 1 man, and probably the only one who can fix this and you know it... Further adding to the sense of urgency in the game. Few games have captures a sense if urgency like City did, on so many levels. Even the plethora of side quests and objectives plays into this providing another source of urgency and overwhelming the player outside of the story, from mechanics and content itself!
All of those things are connected and it's done in such a natural way, in an open world giving you the sense of freedom since it's open but the concept folds back in on itself and elevates the urgency and overwhelming nature of the game yet again with everything it throws at you. You can go anywhere but you probably won't because you are stressed, just like batman is.
You do get that's part of the game right? That Rocksteady made made a conscious decision to make you feel that way. To make you FEEL like batman, Overwhelmed, almost desperate forced to team up with unlikely allies, ect. Multiple forces in the story collaborate simultaneously to create this effect, the ominous countdown, batman getting sick, people being held captive, his identity on the line.... It's a master class in story pacing and it's pretty evidenced by all the comments I've read over the years about how it was all too much.
That's what it feels like to be batman. It can feel like too much. Like there's no way you'll be able to everything done. You are 1 man, and probably the only one who can fix this and you know it... Further adding to the sense of urgency in the game. Few games have captures a sense if urgency like City did, on so many levels. Even the plethora of side quests and objectives plays into this providing another source of urgency and overwhelming the player outside of the story, from mechanics and content itself!
All of those things are connected and it's done in such a natural way, in an open world giving you the sense of freedom since it's open but the concept folds back in on itself and elevates the urgency and overwhelming nature of the game yet again with everything it throws at you. You can go anywhere but you probably won't because you are stressed, just like batman is.
User 479360
Banned
I agree with this
City is technically better as it improves upon Asylum in certain ways. However, I liked the contained nature and other things about Asylum better. Overall, it's my personal favourite.
LowlySmokeGuy
Banned
I agree with OP. Both are great games. I just enjoyed AC a bit more.
Sentenza
Member
I remember how origially I used to prefer AC just slightly but I considered both games more or less on par... That until they removed GFWL and I replayed both in a row.
Playing them so closely made Arkham Asylum feel like a rough prototype in comparison. When it comes to mechanics and gameplay there isn't a single thing that the first one does even remotely on par, let alone better.
Playing them so closely made Arkham Asylum feel like a rough prototype in comparison. When it comes to mechanics and gameplay there isn't a single thing that the first one does even remotely on par, let alone better.
Spring-Loaded
Member
If it's really a game changer for you, consider playing New Game+, even if it's just on normal. With all the different enemy types, you've really got to pay attention to attack animations (especially with ninjas who have normal counterable attacks, and ones that require blade-dodging/blade dodge takedowns).
The best accomplishment AC made imo was that it's still playable without prompts, even with all the stuff that was added. If you edit console commands to disable the HUD, aiming with smoke bombs doesn't work though, unfortunately.
The English Conquistador
Member
Origins is better than both.