SUPERHERO

Another Batman trilogy was completed last Friday, although this one was a trilogy of games instead of movies. “Arkham Origins” is a throwback game where players can experience the early years of Batman and play against some of his first enemies. As with “Arkham City” and “Arkham Asylum”, the game is set in Gotham City and players can choose to either play by the story line, or venture out on their own side quests. The plot takes place on Christmas Eve and involves the notorious villains Black Mask and Deathstroke.
Beating criminals with baseball bats, fists and many other weapons are part of the regular brawls. “Invisible predator” is equally entertaining as Batman surprises his foes by randomly appearing wherever the villains happen to be.
Warner Bros. has also added other aspects to the game such as enhanced crime scene investigations, easy access to the Batcave, and new multiplayer capabilities. New supplements include concussion bombs and electric gauntlets.
A majority of the additions are just slightly altered versions of similar items from the previous games. For example, ice grenades are now blue grenades.
Overall, “Arkham Origins” is a safe addition to the Batman series; however, it might lack the little bit of spark that it needs to set it apart from its predecessors. Users have complained that while some of the villains are necessary, such as Bane and Joker, others are just uncreative, like Firefly or Copperhead.
Bradley students are voicing their own complaints with the new game. “’Arkham Origins’ is exactly what you expect and nothing more,” junior economics major Oliver Daly said. “Personally, I wish they had gotten more creative with the game and really made it its own, not just another game in the series.”
Given the less-than-stellar reception of “Batman: Arkham Origins”, I would have to say that this is not a game I would recommend buying, especially if you have “Arkham Asylum” or “Arkham City”. Stick with what you have and save that money for better games, like “Killer Instinct”, on Nov. 22.