Batman: Arkham Origins is the third entry in the critically acclaimed franchise, and while the prequel game has trouble living up to the standard set by Arkham City, the game offers a worthy experience for fans of the series as well as those looking for a complicated brawler to play.
Kotaku notes that the highlight of Arkham Origins is the many boss battles, which it says are the best in the series so far:
"...boss battles are one significant area where Origins feels like it's better than its predecessors. The Bane showdowns-yeah, there's more than one-are less of a goad-charge-dodge-attack endurance affair than in previous games. You feel like you're actually fighting and out-thinking the 'roided-out mercenary rather than reacting to his brute force. The fight with Firefly is a nice departure, too, changing up camera angles to top to side and creating a larger playfield for the flying pyromaniac to torment Batman. The reliance on quick-response prompts hasn't gone away but at least it's embedded in duels that show some varying approaches," wrote Kotaku.
However, the vibrant Arkham City has been replaced by a drearier Gotham on Christmas Eve. Polygon says this expanded setting and lack of people, besides enemies, does not suit the game well:
"It feels awfully strange and not terribly heroic to knock out a small gathering of people who are just standing around talking until Batman shows up, or to beat up whole squads of police throughout the course of the game, with Batman gruffly reasoning to his butler that they are all 'corrupt.' Coupled with the empty streets, Arkham Origins' Gotham comes across as inert, a cardboard city that it's hard to care about protecting."
Finally, the new additions to the game such as multiplayer fall flat, according to IGN, and do little to add extra value to Arkham Origins.
"I do like how when I'm fighting other thugs I have to be fearful of a hero sneaking up behind me, and when I'm looking up at the gargoyle perches trying to shoot down a hero a thug is likely to shoot me in the back. Plus, two heroes working together can dominate using classic Batman-uses-a-minor-as-a-diversion tactics. But given the unremarkable shooting mechanics, the multiplayer mode is a novelty that I wouldn't expect to get more than a few sessions out of," wrote IGN.
Overall, Batman: Arkham Origins may not be the game that grabs new gamers and convinces them to try the series out, but returning fans will find value in the game. Plus, the new gameplay additions could lay down the foundation for a more satisfying experience later on for next-gen versions of the series.