Arkham Origins, which most don't consider when they think of the Arkham series. It's by a different studio and I could tell instantly it had a lower budget because the graphics look like a souped-up PS2 game, and they didn't have the Conroy-Hamil duo. For that I thought this would be a shit game, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well it was fleshed out. The plot is done quite well with a twist midway I wasn't quite expecting, and I think this scene is one of the best in the entire series.

Most of my complaints are minor: 1. Some aspects of the game are dissatisfying: You never capture Penguin and he spends the rest of the night having a threesome, there's never a good fight with the Electrocutioner, hell you never even get to fight Branden, and the Riddler (who hasn't taken up that mantle yet) never fully makes an appearance so you can't beat the shit out of him for being a dickhead. 2. Holy shit the grapnel gun never fucking works. Maybe it's because I came off of Arkham Knight where you could launch yourself off of almost anything, but half the time I'm smashing the button to launch this thing and it's not connecting ot anything. The worst is if you're off the side of the bridge and trying to get on top, but there are limited access points. 3. The gear was so good in this game, especially the Electrocutioner's gloves! Holy fuck, where were those in the other games? I would've liked Deathstroke's remote grapple that immediately tied enemies to the gargoyles. 4. Why the hell didn't they subtitle NPC conversations? I've stated multiple times they are the height of the series, but when I'm like twenty stories in the air I can't hear very well, and without subtitles I just miss everything. It's such a shame. 5. The graphics really did ruin the experience a bit. If the map weren't based off of City I think I wouldn't've cared, but now I'm comparing the two and wanting to see what City would've looked like before it became a shithole and the graphics aren't providing. 6. Did I really have to beat the game to put on different Batsuits? I fucking paid for the DLC, just let me wear it. 7. Menu interface could've definitely been done better, but it's not the most awful in the world.

Even though it's a different studio, I can see Origins did influence Knight in a lot of ways. The best example is probably the fighting system, where Batman is now flying all over the place like anyone can just leave across fifteen feet to deliver a punch to someone's face. And also the crime scene investigation where you reconstruct everything to make a video. Even though it's impossible in real life, I actually loved doing it, examining the evidence and figuring out trajectories and such. Origins does this more than anywhere else in the game, and the Black Mask apartment scene was especially really good. One thing I really appreciated is Batman had to investigate regular murders too, which shows what he does on the regular when shit isn't going to hell.

Baddies in this game are Black Mask, Joker, Killer Croc, Electrocutioner, Deathstroke, Copperhead, Shiva, Deadshot, Bane, Firefly, Penguin, Mad Hatter, Anarky, and Riddler. Origins really shone with some of the boss fights too, especially Deathstroke's, which is really the fight I wanted from Knight. Firefly's was also amazing with the bridge collapsing around you. I really enjoyed Mad Hatter's universe in Knight and it was done possibly even better here. The final boss fight was very nerve wracking and done well. For some reason Copperhead's poison had Scarecrow-like effects, and I think the developers handled it better because instead of random monsters it was someone Batman couldn't save asking why he didn't, which I believe is more of a true fear for him.

Overall a solid installment for the series. I don't think it's on the same level as City or anything, but if it had a better budget I think it would've really shown. Good work guys.