Summary
After the disappointment ofSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, usArkhamversefans will finally be able to visit a somewhat more traditionalBatman: Arkhamstory with the upcomingBatman: Arkham Shadow. WhileArkham Shadowis a VR exclusive - a move that has been controversial, especially with it further narrowing down its audience by it being a Meta Quest 3 exclusive - it still seems set to tella more focused single-playerBatmantale in which players must catch the Rat King in a Gotham that is tearing itself apart, and as a Quest 3 owner, I am particularly looking forward to it, especially as it has been confirmed thatBatman: Arkham Shadowwill take place beforeArkham Asylumin theArkhamversetimeline, withArkham Origins' Roger Craig Smith reprising his role as a younger, somewhat more hotheaded Dark Knight.
In a recent interview withKinda Funny, developer Camouflaj’s Ryan Payton also confirmedBatman: Arkham Shadowwould be a full-length title akin toArkham Asylumand would feature more Freeflow-esque combat and better movement mechanics than the previousArkhamverseVR title,Batman: Arkham VR, which was limited by what VR could do at the time and focused more heavily on detective work instead, which makes me extremely hopeful that the title will turn out well, especially considering Camouflaj’s great work onIron Man VR.
With Rocksteady confirming that Bruce Wayne moved to Metropolis after the events ofArkham Knightto join the Justice League - and iscurrently killed off in the seriesunlessSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s post-launch chapters get the chance to bring him back, something that seems unlikely due to the game’s poor performance - and the tragic passing of beloved Batman actor Kevin Conroy in November 2022 making it unlikely that the series will progress forward even if Batman does return,the only real way to continue theArkhamverseis by venturing back to theArkham Originsera, which makes the fact Warner Bros. keeps overlooking the prequel all the more bizarre.
Batman: Arkham - The Complete Story & Timeline
The Arkhamverse timeline of the Batman: Arkham games stretches back decades. Here’s the complete story from before Origins to after Arkham Knight.
Warner Bros.' Has Not Treated Arkham Origins As Well As The Other Arkhamverse Titles
PS4 & PS5 Players Can’t Even Access Its DLC
Batman: Arkham Originshas not been treated as kindly as the otherArkhamversetitles over the years, withArkham Asylum, Arkham City, andArkham Knightoften being bundled together as “The Batman: Arkham Trilogy,” presumably because those three titles were made by Rocksteady, whereasArkhamOriginswas developed by WB Games Montréal, but the prequel had a lot going for it. While it did have some bugs upon its launch that likely marred its review score in comparison, these have largely been ironed out since, andit tells a great story of how Batman first encountered his nemesis, The Joker, who is voiced by Troy Baker, doing an impressive rendition of a younger version of Mark Hamill’s take on the character from the later games.
The freeflow combat fans know and love is present inArkham Origins, but this time,there are perhaps some of the best boss battles in the entire series, far surpassing those of the Rocksteady games, as Batman has to survive being hunted by eight skilled assassins, including Deadshot, Deathstroke, Bane, Killer Croc and more. The atmosphere is also great, asArkham Originsleans heavily into being a Christmas game, with a snowy Gotham lit up with Christmas lights and a giant tree that all evoke memories of theBatman Returnsmovie. All in all, it is a very solidBatman: Arkhamtitle.
Unfortunately, while the title is available on PC via Steam,Batman: Arkham Originsis either not as easy to come by for console players, or they don’t get all of its bonus content.Batman: Arkham Originsis technically part of Xbox’s backward compatibility scheme, but where the game never got a digital release on Xbox 360, those wishing to play the title would need to find a physical copy. While this is fine for those with an Xbox Series X, those with an Xbox Series S or even those who purchase the upcoming disc-less Xbox Series X down the line will be left unable to play the game.
PlayStation players are slightly better off than those on a digital-only Xbox, asArkham Originsis available as part of PlayStation Plus' PS3 offerings, being carried over from PlayStation Now. Unfortunately, as is the case with all PS3-era titles on the service, this can only be streamed, not downloaded, and the DLC for the title is not available, meaningPS4 and PS5 players are missing out on the brilliantCold Cold Heart DLC, whichpulls heavily fromBatman: The Animated Series' reimagining of Mr. Freeze’s origin story that was so praised back in 1992 that it has largely been regarded as the main canon origin for the character in other media since.
Batman: 15 Ways Arkham Origins Is Underrated
Batman: Arkham Origins is often considered the black sheep of the game series, but should it be? Here why it’s actually underrated.
We Need A Batman: Arkham Origins Remaster
Especially If Future Games Keep Revisiting This Era Of The Series
For years,I’ve feltBatman: Arkham Originsdeserves some kind of remaster to make it more accessible across all modern consolesand even to increase its performance and visuals on those platforms. I currently have the game on Steam, so I can dip in whenever I want - and I often do around Christmas just for the overall vibes - but I feel it’s a shame that so many players could be missing out on what is a very solidBatman: Arkhamtitle.
Now,if the series is looking toexplore this era in the timelinefurther with titles such asBatman: Arkham Shadow, it feels more essential than ever that Warner Bros. starts to giveBatman: Arkham Originsthe treatment it deserves so it can be properly preserved as a title and easily accessible to more players. WhileArkham Shadowmay be restricted to its VR audience, that’s not to say otherArkhamversetitles focusing on this era won’t get wider releases in the future. Therefore, making it so that the game that essentially built up many of the characters and their dynamics in these early years - which could be quite different from how they behaved later in the timeline - is unplayable to many just doesn’t make much sense.
I am a big believer in game preservation and ensuring all titles are accessible to future generations as software moves on and that they don’t get lost to time. While I do have some issues with some of the choices made inBatman: Arkham AsylumandBatman: Arkham City’sReturn to Arkhamremasters - namely in some of its texturing and changes to character models like Hugo Strange - at least they are now easily accessible on modern consoles for those who want to dive into the titles and experience its stories again.Batman: Arkham Originsdefinitely didn’t deserve to be as overlooked as it has been over the years, and now feels like the right time for some kind of resurgence, so Warner Bros. should definitely consider revisiting this title soon.
