Reviews
Batman: Arkham Origins (2013)
Batman Arkham Origins Review
Back in 2009, Rocksteady blew our minds by showing us their capabilities of fusing the story of the Dark Knight with the medium of video games. A new standard for superhero games was set and the Arkham series was born. Fast forward four years and we are lucky enough to be getting our hands on the third installment in the Arkham universe with Batman: Arkham Origins. If you have enjoyed the two previous releases by Rocksteady, then the studio taking the reins on this prequel will not disappoint you. Yes, I said prequel, and yes a new studio has been put in charge for this game. WB Games Montreal has been given the keys to the Arkham franchise and has decided to expand the story back in time to when Bruce Wayne is starting to discover his potential as the unstoppable protector of Gotham that he will become.
WB doesn't waste any time and within a few short moments of starting the game, we are given the general plot outline and the path that lies before our hero. We are thrown into the combat very quickly as well and the developers do a good job of assisting those who have never played an Arkham game before by including on-screen button queues to which you can quickly learn from. However this is done so as to not take away from those who are experienced, and allow us to dive right in to the immediate free-flowing mechanics that we love in the Arkham series. The controls definitely take a page right out of Rocksteady's book and maintain the same high level of precision and satisfaction however, the lack of innovation in regards to the controls is imminent. It feels as though at any moment you could be plucked from Origin's world and dropped into City's and the fighting would continue like you never knew different. Besides a few new finishing moves the combat system as a whole remains virtually the same. On the other hand, WB has given us a few new boss battle encounters that must be given credit. Exciting, playable action mixed with fantastic cut-scenes makes for an unforgettable experience when facing the many bosses in this game. Not only is fast finger button sequencing required, but equally important is deciding which fighting move you will decide to use to inflict your damage because button mashing will not suffice. Another new component this game offers is the ability to earn XP in each and every encounter with enemies. Finish off a group of thugs and you will be rewarded based on a number of different factors such as stealth, takedowns, variety, and more. I enjoyed the push to change up my fighting strategy throughout the game however I felt that the rewards were sometimes inconsistent. In one battle, I dropped in from above and took out the group of thugs very quickly while keeping my combo meter going intact throughout the fight. I proudly finished off the last enemy but was strangely rewarded with a 25% grade for my actions. In another encounter, I snuck up behind a thug to take him down silently but failed to do so without being seen. I then was able to defeat the rest of his crew who had been alerted but took some damage from them in doing so. To my surprise I was awarded with a 100% grade and the entire bonus XP that came with it. Although this unexplainable grading system didn't happen every time, I did find myself receiving all sorts of different grades throughout my adventures in Gotham and was not able to figure out the exact reason for this.
Even with its minor imperfections, Arkham Origins is yet another fulfilling Batman game. The plot gets more interesting as you progress and even throws a couple twists in here and there which worked effectively. There are some bug problems and the occasional latency issues that occur periodically during fights, but this doesn't hinder you from having a truly satisfying experience in the world of Gotham. Sometimes it's hard not to feel like faulting WB for its lack of innovation here and that not much has changed since the last installment. But while this may be true to some extent, it's still a whirlwind of non-stop action with a great story, fun combat, and fabulous boss battles that will have you glued to your TV. Whether this is your first crack at the Arkham series, or your third experience with the Bat, you will be left wanting more. Coming from a long-time fan of the series, I can't wait until the next Arkham game is released but deep down I am hoping that Rocksteady gets back in the driver's seat for our ride into the next generation.
God of War: Ascension (2013)
God of War: Ascension Review
For all you Kratos fans out there, the big man is back and yes, he is still in need of some anger management therapy. The game creators at Santa Monica Studios have spun the wheel of time and have taken us as far back as we have yet been in Kratos' journey. Chronologically speaking, Ascension takes place before all the other existing titles in the series. Before the game was released, I was excited when I heard that the next God of War installment was going to be a prequel and that it was to be called Ascension. I immediately assumed that this was going to be the playable origin story of Kratos that we have been introduced to time and time again in the previous games. Unfortunately not long after getting into the story, I realized that the unfolding tale was not so much the origin of Kratos that I had hoped for.
Yes, throughout the game there are glimpses of Kratos' origin and reference to what happened to his family, but no more than what we've been shown in the previous games. Instead we are given a story about a blood oath that Kratos has broken with Ares, the god of war. Ares then sends the three Furies after him to uphold his oath and punish him for what he's done. The Furies are three immortal sisters who each possess a unique power to help them with their task of enforcing honour.
Being a long-time fan of the franchise, I couldn't wait to get back into the fast, fun, and fluid combat that each God of War title has brought forth thus far. I was extremely pleased to see that this has not changed in Ascension. With the ability to string painstakingly long combos together to completely obliterate the enemy, I spent hours enjoying the process of trying button sequence after button sequence to figure out which of Kratos' moves I liked best. Of course, battling an opposing boss the size of a sky scraper wouldn't be complete without the signature QTE that encapsulates the player and helps to show the scale of the ginormous creatures Kratos goes up against. The QTE in Ascension are perfectly planted and provided me with enough challenge to have to retry them every once in a while but at the same time never feeling unfair or unresponsive.
Even though the precision of the combat was equally as impressive as its predecessors, Ascensions fails in a couple areas that the other titles did not. The adventure that we are sent out on in this game feels really unnecessary in the scope of the series as a whole. It feels as though the outcome of the story has no real bearing on what happens in Kratos' future. Most of the cut scenes are presented in a silhouette style and we don't get the same visually appealing experience as we are used to. These two mistakes caused me to really show a lack of interest in the story itself and only continuing on because of the satisfying combat. In regards to the combat, I felt that the lack of physical unlockable weapons in the game (such as Hercules' Nemean Cestus) which are replaced by magical abilities of the god's, is rather unsatisfying compared to the other games. The introductions of world weapons (a club, spear, sword, etc.) tries to make up for this but these generic weapons do not successfully replace the imaginative weapons that we are used to unlocking and upgrading. It felt somewhat lazy on the developers' part to use the god's of Olympus magical abilities that we have already seen and used so often, as the upgradable abilities for Kratos. It would have been nice to see a little bit more creativity from Santa Monica both in the storytelling and with the unlockable abilities they give to us.
If you are like me, a well versed God of War veteran having played through all previous titles in the series, then God of War Ascension is a must play. Even though a lack of creativity exists in comparison to what we are used to, you will no doubt been pulled in by the same entertaining, and precise combat that God of War fans have come to love and expect. For those who have not yet taken the plunge into Kratos' universe, my recommendation is to start with the original God of War title and play through the rest in the order that they were released. This will give you a better understanding of the story of Kratos and will captivate you in a way that only the best video games can. I know the story of God of War isn't finished yet and Ascension, although did not fully satisfy, has left me hungry for more.