So, a couple of friends on facebook decided to post a list of their favorite anime series on facebook a couple of days ago. I did the same, but now I'm feeling compelled to expand on my choices a bit, and explain why these made my list over numerous others that could have been on it. If you're interested, keep reading! (Also, after the top 3, these are in no certain order.)
1. Rurouni Kenshin
Yes! My favorite anime of all time, hands down, despite the fact that the second half of it derails a bit. OK, it derails a lot, but even then it's a solid anime with an (overall) good voice cast for the main characters. Minus the voices of Kaoru and Yahiko, I like all of the main cast, especially Richard Cansino (also sometimes credited as Richard Hayworth) as Kenshin. He's the definitive voice of the character to me, and nails every emotion Kenshin goes through perfectly.
Why does Rurouni Kenshin top the list? Because it was the first anime that really got me invested in characters versus archetypes like the anime I'd watched before it. I still remember when Toonami aired the first episode, and I was watching the block because I wanted to see the latest episodes of G Gundam and DBZ. I'd seen the commercials for it, and didn't even care to watch it. I mean, how could it possibly compare to the over-the-top insaneness (yup, I'm coining insaneness as a word) of DBZ and G Gundam? Well, I had nothing else to watch anyway, so I just sat there and waited ... then the end of the episode came and I wanted more. Here was this hero (and he was a ginger like me!) who was the nicest, most soft-spoken and well-meaning guy you could meet who was only a pacifist because of his past life as a murdering assassin. And yes, he was nice to a fault ... until you threatened the people he cared about, and that really resonated with me.
Kenshin's struggle throughout the series to get away from violence while having to use violence to save his friends (usually because of his own past coming back to bite him) kept me coming back again and again. He was a character with a past and a heart, with a personality unique to him. He wasn't the same dumb, fumbling strong guy that wins through sheer luck; he wins because of his drive, skill and his training as a cold-blooded killer. His is a story that says: Just because your past is dark and you've made bad mistakes, that doesn't mean you can't turn it around and use it for good.
Anyone who knows me has probably heard me say a million times over, "I'm a sucker for a good redemption story." Well, what most of them don't know is that it all started with Kenshin.
2. Yu Yu Hakusho
As much as I loved DBZ as a kid, Yu Yu Hakusho replaced it as my go to high-octane Fighting Anime. I still like DBZ well enough, but I feel like Yu Yu Hakusho told a fuller, more complete story in about half the time it took DBZ, and I liked the characters a little bit better. Yuske, Kuwubara, Hiei and Kurama all go through significant changes as the series goes on, and it isn't just relegated to them getting stronger (I'm still looking at you, DBZ.) Every arc of the show challenged the group in new ways and forced them to become a better team. There was no Saiyan equivalent that made every other character useless by the end of the series; Hiei, Kurama and Kuwubara are all relevant right until the fourth season, where Kuwubara backs out because he wants to pursue his education, which made perfect sense for his character.
This is also the series I watched before writing Electus. It influenced it a good bit, I think, at least as far as pacing and characterization goes. I've always been a huge fan of how fast Yu Yu Hakusho moved through an arc compared to most big anime and it never felt like anything was sacrificed. More shows could learn from that.
3. Trigun
Just as I was coming off my Rurouni Kenshin high, I found a new hero on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block to fill my pacifist-hero-that-still-has-to-solve-problems-with-violence-because-he's-haunted-by-his-past fix. Man, that was a mouthful....
Anyway, Trigun was always fun for me because, unlike Kenshin, Vash was a bit of a perv and got himself into a lot of trouble he could've avoided because of that. Along the way you find out that the massive destruction caused by Vash years prior wasn't even his fault, but he's still forced to suffer the consequenses. The final episode, where we see Vash finally forced to fight his own brother to the death served as the perfect ending to a magnificent series.
4. Gankutsuo
I had friends who hated this series because of the art style, and I never understood why. To me, it's one of the prettiest series I've ever watched, and that's handy, because it's about all the flashiness you'll get out of this one. Gankutsuo is a re-imagining of The Count of Monte Cristo, so it's more political intrigue than slugfest. Unlike the film from years back, the anime is much more true to the Count's dark, selfish character; he's a monster consumed with the thought of vengeance and there's no room in his heart for anything else.
This one's probably the biggest oddball on my list, but it's one of those shows that just sticks out in my mind, and now I really want to find it on DVD and watch it again....
5. Saint Seiya
Saint Seiya (or Knights of the Zodiac as it was called in the States) is an interesting beast that starts out as a pretty standard fair team anime. You have this group of kids with clashing personalities who are chosen by fate to bear their respective symbols and they have to learn to work together to overcome the big cosmic baddie of the week. What set Saint Seiya apart for me was the fact that over time, they allowed their characters to suffer permanent damage. By the end, Swan loses an eye, while Shiryu is permanently blinded by Perseus, and despite the fact that they live in a world where miracles are possible, these are things they just have to deal with. (That doesn't really make sense, but I digress.)
Other than that, I always enjoyed its blend of Greek mythology and standard anime fare. The biggest twists come in the last season (which was delayed for several years) when we find out that the good guys weren't really the good guys, and ... wait, you mean they were? Oh, awesome, and then Athena has to be rescued and ... wait, they failed? No, it was her plan? So. Many. Twists. Just give it a watch and you'll see what I mean.
6. Ronin Warriors
Ronin Warriors is just plain fun. Picture a better, deeper version of Power Rangers and you're not too far off from describing the show. If you can manage to find it without paying through the nose, pick this one up. I can't really do it justice with a description, so you'll just have to see it for yourself.
7. Speed Racer
This is the one that usually has people scratching their heads, wondering where in the unholy hell this belongs on a list with all my other favorites. And really ... I don't have a good answer for that. I can tell you it was the very first anime I ever saw, and I still enjoy watching it today, even though it's the cheesiest thing you'll ever watch outside of an episode of The Brady Bunch. The characters are all archetypes and exhibit only the most extreme personalities and emotions and the animation is a bit dated. But it still looks alright, and I love it.
8. Cyborg 009
I didn't appreciate this show when I was a kid. I thought the art style looked dumb (and I still kinda do) and I didn't understand the story. But, when I got older and went back to watch it again, it struck a chord with me. When you get down to the meat of it, Cyborg 009 and the rest of his group are all pretty depressing. Maybe that's why I didn't like the show as a kid; this show is really sad. How the heck did it make it to Cartoon Network anyway?
9. Cowboy Bebop
...
...
Yeah, it's really good and no one really argues that, so, moving on....
10. Gungrave
Oy, saddle up for what is quite possibly the saddest anime of all time. What starts out as a story about two best friends fighting their way up from nothing ends with one of them becoming a big underworld leader and the other having to come back from the grave to kill his former best friend. This whole anime tugs on the heartstrings and the animation is beautiful. It's a wonderful anime, but I warn everyone to stay away from it if they don't want something that's going to stomp all over their emotions with as much remorse as my wife has for spiders.
11. Wolf's Rain
Remember earlier when I said Gungrave was super depressing? Well, Wolf's Rain gives it a hard run for its money. Between the two, I honestly can't tell you which one tugged at my heartstrings the most, and I also can't tell you which is the most beautifully told. But if I had to pick a favorite between the two, I'd give the nod to Wolf's Rain just because I really like wolves. But, again, if you don't like stories that were built from the ground up to stomp on your heart like your high school sweetheart the day before prom, steer clear.
12. RIN: Daughters of Mnemosyne
This one was fairly mainstream, and because of that it floored me with its level of ... Dark. Yeah, this show is so Dark that the d should always be capitalized. I've tried to get people into this anime in the past and only two of them were able to make it past the first episode. It's weird, it's Dark, it pulls no punches, it ... has one of the most interesting backstories of anything I've ever watched. Not for the feint of heart with all the violence (a good bit of it sexual in nature) and mutilation, but if you can get past that, the story is very rich. There are so many neat little details I catch when I rewatch it that I missed the second and third time I sat through it.
If you've ever watched something on the level of Gantz, then RIN probably won't bother you. Only, unlike Gantz, RIN is good. But there's your measuring stick.
13. Outlaw Star
Ah, my old friend. I remember this one from Toonami, and then again when they aired it on Adult Swim at launch. Then I owned it on DVD and watched again ... then my dumb ass decided to sell it. I made a lot of mistakes in my childhood, but that one still haunts me just because of the sheer stupidity? I mean, if I was that mind-numbingly idiotic, how did I remember to breathe?
Anyway, this anime is great! You want giant spaceship battles? You got it! Want a gun with bullets literally made of magic? Boom, all yours! Want an awesome Ronin chick that could probably kill you with a stare if she wanted? Yeah, she's here too! Want that kind of annoying sidekick character that pops up in most anime? Well, me neither, but we take the good with the bad.
I believe you can find this show now for pretty cheap, so give it a watch!
14. Mobile Fighter G Gundam
They say there's at least one Gundam show for everyone, and they're right! All Bandai had to do was make a show unlike any other Gundam show and I was hooked! Unfortunately, most Gundam fans HATE this show, and I never really understood why. It had fun characters and stylish action, and it didn't take itself too seriously, like most Gundam shows are guilty of.
The whole premise of the rich people floating above earth on space-continents (and no, I'm not joking) and using the planet as their own personal battleground for an annual tournament made so much sense to me. They don't care for the people actually living down there on the planet, they just want to have their tournament and float around on their space-continents (God, that's fun to say) and lord it over everyone else. So, if you've never seen, I recommend at least checking it out. And if you've suffered through Gundam Seed, then this will be like having a nice, juicy steak after 6 months of nothing but McNuggets.
Space-Continent!
15. Eden of the East
I didn't expect to fall in love with this show like I did. It was on Netflix at the time, and I watched it on a whim after hearing about it from a friend in passing. I made it through the whole main series in one day, and moved onto the two following films afterwards. The characters are likeable, the voice acting, animation and music are all top-notch. I really can't say enough good things about this show; it's serious when it needs to be, then it'll make you laugh and feel all fuzzy inside.
You know, I don't want to spoil a single thing about this one. Just go watch it. If you don't like it, I'll ... well, I'll probably just feel sorry for you, but yeah, check it out!
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
It Follows
Wow, I just got off of a very entertaining thrill ride called It Follows, a film written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, and I gotta tell ya, I haven't had a modern Horror film hit me like this in a very long time. It's well-shot, amazingly scored and features a cast of characters played by actors who are not only good at what they do, but look like ordinary people and not like the standard cheerleader and jock types we're used to seeing in these kinds of movies.
Another refresher is that we don't focus on the standard dumb teenager/young adult, and instead focus on fairly level-headed (or as close to level-headed as any of us were in our earliest 20's anyway) individuals who are forced to deal with a situation I don't even want to imagine myself in. This isn't a movie where you're going to see dumb kids making the same dumb mistakes we've seen a thousand times, but instead they make their own mistakes, due in part to their lack of familiarity with the creature they're dealing with. In a way it's a sort of allegory, with the lead girl being a fresh college student and feeling her way through adulthood, where every decision you make seems like the wrong one, no matter what you do.
I'll try to avoid spoilers here, but I will be touching on a scene here or there to cast some light of the various themes that can be pulled from the movie, so a minor spoiler or two is possible. So, with that in mind, read on at your own risk.
The movie starts with a girl running out of her house, frantic as her dad calls back from the house, asking if she's alright. Meanwhile, we notice her eyes focused on something in the direction of the camera. Something that the lady on the street next to her doesn't seem to notice. She runs back into the house, then runs back out a few seconds later with her keys, then hops in her car and drives away. Next, it's after dark and we see her sitting on a beach alone and her phone rings (it's interesting to note that this use of the cell phone is something you won't really see again) and she apologizes to her dad for being a bad daughter sometimes, and it becomes apparent that she's saying goodbye, having accepted her fate.
Skipping ahead, we meet our lead, Jay, played by Maika Monroe. She's swimming in the pool in her backyard without a care, minus the two neighborhood kids peeking in on her over the fence, but she doesn't even let that bother her, telling them with a smile that she sees them. Shortly after she's on a date with her new boyfriend, Hugh, played by Jake Weary, and everything is going pretty well. Watching this scene reminded me of how awkward first dates were when I was young. Even the best of first dates tend to have those awkward moments you can't get around when really getting to know someone for the first time. Very quickly though, once they get into the theater and sit down, ready to watch their movie, things take a turn. Hugh points out a girl in a yellow dress that Jay says she can't see. Hugh starts to panic and says they need to leave. Jay questions him about it outside, but he's deflective and won't tell her. To be concise, they do end up having a second date, where they have sex ... and then Hugh uses a chloroform rag to knock her out.
Now, here's where the meat of the story and the root for all of the movie's symbolism begins. Jay wakes up tied to a chair, scared and confused as Hugh talks to her and begins to tell her what he's done. There's this thing; it doesn't have a name, and he only knows it as, well, "It." He tells her that It will begin to follow her now, always at a walking pace and It can look like anyone. He warns her against going anywhere that only has one exit, because "It's slow, but It's not stupid." Then, after making sure she sees It and is convinced it's real, he pulls her away to his car and drives off, after suggesting that she has sex with someone else to pass it on. Apparently once it's passed on, It follows that person until they pass on the curse or It kills them. And after It kills someone, the last person in the chain is the next target. Oh, and only those touched by the curse can see It, and that's what makes It so terrifying.
The message(s) that this film tackles ... well, it doesn't shy away from anything. There are so many interpretations that can be gleaned from this movie it can make your head spin. It's the kind of thing you can watch with two other people and each of you can pull different meanings out of it, and none of them are any more right or wrong than the others. I wish I'd been able to watch it with a group the first time to see what my friends pulled from it, but I definitely plan to do that later. This movie has the kind of heart that Wes Craven's work is known for, and I applaud it for going the direction it went. Not to mention that Jay is, in my opinion, the best female lead in a Horror film since Nancy Callahan in A Nightmare on Elm Street. Yeah, I went there.
The last things I'm going to talk about are the period of the film, and the soundtrack. As far as the period goes, the director did a great job maintaining ambiguity. We see a cell phone or two, but the decor in the houses we see look very 80's or early 90's, which puts it somewhere between a nostalgia trip and our modern reality. It walks that line very well, and nothing ever feels out of place. Now, the soundtrack ... WOW. The composer is someone you may recognize if you've played the video game Fez, Disasterpiece. I already thought his work was good, but this film convinced me he's about a league past brilliant. Pulling a lot from John Carpenter's work, he weaves together a score that not only sends chills up your spine when it needs to, but conveys an almost dreamlike confusion at other times. I don't think I've ever been more impressed by the music in a Horror movie, ever.
I could go on, diving into the themes of the movie, talking about what Paul's relationship with Jay represents and maybe touch on the themes of sexuality throughout the movie, but instead I think I'll let you find that out for yourself. Do yourself a favor and watch this movie, preferably with a group, and really think about it. You won't regret it. I hope I've convinced you to give it a shot.
Another refresher is that we don't focus on the standard dumb teenager/young adult, and instead focus on fairly level-headed (or as close to level-headed as any of us were in our earliest 20's anyway) individuals who are forced to deal with a situation I don't even want to imagine myself in. This isn't a movie where you're going to see dumb kids making the same dumb mistakes we've seen a thousand times, but instead they make their own mistakes, due in part to their lack of familiarity with the creature they're dealing with. In a way it's a sort of allegory, with the lead girl being a fresh college student and feeling her way through adulthood, where every decision you make seems like the wrong one, no matter what you do.
I'll try to avoid spoilers here, but I will be touching on a scene here or there to cast some light of the various themes that can be pulled from the movie, so a minor spoiler or two is possible. So, with that in mind, read on at your own risk.
The movie starts with a girl running out of her house, frantic as her dad calls back from the house, asking if she's alright. Meanwhile, we notice her eyes focused on something in the direction of the camera. Something that the lady on the street next to her doesn't seem to notice. She runs back into the house, then runs back out a few seconds later with her keys, then hops in her car and drives away. Next, it's after dark and we see her sitting on a beach alone and her phone rings (it's interesting to note that this use of the cell phone is something you won't really see again) and she apologizes to her dad for being a bad daughter sometimes, and it becomes apparent that she's saying goodbye, having accepted her fate.
Skipping ahead, we meet our lead, Jay, played by Maika Monroe. She's swimming in the pool in her backyard without a care, minus the two neighborhood kids peeking in on her over the fence, but she doesn't even let that bother her, telling them with a smile that she sees them. Shortly after she's on a date with her new boyfriend, Hugh, played by Jake Weary, and everything is going pretty well. Watching this scene reminded me of how awkward first dates were when I was young. Even the best of first dates tend to have those awkward moments you can't get around when really getting to know someone for the first time. Very quickly though, once they get into the theater and sit down, ready to watch their movie, things take a turn. Hugh points out a girl in a yellow dress that Jay says she can't see. Hugh starts to panic and says they need to leave. Jay questions him about it outside, but he's deflective and won't tell her. To be concise, they do end up having a second date, where they have sex ... and then Hugh uses a chloroform rag to knock her out.
Now, here's where the meat of the story and the root for all of the movie's symbolism begins. Jay wakes up tied to a chair, scared and confused as Hugh talks to her and begins to tell her what he's done. There's this thing; it doesn't have a name, and he only knows it as, well, "It." He tells her that It will begin to follow her now, always at a walking pace and It can look like anyone. He warns her against going anywhere that only has one exit, because "It's slow, but It's not stupid." Then, after making sure she sees It and is convinced it's real, he pulls her away to his car and drives off, after suggesting that she has sex with someone else to pass it on. Apparently once it's passed on, It follows that person until they pass on the curse or It kills them. And after It kills someone, the last person in the chain is the next target. Oh, and only those touched by the curse can see It, and that's what makes It so terrifying.
The message(s) that this film tackles ... well, it doesn't shy away from anything. There are so many interpretations that can be gleaned from this movie it can make your head spin. It's the kind of thing you can watch with two other people and each of you can pull different meanings out of it, and none of them are any more right or wrong than the others. I wish I'd been able to watch it with a group the first time to see what my friends pulled from it, but I definitely plan to do that later. This movie has the kind of heart that Wes Craven's work is known for, and I applaud it for going the direction it went. Not to mention that Jay is, in my opinion, the best female lead in a Horror film since Nancy Callahan in A Nightmare on Elm Street. Yeah, I went there.
The last things I'm going to talk about are the period of the film, and the soundtrack. As far as the period goes, the director did a great job maintaining ambiguity. We see a cell phone or two, but the decor in the houses we see look very 80's or early 90's, which puts it somewhere between a nostalgia trip and our modern reality. It walks that line very well, and nothing ever feels out of place. Now, the soundtrack ... WOW. The composer is someone you may recognize if you've played the video game Fez, Disasterpiece. I already thought his work was good, but this film convinced me he's about a league past brilliant. Pulling a lot from John Carpenter's work, he weaves together a score that not only sends chills up your spine when it needs to, but conveys an almost dreamlike confusion at other times. I don't think I've ever been more impressed by the music in a Horror movie, ever.
I could go on, diving into the themes of the movie, talking about what Paul's relationship with Jay represents and maybe touch on the themes of sexuality throughout the movie, but instead I think I'll let you find that out for yourself. Do yourself a favor and watch this movie, preferably with a group, and really think about it. You won't regret it. I hope I've convinced you to give it a shot.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Batman: Arkham Knight Review
Welcome back, guys! Time for my first video game review (on this
blog, anyway.) As I'm sure you've gathered from the title, I'll be
talking about Batman: Arkham Knight, Rocksteady's final installment in
the Arkham series. So, with that said, does the final installment live
up to the gloriousness that is Arkham City? Is this a solid sendoff for
Rocksteady? Let's find out.
SPOILER WARNING!
I'll be revealing the Arkham Knight's identity during this review, mainly because I don't feel it's a well-kept secret. But, for those who don't want it spoiled, this might not be the review for you.
In the opening of Arkham Knight, we see the body of Joker lying in an incinerator, with a prompt telling you to hold down a button to burn the body. Afterwards, we jump several months after the events of Arkham City, and we find out that GCPD has been able to not only regain control of the city, but the crime rate has dropped significantly with Joker gone, as if he were a beacon of chaos for the lowlifes of Gotham City. But, we wouldn't have much of a game without a new enemy to fight, so enter (my personal favorite of the original rogues) Scarecrow. With just five ounces of his latest toxin, he's thrown all of Gotham into a panic and forced a citywide evacuation, leaving only the criminals, GCPD and Batman & Company. The setup for the story is very well done. Forcing you to play from the perspective of a cop in a diner during the outbreak, putting you on the ground floor of the whole thing.
As soon as you take control of Batman, everything feels right. The sluggish controls of Arkham Origins are gone, back to the tight feel of Arkham City. From the moment Batman opens his mouth and you hear Kevin Conroy back in the role, there's a sense of comfort and familiarity; the man was born to play Batman. While I'm at it, I should mention the overall voice acting, which is important in a game this story-heavy. I don't have a single complaint with any of the cast for this game. They've done a great job casting every single character in their world, and even managed to get Mark Hamill back to reprise his role as Joker. (Don't worry, Joker is still dead, but the way they weave him into the story here is excellent.)
Shortly into the story you're introduced to the most annoying aspect of the game: The Batmobile.
Yeah, I said it. The Batmobile was an interesting idea, and it can help you move through the city a bit faster, but there are way to many sequences in the game where it feels forced, like they couldn't really come up with creative story purposes for it, so they shoved in these sequences to say "See! The Batmobile is awesome! Aren't you glad we gave you this?!" No, Rocksteady. No, I'm not. I'd much rather glide around the city like I did in Arkham City, and with the new grapnel upgrades, it's nearly as fast as driving anyway (and more enjoyable.) Don't get me wrong, the Batmobile controls well enough, with the ability to transition from normal car to tank with the press of a button, and tank-mode is the way you'll be using it for almost every story mission with it. God forbid you actually get to DRIVE the car. I mean, I like blowing things up as much as the next guy, but after the first five times, it gets old. It also make getting all the Riddler trophies a pain, since so many of them require the car.
Other than the Batmobile, the gameplay is exactly what it should be, with just enough new features added to keep it feeling fresh. The only takeaway is in the predator sections, where it feels like you get less reward for being unseen. There were several instances where I would study the patrol patterns of the guards and pick off the one that NEVER crossed paths with any of the others with a Silent Takedown ... then, for no reason at all, one of the others would deviate from their patrol patterns and find their buddy unconcious, putting them all on alert. By the end of the game I was just rushing through these sequences, taking them all down as fast as possible and it actually worked better. Maybe Rocksteady wanted the players to feel more powerful this time around and decided to encourage a more aggressive style during the predator segments. That's fine, and it works well enough, but I preferred the old approach a little better.
Unlike its predecessors, Arkham Knight focuses less on giving you new gadgets, and more on letting you upgrade the ones you're familiar with. By the end of the game, you can upgrade the grapnel to the point where you're launching yourself into the air with the speed of a bullet (which, again, almost eliminates the need for the Batmobile.) They also upgrade your suit, allowing for multiple takedowns at once, which is incredibly handy, but can only be used if your enemies are unaware of your location. The only new standout gadget is the Disruptor, which is basically an EMP rifle. Once fully upgraded, it can disable guns and gun lockers, stun sticks, med packs and so on. In my playthrough, this was the gadget that got used the most before a fight.
Now, let's move on to a couple of story elements that rubbed me the wrong way:
1.) For one, as some friends have also pointed out, Batman and the other characters refer to each other by their real names with bad guys standing a few feet away. In the comics this NEVER happens, because they aren't complete morons. What's the point in wearing masks if you're going to go around blabbing who you are within earshot of random thugs. This is inexcusable, and reeks of bad storytelling, much like my next point....
2.) The Arkham Knight's identity, to anyone who's cracked open a Bat-Comic in the last 10 years or so, (or knows anything about the current DC universe) will be the worst, most lazy attempt at a "mystery" in, possibly, the entire history of video games. From his first appearance it's blatant that this is Jason Todd. Then, later on in the story when they try to give you "subtle" hints with all the Jason flashbacks, it's kind of infuriating. Rule number one of being a halfway decent writer is never talking down to your audience, and that's exactly what they did. Rocksteady underestimated the intelligence of their fanbase and that rubs me the wrong way, especially after how well Arkham City's story was crafted. City never talked down to you in the narrative, and was very faithful to the various characters' attitudes and mannerisms.
3.) Near the end of the game Jason and Bruce have a "moment" where Bruce apologizes for not being there for Jason and trying to turn him around, then Jason runs off like an angsty teenager only to reappear at the end of the game to break Bruce's bonds so he can beat Scarecrow ... and that's it.... There's no real payoff for Jason's character, and even the Red Hood story missions don't expand on it. This is just sloppy.
4.) The mood set at the beginning of the game is fantastic, but by the end Scarecrow is kind of a joke. His big plan to break Batman is laughable compared to all the things he's faced during his career and the payoff for what you've been working toward the whole game falls flat. I won't go into too much detail, to avoid spoilers, but it really is disappointing.
5.) The true ending for this game requires 100% completion, Riddler trophies and all. Now, normally that wouldn't be such a bad thing, but when the "true" ending is literally just a small tacked-on scene a couple of minutes long that requires hours upon hours of annoying Batmobile-Centric riddles only to answer NO questions and make no*&%#$@ sense.... Well, I was a little angry.
There are a few more story gripes, but I'll stop there.
That said, is Arkham Knight a bad game? No. There's a lot of fun to be had exploring Gotham and doing most of the side-quests, with enough content here to warrant the 60 bucks you'll need to shell out for the game. The Joker subplot was also excellent (and should've been the main focus of the story), and that alone makes the story worth playing. But, is it as good or as innovative as Arkham City was? Not even close. From story to mechanics, Arkham City hit the ball out of the park and nothing, to me at least, felt tacked-on. The only place Arkham Knight really beat it was in scale and with the inclusion of Nightwing in the story (but that last part is really just for me) with everything else only meeting or falling short of Arkham City. Overall, I give Batman: Arkham Knight a 7.5 out of 10. It's still a game worth playing, but with the sloppy writing and overused Batmobile mechanics, it falls short of the masterpiece Rocksteady gave us just a few short years ago. This isn't the sendoff we needed, but it's the one Rocksteady thought we deserved.
SPOILER WARNING!
I'll be revealing the Arkham Knight's identity during this review, mainly because I don't feel it's a well-kept secret. But, for those who don't want it spoiled, this might not be the review for you.
In the opening of Arkham Knight, we see the body of Joker lying in an incinerator, with a prompt telling you to hold down a button to burn the body. Afterwards, we jump several months after the events of Arkham City, and we find out that GCPD has been able to not only regain control of the city, but the crime rate has dropped significantly with Joker gone, as if he were a beacon of chaos for the lowlifes of Gotham City. But, we wouldn't have much of a game without a new enemy to fight, so enter (my personal favorite of the original rogues) Scarecrow. With just five ounces of his latest toxin, he's thrown all of Gotham into a panic and forced a citywide evacuation, leaving only the criminals, GCPD and Batman & Company. The setup for the story is very well done. Forcing you to play from the perspective of a cop in a diner during the outbreak, putting you on the ground floor of the whole thing.
As soon as you take control of Batman, everything feels right. The sluggish controls of Arkham Origins are gone, back to the tight feel of Arkham City. From the moment Batman opens his mouth and you hear Kevin Conroy back in the role, there's a sense of comfort and familiarity; the man was born to play Batman. While I'm at it, I should mention the overall voice acting, which is important in a game this story-heavy. I don't have a single complaint with any of the cast for this game. They've done a great job casting every single character in their world, and even managed to get Mark Hamill back to reprise his role as Joker. (Don't worry, Joker is still dead, but the way they weave him into the story here is excellent.)
Shortly into the story you're introduced to the most annoying aspect of the game: The Batmobile.
Yeah, I said it. The Batmobile was an interesting idea, and it can help you move through the city a bit faster, but there are way to many sequences in the game where it feels forced, like they couldn't really come up with creative story purposes for it, so they shoved in these sequences to say "See! The Batmobile is awesome! Aren't you glad we gave you this?!" No, Rocksteady. No, I'm not. I'd much rather glide around the city like I did in Arkham City, and with the new grapnel upgrades, it's nearly as fast as driving anyway (and more enjoyable.) Don't get me wrong, the Batmobile controls well enough, with the ability to transition from normal car to tank with the press of a button, and tank-mode is the way you'll be using it for almost every story mission with it. God forbid you actually get to DRIVE the car. I mean, I like blowing things up as much as the next guy, but after the first five times, it gets old. It also make getting all the Riddler trophies a pain, since so many of them require the car.
Other than the Batmobile, the gameplay is exactly what it should be, with just enough new features added to keep it feeling fresh. The only takeaway is in the predator sections, where it feels like you get less reward for being unseen. There were several instances where I would study the patrol patterns of the guards and pick off the one that NEVER crossed paths with any of the others with a Silent Takedown ... then, for no reason at all, one of the others would deviate from their patrol patterns and find their buddy unconcious, putting them all on alert. By the end of the game I was just rushing through these sequences, taking them all down as fast as possible and it actually worked better. Maybe Rocksteady wanted the players to feel more powerful this time around and decided to encourage a more aggressive style during the predator segments. That's fine, and it works well enough, but I preferred the old approach a little better.
Unlike its predecessors, Arkham Knight focuses less on giving you new gadgets, and more on letting you upgrade the ones you're familiar with. By the end of the game, you can upgrade the grapnel to the point where you're launching yourself into the air with the speed of a bullet (which, again, almost eliminates the need for the Batmobile.) They also upgrade your suit, allowing for multiple takedowns at once, which is incredibly handy, but can only be used if your enemies are unaware of your location. The only new standout gadget is the Disruptor, which is basically an EMP rifle. Once fully upgraded, it can disable guns and gun lockers, stun sticks, med packs and so on. In my playthrough, this was the gadget that got used the most before a fight.
Now, let's move on to a couple of story elements that rubbed me the wrong way:
1.) For one, as some friends have also pointed out, Batman and the other characters refer to each other by their real names with bad guys standing a few feet away. In the comics this NEVER happens, because they aren't complete morons. What's the point in wearing masks if you're going to go around blabbing who you are within earshot of random thugs. This is inexcusable, and reeks of bad storytelling, much like my next point....
2.) The Arkham Knight's identity, to anyone who's cracked open a Bat-Comic in the last 10 years or so, (or knows anything about the current DC universe) will be the worst, most lazy attempt at a "mystery" in, possibly, the entire history of video games. From his first appearance it's blatant that this is Jason Todd. Then, later on in the story when they try to give you "subtle" hints with all the Jason flashbacks, it's kind of infuriating. Rule number one of being a halfway decent writer is never talking down to your audience, and that's exactly what they did. Rocksteady underestimated the intelligence of their fanbase and that rubs me the wrong way, especially after how well Arkham City's story was crafted. City never talked down to you in the narrative, and was very faithful to the various characters' attitudes and mannerisms.
3.) Near the end of the game Jason and Bruce have a "moment" where Bruce apologizes for not being there for Jason and trying to turn him around, then Jason runs off like an angsty teenager only to reappear at the end of the game to break Bruce's bonds so he can beat Scarecrow ... and that's it.... There's no real payoff for Jason's character, and even the Red Hood story missions don't expand on it. This is just sloppy.
4.) The mood set at the beginning of the game is fantastic, but by the end Scarecrow is kind of a joke. His big plan to break Batman is laughable compared to all the things he's faced during his career and the payoff for what you've been working toward the whole game falls flat. I won't go into too much detail, to avoid spoilers, but it really is disappointing.
5.) The true ending for this game requires 100% completion, Riddler trophies and all. Now, normally that wouldn't be such a bad thing, but when the "true" ending is literally just a small tacked-on scene a couple of minutes long that requires hours upon hours of annoying Batmobile-Centric riddles only to answer NO questions and make no*&%#$@ sense.... Well, I was a little angry.
There are a few more story gripes, but I'll stop there.
That said, is Arkham Knight a bad game? No. There's a lot of fun to be had exploring Gotham and doing most of the side-quests, with enough content here to warrant the 60 bucks you'll need to shell out for the game. The Joker subplot was also excellent (and should've been the main focus of the story), and that alone makes the story worth playing. But, is it as good or as innovative as Arkham City was? Not even close. From story to mechanics, Arkham City hit the ball out of the park and nothing, to me at least, felt tacked-on. The only place Arkham Knight really beat it was in scale and with the inclusion of Nightwing in the story (but that last part is really just for me) with everything else only meeting or falling short of Arkham City. Overall, I give Batman: Arkham Knight a 7.5 out of 10. It's still a game worth playing, but with the sloppy writing and overused Batmobile mechanics, it falls short of the masterpiece Rocksteady gave us just a few short years ago. This isn't the sendoff we needed, but it's the one Rocksteady thought we deserved.
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