I have been wanting to do this post for a while. How does the trilogy of Batman Arkham Games hold up given today's technology?
Playing through the first one, Arkham Assylum, the faces of some of the minor NPCs were terrifying to look at. The story is still good, however, the gameplay itself, while ever so slight, is so clunky. There is little to no characterisation or character arcs beside Mark Hamil's Joker. This one is one I would say, is better left in the past with the good memories of playing it for hours on end.
Overall Rating: 6/10
I moved onto the second games, the peak of the Arkham series, Arkham City. This one surprised me in that it was just as good as I remember. Amazing boss fights, awesome story and gameplay that still feels like a modern-day game. Some character models, specifically the minor NPCs you interact with, look like the crowd models from the 2k wrestling games, but otherwise, there is little wrong with this title, which is deservedly called a classic.
Overall Rating: 8/10
Now comes the downfall, Arkham Knight. This one has amazing gameplay when one did not have to play as the Batmobile. The story was enjoyable but as predictable as the Arkham Knight being Jason Todd. The main problems with the game are the predictability, Deathstroke's boss fight being resigned to a tank battle, the amount of time one plays as the Batmobile (which is longer than the amount of time you play as Batman), and that had they had so much awesome material to use but that went to waste.
Overall Rating: 4/10
Overall, I had a good time playing through these games and anyone who does, will get a good version of the overarcing story. I very much look forward to the new title in the series but hope they learn from their mistakes. If they do then we shall be in for an amazing Batman title, maybe even better than Arkham City.
Series Overall Rating: 6.5/10
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