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Some of the best Batman games are coming to EA's Origin Access on PC
Homegrown games on EA's Origin Access service are getting some company. Starting today, your subscription will also include, erm, access to titles from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment including a trio of the Batman: Arkham games. Unfortunately we can't trade Arkham: Origins for Arkham Knight (above), but that's just how things work out at the moment.
How Troy Baker's Naughty Dog work influenced 'Shadow of War'
Troy Baker has lent his voice and performances to some of the biggest games of the past decade. From six roles across Darksiders 2 to playing Booker DeWitt in BioShock Infinite or stepping into The Joker's shoes in Batman: Arkham Origins, you might not realize it's actually him delivering the lines until you see the credits. That's because he approaches each performance incredibly differently. With Middle-earth: Shadow of War his job was particularly complex: In addition to reprising his role as Talion, a Ranger of Gondor who's more or less possessed by an undead prince, Baker served as the director for all of the game's performance-capture story sequences. For that task, Baker relied on his experience with director Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog and his roles in the studio's The Last of Us (TLoU) and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. Naughty Dog is widely regarded as having some of the best performances and shot composition in video game story sequences -- there are definitely worse places to look to for inspiration.
'Stiq Tips: A Batman: Arkham Origins Guide
It's Christmas Eve in Batman: Arkham Origins, and while everyone else in Gotham City is watching A Christmas Story for the hundredth time, Batman is stuck outside battling bad guys in 40 degree weather. If Bats wants to get home in time to eat a Christmas ham with Alfred and find out if Ralphie ever got his Red Ryder BB Gun, he's going to need a little help. While most Arkham veterans should be at home in this new Arkham adventure, these tips should help you conquer the new "I Am the Night Mode," which challenges you to beat the game with no saves and one life. The "free flow" combat system return in Arkham Origins, and there's a bit of nuance to it that you may not have realized before. Rather than frantically mashing the buttons, you'll want to take it slow and press them methodically, like you're playing a deadly game of Rock Band or Guitar Hero. To keep your combo, use the vault-dodge (just don't use it more than once, otherwise your counter will drop), and consider going on the offensive, breaking enemies out of their counter-ready attacks rather than just countering everything you see. Using a quick Batarang (double tapping the left trigger/L2) can also keep your combo going, as can a quick Bat-grapple. When enemies are dazed and on the ground (with stars above their head), you can use a melee takedown to instantly knock them out. Resist the urge to do this every time, as it can leave you completely open to attack from the mob. Instead, try to only employ a basic takedown when there's a maximum of two enemies on the screen, or you're completely isolated from the pack.
