BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS swoops in on October 25th

There goes whatever plans I might have had for that day...



GameInformer.com has news and details about Batman: Arkham Origins: the follow-up to Rocksteady's Arkham Asylum and Arkham City.  However this is a prequel to those games, taking place "years before both of the previous Arkham titles when a young, unrefined Batman encounters many supervillains for the first time".

Rocksteady won't be developing this new game however.  They've handed the baton to  Warner Bros. Games Montreal, but have made all their tools and resources available so that the series' look and feel remains consistent.  Given how Arkham Asylum garnered universal acclaim as one of the best video games of all time - and that Arkham City received even greater praise - WB Games Montreal has a high mark to hit, much less surpass.  But after seeing that trailer I've confidence they can pull it off.

Now if we can get a proper sequel to Arkham City.  There were way too many dangling threads in that game screaming to be addressed...

Read More

Finally finished BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY

I'd had Batman: Arkham City, the follow-up to 2009's mega-hit Batman: Arkham Asylum, since its release date back in October. Hadn't devoted much time into it though until this past week. Guess I'm still trying to distract myself from Mom's passing (now four weeks ago) and since anything Batman is best enjoyed in the dark of night, that's when I've been playing it.

There are still some side-missions that I'm working on, but I finished the main story yesterday morning, after starting a new game fresh last week.

Just one word: YOWZERS!!!

Forget it being just the greatest Batman video game ever. Because Batman: Arkham City is... the greatest Batman story ever told, in my book. That you get to be Batman makes it all the sweeter.

That is the ballsiest ending of a video game that I've seen ever pulled off. Not gonna spoil it if you haven't played it yet but, it's something that has been done VERY rarely in the entire 70-some year history of the Dark Knight and this is the first time that it's been done in the scope of a video game... and somehow that made it all the more poignant and powerful.

I don't know WHAT the heck game studio Rocksteady is going to do for a third Arkham game, or how it could possibly top this one, but I've no doubt that it's coming. All the clues are there, especially (SPOILER highlight with mouse to read) the fact that Harley Quinn is pregnant with Joker's baby! Now if that ain't the proverbial loaded gun on the wall, I don't know what is. My guess: Arkham 3 will see all hell break loose on the streets of Gotham City itself. It was a massive mistake to hole up all that criminally psychotic potential within the walls of Arkham City. Maybe the next game could be called Batman: Arkham Unleashed or something...

A good video game is like a good book: the person should go away feeling that it was time well spent. That, Batman: Arkham City accomplished in grand style. Have to give this game my highest recommendation, folks. Also well worth buying first-hand so you can get the Catwoman side-story download included with it.

Read More