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Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (VITA) Status: Finished playing I started playing this game on Tuesday 27 June, 2017 // I stopped playing this game on: Tuesday 11 July, 2017
Current opinion of this game
No comment, yet.
July 11, 2017 05:06:21 PM
Finished! I got really frustrated and ornery towards the end - I didn't really enjoy the Penguin boss battle, or the Joker one...or...the Black Mask one either. Both Catwoman fights I did enjoy but still, for a lot of things the timing and controls felt slow or off. And the map - so hard to navigate and figure out where to go. There's a secret item i just gave up on - couldn't find my way around to it (and internet searches didn't help either, weirdly). Sigh. That being said, I did enjoy the way the game looked and although it took me a while to realize - the liberty of going wherever (you can take out the bosses in any order - the last one you take out determines what the final mission is) and that the game is basically set up in typical Metroid-vania style - with new weapons/add-ons giving you access to new areas and such. It felt really good when I "figured out" some and found some secret areas. Other times, not so much... and the detective-mode (when certain things are highlighted for you to analyze) was pretty neat. Oh. I now remember what I hated about some of the end...checkpoints! Poorly (sparseley) placed ones. I DID appreciate that the Penguin boss battle had a checkpoint in the middle. I don't know if I would have made it to the end if not for that.
June 30, 2017 12:34:51 PM
I've been enjoying the slower pace of this game - there's more walking around, scanning, and a bit of fighting, than all-out action. I'm at the Penguin boss fight, which I think means I'm close to the end of the game? Haven't had a chance to write about the experience before... A few things: a. There's no jump button - which is strangely disconcerting, especially when you want Batman to jump across a gap. He makes it (sometimes), but it feels weird. b. Batman walks really slowly (it feels slow), which is ok - except when you're in a fight and I really want to get across to the other side of a room. Rolling helps, but it still makes Batman feel slow. Occasionally, he'll combo-kick across the room though, which feels pretty empowering, but mostly fights are about getting everyone to crowd around you and then slowly taking them out. No button mashing though! c. I hate the map. I find it's useful sometimes, but it's confusing to read. The map is 2D, and rather abstract - and because the game environments are weirdly convoluted (in a good way, it makes them feel more "real" - because they're not flat 2D), I'm often lost and confused as to where to go next and how to get there fast. On the other hand, the level design is quite thoughtfully designed such that there isn't much backtracking once you've finished an area/boss. That being said, I wander back and forth a lot - trying to find secrets and stuff like that. d. I'm guessing the game's story is tied in to the Arkham asylum games and such, so there's probably a lot that's flying over my head. e. The whole installations are incredibly decrepit and inhumane (as living quarters for convicts). But I guess that's the gritty part of Batman? Still..it seems a bit jarring to me. :-)

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (VITA)