[VITA] Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate

[Swarley]

NOTE: This is also coming to Nintendo 3DS, not just Vita

- Warner Bros. wanted to have a 2.5D-style Arkham game in the style of Metroidvania
- The company chose Armature because the studio was familiar with that style of game
- Takes place after the end of Origins
- Set on the isolated island at the Blackgate Penitentiary
- Prison uprising has occurred
- Intro level in Gotham
- Batman goes to Blackgate in order to put a stop to the riot
- 2D animatics with full voices tell the story
- Batman moves through a side-scrolling game world
- He’ll pick up near gear and take on enemies along the way
- Interconnected passages and prison secrets
- Not focused on leveling up abilities like the console games
- Instead, it stays true to the subgenre’s formula
- All of Batman’s improvements came through gear pick-ups and upgrades
- Team wanted to give players more of a sense of collection
- Mostly set along a 2D plane
- Takes full advantage of the visual three-dimensionality of the environments
- Explore, fight, and interact with the foreground abnd background
- Can grapple up to gargoyles on a background balcony while a crowd of armed inmates pass by
- Enemies will go after Batman from all angles
- Go to the foreground or background to tackle a designed foe
- Combat similar to the console Batman games
- Button taps to attack, counter, and use gear are in place
- Freeflow combat system
- Built from the ground up
- Batarang: stun enemies or hit distant objects
- Line launcher: cross wide gaps
- Explosive gel variation: shoot from a launcher onto spots around the screen
- This lets you get involved with entertaining takedowns such as dropping a chandelier on enemies from above
- More gadgets will also be in the game
- Has a version of the predator mode
- Game has a few more layers of feedback
- Ex: can see the sightlines of enemies
- This lets you know if enemies can see you or not
- Same kind of vantage points, floor grates, silent takedowns, glide kicks, weapon use, and breakable walls as in the console games
- Game is split into various sections
- Each can be accessed once you figure out a way inside
- No save rooms
- Modern checkpoint system
- Can manually save whenever you desire
- Can defeat the bosses in any order if you find out where you want to go
- “We don’t want you to break the game, but if you can exploit it in a certain way that we haven’t thought of, that’s awesome. So it’s conceivable the players will have abilities that don’t necessarily jibe that great with the boss. We’ve taken some cues from other games where if you have a particular item against a boss, you’ll just rip them a new one, but we don’t tell you what that item is”
- Will have detective mode
- Tap a button and the screen fades into a digitized overlay with detailed info
- Green enemies: enemies haven’t seen you
- Red enemies: enemies are onto your location
- Move a reticle around the screen to focus Batman’s attention
- Can use this to uncover secrets
- Uncover clues and analyze dangerous situations in detective mode

 

[Swarley]

 

[Swarley]

Here we go, big versions on the cover art:

 

[jms493]

This could be the best game on VITA!

 

[Handleit_44]

 

[jms493]

The one game I am excited about on the VEETAH

 

[SethMode]

I want to be excited for the 3DS version, but I'm afraid that the framerate is going to suck balls.

 

[tigstah]

I want to be excited for the 3DS version, but I'm afraid that the framerate is going to suck balls.

damn i was about to ask about the 3ds version too

 

[Swarley]

I want to be excited for the 3DS version, but I'm afraid that the framerate is going to suck balls.

Would be nice to get a side-by-side comparison of the two. I'm getting it for Vita anyways and I don't even have a 3DS, but I'd still like to see.

 

[IamMedellin]

Batman's Next Portable Game Has Some Castlevania, Metroid and Mega Man

Batman's Next Portable Game Has Some Castlevania, Metroid and Mega Man

The Dark Knight's return to handheld gaming will feature multiple endings in an homage to classic old-school games of bygone eras.P

Set after the end of Batman: Arkham Origins:, Batman: Arkham Origins: Blackgate puts Bruce Wayne's alter ego inside of Gotham's max-security prison after an mysterious explosion allows inmates to take over the facility. When I saw the game yesterday at PAX, Mark Pacini dev studio Armature told me that you'll be able to take down Blackgate's three bosses—Black Mask, Penguin or the Joker—in order that you like. Furthermore, the last half-hour of the game changes depending on who players take on last, with different endings rolling out in accordance that choice.

I got to play 3DS and Vita versions of the game and came away impressed at how Armature is transposing the feel of the console games onto a handheld. Camera angles constantly get switched up, which made the game feel more layered than a typical 2D sidecrolling title. And it's worth noting that the game definitely looked better on Vita.P

The first mission I played had Batman's first ever encounter with Catwoman—at least in the Arkhamverse—as he ran into the burglar while she was stealing data from a government building. This intro mission introduced the basics and showed how the portable adventure feels in line with other recent Bat-games.P

Even though it's in 2D, the fighting in Blackgate retains the multifaceted style established in Batman: Arkham Asylum. You'll need to counter and stun certain enemies in order to pummel them senseless. The environment's peppered with grapple points that Batman can hook onto and reel himself up. Other elements like removable grates and breakable walls will also make getting around the 2D game feel familiar. P

Some of these entry points won't be immediately obvious and you'll need to activate Detective Vision by tapping the touchscreen of the Vita or 3DS. Once that viewing mode's active, sliding your finger on the screen will reveal points of interest and holding it on those points scans them for info. So, you'll learn that a broken elevator's cables can be cut to clear a path.

The second mission I played happened in Blackgate and, after being apprehended by Batman, Catwoman serves as his guide through the riot-wrecked prison. Mowing down wave after wave of thugs, I eventually wound getting the Batclaw, which let me make my way to the prison yard. Once there, I fought DC assassin character Bronze Tiger, who was being forced to participate in a fight club run by the Penguin. P

As this boss fight unfolded, the instances where I had to counter or evade escalated. First one counter let me get a flurry of hits in, then it was two counters, then two evades and a counter. Pattern-based, for sure, but one that definitely kept me on my toes. P

Regarding Blackgate's endgame, Pacini told me that different bosses will be more vulnerable to different gadgets and that, ideally, players will run through the game multiple times to figure out which utility belt items work best against Joker, Penguin or Black Mask. It's a Bat-centric twist to the Mega Man formula, since Batman doesn't have powers and can't absorb enemy abilities. P

And the prison itself is clearly modeled after the Super Metroid and Castlevania templates, encouraging players to backtrack to already encountered areas after getting new gadgets. Blackgate looks like it'll be a nice off-branch to the big-brother Arkham Origins games coming out this fall.

http://kotaku.com/batmans-next-portable-game-has-some-castlevania-metro-1232160224

 

[Misogi]

:cantwait:

 

[SethMode]

damn i was about to ask about the 3ds version too

The framerate on Virtues Last Reward was poop, so that's my only real reason for thinking it might be poop here too. Hopefully I am wrong, because I don't see myself ever buying a Vita.

 

[Swarley]

 

[Swarley]

 

[SethMode]

Reviews I've read for this thus far have really bummed me out.

 

[jms493]

Reviews I've read for this thus far have really bummed me out.

I am buying just for the fact that I NEED/WANT to play something on my Vita...otherwise I should just sell it.

 

[ryne candy]

TRU has a coupon floating around on the net. Buy the game for PS3/360, get a $20 gc. It's only valid today (10/25).

 

[jms493]

TRU has a coupon floating around on the net. Buy the game for PS3/360, get a $20 gc. It's only valid today (10/25).

nice but I am OFFICIALLY done buying games for 360 and PS3.

 

[Swarley]

TRU has a coupon floating around on the net. Buy the game for PS3/360, get a $20 gc. It's only valid today (10/25).

I'm assuming you're talking about Arkham Origins and not Arkham Origins Blackgate, right? (since it's only for 3DS and Vita)

 

[ryne candy]

I'm assuming you're talking about Arkham Origins and not Arkham Origins Blackgate, right? (since it's only for 3DS and Vita)

Just noticed I posted it in the wrong thread...my apologies.