It's no Arkham City, but this prequel delivers more than it slips.
As a whole, aside from the multiplayer fiasco, Batman: Arkham Origins comes together really well. The story is laid out nicely, despite a few awkward moments, like the Electrocutioner being brought down with one punch – one punch – when you first meet him. But that does bring a crucial point later in the game, so no worries. It's also nice to see Joker back in action, at a spry young age when he's at his most dangerous.
Getting around the city does take a while at times – and having to complete certain tasks before shifting to others can be a pain – but overall, the flow feels just as good as the first two Batman games. WB Montreal has met this task with ease, if not perfection.
Visually, Batman: Arkham Origins does a splendid job recreating Gotham with a much bigger scope. Seeing all the sights in the city is something else, and the animations on Batman and his cohorts are a wonderful sight, especially to fans of the comic books or previous games. That said, it's not quite perfect, as we saw a few noticeable glitches that could use some smoothing over. This is particularly noticeable during some boss fights, as there were times we couldn't quite get a lock on Firefly because of a hang-up or two. We eventually beat him, but would've been more comfortable with less fight in the long run – with the set-up, mind you, not Firefly himself. Heh.
