Batman: Arkham Origins - Xbox 360

Batman: Arkham Origins for the Xbox 360 is not merely a prequel; it is a deep dive into the nascent stages of a legend, a gritty, snow-dusted canvas upon which the Dark Knight's myth truly begins to take form. This game is a crucible, forging the raw, unrefined vigilante into the stoic symbol of justice we know. Gotham City, a sprawling, menacing beast, feels more alive and dangerous than ever, its icy grip mirroring the cold resolve of its protector. The combat, a brutal ballet of fists and gadgets, is as satisfying as a perfectly landed punch, each counter a testament to Batman's unparalleled skill. The rogues' gallery, a vibrant tapestry of madness and ambition, challenges not just Batman's strength, but his very soul. Like a shadow stretching across the city, this game envelops you in its dark embrace, revealing the trials and tribulations that shaped the Caped Crusader. It's a journey into the heart of a hero, a testament to the enduring power of a legend in the making.

I have all three Arkham games(all on Xbox), and I honestly believe they've gotten better with every installment. A lot of reviewers complained that this was just more of the same. I sort-of agree, but that's not a bad thing. Overall, I felt gameplay was subtly improved over Arkham City with little touches like the Shock Gloves going a long way to alleviate my annoyances with the previous installment's combat. Like when you're in a fight with a bunch of shield bearers and you end up spending more time taking shields and knives away than actually fighting. Yes, I'm referring to that open area in the old subway station in City. You know, the one filled with heavy's and shield bearers... A big complaint that a lot of people had was the way gliding get's broken by the city's seemingly haphazard design. And initially I agreed. I changed my tune after only a few hours of play though. Once you've got a good general idea of the city, it actually becomes pretty trivial to find glide paths from just about anywhere to just about anywhere and the more random layout of the city makes gliding feel more natural and less like a cheap gameplay mechanic. In fact, I found that I almost never used the fast travel except when I wanted to head back to the Batcave. The Riddler missions are essentially the same, but I found that the way they were presented in Origins gave a greater sense of urgency and made them a more compelling diversion from the main missions. TBH, I had a hard time caring at all about these in both Asylum and City, but I not only finished the Riddler plot-line in Origins, I enjoyed doing so. The story is, quite frankly, where Origins really shines though. While I do agree with most reviewers that certain of the assassins were rushed through(I'm kinda pissed about how small a contribution Deathstroke gave to this game, though the end credits scene gave me some hope in that regard), I have to say that, despite the way the trailers presented things, this game is not about Batman taking on assassins. There is a much deeper, and quite frankly, way better plot that develops behind the scene presented by the contract on Batman story presented in all the marketing. As a final addendum, I feel I should say that, I have yet to run into any of the bugs that people have been complaining about. Well, ok, i did run into one bug, but it actually helped me complete the challenge where you can't use detective vision during a conflict.(Hint: Enter the conflict with Detective Vision on and don't turn it off until the situation is done. May have been patched by now.)

This is a very good game. Is it the best Arkham game? No. Is it the best open world game? No. But it does shed different light on Arkham series. Overall, there are two sides to Batman - the 1) 'World's Greatest Detective' and 2) The Bat on the edge of sanity. The first two Arkham games were definitely a trip through insanity (#2). This game focuses more on the detective side (#1). Where the first two Arkham games could be considered 'twisted', this game is much better characterized as 'dark'. Gameplay- The core mechanics of the gameplay are intact from the previous iterations of the franchise, and despite the new developer, feels much like the first two as far as the way the game responds to you. The brawling fights are actually upgraded - more diversified enemy types which add variety to the game. However, about half way through the game, you get a gadget (I won't say what so as not to spoil the story) that literally negates all of the variety of the enemy types and turns all of the enemies into typical grunts. For fans of the series or for those wanting a little more challenge, I recommend not using this gadget in combat. The predator side of the gameplay virtually the same, but the levels for predator encounters are probably a little better - the original Arkham games typically featured rectangular rooms with evenly spaced gargoyles around the ceiling. In this game, the predator levels are much more varied, which require a lot more strategy. Furthermore, this game has THE BEST boss battles in the series. These battles can be quite difficult and require a lot of timing in order to succeed. So, positive scores across the board for gameplay, but the one 'super gadget' makes the combat far too easy. Story- This is an origins story meant to fit before the original Arkham Asylum game. As such, it does a decent job paving the way for the original game. A common complaint I've heard is that the game is not really an 'Arkham' game. While the game does not take place at a facility that is called 'Arkham', this is still an adequate prequel. Much of the action takes place at Blackgate prison, which can be seen as a precursor to the Arkham Asylum facility (this isn't a spoiler, since the first scene of the game drops you into Blackgate). The story's biggest weakness is that it falls prey to the 'checkbox syndrome'. In telling an origins story, there are certain boxes that need to be checked off in order to fit with accepted canon. The original Arkham games did not need to check any boxes, and were therefore free to tell the story that they wanted to. This game, however, stutters a little when it has to take time out of the game's story in order to tell some of 'Batman's story'. However, that said, the story is quite strong. There are a few good twists (nothing of the level of games like Bioshock Infinite), but things that make the game more involved than simply fighting off a couple of assassins that have come to kill you (once again, not a spoiler - this is on the back of the game box). Graphics- I'm not a graphics snob, but there are times when the graphics look great, and other times when they don't. The game seems to cut to more cut scenes than previous installments, which allows the game to significantly boost the graphics for pivotal parts of the story. The non-cut scenes, on the other hand, look just like the original two games, which are arguably outdated. Glitch- Shortly after the game was released (I got it on day 1), I read about a save corrupting/freezing glitch and had a flashback to Hitman:Absolution (where I lost my entire game due to a corrupted save). This time, I didn't take any chances - I backed up my game saves to a separate storage location, so I could restore it if my saves were ever corrupted. Luckily, it didn't happen. I did have the game freeze about 3 times in my entire playthrough, but I simply hard powered off the machine and rebooted. Backing up the saves added a minute or two to my playing, and resetting from freezing only took a few minutes x3 times. Overall, the glitch does exist, but it isn't the end of the world - it isn't a 'broken' game, but it definitely needs to be patched. Overall, this game gets a 4/5 in my book. It isn't as good as the original two Arkham games. Also, immediately prior to this game, I played through GTA V and Splinter Cell Blacklist. Blacklist is a better stealth game than Arkham Origins, GTA V is a better open world game than Arkham Origins. However, Arkham Origins is still just fun. It makes you feel like Batman, and provides an interesting take on the story leading up to the original Arkham games. If the Arkham series were released in story order (meaning this game first, then Asylum, then City), then this game would get a lot of praise for being a good, even great, Batman game. However, this game can't quite seem to get out of the huge shadow that was set by the original games.

Arrivato nei tempi previsti, tutto perfetto!😍

Was going through all of the Arkham games and ordered this to complete the journey even though it’s a prequel. Came quickly and while the price is considered steep; all discontinued and 360 games go for that price nowadays. The game came in basically flawless condition with the case. To be honest I like orgins more than Arkham knight, save for the concluding storyline. Combat is the same as any Arkham game, and the bosses in this game are great. Pick it up if you haven’t played it!

Splendid above all else

Using Xbox Series X - latest Xbox technology; the CD was packed in the original game box and worked perfectly initially. Then, the game crashes often. I use a microfiber cloth and wipe the dust out, and the effect is only temporary. I rarely experienced this in my old console 5 years ago.

I used to play this game when I was younger and thought I should buy it for some good memories and I was not disappointed. Just as good as I remember. It’s awesome that it works for the new Xbox as well