Batman: Arkham Origins Standard Edition - Xbox 360

Batman Arkham Origins is an okay game overall. For long time Batman fans, you'll find yourself enjoying the story above everything else this game has to offer. The game plays a lot like its predecessors with some slight differences. One of the biggest differences among a few you'll find, is that the combat is a little more brutal and can be difficult at times. This was not made by Rock steady, and the only way I can justify the combat being so...off I guess I would say, is because this takes place when Batman is first getting started, so his combat prowess is yet to be truly proven. You still get the full range of gadgets that was seen in Arkham City, along with some new ones that can be interesting to use at times. The map is for the most part the same as it was in Arkham City, with a few nice touches here and there. It's pretty much a full Gotham City that isn't partially underwater, but rather is covered in snow and Christmas lights which is pretty in its own right. You get the opportunity to unlock various fast travel points around Gotham that you can get to via the Batwing, unfortunately instead of actually flying the Batwing, you're greeted with the same cut scene over and over again for fast traveling. There is also a new mechanic which allows you to reconstruct various crime scenes and solve the crimes at hand. This is a really cool mechanic that I personally wish they could have expanded upon, but it's good for what it is. The last thing I want to touch on is the voice acting. This game does feature The Joker, but it's not the same Mark Hamill Joker we've all come to know and love throughout the years in The Animated Series and in the past Arkham games, and the way he looks and sounds feels a bit off. I'm not saying that it's bad, it's just different and it takes a little bit to get used to. Batman is not voiced by Kevin Conroy either, but the new actor did a pretty good job of recreating the voice and it suits this younger, inexperienced Batman. With all this being said, I would say get the game for the original story and the new characters made for this story. Also, you can get some good advice from Alfred in the bat cave. Hope thus review helps. 4/5.

The best parts of the first two Arkham games combined to make the best one so far! Has the great Predator missions, plus the linear levels, combined with the free-play of the city, & it has just the right mix of Predator & free-play missions, so that you don't get sick of, or wish for more of, one or the other. The city has been simplified some, as well, so that it is easier to find your way around w/o wandering as much as you had to in Arkham City. Also, roaming the city still feels like part of the story now, as opposed to in AC it felt disconnected & too vast. Very well incorporated. Add in some interesting origins stories, & longer story-line play, along with some great new gadgets to top off a perfect addition to this trilogy of games!

So I was happy to pre-order the game from Best Buy, they really helped me out and it was easy. I started playing the game and noticed a few frame rate issues, but nothing that made the game unplayable. The things I did notice were complete freezes of the game when using the fast travel system and when the game would save at times. Other than that, the game has a descent story, but I still think Arkham City is the best one. There are a descent amount of extras in the game, but again, not as much as Arkham City. I like the use of the batcave in the game and Alfred's involvement. I would've liked another character other than Bane though as one of the main villains.

If you are or were a fan of the Mortal Combat style fighting games this is for you. Multiple characters, great visuals, fair amount of fighting control. Now lets be realistic for parents, there is a great deal of violence depicted in the game. This is really not appropriate for the younger crowd. I see some family friendly reviews, and while it is nice multiple people can play, you really should think about whether a youngster should see the Joker stabbing Harley Quinn to death, dowsing her with fuel, and lighting her on fire. This is an action fighting game with the violence associated with that depicted.

Amazing game. Best Buy absolutely delivered a good one. Best of the series. Only problem was with UPS when It arrived I opened it right away to find the case was racked and broken. The discs were just fine but I did not appreciate the lack of concern over the handling of my package. Nothing Best Buy could have done being it was sealed and new. Best Buy still hasn't let me down so don't misunderstand me. UPS isn't always concerned over delivering you a flawless package.

Arkham Origins is rather cool and fun to play. If you liked Arkham City, you will also like Origings. Be warned however that it seems as though the makers took Arkham Origins, slightly redesigned it, gave it a new story and sold it as a new game as it is very similar in gameplay to Arkham City. One big gripe I have is that it seems as though the sound is a lot weaker than the sound in Arkham City. Overall, worth buying. But if you have to choose between Arkham City and Arkham Origins, buy Arkham City, no doubts.

This is the third Batman game and it does not disappoint. Following the extremely good and engaging Arkham City, this game feels a little bit more like a DLC than a new game. Don't get me wrong that is not a bad thing, but it just feels more of the same. Hopefully with the next entry they can push the envelope and we can get another classic.

If you liked Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, this is another quality title. You could argue that the franchise needs some new ideas, but one could say that about any big series like Call of Duty or Assassins Creed. Graphics and sound are up to par and gameplay is as awesome as it's always been.