Free Batman Arkham Origins cover

Description

Batman: Arkham Origins is a 2013 action-adventure video game developed by WB Games Montréal and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Microsoft Windows and the PlayStation 3, Wii U and Xbox 360 video game consoles. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the successor to the 2011 video game Batman: Arkham City and is the third main installment in the Batman: Arkham series. It was released worldwide on October 25, 2013.
Written by Corey May, Ryan Galletta and Dooma Wendschuh, the game's main storyline is set five years before that of 2009's Batman: Arkham Asylum and follows a younger, less-refined Batman. A bounty is placed on him by crime lord Black Mask, drawing eight of the world's greatest assassins to Gotham City on Christmas Eve. The villains, including the Joker and Anarky, take advantage of the chaos to launch nefarious schemes, while Gotham City police try to apprehend Batman.
The game is played from a third-person perspective, focuses on Batman's combat and stealth abilities, detective skills, and gadgets for combat and exploration. Aside from the main story, Batman can help the police deal with crimes, and confront other supervillains terrorizing the city. Arkham Origins introduces the ability for Batman to virtually recreate crimes, allowing him to investigate the scene and identify the culprit. The game is the first in the series with multiplayer capability. WB Games Montréal took over development duties for Arkham Origins from series creators Rocksteady Studios.
While the game received generally positive reviews, it was criticized for technical issues, replicating previous Arkham games' content and unnecessarily modifying it, while the multiplayer aspect was considered an unnecessary addition to the series. A companion game, Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, was released with Arkham Origins for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita, and a spin-off mobile game for the iOS and Android platforms was released in October 2013. An animated sequel, Batman: Assault on Arkham, was released in 2014, and a successor video game, Batman: Arkham Knight, was released in June 2015.


Gameplay

Arkham Origins is an open world action-adventure game incorporating stealth game tactics. Batman can use his cape to glide around Gotham City and the grapnel gun's retracting rope to attach to hard-to-reach ledges and extend his flight. Some gadgets from previous Arkham games are present at the start of Arkham Origins, while others become available during play. Returning gadgets include the Cryptographic Sequencer, used to hack security consoles; the Batclaw, used for hooking onto surfaces; the Batarang, a throwing weapon; the Remote Batarang, its remote-controlled counterpart; Explosive Gel, used to destroy weak surfaces and knock down enemies; Smoke Pellets, used for stealthy exits and entrances; the Disruptor, which can remotely disable guns and explosive mines, and the Grapnel Accelerator, an earlier version of the Grapnel Boost. New equipment in Batman's arsenal include the Remote Claw; this allows Batman to target two objects and pull them together, allowing him to throw enemies into each other or hit them with objects ; Shock Gloves, which allow Batman to block electric attacks, disable some enemies and stun shielded ones, and short-circuit objects, and the Concussion Detonator, capable of stunning large enemy groups.The game introduces a fast travel system, allowing Batman to remotely summon his plane to transport him to other areas of the game world quicker than gliding or grappling could. Enemy tower installations prevent Batman from summoning the craft in some areas, and must be disabled to make the Batwing available. Some towers may be disabled only when the player has the necessary equipment.Players can traverse enemy-controlled areas by stealth or combat. Using an enhanced version of the series' Freeflow combat system, combat introduces a tracking system assessing the players' efficiency and highlighting battle achievements . Chaining attacks to maintain momentum, performance is rewarded with experience points. These points can be used in a branching upgrade system to enhance Batman's abilities and gadgets, allowing players to upgrade several paths or specialize in one. Enemy attacks are prompted with a warning icon, indicating that the attack can be countered. Enemies are armed with weapons such as knives, lead pipes and shields. The game introduces new enemy types: the Martial-Artist , the Armored Enforcer and Venom-infused henchmen . Some enemies are armed with guns, which can damage Batman, and a player can use stealth predatory tactics to tilt the odds in their favor. Many areas feature stone gargoyles or high outcrops, helping Batman remain concealed while setting traps and knocking out enemies.Arkham Origins offers side missions, including Crime in Progress by rescuing police officers from a gang or keeping an informant from being thrown to his death. Most Wanted allows Batman to pursue villains outside of the main story . The Dark Knight system offers tasks of escalating difficulty which improve stealth and combat. Batman's radio scanner also allows him to locate side missions; completed missions are rewarded with experience points and upgrades to Batman's equipment. The game features collectible objects and puzzles similar to the Riddler challenges of previous games . Collectible objects appear, similar to those in previous games. A "1 vs. 100" mode in the game's challenge maps challenges the player to survive in combat against 100 increasingly difficult enemies.

The game emphasizes Batman's detective skills; for example, he can scan a crime scene with Detective Vision to highlight points of interest; holograms act out theoretical scenarios of the crime. The crimes can be reviewed via Batman's link to the Batcomputer in the Batcave; this allows a player to view virtual recreations of the scene from different angles , view it in slow motion or pause while looking for clues to solve the crime. Small crime scenes are distributed throughout Gotham City. Reviewing the downing of a helicopter, Batman is presented with false and accurate clues; investigation of the scene can reveal that the helicopter was shot, allowing Batman to trace the bullet's trajectory to a murdered police officer and another crime scene. When a crime is solved, the player is shown a Batman-narrated rundown of the crime. The Batcave is also a hub where Batman can change costumes, upgrade his equipment and access challenge maps to practice combat . After completing the story mode a New Game Plus mode is unlocked, enabling a player to replay the game with all their acquired gadgets, experience and abilities; enemies are tougher, and the icon warning players of attack is disabled. Completing New Game Plus unlocks I Am the Night mode, where the game ends if Batman dies.On compatible systems, the Microsoft Windows version uses Nvidia's PhysX software engine to produce more realistic, dynamic interactions with the game world. With PhysX enabled, some areas contain additional snow or fog ; with PhysX disabled, the effects are lessened or absent.