Arkham Asylum’s story was written by Paul Dino, whose long history with the franchise includes many writing credits on Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond. Given its nature as a story-heavy game, we can’t say much here, but if you have access to a VR headset, Arkham VR is certainly worth playing, especially considering its brief ~90-minute runtime.

Batman: Arkham Underworld is a mobile game that positions you as Gotham’s newest criminal mastermind, allowing you to command Batman villains such as Harley Quinn, The Riddler, Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze, and Killer Croc. It’s essentially a free-to-play Gotham gang recruiter, in which you build a criminal hideout, recruit henchmen, and do battle. Kevin Conroy reprises his role as Batman following the mainline Arkham trilogy.

The changes are largely beneficial and extend across the majority of platforms, with PC owners getting some tasty PhysX-enhanced extras that further improve upon the game's already solid aesthetic. That said, the situation surrounding the Wii U version is somewhat less pleasing: there are a few more graphical compromises compared to 360 and PS3, while performance lags behind the other formats - not something we'd expect to see at this point in the console's life. With series newcomers in mind, these brief plot synopses contain only mild spoilers such as broad plot points and character introductions. 1. Batman: Arkham Origins Even so, I could live in the challenge rooms for days, trying to string together the ultimate, uninterrupted flow that includes each of the dozen or so moves and gadgets in Batman’s arsenal. With the gamepad in the right hands (which every so often, mine are) it looks like elaborate fight choreography. And Predator still makes me feel like a ninja, particularly when playing in challenge mode where I can disable certain gadgets or enable other handicaps. Kollar, Phillip (June 12, 2013). "A Tale of Two Batmen: The Dueling Philosophies of WB Montreal and Armature Studio". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013 . Retrieved August 30, 2013. The game was released on October 25, 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita handheld game consoles, to coincide with Arkham Origins's release for home consoles and Microsoft Windows. [4] The 3DS version was delayed to November 8, 2013 in Europe. [5] In Japan, the game was released on December 5, 2013, the same date as Arkham Origins for home consoles, exclusively for the PlayStation Vita. [6] A deluxe edition of the game was announced and released for Windows, the Wii U eShop, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live Arcade on April 1, 2014 in North America and April 2, 2014 in Europe. [7] It features new maps, enemy encounters, difficulty levels, batsuits, and enhanced visuals compared to the original. [8]

All three threads are wrapped up by the end of Arkham Knight's ~16-hour campaign, though you'll have to earn 100% completion to see the game's true ending. a b c Narcisse, Evan (August 31, 2013). "Batman's Next Portable Game Has Some Castlevania, Metroid and Mega Man". Kotaku. Archived from the original on September 2, 2013 . Retrieved September 1, 2013. Batman must also deal with a separate threat from the Joker, who’s dealing with the ill effects of the Titan serum he took during the events of Asylum.

Arkham Origins: performance analysis

Naturally, PC owners get visibly higher-resolution textures and normal maps, although the artwork on Batman's suit and skin doesn't appear quite as detailed compared to Arkham City. The use of higher-resolution depth-of-field and object blur effects are also present over the console versions, along with the inclusion of soft shadows and the addition of extra debris, objects, and alpha-based effects scattered across the environment. The level of ambient occlusion is stronger than the console versions too, with the PC's DirectX 11 enhanced HBAO implementation featuring a wider radius of coverage than the cheaper SSAO variant used on the 360, PS3, and Wii U. The series’ lone virtual reality game, Batman: Arkham VR is set shortly before the events of Arkham Knight. It’s a narrative-driven game focused on detective work as Batman tries to solve the murder of a close ally. Though originally set to release on May 26, 2023, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been delayed to February 2, 2024, with the devs explaining in a statement that they've, "made the tough but necessary decision to take the time needed to work on getting the game to be the best quality experience for players." So far, there has been no announcements of new Batman games in the works after this one.

Like Arkham Underworld, Arkham Assault shines the spotlight on Batman’s adversaries, following Harley, Joker, Riddler, and others as they infiltrate Arkham Asylum, ultimately freeing many of its most notorious inmates. Arkham Origins sees the introduction of a range of Nvidia-exclusive PC technologies, including TXAA and some very nice PhysX work." A promotional video, demonstrating some of the PC-exclusive features found in Batman: Arkham Origins. Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC | IGN’s Batman: Arkham City Wiki 7. Batman: Arkham VR Sadly, other gadgets that see Batman utilising a custom Wayne Tech tablet and similar devices, are left completely untouched from the standard versions of the game. In addition, the weapon select and levelling menu options are no longer present in Origins using the GamePad, and the decryption sequences are restricted to traditional controls only - all features given exclusive GamePad support in Arkham City. Clow, Chris (October 31, 2013). "Game Review - Batman: Arkham Origins, Plus Collector's Edition Extras". GeekNation. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02 . Retrieved November 3, 2013.It's a shame that performance is so poor on the Wii U version of Arkham Origins as the hardware has the potential to deliver the most interesting Batman experience due to the system's unique GamePad controller. Many of Batman's gadgets employ the use of a touchscreen in the game, so are well suited for mapping to the GamePad's use as a second display and touch device. Out in the expanded and snow-covered open world, I found Gotham City beautiful but lifeless. In Arkham City, the excuse is that this part of town has been walled off and given to the criminals. Without that (admittedly far-fetched) scenario, the absence of any hint of civilian life makes Gotham feel eerily barren, especially next to Origins’ open-world peers and their populated streets. It may be the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, but streets teeming with nothing but decidedly un-jolly criminals are still weird.