Recent reviews by RuffG

Easily the best early access game ever made.

With (most) of the performance issues fixed, this game finally gets to show its grunt; And my god, is it a masterpiece.

This game is the sequel Arkham City deserved. Origins was great, but it did not bother to step up from City (it was a stop-gap release, after all). Arkham Knight, on the other hand, offers a very fresh take on the Arkham formula.


The Arkham series has been established for its state of the art combat system, offering an easy to learn, but harder to master freeflow combat that packs a very satisfying punch to it. Arkham Knight takes the "seamlessness" up a notch, whereby once you get into a flow, the combat feels nearly rhythmic (and in a very very delightful way). Your punches are more powerful than ever, and you never have to break your flow anymore (unlike the previous games, whereby stuff like combat takedown requires you to break from your combos in order to execute. This is definitely one of my favourite parts). Not to mention, enemy variety has been buffed, with the medic offering a new take on what weapons to use on who (and requires quick thinking in large enemy numbers). My favourite addition (or improvement from origins) has to be the dual team fights. If you thought combat couldn't get any better, this will prove you wrong soooo bad. I do not wish to spoil any one of the first time you get to fight with Catwoman. Overall, Knight pretty much perfects the formula, and I can't see them improving it any further, which is great, since it sends off the series in an unmatchable note.

While the mechanics of predator mode have been left relatively untouched (with the exception of a lot more booby trapping and hacking introduced through gadets), they environments in which these challenges take place have been revamped entirely. The maps have been dramatically improved, and are more fitting to the respective themes of the areas they're situated in. They feel much less formulaic, which means you need to work on your strategy each time, and that alone improves them so much.

Now, I understand there is a lot of hate towards the Batmobiles' implementation in this game, but I do not see why it is so profound, considering it is the best implementation that matches the style of gameplay in the Arkham series. Many of us wanted the Batmobile so bad, but only a few of us understand how difficult it would be to implement it in the context of the Arkham games. I feel that Rocksteady has done their best to include the Batmobile in the games, offering a very slick driving experience and a thrilling (albeit frustrating) combat mode. It was either they make a batmobile that made sense in the context of the Arkham games, or not implement it at all; And I am glad they chose to implement it, as it is very fun. Driving the mobile through the streets of Gotham was so satisfying, to the point that I prefer it to gliding around the City (even though that was one of my favorite parts of Arkham City).

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ are the graphics mind blowing!! That coupled with some unbeliveably breathtaking cinematography, the technical side of things are extremely impressive, and definitely put this game up as one of the most impressive titles I have ever had the privilege to play on my gaming PC. The character models are very detailed in comparison to the previous games (Catwoman and Scarecrow are two shining examples of improved character models) and the whole cast seems much more lifelike with the very well done animations and expressions. The map this time around is also very very well designed, with Gotham City feeling extremely satisfying to manuever around and explore. Whichever angle you see it, whether in the sky while gliding, or on the roads in your batmobile, you can abosrb the insanely dense feel this map provides, and I love it! Good to see this generation of gaming put to very good use. You are getting a very good treat just watching the main story events unfold, as the cinematography is just top notch. Even if the story doesn't live up to Arkham City, it definitely is an experience to sit through with the well designed cutscenes. With a good pair of headphones or a home theatre system, you are going to love the sounds and music sooo much.


My System Specs for reference

• i5 4670k 4.0GHz
  
• R9 290
  
• 16GB RAM
  
• Installed on SSD (840 EVO 500GB)
  
• Played on 1440p

This game was pretty much unplayable at launch, everyone knew that. Right now? It's much better to the point where I feel bad that many people are swayed away from this game because of the issues that plagued the launch. I run everything on high-ultra on my 1440p monitor, and generally get 50-60fps (I game on a 60hz monitor, so there is a cap).
One thing that I would note however is this game does hitch alot, specifically on the Batmobile sections. You can reduce this effect significantly by installing the game on an SSD, I find.

This game is a masterpiece, and ends the Arkham Series on the high note it truly deserves. This series will be remembered fondly in the future, and I see myself replaying this multiple times. If you have the system to experience this (including a very nice audio and monitor setup), you will love this game.

Definitely one of the best gaming experiences of its time.

This is the first game that made me go "woah" the first time I played it. The combat, the gliding, the characters, everything was so well put together. I never thought games could be this well narrated, especially an adaptation of a series from another medium. You really get the atmosphere you see in the comic books, the dark overtone, the creepiness of characters. The game makes use of the Teen rating given to it very well, as an M rated version of the game wouldn't make sense lore wise (specifically the series this game adapts), and respects the nature of batman very well. Play this game, you will not be disappointed in the slightest.

Very focused experience. A good example of a cinematic game (which people may not like regardless of whether it is good or not). I do think that this game is meant to be a very fast paced, action packed narrative, so don't expect to do much once the story is complete. Yamatai is a very mysterious place though, with lore packed all around it, so explorers may find it interesting to look around!

Main campaign is very short, but extremely enjoyable. Port is good, graphics are definitely up to what we should expect from KojiPro.

Mouse + Keyboard controls are a bit weird (you'll be pressing several buttons at once in more than one scenario, especially when attempting to interrogate a soldier). Mouse navigation is nearly non-existant in the game. Very annoying, as several controls could be much more intuitive with mouse navigation (like selecting a weapon or navigating the menu)

Level design is fantastic, there are many possible ways to get around to specific points, or to take down a guard. Stealth is obviously the most fun, but it can get very hard if you don't want to get caught.

Really relaxing game. Pure fun after playing all those intense games like Battlefield, etc.


Driving is very fun, though it feels that you need a gamepad at the very least to fully enjoy this game. Analogue triggers help when needing to maintain a certain speed at short bursts (aka inbetween traffic lights). Driving long distances can be tiring (just like real life >.<), and Euro Truck Simulator fixes this authentically by providing a radio feature that allows you to connect to real radio stations (of your choice too), lightening up the mood. Crashes, speeding, accidents do occur if you are not careful, so no space for much dilly-dallying (though I might say the game isn't terribly unforgiving).

Vehicle customisation allows for very varied trucks. Even if you purchase an entry level truck, depending on the brand, it could be very powerful through upgrading, eliminating the need to buy another truck (unless it is for your company of course). You can spray paint your truck to look much better than just plain-red or white, and designs are more-or-less varied.

A business model is incorporated into this game. You can purchase garages, which after upgrading allow you to purchase multiple trucks (at least 3 trucks can fit in a garage). To maximise the use of these garages and trucks, you can also hire workers who will be happy to work for you. Through this, you can eventually start earning huge amounts of money (or even lose money). It is quite engaging, but takes quite a while (I have so far hired one driver only after 14 hours of playing [without any bank loans]) to really start kicking, which requires quite a bit of dedication.

Graphics are pretty, with nearly every road having distinct features and landmarks. In terms of realism, the game doesn't really do much to push even the weakest of computers, even at high settings. Road textures could be better, some cities look uninspired and lighting is a hit-or-miss, sometimes there is too much bloom and sometimes there is too little.


AI in this game falls-back a little when compared to the quality of the other mechanics in this game. The AI is a little shoddy, and is exuded in narrow junctions or turning points and lane converging points, where you can have cars or trucks crashing right into you while you make a turn or suddenly switch to your lane, completely ignoring the fact that you are right next to them. They usually never acknowledge blinkers or horns, rendering them useless 80% of the time, detracting the immersion you get from this game. However, the impact is only prevalent in tight-corners or narrow areas such as cites. In highways, they are less of a nuisance.

Pros-
Great driving, fun especially with music
Very relaxing
Sufficient vehicular customisation
Engaging business mechanic
Wider range of unique places to explore

Cons-
Poor AI
Graphics not too great when it comes to realism (which sort of coincides with simulation)