^^ Wait, you found WHAT?!

11/30/2011 3:25:07 PM

go look on the floor near the mannequin holding harley's costume from arkham asylum

11/30/2011 3:44:48 PM

how long is the main story?

12/22/2011 3:10:20 PM

It's a decent length. It's hard for me to say X number of hours because I kept getting sidetracked fy side quests. No idea how long it would take just skipping from main story quest to main story quest. The gameplay is extended by collecting the many, many, '?'s and doing the side missions.

There's also quite a few non-story mode challenges.

[Edited on December 22, 2011 at 10:47 PM. Reason : -]

12/22/2011 10:46:15 PM

WOW. Just wow.

Finished install, then it tells me I need a "Windows Live" account to play the game I purchased.

Fine. So I go to create an account - it already exists! That's odd, since I've never even heard of this useless "service." So I try to reset my password, and it fails, saying "incorrect user name."

Called tech support, they are closed.

First world problems, and all, but this is truly shoddy. I did not believe it was possible for a product to gain worse stigma than being locked to Steam, but this takes the cake. A new low.

1/1/2012 11:27:58 PM

LOLHAHAHAHAHAHA this is awesome.

So I made a dummy e-mail to create this Live account thing.

Then the game starts (in 32-bit mode...more on that later) and says Live itself needs to be updated.

It tries. Fails. Tries again, and succeeds. FINALLY, I can log in.

...NOPE! I have no "gamer tag" associated? What the fuck?

This might be the worst software experience I've had since Steam. I'm really at a loss for words. The game really has no chance now because the user experience is already so atrocious.

1/1/2012 11:55:03 PM

I dont get how you had a bad experience with steam. I bought the game on there, fired it up, and played no problem.

1/1/2012 11:56:54 PM

...but you had to install and run Steam, right?

As awful a model that is, I would gladly take it over this mess.

[Edited on January 2, 2012 at 12:00 AM. Reason : ]

1/2/2012 12:00:15 AM

I guess I'll get Microsoft's next console because at this point they get the most stable releases. No one should be deprived of this game.

1/2/2012 12:24:41 AM

So anyways, I'm about 30 minutes in and...perhaps I'm missing something?

There's a single button for running jumping, gliding, and pretty much any other acrobatics. And you are basically placed on a rail toward the game's next cutscene, pressing buttons when you are told to. Combat is tedious and almost totally uninvolved. I'm not doing anything, Batman is.

Coupled with the inability to strafe and the horrible camera angle which is not adjustable, and I'm feeling pretty guilty that someone wasted $50 on this for Christmas.

It's pretty though. Well acted too.

1/2/2012 12:28:32 AM

That is pretty funny.

1/2/2012 12:36:33 AM

? I only said "pretty," as in, it looks fantastic. Great art direction.

1/2/2012 12:39:34 AM

Well yes, to install Batman via steam, I had to install steam.

It still worked flawlessly and was pretty much the complete opposite of a 'bad experience'

1/2/2012 1:59:30 AM

^^^^ Yes. You are missing something.

1/2/2012 2:28:02 AM

guys how come i can't go into first person and use machine guns as batman?

1/2/2012 11:57:59 AM

Seems they also forgot to provide an on-demand save game feature?

^^ Please enlighten me.

The experience itself seems to have the goal of being anti-immersion.

What little gameplay there is is hampered by clunky control response and ever-changing camera positions.

A given button/key seems to do many different things at different times - the screen simply tells you when to press it, which serves to boil the gameplay down to a massive collection of quicktime events.

There is absolutely no feeling that you are the Batman, performing any of these tasks. There is the feeling that you're watching a movie. It's a poorly designed video game, but at least it's a well written, well acted movie so far. Love seeing pretty much the entire rogue's gallery.

1/2/2012 9:38:57 PM

Quote :

"and the horrible camera angle which is not adjustable"

You can turn camera assist off on the 360 version.

1/3/2012 1:03:14 PM

So play on hard mode and there won't be button assist.

1/3/2012 1:51:35 PM

this guy is trolling right?

1/3/2012 2:33:22 PM

some of these Riddler challenges are downright sadistic

1/4/2012 10:19:08 AM

I did advanced AR training 1 before doing the Riddler trophies. All the Riddler trophies were relaxing by comparison.

1/4/2012 12:03:05 PM

I do think it's a little lame that you have to login to live in order to save the game, but I understand it's for piracy protection. I have this game maxed out on all settings and it's fucking beautiful and really fun to play.

1/4/2012 12:14:12 PM

440 riddler trophies/riddles isn't fucking fun. It's god dam busy work. There is absolutely no other reason to have this many of these god damn things.

1/6/2012 5:51:24 PM

Quote :

"This might be the worst software experience I've had since Steam. I'm really at a loss for words. The game really has no chance now because the user experience is already so atrocious."

I feel you on the live bullshit. I bought bioshock 2 off steam after having not played any PC games for several months. My experience was like this:

-Vague uncomfortable feeling about launching a game; feels like it would be easier to just browse reddit
-Open up Steam... what is my password again?
-5 minutes later: oh, a steam update. Cool, I guess.
-5 minutes later: BIOSHOCK 2
-Wait... windows live. Wtf? What is my password again?
-10 minutes later: oh, cool. A mammoth fucking windows live update.
-20 minutes and a dozen install screens later: I still haven't played a game.

1/6/2012 5:58:54 PM

Bingo.

It's almost as if they (developers) are TRYING to sabotage the PC platform to force gamers to give up and downgrade to consoles because it is cheaper/easier to develop for them.

1/9/2012 12:37:41 PM

I still do not understand why people play these kinds of games on a PC. MMOs and FPSs yes, but what is the point of buying this for the PC? It has almost no replay value.

[Edited on January 10, 2012 at 5:18 PM. Reason : I take that back. If you pirate these games, then I understand. Otherwise, it doesn't make sense.]

1/10/2012 5:17:16 PM

I don't see why its hard to get your head around. Some people have PCs for gaming, why not buy a game you want to play for it?

The only advantage I can see to the console version is that you could sell it when you're done; but I guess that's only attractive if you can't keep a job or are really strapped for cash. I never sell any of my games back.

1/10/2012 5:39:12 PM

Yea, they kinda fucked up the PC release especially with the problems with DX11. At least I think they fixed it relatively quickly unlike Bethesda with the large save file issues on PS3. As games get more complex we are going to see these problems across all platforms. At least you can tell which platform gets hosed over time from different companies and not buy their games.

1/10/2012 5:46:30 PM

Quote :

"The only advantage I can see to the console version is that you could sell it when you're done; but I guess that's only attractive if you can't keep a job or are really strapped for cash. I never sell any of my games back."

So spending $60 on a game you will play through once is worth it to you? I don't trade many games in either but I use Gamefly for a reason. Games like this are perfect for it. You play as much as you want and send it back. I am not a video game collector so I have no reason to want to waste money that I don't need to spend.

It has absolutely nothing do with how much money I have or the type of job I have. I prefer to save money that I don't see a purpose in spending. Most people with common sense don't like to waste money on things they don't deem worthy of spending a lot of money on.

[Edited on January 11, 2012 at 2:52 PM. Reason : .]

1/11/2012 2:49:40 PM

60 dollars isn't worth it for a lot of games, and so I don't buy a lot of games.

60 bucks for Batman, which takes hours and hours to play through once, even if you don't try to do the extras like the Riddler and achievements is an extremely high ROI on $ invested. Much higher than say a movie or sporting event.

Another example is Skyrim. I paid 60 bucks for it and I'm 130+ hours into it. Yep, I can't 'return' it but that 60 bucks is far from 'wasted money'.

I also cant tell you how many times I've popped in a 'play through once' game a good while after having bought it to play it again.

Not to mention I don't have to feel rushed to finish a game in order to get the next one I want to play. I'm not sure I have ever only had one game at a time I was playing.

Edit:

I rarely actually pay 60 for a PC game. Steam has wonderful sales. I got the first batman for like 15 bucks, and the second for 25. I paid full price for Skyrim b/c i couldnt wait and have more than got my moneys worth out of it.

Whats wonderful is i can bounce back and forth between all of those games! Its so rare that I buy new 60 dollar games on steam that I probably spend less than 15 bucks a month on games; and I get to keep all of mine and play them as many times as I want, when I want.


[Edited on January 11, 2012 at 3:51 PM. Reason : *]

1/11/2012 3:39:47 PM

Steam is definitely a worthwhile service.

1/11/2012 4:14:54 PM

Good lord. I keep trying to give it a chance but the gameplay is SO damn bad. Controls are unforgivably clunky.

Early on you still get tips from Batman and the screen.

Ctrl + C = Ground Takedown?

Okay, here we go....nope, wrong. Throws a smoke bomb instead and I get lit up by machine guns. Tried three more times, no good.

When you cannot get past the tutorial stage of the game, you know something has gone very wrong.

1/13/2012 6:17:02 PM

pick it up on console, try again

1/13/2012 7:09:25 PM

Yeah, if you plan on doing a lot of gaming on a PC you might want to invest in a 360 controller. They are like $30 on amazon and they make all the console port games a million times easier to control. No tedious controller mapping either, just plug in and play with the same controls as the 360 counterpart.

1/13/2012 8:41:02 PM

Not happening.

I'll stop cluttering the thread now. Peace.

1/13/2012 10:39:49 PM

360 controller is great for PC games, not just for this game but lots of them.

1/13/2012 11:33:06 PM

the controls in this game are not clunky, not by a long shot

if you are using a keyboard, you are just making it harder on yourself

a controller would make your experience with this game a ton better

1/16/2012 11:09:55 AM

I use the keyboard for these games and have no problems

1/16/2012 12:11:20 PM

you are apparently a better PC gamer than Wyloch

1/17/2012 5:46:40 PM

this finally arrived last night so I will begin playing Thursday night I think.

I bought the game used so my Catwoman add-on key was already used. Are the Catwoman missions worth the $9.99?

and what do I need to know from Arkham Asylum (never played it) that leads into AC?

thanks,

1/18/2012 8:56:43 AM

The biggest thing you're missing out on coming into AC without playing AA is familiarity with some of the gadgets. Story wise I don't think you're missing a thing.

Anyway, in AA you gradually get your gadgets as the need arises, so it plays out as a tutorial of sorts. In AC you start out with several gadgets from the previous game with no real tutorial period to learn the use of each preexisting gadget. They just assume you know the use. Not really that big of a deal, it's free roam so you can take the game at your own pace.

1/18/2012 9:15:37 AM

i played a demo of AA which took me through the whole first level so I sort of remember the grappling hook and the bat vision or whatever it was called.

AA was more linear and now AC is more open?

1/18/2012 9:20:38 AM

Just look up the plot of AA on wikipedia (when it isn't blacked out). The drug Titan was being used by the Joker to create super powerful henchman like Bane. He used it on himself at the end and that is why he is dying.

AC is completely open world while AA was more Metroid Prime like. You could backtrack into areas you have explored before and use new gadgets to unlock new areas. Some areas were off bounds until you can get the gadget to traverse it.

[Edited on January 18, 2012 at 10:32 AM. Reason : wikipedia blacked out man]

1/18/2012 10:29:02 AM

did just that and then watched the final boss fight and ending video just to know how things wrapped up.

1/18/2012 10:48:46 AM

I guess $10 is worth the catwoman add on. That is a hard question. I really enjoyed her predator missions because they were pretty difficult. The extra story she adds to the main plot is minimal. They also made her so slutty and stupid it almost insulting. Finding her Riddler trophies is trivial since she really doesn't have Batman's gadgets. Riddler trophies were only fun if they made you use the gadgets in a clever way. I hated when they made me hack a door over and over and over.

Some of these companies really know how to milk people with extra content. Mortal Kombat was the worst I have seen. Kids would pay $5 for a new character but didn't even know how to use Scorpion correctly. I would just destroy them with a nearly mastered Kitana. I didnt buy any new characters. If they weren't part of the original roster then they were probably an afterthought.

1/18/2012 12:06:08 PM

Quote :

"Are the Catwoman missions worth the $9.99?"

Not at all.

1/18/2012 12:39:58 PM