Back in the swing of things post-Extra Life marathon, today we’re going to take give First Opinion on Batman Arkham Origins. As a fan of the previous two titles in the series, Arkham Origins has allot to live up to if it wants to impress me.

The first thing I notice is that the game controls exactly like its predecessors, with all of the same moves and techniques and very little new. Mind you the controls were spot on from the start but considering this is a new developer handling the game this time, I expected some kind of innovation to make the system theirs. Combat is smooth as you’d expect, except in boss battles. I have fought two so far, Killer Croc and Deathstroke and they come across more as mini game puzzles comprised of quick time events (some of which double as button-tapping endurance tests) then true tests of your skill as Batman.

Batman: Arkham Origins

The predator mode segments where you have to stealthily clear an area of hostiles play out much better. An early segment outside of the Penguin’s base was particularly gratifying, with allot of room to maneuver and outwit the baddies.

A lot was made of how this was an earlier story, about a younger, more inexperienced Batman and I think they show that well. From screwing up an early interrogation to the way he’s allot more emotional and excitable than the Batman we see in Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, he comes across as having not quite rounded into the calm, cool character we’re familiar with yet, and I like that for a change.

With only a few hours under my belt, I have some time to put in before I can render a full review, but so far Batman Arkham Origins seems set to deliver a solid, if unspectacular experience.