Recent reviews by Arkham99

loads of fun this one... the BatCycle is well executed and a great way to get around this extensive map... WB Montreal improved on just about every aspect of their inaugural 'Arkham Origins' game... no sophomore jinx here... it loses some points in the user friendly department while traversing the menus and trees... the combat, as in 'Origins', needs refinement but a nice departure from the proven Arkham formula... 8.5/10...:-)

Absolutely Brilliant!... Fabulous Story & Setting, Excellent Characters and Surprisingly Fluid Mechanics & Gameplay... An Instant Classic!... 9.5/10...:-)

I've put off reviewing this one for a long time, mainly because I didn't quite know what to say and was truly lost for words (for once in my life!)... I wasn't one of those who was livid at launch but I have to say that I was initially a little disappointed... I'm not even sure why I was disappointed but, in short, the game wasn't what I'd expected... I was just looking for more of a space simulator, which it essentially is, but with a little more realism... Instead, there's aliens around every corner who not only all look the same... they look like something out of a bad children's book... My other complaints are that it's not the easiest UI to traverse, and that the game is a grinder...

Once I got past these stark realities... It's a game that really is like no other... It's not a stretch to suggest that this game is groundbreaking... I asked for realism, and that doesn't always mean fun & games... Gamers complain about titles being "too linear"... Well, be careful what you wish for, for this one is anything but linear... I'm only 'round 45 hours in and the linear pathway that is indeed there somewhere, has yet to become clear... It's one of the things that frustrates the hell out of you, yet drives you to wanna play the game some more...

It's one that I'm glad is in the library... It's also the first game that I've exclusively used my Steam Controller for and it's as though it were designed for a game like this one... it's a game that you can just kick back and switch off to... see what's out there... get stuck on some planet for awhile, you know...

8/10 from me...:-)

WOW!!! Where to Start?!

How about the Negatives first then. Straight up, despite the myriad of complaints about technical issues for this game, I've yet to experience any of them myself personally. There was one point where I thought that I'd hit a wall and couldn't proceed any further, or what is known as a "game-breaking glitch", but it was my own fault for leaving the Batmobile too far away from the Remote's range, resulting in myself being trapped (with The Joker!) beneath that second fan before rescuing Commissioner Gordon. Thankfully, the developers have a very convenient 'Revert Back to a Previous Save' option via the Main Menu where I was able to continue on afterwards.

Having not experienced any technical problems, I really don't know what to make of all the fuss. There's a few theories I have, for what they're worth. Some of the complaining is just complete BS, many 'Entitled Whiners' (I know, an overused coinphrase, but it's still the best discription) have been hard at it long before launch, they're still outraged that WB could possibly dare charge so much for a Season Pass and were just waiting to pounce at any opportunity. Probably the biggest "demographic" of complainers, if you like, are gamers who simply lack the hardware to pull it off. Many simply don't understand the fundamentals here, for example, they'll state how they "just upgraded to a nVidia GTX 980 and can't run this game!", but fail to disclose their CPU specs which likely aren't robust enough for this particular GPU, or their RAM is inadequate.

Having said all this, the sheer amount of people complaining is significant and there's people barking with genuine concerns no doubt. Still, I heard the same "barking" after the PC Ports for both 'Arkham City' & 'Origins' were released, yet I never experienced any technical problems with either of those games as well which tells me that it's something on the gamers' end for the most part.

My only complaint, as far as gameplay, is the overuse of The Batmobile. RockSteady did an outstanding job on the car's design and it's alot of fun to drive, but its integration as one of The Bat's Go-To Gadgets disrupts the flow of the game, in my opinion. I'm also not sure of the new Challenge System, I'm not too far into it but I find myself missing 'City's model. So on to the good stuff.

A very fitting and satisfying conclusion to one of the Greatest Gaming Series of All-Time. The focus on the Psychological State of Bruce Wayne, first foreshadowed during 'City's 'Harley Quinn's Revenge' DLC, makes this one a real wild ride full of unexpected twists and turns. Mark Hamill's voice acting is some of his Best Ever, he IS The Joker (apologies to Heath R.I.P.), and really defines the character here by getting inside not only The Bat's head, but the gamers' themselves.

This highly detailed map of Gotham is pure Eye Candy and quite extensive, it's gonna take alot of replays to become as familiar with this one as the others that preceeded it. The Combat, again, continues to impress as well with many new additions.

Fabulous Story, Excellent Character Development are the two biggest factors in rating this one for me and RockSteady scores pretty high on both, 9.75/10 from me, Bring On The DLC!!!...:-)

One of the most underrated games ever, absolutely brilliant. I was lucky enough to Beta the 360 version before it was released and STILL play this one regularly. I began playing the PC version only recently and have rediscovered my fondness for its truly innovative gameplay. Many have compared it with Team Fortress 2 which it does indeed share in the humour aspect, but there's much more to it than just passing it off as a TF2 "Clone", this one features several very unique gadgets and items that are not to be found anywhere else that I've seen. When you equip the Roller Skates it genuinely feels like the old Disco Days, the developers absolutely nailed the feel here, something many others fail at.

The unfortunate side is that the game's lobbies are no longer very active, Team Deathmatch is the only mode still sporting enough players, which is an absolute shame for Psyche Warfare & Fumigation are THE definitive 'Gotham City Impostors' gaming experience. The developers are to be commended for their work on this one, gorgeous maps, stellar characters & voices with insane amounts of customization and outstanding gameplay, 9.5/10 from me...:-)