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Batman Arkham Collection packs three Batmans into one box
The Batman Arkham Collection will arrive on November 22 in the UK, Warner Bros. announced today. The bundle packs the two Rocksteady-developed Arkham games, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City along with WB Games Montreal's Batman: Arkham Origins into one batsuit. Arkham Asylum and Arkham City will both be included as download codes for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the collection, with the PS3 bundle also receiving the Knightfall DLC pack for Arkham Origins. The PC version of the bundle will feature Game of the Year editions of either game, which grants players bonus DLC like Harley Quinn's Revenge for Arkham City and six additional maps for Arkham Asylum. Those two games are in a bundle of their own, which GameStop unveiled in September. We've contacted Warner Bros. to see if the Arkham Collection will arrive in North America as well.
Target Black Friday preview: Hardware, headsets and games, oh my
Target has posted a sneak preview for its deluge of Black Friday deals and quite a few have been extended to the video games section of the store. Headlining the weekend of savings from November 28 to November 30 are a pair of console deals: a 4GB Xbox 360 S bundle, which includes Kinect Sports Season Two and Kinect Adventures, for $190 and a 250GB PS3 system with The Last of Us and Batman: Arkham Origins for $200. Select current-gen games have also had their prices slashed. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Max Payne 3 are both down to $10; Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Splinter Cell: Blacklist are $25; and Battlefield 4, Batman: Arkham Origins and Madden NFL 25 are $35. Target is dishing out gift cards, too. Pick up a copy of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag and you'll net a $20 gift card, while snagging a copy of Call of Duty: Ghosts or Mario and Luigi: Dream Team will earn a $10 card. To see the full multi-page ad, click the source link below and you'll be directed to your local Target's circular.
Report: Toys R Us' Black Friday deals cut into current-gen bundles
Toys R Us is apparently joining GameStop in bringing a new $200 250GB PS3 bundle to its Black Friday deals, going by scans of a flyer posted at BFAds.net. Like GameStop, the US retailer's bundle includes Batman: Arkham Origins and five-star offering The Last of Us. On the Xbox 360 front, there's a 4GB system with Kinect that's also priced at $200. That bundles in Kinect Sports Season Two, Kinect Adventures, and an additional freebie in the form of Halo 3. Hopping over to the land of Nintendo, the new Skylanders Swap Force 8GB Wii U bundle (which incidentally features Nintendo Land) is going for $260 - that's a chunky $40 saving. There's also a Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon blue 3DS bundle that's down $20 to $150. It's not just about battles between platform holders, though. Starter packs for Skylanders Swap Force and Disney Infinity are at each other's plastic throats too, both priced $37.49. Then, just to remind us of the extensive current-gen library, Toys R Us is reprising its Buy 1 Get 1 for $1 deal from last year. That deal comprises 150 games as wide ranging as Saints Row 3, Sonic Generations, Halo Wars, Batman: Arkham City, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. If your eye is stuck on this fall's big name games, the retailer also has Buy 1 Get 40 percent off on all the video games. Take that, wallets!
Batman: Arkham Origins review: Same bat-channeling
Death is no big deal in comics, especially when the protagonist is one so resolute, enduring and lucrative as Batman. The graveyards are more like timeshare opportunities, whether it's a hero or villain that's about to trade death for a well-timed resurrection some issues later. Handled indelicately, it can play like drama with a transparent veil, manufactured to extract what surprise and tension is left in an ongoing fiction that's subsisted over 70 years. We don't want these characters to go away, but we do need good reasons to stay. In Batman: Arkham Origins, we see a younger grimace beneath the cowl, years before Arkham Asylum became a surprising trap assembled by the Joker and Rocksteady Studios. Warner Bros. Montreal has the difficult task of following Rocksteady's brilliant Arkham City sequel, and they've chosen to go back to Batman's early years on the job. If there was any mystery as to who lives and who dies, it's doubly undermined by the story's nature as a prequel. That isn't to say it's poorly composed – Batman is beset by assassins on Christmas Eve, an ideal crossroads for psychopaths like Deadshot, Deathstroke and Harmfist (maybe not that one), and a good start for a conspiracy that gasps to life with every face-off. Batman's killer night is a bit too eager to fall back into old patterns, however, with the Joker soon broadcasting taunts from an unending supply of televisions. The critical path through Gotham City is feeling worn, even if tread by different, younger actors.
'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.
Batman: Arkham Origins bugs prompt Warner Bros. apology
Following its recent launch, Batman: Arkham Origins greeted players with a number of game-breaking glitches - so many that publisher Warner Bros. Interactive has issued a public apology. The lengthy missive does its best to reassure players before outlining the three issues causing the most problems: players falling through the game's geometry, a vanishing "Continue" option on the main menu and an odd bug that removes FreeFlow Focus combat mode once a player has attained a third rank in the Shadow Vigilante skill. Helpfully, Warner Bros. claims to be working diligently to fix these problems. "The team has been working around the clock to review, validate and pinpoint the problems that have been reported and we have identified three main issues which we are tackling first, and are listed below," reads a message added to the official Arkham Origins forums. "For these issues, we expect the software update to be available within the next week."
Bats in the top of UK chart belfry
Batman: Arkham Origins topples GTA 5 to become the UK No. 1, although it does so with only around half the first week sales of Arkham City. Chart Track says Origins' opening week "almost exactly" matches that of first Arkham game Asylum. Some bat-stats: City shipped 6 million units by the close of 2011, and Asylum 4.3 million at last count. We should note those Origins sales do include the Blackgate Vita game, but no other platforms beyond Xbox 360 and PS3; the Wii U, packaged PC, and 3DS versions are all delayed in the UK until November 8. Holy technicalities, Batman! As for the rest of the charts, it's the kind of week where one big name game shifts all of the top 5 down one place - a bit quiet. However, everything changes next month, starting this coming week. We'll soon see the arrivals of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, Super Mario 3D World, A Link Between Worlds - and those are just the games coming out on consoles already out. In a word, next month is going to be loco.
Watch 17 minutes of Batman: Arkham Origins on this bat-channel
Warner Bros uncowled (it's a word) a walkthrough video of Batman: Arkham Origins, ahead of the dark knight's new adventure coming to retail shelves this week. WB Montreal Senior Producer Ben Mattes and Gameplay Director Michael McIntyre are your tour guides, taking you through a fulsome 17 minutes of the studio's prequel chapter in the Arkham saga. Spoiler warnings ahoy: The vid introduces iconic elements like the Batcave and Batwing, and takes you through a mission in which the Bat has to deal with a corrupt SWAT team who, like the villains, are also after the bounty placed on the hero's head. Arkham Origins swoops into stores on Friday, October 25, on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, and PC. UK heroes-to-be will have to wait until November 8 for the Wii U and boxed PC versions.
Holy sales, Batman! Arkham series and Metro lead this week's deals
If you're a PC gamer looking forward to Friday's release of Batman: Arkham Origins and have yet to scoop up the previous two entries in the series, now might be a good time to do so, as they're 75 percent off on Steam until Monday, 10 am Pacific. That makes Batman: Arkham Asylum just $5.00, and Batman: Arkham City just $7.50. Both versions are Game of the Year editions, meaning even more batarang for your buck. Not a bat-fan? Amazon has unearthed savings on Tomb Raider and Metro: Last Light, which are both on sale for $19.99 through the week, while Best Buy is helping aspiring gamer musicians get into the groove by taking $50 off the cost of any electric guitar when you buy Rocksmith 2014. Lots of good things on sale, stranger.
Wii U, 3DS and boxed PC Batman: Arkham Origins delayed in UK, not North America
The Wii U and boxed PC versions of Batman: Arkham Origins have been delayed to November 8 in the UK, CVG reported. The Xbox 360, PS3 and digital PC versions of the game will still launch on October 25. Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate has also been delayed to November 8 on 3DS, but not on Vita. That's not the case for North American players, however. A Warner Bros. representative told Joystiq that "Batman: Arkham Origins will launch on all platforms in North America on October 25." Warner Bros. did not provide a reason for the delay for its UK audience.
Report: Gamestop's Black Friday has exclusive bundles, blue PS3
Gamestop's Black Friday circular has supposedly leaked its thick, viscous deal-goo all over the internet, exposing the retail chain's plans for the most excruciating shopping day of the year – just don't expect any deals on that new PlayStation 4/Xbox One hotness. For everyone staying in this console generation, though, there's some cool stuff going on if you think leaving the house on Black Friday is worth it. You can have your choice of 250-gig PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 for $199.99, the former bundled with The Last of Us and Batman: Arkham Origins, and the latter bundled with Halo 4 and a download code for Tomb Raider. Meanwhile, a Gamestop-exclusive Azure Blue 250-gig PS3/Jak and Daxter Collection bundle can be had for $249.99. For 360 owners, there's also a Gamestop-exclusive Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City boxed set, Dishonored and Splinter Cell: Blacklist at $24.99 each. PlayStation 3 owners can snag Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag for $40 and a year of PlayStation Plus for $29.99. The chain is also running a buy-2-get-1 free promotion on all pre-owned items, provided the free thing you pick out is of equal or lesser value. Gamestop is also granting an additional 30-percent in-store credit on all trade-ins, though whether these two offers stack is unknown. There's a lot of other stuff on sale, so while we check on the trade-in value of a human soul, click all up on this to check out the full 12-page circular for yourself.
Have an early knight with Batman: Arkham Origins iOS brawler, out now
Injustice dev NetherRealm released its free-to-play companion sidekick app for Batman: Arkham Origins, and it's available now as a free download on the App Store. The iOS brawler precedes the game proper coming to PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and Wii U next week. I suited up for a brief go this morning on my iPhone 5, and the app looks to be a mobile adaptation of the combat, albeit in one-on-one scenarios. The controls are simple enough: You tap to punch, put three taps together quickly to pull of a combo, and hold two fingers down to block. There are QTE-like swipes that appear as you put together moves, and you can switch combat stances as you deal with successive goons. Progress along and you can upgrade Batman's skills and stances, as well as unlock Batsuits, some of which are exclusive to the mobile game. The App Store blurb also notes "cross-platform unlocks" to tempt those planning to reunite with the Dark Knight next week. On that note, check out Arkham Origins' TV commercial after the break for some full-on, hardcore Bruce Wayne staring.
Troy Baker kills it with Joker monologue from The Killing Joke
Troy Baker, amateur opera singer and voice of the Joker in the upcoming Batman: Arkham Origins, gave a live demonstration of his vocal talents to New York Comic-Con attendees, and the results are ... well, skip to 2:12 in the above video and see for yourself. The speech Baker reads in the video is from a one-shot Batman comic called "The Killing Joke," written by Alan Moore. In the comic, the monologue begins while Joker tortures Commissioner Gordon by chaining him to a carnival ride and forcing him to view pictures of his daughter Barbara Gordon (who at the time was also Batgirl), naked and paralyzed from a gunshot wound Joker inflicted on her. So yeah, it's kind of dark material. If you watch before Baker gives his performance, you'll also see him describe the audition process. Apparently, Baker didn't even know who he was auditioning for until part-way through. "I remember that, walking into an audition and I think that, actually, it wasn't even Joker, it was a character whose name was just 'Jack,'" Baker said. It wasn't too long before Baker realized what he was reading, as well as the pressure he was under. Baker also sings a little jingle at the end of the video, which we'll recite for you now: "Some say I am good. Some say I am evil, even more so than the Sith. But I suppose you'll all find out on October 25th."
Batman: Arkham Origins mobile game for iOS, Android revealed
Fisticuff enthusiast NetherRealm Studios is developing a free-to-play adaption of the upcoming Batman: Arkham Origins for release on iOS during the "console game launch window," Warner Bros. announced in a press release yesterday. An Android version will surface later on "in the holiday timeframe." The mobile version will stage fights between Batman and "a number of DC Comics' most deadly assassins" within Gotham City. Besting bad guys will reward players with a "number of unique Batsuits" as well as "in-game currency and rewards." Those who register both the mobile and console versions with a Warner Bros. ID account will also gain access to exclusive content.
WB Games Montreal investment to create 100 new jobs
WB Games Montreal will add 100 new jobs as it continues to grow beyond its original scope, receiving $1.5 million from the Quebec government. Announced in 2010, the studio was positioned to work on social and mobile projects, but is now on the verge of releasing its first triple-A game, Batman: Arkham Origins. "By the end of five years, it'll be 2018, there should be 500 people here and I think we'll be one of the best-known studios in the world," said Warner Brothers Interactive President Martin Tremblay. The studio currently has 325 employees, according to CTV. The WB Games grant comes hot on the heels of another major investment by Quebec in publisher Ubisoft. The $373 million CAD ($362 million USD) Ubisoft investment is expected to add another 500 new jobs to the region by 2020, bringing Ubisoft's employee total in Quebec to 3,500.
Batman: Arkham Origins Initiation DLC, I Am The Night mode detailed
Batman: Arkham Origins' Initiation DLC will explore Bruce Wayne's journey to be a ninja before he became a bat, producer Guillaume Voghel told Eurogamer at this week's Eurogamer Expo. Initiation will follow Bruce's efforts to prove himself to Kirigi, the ninja that taught ninjitsu to both Bruce and his enemy Ra's al Ghul's League of Assassins. Initiation will be the first event within the Arkham series to use a setting outside of Gotham. Arkham Origins will also feature I Am The Night, a difficulty mode that unlocks after players complete New Game+. I Am The Night will not allow saves and limits Batman to just one life. Considering Voghel said that Arkham Origins' "main narrative arc and side missions last about 12 hours," it sounds like players will need to conduct a crime-fighting marathon to overcome I Am The Night.
Report: Multiplayer-less Batman: Arkham Origins to cost $50 on Wii U
The Wii U version of Batman: Arkham Origins will be missing $10 from its price tag in addition to the absent multiplayer content planned for the 360, PS3 and PC versions of the game, Kotaku reports. Amazon's listing for the Wii U version is currently priced at $49.96. Publisher Warner Bros. explained in July that the decision to skip multiplayer for the Wii U version was made to focus "on platforms with the largest MP audience." Arkham Origins' multiplayer mode is being handled by Brink developer Splash Damage and will consist of a three-team fight for territory between the Joker's henchmen, Bane's thugs and Batman and Robin. The Joker and Bane gangs will be a three-piece effort, although a henchman can be swapped for a super villain if a player earns their way into Joker or Bane's shoes. Batman & Robin, however, will fight on as a gadget-wielding duo of justice.
Batman: Arkham Origins Season Pass adds skins, story expansion
Those of you planning to pick up Batman: Arkham Origins may want to earmark an extra $20 for the game's Season Pass, as it includes a host of bonus content and even additional story. Included are the Millennium and Infinite Earths Skin Packs, which each feature five new costumes for Batman and one for Robin. The Gotham By Gaslight and Brightest Day packs deliver two additional Batman skins, while the Initiation DLC pack allows players to battle the forces of evil as Bruce Wayne. Most notably, the Season Pass also grants access to an as-yet unnamed expansion pack which is said to expand the plotline found in Batman: Arkham Origins. Batman: Arkham Origins debuts on the PlayStation 3, PC, Wii U and Xbox 360 on October 25. The Season Pass should appear at the same time.
Batman: Arkham Origins' Deathstroke pre-order punches out a trailer
Pre-order purchases of October's Batman: Arkham Origins will receive the Deathstroke challenge pack as a bonus on all current-gen consoles and PC. The pack includes the assassin Deathstroke as a playable character, along with the "100-to-1" beat-em-all-up mode, two challenge maps and three Deathstroke wardrobe choices.
Batman: Arkham Origins goes retro in Knightfall DLC
The Sony-exclusive Knightfall DLC for Batman: Arkham Origins features five new challenge maps as well as two character skins: Inexplicably muscular Adam West circa 1963, and Jean-Paul Valley, the angry guy who replaced Bruce Wayne as Batman for a blessedly short period in the mid-90s.
