Batman: Arkham City Catch-All

ccesarano wrote:
Latrine wrote:
4xis.black wrote:

...the weird cultural ghetto that Western comics currently inhabit...

The only distinction Western comics have from other media is that their mass appeal genre fiction is dominated exclusively by superheroes. Every other medium has its questionable yet popular products, they just happen to be in a handful of different genres rather than just the one. I'm just glad there's no equivalent to Twilight in video games.

Final Fantasy 8

Someone buy this man a beer.

The seamless way you can turn a slow and silent takedown into a swift and brutal knockout is sooooo goooood.

That's all I wanted to say.

Hyetal wrote:

The seamless way you can turn a slow and silent takedown into a swift and brutal knockout is sooooo goooood.

That's all I wanted to say.

I know. I really feel that this is the way batman should be portrayed for all time

So I've just started playing this properly after I picked it up last steam sale. I also have it on Xbox 360 and noticed there is a difference in the number of achievements... from what I can tell there are 54 in pc version and 60 in xbox version. The following achievements are missing in the PC version:

50x Combo
Catch
Distress Flare
Forensic Expert
Gotham Base Jumper
Ring Ring

I'm assuming this is because the Catwoman DLC is integrated into the PC version and has 6 achievements. But still... interesting that there are differences. Anyone played and completed the PC version?

So you're saying Q-Stone is only 90% Batman, and Joel Schumacher's Batman at that?

No! No one said that!

Question time:

1) Is the Robin and Nightwing DLC worth it?

2) I have both PC and Xbox version, but playing on PC (because it's better :D), and I can buy the DLC via steam or gfwl... is there a difference?

BlackSabre wrote:

Question time:

1) Is the Robin and Nightwing DLC worth it?

If you're into the challenge maps, you might like it - you get two new maps from each pack, and then you can put Robin and Nightwing through all available maps. I find I don't care enough about the challenge maps to have found either pack worthwhile in the end, and the new movesets for each character are less than compelling - yeah, the combat system is cool, but honestly I didn't think there was enough added variety to justify the expense.

2) I have both PC and Xbox version, but playing on PC (because it's better :D), and I can buy the DLC via steam or gfwl... is there a difference?

Couldn't tell you. If you're interested, though, I'd say get it wherever it's cheaper, because it's just not super-thrilling content. On the subject, though, here's hoping the Harley Quinn's Revenge DLC due out a month from now is good - 800 points on XBL for two hours of new story content is way more my speed.

Hmm, ok thanks for that. I have 800 points, so I might just save them for that... assuming i can buy it for the pc and there is no difference from getting it on steam.

Gah! The AR Knight achievement was like getting your manhood trampled by a thousand raging bulls, then having your mother in law stand over you and say in a typical Nelson laugh, "Ha Ha!"

I did the first 4 easily, then the second set, I did them all except for the one with 5 points where you have to glide through the joker carnival tunnel. Did that one about 60 times. Finally got it and I hated it. Stupid gliding. Didn't feel like Batman. Felt like stupid man with a cape who can't frigging fly through a god damn tunnel!

Ok, I'm good now... Really.... ok, maybe still a little raging... but mostly better. That is all.

Yeah, that one was a Female Doggo. In fact, worse than a Female Doggo. I think you put it pretty perfectly. I don't know why I insisted on doing that one until I managed it, and thinking back, I'm not exactly sure how that helped me get better at the game. I can think of no moment where I'd want to glide through such a long tunnel, especially since it's a perfect example of "try and retry".

I'm a bit surprised that the news didn't get posted in here.

There's a (shockingly ugly) Game of the Year edition of Arkham City coming out later this year that includes all of the DLC and some story-based DLC: Harley Quinn's Revenge. Harley Quinn's Revenge will be the last piece of DLC for the game.

Edit: Bah! Saw a fake cover.

Harley Quinn's revenge is story DLC?

...WAIT! For four months I've forgotten to check in with Calendar Man? DAMMIT!

ccesarano wrote:

...WAIT! For four months I've forgotten to check in with Calendar Man? DAMMIT!

Psshhh...amateur. I got that achievement the first week the game came out...and then I reattached my internet cable.

Yes, yes, I know. You can disconnect the Internet, change the clock, and get them all. But that's cheating, and if I'm gonna cheat I may as well go get a Game Genie because I'm a cheatin' cheater.

Yeah if I want that Calendar achievement I'm just going to change the date on my PS3...

To answer the earlier question I didnt find any of the DLC on PC to be worth it. I suppose there are going to be folks out there that think the challenge maps are fine but I am not one of them. It doesnt add to the game in any way and after spending 20 or so hours going to the same places you wont need to scratch that itch again.

Now this new story DLC, we will see.

Yeah I never did finish all the challenge rooms this time around. Platinum-ed on PS3 and 100%-ed on PC Batman:AA. But the extra challenge rooms and having both Batman and Catwoman to do... it just seemed a bit tedious this time around.

Stele wrote:

Yeah I never did finish all the challenge rooms this time around. Platinum-ed on PS3 and 100%-ed on PC Batman:AA. But the extra challenge rooms and having both Batman and Catwoman to do... it just seemed a bit tedious this time around. :(

How do you think I feel? I still have Nightwing and Robin to go.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I loved Arkham Asylum and would say it's one of my favourite games of all time. I'm enjoying this one too (AR Knight achievement aside), but it just feels like it's trying too hard. I like extras, but damn, it's like they felt like stuffing everything they could into it and as a result, it feels overwhelming.

Oh hey, I'm Batman and I've got a city to save, but before I do that, lemme just check out this sequence of blinking green question marks.... and that guy's getting beaten up, and hey look a camera and some balloons I need to take out. What's that, the city blew up? Oh... well anyway, about those blinking lights...

As for the Challenge room DLC, yeah, I'll probably pass then and just wait for that story DLC. Any news if it's coming to the PC version>?

ccesarano wrote:

Harley Quinn's revenge is story DLC?

Yes! And I'm hoping the person doing the bad imitation of the real Harley Quinn voice actress does a better job than she did in AC, 'cause man, that was often not convincing.

...WAIT! For four months I've forgotten to check in with Calendar Man? DAMMIT!

Yeah, I know. It was like Riddler asked me, "What's worse than being alone on Valentine's Day?" and then stomped on my torso while I laid dumbstruck on the floor, surrounded by empty cans of cheap lager.

BlackSabre wrote:

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I loved Arkham Asylum and would say it's one of my favourite games of all time. I'm enjoying this one too (AR Knight achievement aside), but it just feels like it's trying too hard. I like extras, but damn, it's like they felt like stuffing everything they could into it and as a result, it feels overwhelming.

Oh hey, I'm Batman and I've got a city to save, but before I do that, lemme just check out this sequence of blinking green question marks.... and that guy's getting beaten up, and hey look a camera and some balloons I need to take out. What's that, the city blew up? Oh... well anyway, about those blinking lights...

Just picked this up on OnLive for 10 BONES, so I'm psyched to be able to play it.

Thankfully I've heard a lot of hand-wringing about the over-stuffed immersion-breaking open-world, so I'm going into the game not thinking of it like a story game, but instead, booting it up, doing some open world stuff (be they story missions or side missions; whatever's closest on my map), and turning off the game when I feel like I've done enough of that sort of content.

I learned this having played so many Assassin's Creed games and getting that weird anxiety about following a story in a world that's constantly dumping your next story mission on the opposite end of the map. Following everyone's advice here on the forum, I also cut my fast travelling in Skyrim by 80%, and found the game to be so much more fun. Just do whatever quests! Let the open world consume your dude!!

Not saying that you were suffering from the same anxiety I was about this sort of thing, but I had a paradigm shift recently that made me fall in love with this sort of game-type all over again.

Hmm... yeah, I suppose in a way I am playing like that now... The only reason I went for the AR Knight achievement was because it was there. I had already done the first 4 to get the Grapnel Boost and thought they were easy enough so it wouldn't be too much more effort to grab the last one... boy was I wrong.

I'm still a bit of a completionist though, so I'm always feeling like if something pops up, I should go and take a look. Which is kinda the same way as what you're suggesting... but I still feel like I'm Batman and as Batman, I should be fighting the main quest.

To be fair, almost everything in Arkham City is of some threat to someone. Even solving those blinking lights will save a life. Personally, I did as much as possible en route to the next main mission, so that I could be content I was doing enough stuff as well as saving enough people.

Since Batman AC is $15 this weekend on Steam, I'm almost tempted to buy it so that I don't have to deal with the Green Man Gaming version that I have yet to reinstall on my new build. Any disabling would be welcome.

I guess I should probably just wait for the GOTY edition.

Yeah, the only disabling you'll get out of me is to wait for the GOTY edition. If you can be really patient, that GOTY version will be at the $15 price point within 6 months of release.

BlackSabre wrote:

Hmm... yeah, I suppose in a way I am playing like that now... The only reason I went for the AR Knight achievement was because it was there. I had already done the first 4 to get the Grapnel Boost and thought they were easy enough so it wouldn't be too much more effort to grab the last one... boy was I wrong.

I'm still a bit of a completionist though, so I'm always feeling like if something pops up, I should go and take a look. Which is kinda the same way as what you're suggesting... but I still feel like I'm Batman and as Batman, I should be fighting the main quest.

I did the 1k in AC, and for my first playthrough, I spent the entire time being my usual completionist and comparing it to AA.

I was not impressed with the game at this point.

About a month later I picked it back up for the NG+, and had a totally different experience. With all the little bits and bobbles out of the way, I was able to just focus in on the main quest and I enjoyed it waaaay more. While I still think AA was the superior game, AC was definitely a worthy sequel, but one that suffered from sequelitis (i.e. they had to make it bigger, and badder!).

ThatGuy42 wrote:

Yeah, the only disabling you'll get out of me is to wait for the GOTY edition. If you can be really patient, that GOTY version will be at the $15 price point within 6 months of release.

I remembered I have an 8% save on my laptop still. I think I will designate this to a couch game since I can hook the laptop up to my new TV. It actually runs quite well on my laptop even though it's just an M11x R2. At any rate, it'll look better than the PS3 version. While at work, I did the little trick to get non steam versions patched to the most current version, so I should be good.

I liked playing it in Eyefinity on my Desktop, but I think it might be more relaxing to play it in the living room. Maybe I'll get the GOTY version one day, but this will be enough for me for now.

Hmm... DLC is conveniently 50% off... they probably read my post and decided to mess with me

Hmm, Big Mac or challenge map DLC... hmmmmmmm...

I have to say, even with the DLC 50% off, and I have no desire at all to get back into this game even for a little bit.

After some consideration and playing other games from last year, AC has to be one of my top two or three most disappointing releases.