Batman: Arkham Origins

Snubbed in the PS4 remaster collection, play it on PS Now

FORMAT PS3 / YEAR 2013 / PUB WARNER BROS INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT / DEV WB GAMES MONTRÉAL / ISSUE OPM #90 / SCORE 8/10

39 Often this one can get overlooked, as it’s the only non-Rocksteady-developed game in the Batman: Arkham series. But it stands on a Gotham gargoyle just as tall. WB Games Montréal did a fantastic job of crafting its own Batman adventure that takes place during his ‘Year Two’ of cowled vigilante activity while Rocksteady worked on the truly next-gen Arkham Knight. The game reuses the map of Arkham City, as well as adding more of Gotham across the river.

Set at Christmas, a bounty has been placed on the Caped Crusader’s head, and villainous assassins have zeroed in on Gotham in order to claim their bat-trophy. Meanwhile, the police are still at odds with Batman, and are trying to take him out. And if that weren’t enough, a brand-new villain is putting on his clown make-up for the first time. You really get the feeling of one long Christmas night spiralling out of control…

BADDIE BONANZA

A plethora of great villains join the mix, and the game features tense and challenging boss fights. Deathstroke, Copperhead, and the other assassins genuinely feel like a threat to Batman, and keeping them off your back is satisfying. Combat is mostly in the same vein as the other Arkham games, but some extra upgrades, like the shock gloves, are terrific, and the addition of the batwing plane to let you fast travel across the large map stops travel from feeling slow and cumbersome – though snowy Gotham is a sight to behold as you glide over it.

The best reason to play this one is if you missed out on Origins the first time around – which many people did. Thanks to the fact this has been snubbed from recent remasters and collections, PS Now is currently the best way to dive back into a fantastic Batman adventure you might have missed. The stakes might not get as massive as in some other Arkham games, but it makes this a more personal and focused tale, with more grounded villains, and a refreshing twist on the Arkham formula.