Batman: Arkham Origins

[chronovore]

Trying to figure out when I should stop playing Batman: Arkham Origins.

There are a heap of 'Cheevos I won't be getting. I never manage to get the "all the special moves and gadgets in a single combo" Achievement, and the Combat/Predator Challenges I usually do well, but not Gold Medals across the board. I'm not going back to Deathstroke or Shiva for a perfect victory. I'd just get frustrated. I also won't be touching the tacked-on multiplayer component. No, thanks.

I finished the main story several days ago, then went and did the assassins which weren't part of the main story, then did all the murder cases (neat, simplified use of either Remember Me "rewind" feature), and am now cleaning up Blackgate escapees and collecting Enigma packages.

I just cannot believe the interminable number of Enigma Packages. Earlier, I beat up all the Enigma Data Handlers, revealing all the Packages, OR SO I THOUGHT. Later more Data Handlers were added, meaning I had to backtrack and get more Packages from areas I thought I'd cleared. Also frustrated when a Package is either higher than can be seen while gliding, or hidden underground in one of those indoor sections. Especially the ones I couldn't get on the first time through the area, during a mission. It feels like I have collected a hundred of them, but I've still got 2~3 dozen Packages on the map.

Apparently if I collect all the Packages, there is a way to finally get into the locked door at Enigma's HQ, and I can arrest him. As the most consistent source of cajoling in the game, I'm tempted to play that one all the way through.

THE GOOD: This is probably the best Batman game out of the lot, and it was made by Splash Damage, not Rocksteady. SD clearly understands not only what works from Rocksteady's formula, but has gone further with the established art direction and added more clear color, lighting, and structural landmark cues which make navigating a more intuitive effort than in Asylum or City.

Moreover, the story has a clear arc which is a joy to play through, definitely capturing the angry and brooding nature of young Batman, even if he has a lot more toys than Miller's Batman: Year One ever enjoyed. Unlike the previous games, I can actually tell you what the story consists of despite taking place in a sprawling open-world game. Very satisfying.

Which is part of the problem, I think: I'm done with the story, save Enigma's capture, and it is difficult to motivate myself to keep playing, like a comic which seems to have wordless panels with random character placement even after the story has completed.