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dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

Look out!
Nap Ghost
Last video: The Party/Polsy



The Joker has taken the mayor hostage and has the city in a deathgrip. Batman breaks in, saves the day, and is bringing the Joker to his perennial vacation home in Arkham Asylum. But it's too easy. Blackgate prisoners are in Arkham due to a fire, the Joker gave up almost without a fight. Too many coincidences, but what could happen?

Batman: Arkham Asylum was released in 2009 by Rocksteady Studios. The game has received many, many accolades for its gameplay, its story, and its overall impact, not least because it has the rare distinction of being a good licensed game. For fans of Batman: The Animated Series, Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin reprise their roles as Batman, the Joker, and Harley Quinn. The script is written by Paul Dini, a veteran writer for not only the Batman animated series but Batman Beyond, the Superman animated series, and he's had a number of scripts in Transformers and Justice League. He also worked on Clerks: The Animated Series and appeared in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, if that's your thing. All that is to say he's got some experience. The combat flows well, you get to set up crime scenes and track the evidence down, and you get to play with all those wonderful toys.

The plan is to 100% the game. 3 stars in all the challenge rooms, all the Riddler's tricks, and every Chronicle of Arkham. Along with a few sneaky bits here and there.

:siren:SPOILERS?!:siren:
Talk about the comics. Talk about some of the weird poo poo in the DC universe. Talk about how Jason Todd got crowbar'd. Talk about the New 52. Don't get into petty bitchfests about the New 52, that's what BSS is for. But please don't talk about anything that happens here or in the next two games until we get there. Someone might be waiting!

The Videos
Intro and Intensive Treatment 1/Polsy

Intensive Treatment 2/Polsy

Arkham Island/Polsy - Interview tapes: Harley Quinn 1, Chronicle of Arkham 2, Joker 1

Medical Facility 1/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Riddler 1/2, Chronicle of Arkham 3

Medical Facility 2/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Joker 2/3, Chronicle of Arkham 4/5

Sewers, Arkham Island and Arkham Mansion 1/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Killer Croc 1/2, Chronicle of Arkham 6/7/8/9

Arkham Mansion 2/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Scarecrow 1/2, Chronicle of Arkham 10

Arkham Mansion 3/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Scarecrow 2 (full)

Penitentiary/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Zsasz 1/2/3/4/5, Chronicle of Arkham 11

Botanical Gardens 1/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Joker 4/5, Poison Ivy 1/2/3

Botanical Gardens 2/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Poison Ivy 4/5, Chronicle of Arkham 12/13

Return to Intensive Treatment/Polsy

Mandatory Sewer Level/Polsy

More Sewer Level/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Killer Croc 4/5, Chronicle of Arkham 14

Aggressive Gardening/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Chronicle of Arkham 15

The Riddler Roundup/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Chronicle of Arkham 16-24, Harley Quinn 4/5, Scarecrow 3/4/5, Riddler 3/4/5

The Party/Polsy




Combat: Intensive Treatment and Combat Breakdown/Polsy

Predator: Silent Knight/Polsy

Combat: Sewer Bat/Polsy

DLC Combat: Crime Alley/Polsy

Combat: Shock and Awe/Polsy

Predator: Survival Tactics/Polsy

Predator: Record Breaker/Polsy

Combat: Rumble in the Jungle/Polsy

Predator: Nocturnal Hunter/Polsy

Combat: Intensive Treatment Extreme/Polsy

Predator: Silent Knight Extreme/Polsy

Combat: Sewer Bat Extreme/Polsy

Predator: Invisible Predator/Polsy

Combat: Shock and Awe Extreme/Polsy

Combat: Rumble in the Jungle Extreme/Polsy

Predator: Record Breaker Extreme/Polsy

Predator: Invisible Predator Extreme/Polsy

Predator: Survival Tactics Extreme/Polsy

dscruffy1 fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Oct 5, 2014

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dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

Look out!
Nap Ghost
Character Biographies

Batman


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Batman's a pretty cool dude. He is essentially the flagship character for DC comics, DC basically stands for Detective Comics, Batman's first appearance. Not actually a "super" hero, but tends to punch significantly above his weight class due to being some kind of smart guy. Usually has a plan for taking down every superhero if he needs to. Also has a plan for if those get stolen. Really scary. Foiled a plan to make an army of clones based on his life due to the clones being crazy. Shot Darkseid. Once created a backup personality in the event that his mind was compromised. It's also Batman. The person people think of when the phrase "crazy prepared" (contains spoilers) gets tossed around.

The Joker


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: The Joker's one of Batman's best frenemies. Usually claims he's just trying to get a laugh out of the guy. Might actually be true. Seems to be singularly demented, on one day he may be a harmless and mischievous prankster, the next he'll be bombing the city. No prizes for second place on what he's doing today. Kind of a surprise that no one has just killed the guy yet. Killed the second Robin, Jason Todd, with a crowbar. Had the favor returned by a later Robin. A very versatile character whose personality literally suits the story as needed.

Warden Quincy Sharp


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Character created for the game. A dedicated servant of the people, obviously. Seems more concerned with leveraging Arkham Asylum for his mayoral campaign than he is for actually rehabilitating the inmates, though that might be expected considering how effective rehabilitation has been. In effect serves as concierge for most of the inmates, seeing how Arkham seems to be a revolving door for supervillains. But at least he tries. Right?

Officer Frank Boles


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Character created for the game. Kind of a jerk. Drinks on the job, maybe to be expected with his career field. A bit of a dirty cop, something weeded out of much of the Gotham City Police Department by this point in time, though whether that's because he's corrupt or if he's being blackmailed is unknown. Probably the former. Career prospects are not promising.

Harley Quinn


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: The Joker's girlfriend, though he doesn't seem that into her. Used to be a psychiatrist in Arkham Asylum, though apparently it wasn't quite as inviting of a job as working with the Joker. A character that originated in Batman: The Animated Series, Harley Quinn proved so popular that she was transferred to the DC canon. Hasn't appeared in any movies, but she has been a staple in the comics both before and after the New 52. Still, relationship with the Joker makes her a tough character to write from time to time. She's a recurring member of the Suicide Squad, a team of supervillains forced to do government black ops in return for reduced sentencing. Or life, as the case may be. A character with some staying power.

Oracle


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Commissioner James Gordon's adopted daughter. The first Batgirl, which she pursued with some aplomb, until the Joker shot her through the spine while trying to give the commissioner one really bad day. This resulted in paralysis which tends to put an end to any dynamic crime-fighting. Resorted to being an information broker, frequently working with other superheroes by being ridiculously well-informed and tied into any and all data they may need. Used to have a crush on Batman but became a bit disillusioned over time. A frequent reference for Women In Refrigerators Syndrome.

Commissioner James Gordon


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Way out of his league, but at least he's aware of it. The GCPD certainly doesn't have any easy job but Gordon's willing to play ball with the only person who can even the odds. Used to have a pretty big problem with organized crime and corruption in the GCPD, he's done an admirable job of weeding out the bad cops and turning the GCPD into a respected crime fighting force. But considering the sorts of things Gotham seems to attract and deal with on a regular basis, how useful is the GCPD? Still. The Commissioner gives Batman the legitimacy he needs to continue his fight against crime.

The Riddler


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Always a fun character to have around. The Riddler is just one big bubble of superiority complex waiting to be popped. Can't resist leaving clues behind for crimes he's done, even when he really really wants to. Realizes this may actually mean he's crazy. He actually is nearly as smart as he thinks he is, puzzled out Batman's identity once. Probably not a big deal. His purpose in the games is to be most of the little secrets and to add in callbacks/callouts to other items in Batman's history. Desperately needs to prove he's better than Batman, and typically desperately fails.

Victor Zsasz


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: A relatively grounded character, for comic books. Still creepy as hell. Had a bad gambling experience and then got mugged. Kinda broke his mind, now he's more or less obsessed with the only thing that matters: body count. Death is the great equalizer, and Mister Zsasz is an artist with his body as his canvas. Tends to leave his victims posed doing activities, we'll see that in a few spots in the game. And that special spot he's saving for Batman? Logic says it might be that cross for the five on his forehead, but might be somewhere else?

Chronicle of Arkham


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: ???

Jack Ryder


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: I've always been entertained by the caliber of superheroes Gotham City manages to churn out. Even when they've actually got superpowers, they don't typically outshine the Batman. Jack Ryder is one of Gotham's foremost investigative reporters, journalists, or talk show hosts in nearly every incarnation, although the exact nature of his alter-ego The Creeper changes depending on who is writing. The alter-ego works somewhat like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, except that neither ego is particularly evil. It just so happens that the Creeper is a lot closer to the crazy line than Ryder. He also has a laugh that varies from either putting his victims into a comatose state or causing mild disorientation, so there's that. Overall, he's a bro.

Bruce Wayne


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Where it all began. In addition to the money and weapons development, Bruce Wayne is a supremely useful alibi for the actions of Batman. Broken collarbone? Skiing accident. Fractured skull? Drinking and driving in a Ferrari. I think one of the most interesting facets of Bruce Wayne, however, is that Batman may be the primary ego and that Bruce Wayne is the fallback. On more than a few occasions Batman has referred to both himself and Bruce Wayne in the third person, perhaps letting on that he himself may be suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder. It's a neat touch that it seems most of the villains capable of logic have considered once or twice. What drives a man to dress up like a bat?

Amadeus Arkham


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: The first warden of Arkham Asylum. Named after him, obviously. Amadeus has lofty ideals, but unfortunately that statement of "gaze long into an abyss" kinda took its toll. Wishing to save Gotham City, Amadeus Arkham was instead dragged down by its madness and died an inmate in his own asylum.

Aaron Cash


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Aaron Cash is kind of a badass, but you'd have to be in order to be one of the veteran guards at Arkham Asylum. Has a reputation for being a hardass, but he has somewhat of a weak spot when it comes to Killer Croc due to a...disagreement. Cash is still understandably wary of Killer Croc and has a deep-seated fear, but he'll never show it if he can help it.

Killer Croc


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Usually a pretty interesting character. A decent number of Batman's villains tend to focus on particular disorders or on certain emotions. If that's the case, Croc is primal violence. Born with a rare skin condition that gives him his rather bestial appearance, a big question is if Croc was always this violent of if the way he's been treated by society led him to this. Having been through middle school I'd assume it's the latter. Croc seems to continually mutate into new forms, but one thing that hardly changes is that he has an animal cunning and is a very physical, very dangerous enemy. Totally almost killed Batman once, for sure.

Firefly


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: A character I actually haven't seen much, but any pyromaniac who has a flamethrower and a jetpack will find their way to danger. Firefly seems to be a little dangerously unhinged even by those standards. His backstory usually consists of having been a pyrotechnics expert, from there it's variable for when he gets burned over most of his body. Briefly teamed up with another airborne villain we'll see later, but that team broke up when the other realized just how fire-prone Firefly was.

Hush


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Hush reflects a concept that's been used for at least one other villain, somewhat of a dark reflection of Bruce Wayne. Both the children of wealthy parents, Tommy Elliot is a bit more troubled than Bruce. Bruce's parents were taken from him, Tommy tried to kill his. An extremely talented surgeon, once performed open heart surgery on a member of the Bat-Family. Thanks to the Riddler he knows who Batman is, and he holds a twisted grudge that often involves trying to take Bruce Wayne's place.

Scarecrow


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: I really like Scarecrow. He's different from a lot of Batman's villains in that he's not a mano-a-mano threat, he fights by screwing around with people's minds. He's got a terrible obsession with fear, phobias, what makes them work, and what makes people afraid. He's developed a gas that can bring that fear out of people and make it horrifyingly real, and he's caused more than one case of cardiac arrest due to fright. How long can your willpower hold out against your greatest fears?

Great White Shark


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Warren White is a crooked banker. Even Joker is disgusted by him. After all, Joker might kill people, but he doesn't ruin peoples' futures. Mr. White made the mistake of putting an insanity plea in for a Gotham City court. The judge took it and put him in Arkham Asylum. The inmates made him realize his mistake quickly, but not before being locked in a freezer. It resulted in some minor scarring, mental and otherwise. He might not have belonged here before, but he does now.

Bane


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: The Man Who Broke The Bat. Bane is huge. Killer Croc has natural strength, but Bane is pushed far beyond what any person should be capable of thanks to Venom. Something that is frequently glossed over is that he is a huge threat on multiple levels. Yes, he broke Batman's spine, but this was after weeks of working with and sending criminals all over town to run Batman ragged. Bane studies his enemies and learns their weaknesses, but this is usually tossed aside in favor of BIG MAN BIG SMASH. Pity.

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Somehow not the only act in town based on Alice In Wonderland. Despite comic book appearances, they are exactly as unfit as their appearances might suggest. Their strengths do not lie in anything vaguely resembling physical work, their strength is in leading a crew suited to a particular task and occasionally playing with unique toys. They're not really top-tier villains, so to speak, they usually work under another villain.

Penelope Young


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Another character created for the game. Also pretty irritating. The good Doctor Young seems to be the catalyst for a lot of goings-on at Arkham tonight, but she probably doesn't realize exactly how deep the poo poo is she's stepped in. Focused on her work to what's probably an unhealthy degree, or at the least morally questionable. Just goes to show you, maybe you have to be crazy to work here.

The Penguin


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Another of Batman's older foes, the Penguin typically stays on the back lines. After all, he often can't compete with some of the craziness that goes on in Gotham, but it may be due more to the fact that he considers himself a gentleman criminal. At first introduction he was a bit more bird focused and had a good number of trick umbrellas with near every sort of attachment you can imagine, and he wasn't quite so short and fat. After Batman Returns in 1992, his image was solidified for many people as the comical Penguin we know now. He's just your average white collar crook who sometimes gets his hands dirty, or so he'd like you to believe. He has his fingers in nearly every illicit deal that goes down in Gotham.

Ra's al Ghul


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Ra's al Ghul has the best of intentions but the worst of methodologies. Save the world, go green, etc. Accomplish this by killing millions. The head of the League of Assassins, Ra's origins are a little murky but it seems he's had a few centuries to perfect his craft thanks to his Lazarus Pits, which can return the dead to life and return youth to old flesh. The downside of this is that people who go into Lazarus pits tend to come out a bit crazier. Multiply that a bit. Unlike most Batman villains, at least he respects Batman and his skills. Batman would be his ideal replacement, but how can Batman ever accept what Ra's demands? Also, he's got a daughter. But that's for later.

Black Mask


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Black Mask. Where to start. Frequently troubling, Roman Sionis inherited a business that he screwed up and got bought out by Bruce Wayne. Well that's one grudge, so he makes a mask out of his father's black coffin and starts killing WayneTech employees. Then he fights Batman and gets the mask burned into his skin. Thanks to a Robin's interference, he later took over the criminal underworld and repaid her with some Women-in-Refrigerators inspiring torture. Also, torture? He's pretty good at it. But you can always push someone a little too far.

Scarface


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: The puppet Scarface was carved from the gallows tree of Blackgate prison by a prisoner there named Donnegan. Donnegan was then killed by his cellmate, one Arnold Wesker, who common sense says is a psychopath who's using the puppet to act out his violent tendencies and may have a problem with his B's and G's. But then, common sense doesn't explain the rumors that the puppet is possessed by the souls of the men killed on the gallows tree, or the fact that he's been seen with different puppeteers and the same mob boss mentality. Still, on his own he's really not that much of a threat.

Catwoman


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: I like Catwoman, she's a strong independent woman who don't need no man. Unless she wants one I suppose. Selina Kyle is a catburglar (ho ho) with a taste for cat-themed objects, her nightly excursions tend to place her on both sides of the law whether she's stealing from museums and gangsters or helping the Bat-family out with a city-threatening criminal or two. Despite the best of intentions, Catwoman doesn't have the same resources or abilities as Batman, and she certainly doesn't have the same moral code. She'll use guns and she'll kill if she has to, or if pushed too far. She's a survivor, after all.

Poison Ivy


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: If Killer Croc and Bane are just straight up strength, Poison Ivy is sexuality. Of course the best way to show this is a skimpily clad seductress, to maximally spook nerds. She used to be a botanist until her boss talked her into helping him with a museum theft, then tried to poison her with some herbs from the heist. It didn't quite work, and also gave her weird plant powers and immunity to poisons and made her green. Now she can secrete poisons and pheromones from her body, with the right applications she can seduce some pretty strong people. Luckily, we continue to be Batman. She's become quite the eco-terrorist and is more concerned with making sure her plants are thriving than with any human element. On occasion she's teamed up with Catwoman and Harley Quinn, whenever Mistah J kicks her out.

Clayface


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Formerly a big movie star, Basil Karlo went a little kill-crazy when he found out they were remaking one of his old movies with a new actor. He took the role's mask and began killing off anyone involved with the production. He was still just a man at this point, mind you. He was captured but before long there came a group of villains calling themselves the Mud-Pack with chemically induced powers to allow them to take on different shapes and mimic appearances. Karlo injected himself with their essences and now he has the power of all of them, shape-change, mimicking appearances and powers, poisonous touch, and the ability to disintegrate objects. Hollywood is too cruel. A dangerous enemy with no simple takedown.

Ventriloquist


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Arnold Wesker was the son of a mob boss who just never quite bloomed into a strong person. Not to say he didn't have his moments, a bar-room brawl ended with him breaking open a bottle and cutting open the other guy's throat. This got him sent to Blackgate prison where he encountered his cellmate and his puppet, Scarface, and the rest is history. Questions abound over who's really in control, the puppet with the plan and the bad B's or the man who's got his hand up the puppet's butt. Wesker is quite adamant that he's just a puppet in all this, Scarface frequently calls him dummy, and he really can't seem to exert himself at all without the puppet's presence.

Calendar Man


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Julian Gregory Day (ha!) is about as one-note as you get. A villain who's focused on crimes focused on holidays is possibly even more predictable than the Riddler. Still, at least he keeps it fresh, July 4th could mean that the police station is getting blown up (fireworks!), Groundhog Day could mean Punxsutawney Phil is getting put down. The character saw somewhat of a Hannibal Lecter revival in The Long Halloween where Batman requested his help in trying to find out when the Holiday Killer might strike next. It wasn't very useful though. He was considered somewhat of a non-lethal gimmick by most until he tried setting off Y2K properly by shooting down an airliner, turning off the Gotham power grid, and trying to launch a nuke or two. Maybe not always dangerous, but still crazy!

Two-Face


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Harvey Dent used to be the District Attorney of Gotham, along with being one of Batman's allies. Sure, he had moments where he was a little angry and he might have snapped at his wife, but who doesn't? Well. Things sort of came to a head when the mob boss he was pursuing had one of his thugs throw acid in Harvey's face on the stand. This scarred half of his face and one half of his lucky two-headed coin, giving his bipolarity a really convenient physical outlet. Harvey is now obsessed with duality, often leaving the fates of anyone he crosses up to the flip of a coin. Speaking of, that giant penny in the Batcave? Some rumors say he had something to do with it. There have been attempts to repair his face and thereby put his mind to rights. It usually works, but nothing is forever.

Mr. Freeze


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: It really should be Dr. Freeze. Doctor Victor Fries was a talented cryogenics expert whose wife caught a terminal illness. Victor went down every path he could to get the resources to cryogenically preserve her until a cure could be found, but the company he was working for decided they were losing too much money on the proposition. This led to an accident that caused Victor to have to be in subzero temperatures at all times. Victor only has one thing to live for: his wife. And he will do anything for love, including that. Fun fact: before the Batman animated series in the 90's, he was sort of a gimmick knockoff villain with no story. That entire story came from the episode "Heart of Ice" and if you haven't seen it, holy poo poo. That episode caused an entire reboot of the villain at large. Watch it.

The Mad Hatter


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Again, somehow not the only act in town based on Alice in Wonderland. Jervis Tetch is a bit more prolific than the Dumphreys, having had quite the criminal career in mind altering hats, headbands, and chemicals. He has in fact worked with Tweedle Dee and Dum, though they tried to turn against him. He is rather obsessed with finding his Alice which has resulted in one or two or many unfortunate deaths. If only Alice had just drank her tea. Jervis has an obsession with unusual hats, and Batman's cowl would be quite the feather in his cap. He doesn't tend to make friends, preferring instead to make them follow his will and do his bidding, as long as they come in for a pot of his specialty, his...special tea.

Thomas and Martha Wayne


Story - Facts - Attributes

The nominal parents in MY PARENTS ARE DEEEEEEAD. I mean, what more can you say? They are the reason for Bruce Wayne's one-man war on crime. Thomas Wayne was heir to the Wayne family fortune, and Martha Kane was heir to the Kane family who more or less owned the half of Gotham that the Waynes didn't. Thomas was a well-respected and talented surgeon who inspired Thomas Elliot aka Hush, and Martha Wayne was the socialite who kept the fundraisers running. They had a bit of tension though. In the Flashpoint storyline leading into the New 52, Bruce was the one who died in the shooting at Crime Alley. This led to a much more violent Thomas Wayne as Batman, and Martha Wayne as the Joker.

Humpty Dumpty


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: I don't know too much about him but nominally Humphrey Dumpler is the sort of person Arkham Asylum was founded to help. He came from an abusive childhood and had a talent for fixing broken things. This led to him trying to fix his grandmother but that went about as well as you might expect. He's a quiet guy most of the time but his arrested development leads to being easily manipulated, and he often is convinced to make or fix some toys for Gotham's bigger players.

Killer Moth


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Drury Walker is a small time hood who is impersonating a big time supervillain. No really. He masquerades as Cameron Van Cleer, who is the alter ego of Killer Moth. Presumably the Cameron Van Cleer alter ego came about from when he was trying to take Bruce Wayne's fortune and replace Batman, people found out his secret identity all the time back in the Golden Age. Still, he's gotten his money from somewhere and has a good number of toys. He was teamed up with Firefly for a while as an airborne team but he dissolved that relationship when he realized Firefly may be a little bit too into that whole fire thing.

Ratcatcher


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: On one hand, Otis Flannegan is a ratcatcher employed by Gotham. On the other hand, he's got sort of a Poison Ivy thing going on now. He used to be pretty good at his job but now he's using his affinity for vermin to work on some less savory business opportunities. Rats can grab quite a few things of value after all. He's even as much of a threat behind bars as he is outside of prison since rats can make their way in ventilation ducts pretty easily. He never raises to being much of a threat, however, and is killed during one of the Crisis crossover events by a protection AI gone rogue.

Alfred Pennyworth


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Alfred is the best. Butler to the Wayne family and Bruce Wayne's guardian after the unfortunate incident, Alfred is an excellent butler. Despite his misgivings about Bruce's choice in night time activities, he nonetheless is accomplished in a wide variety of skills useful to the would-be crimefighter. Depending on the backstory he's either been a butler his whole life, or he's been an accomplished actor and a member of MI-6. Either way, he's the only member of the Bat-family Batman allows to use firearms, and it has been done a few times. Also? He's totally Batman, in the event someone finds the Batcave.

Prometheus


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: I haven't seen Prometheus in the wild, so to speak, but I've done my research. Prometheus is sort of the opposite of Bruce Wayne, a kid raised by criminals whose parents were gunned down by cops. It resulted insome fairly similar angst except that Prometheus has decided to kill as many cops as he can. His name is a reference to the Greek titan who took fire from the gods and gave it to mankind, he copies the moves of his adversary. It's about as effective as you might imagine! Unfortunately for him against Batman, it's also about as effective as you might imagine.

Hugo Strange


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: And yet, somehow not the only person impersonating Batman. Not even the only other person. Hugo Strange is a for real psychiatrist who may need some help himself, he's got this real hard-on for taking Batman's place. He psychologically analyzed the kind of person who has both the motivation and the resources to do what Batman does, and lo and behold, here we are. He does know that Batman is Bruce Wayne, but he's been mentally unstable enough that other villains haven't had too much opportunity to capitalize on the fact and sometimes he even forgets that he knows. Nevertheless, the fact that he may reveal this information is enough of a threat that he has to be watched closely.

Maxie Zeus


Story - Facts - Attributes

Personal thoughts: Another weird one. Maxie Zeus was a fairly regular businessman until he lost his wife and child. Then he went straight off the deep end and started thinking he was Zeus, master of the Greek gods. He is powerfully charismatic and commands a surprising amount of respect from the people he leads, and he's been full on caught in his own delusions with things such as believing that he must marry an Olympian. That being one of the Olympic medal winners. It's only a little bit awkward for him when you consider that the DC universe actually has the Greek gods as characters.

Extras and Whatevers

Hobgoblin2099 posted:

On the topic of weird Batman things, he's an actual comic panel of Batman distracting two villains with Hostess Fruit Pies before punching them in the face.



Or is it Sputnik posted:

Yes, pick up any DC comic from the mid 70's to 80's and you will find Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman distracting villains with pastries. Indeed, most any big-name Silver Age superhero has thwarted crooks and conmen alike with that delicious spongy filling and golden crust of Hostess Twinkies/real fruit flavor of Hostess Pies!

I know that at least Marvel has parodied the concept several times, here's one from the "Age of the Sentry" miniseries a while back.



CuwiKhons posted:

Like Aaron Cash, Humphrey was originally from the Arkham Asylum: Living Hell miniseries and easily the most sympathetic of Arkham's residents. However you're wrong about one thing - Humphrey isn't talented at all with fixing broken things. He's obsessed with trying, but he's actually quite bad at it. He once caused a massive train crash because he snuck into the train yard to fix a train which had been having issues and he's destroyed many, many other things by trying to 'fix' them. Humphrey's responsible for... a lot of deaths, albeit it none of them done out of any malice like the other Rogues. He always means well, he just doesn't understand that he's messing things up. Even when he literally dismantled his grandmother and sewed her back together, he did it because he thought there must be something wrong with her to make her so cruel and he was trying to make her a better person.

Meanwhile, Killer Moth actually has a fourth name you forgot to mention. Drury, in pursuit of power, actually sold his soul to a demon named Neron. Too bad he didn't read the fine print - Neron gave him power in the form of turning him into a huge bug monster named Charaxes. Charaxes captures humans, keeps them in cocoons, and then eats them, hence the cocoon with a skeleton in it that you scanned to solve the riddle. Not sure why Rocksteady didn't mention Charaxes in the bio when they used such an obvious reference to him. Charaxes actually had an incredibly stupid story in which, ignoring the fact that he is male, he started laying hundreds of eggs. All of them hatched into adult human clones of Drury Walker :psyduck:

Comic books!

dscruffy1 posted:

Of particular note is the guest list I mentioned before which Batman takes off of Harley.



The people listed, in order: Selina Kyle is Catwoman, Harvey Dent is Two-Face, Jervis Tetch is the Mad Hatter, Basil Karlo is Clayface, Waylon Jones is Killer Croc, Oswald Cobblepot is the Penguin, Arnold Wesker is the Ventriloquist, and Luke Oliver is that one inmate who was based on the contest winner. As far as I can tell the reason some names have smiley faces/are crossed out is because those villains aren't in the Asylum at the time of the party. Just a neat touch!

Hobgoblin2099 posted:

Did someone say Maxie Zeus?




The Riddler's riddle breakdown.

dscruffy1 fucked around with this message at 21:39 on Oct 14, 2014

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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anilEhilated posted:

So... It's Detective Comics Comics?

More or less! From Wikipedia: "The initials "DC" came from the company's popular series Detective Comics, which featured Batman's debut and subsequently became part of the company's name."

I'm not saying it's because Batman is DC's best character, but oh wait yes I am.

Samovar posted:

You know, I've got a lot to say about this game, some good, some bad (since I'm a huge nerd), but I think that this might be the only time that Batman ever actual drives someone he's apprehended by force to Arkham Asylum in the front seat of the Batmobile. It just seems; well, as odd as having a police officer drive a criminal to gaol in the front seat.

Also, I miss the 'not a Bat-tank' Batmobile.

I know they've got a comic for backstory leading up to the start of the game but I think the reason Batman's driving is because the police are basically swamped. Also possibly because the Joker is in unusually good condition once he actually gets to the Asylum, normally he's had the tar beaten out of him.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Lazyfire posted:

Arkham Asylum and Arkham City are really two of the best games of the last console cycle. They just do so much right that the stuff that goes wrong (enemies spotting you from a mile away with their backs to you, stupid boss fight mechanics, Detective Mode being a bit too useful in AA) feels like a major flaw when it would be about standard in any other game. People watching this who don't have the games really should pick them up and play them, they have to be dirt cheap on console and are constantly on sale on the PC.

I'll probably be getting to Arkham City, right now the plan is to see how this goes and then maybe do Arkham City and Arkham Origins. But that's going to be some time in the future, likely. Out of the three, I'd probably say City is my favorite.

Gearface posted:

Man, the Cleaner got RIPPED after the end of Monaco! And started talking. Well, growling.

High hopes for this one, scruffy! Any chance of getting frozentreasure or loco or somebody to guest once the mechanic-heavy early game is wrapped up? You guys had good banter.

Maybe! I know for sure I'll need some banter whenever I do a Riddler roundup but before then who knows!

Thundersword238 posted:

Man, the Batman Arkham games were some of the best games I played when they came out. Really like the focus on stealth. Though I admit, not a fan of Harley's costume, especially now that its basically canon to the comics

Second. The outfit she's got for the games feel a bit much like it's pandering. Kind of oversexualized as something to sell copies, as opposed to something you'd expect from the character. A regular nurses' outfit I could see but it just goes a bit overboard in the details.

DumbRodent posted:

Just got done replaying this out of excitement for Arkham Knight.

I've played City a couple times, but honestly forgot just how great the atmosphere and presentation were in AA. It didn't feel aged at all to me, even after playing the sequels quite a bit.

Arkham Asylum feels cramped and creepy at times, especially as we get into some of the patient interviews, but I feel like the atmosphere I liked the most was the beginning of Arkham Origins. Before things went straight overboard with supervillains, you mostly had gangs and corrupt cops. It brings things nicely down to earth, in my opinion. The main issue I've encountered is that it's hard to go back to combat in AA after having played a lot of AC.

CuwiKhons posted:

AA's a great game but it's easily the worst of the series (discounting Blackgate because gently caress that game) which should really just tell you how good City and Origins are (even with all the nasty bugs in Origins).

Feature-wise I'd agree. City made vast improvements and Origins even tacked on one or two on top of that. But AA is still good by any metric and that's what we're here for.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Bats were born to be free.

Arkham Island/Polsy - Interview tapes: Harley Quinn 1, Chronicle of Arkham 2, Joker 1

Character bios updated: Jack Ryder, Bruce Wayne, Amadeus Arkham.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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citybeatnik posted:

I applaud your restraint, Scruff - whenever I played this game, I couldn't resist shouting out "I'M BATMAN!" the first few times each section I glide-kicked a mook.

I don't get that urge in this game nearly as much as I get it in Arkham City.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Discendo Vox posted:

Please tell me you're recording the interviews in the visiting area.

I kinda forgot about it, so I had to play through a new game to cut it in where it's appropriate. Luckily I haven't gotten too far in advance! :v:

The visitor's center interviews will definitely be in future videos where appropriate.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Today it is Batman who performs the surgery.

Medical Facility 1/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Riddler 1/2, Chronicle of Arkham 3

Character bios updated: Aaron Cash, Killer Croc, Firefly, Hush

I'm doing 12-hour shifts at work this week and next week so setting up a backlog might be a little dodgy. Still working on it.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Major_JF posted:

My guess is that he didn't on purpose because he also played dumb about the one that he picked up that was in his path.

This, basically. We'll have to head back through there anyway.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Oh hey I guess I found our special guests.

Medical Facility 2/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Joker 2/3, Chronicle of Arkham 4/5

Character bios updated: Scarecrow, Great White Shark, Bane, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Penelope Young

Predator: Silent Knight/Polsy

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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CuwiKhons posted:

Scarecrow's costume (and Harley's, for that matter) are meant to look like they're just poo poo they scrounged up around the Asylum after they escaped, hence why Scarecrow is barefoot and lacking a shirt. Of course, this does not at all explain why Jonathan Crane is fuckin' ripped.

Turns out constantly screaming in terror is great for the abs :v:

As for Bane, the only thing I can figure is they either write him like crap, ORRRR he suddenly got an overdose of Venom or Titan, whichever, and that has had obvious consequences or making people go a little loopy so far.

Still a really lackluster bossfight.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Glazius posted:

So, uh. Has Arkham Asylum ever actually cured a supervillain? It really doesn't seem like it at this point. I suppose that's why it would make such a great campaign ad.

The only one that comes to mind is that the Riddler was reformed for a while and became a private investigator.

The flip-side to this being that he did it just to show he'd be better at it than Batman.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Meant to have this up earlier but work. Anyway!

Sewers, Arkham Island and Arkham Mansion 1/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Killer Croc 1/2, Chronicle of Arkham 6/7/8/9

Character bios updated: Penguin

Combat: Sewer Bat/Polsy

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Nice. Definitely adding these to the OP.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Newest video: Arkham Mansion 2/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Scarecrow 1/2, Chronicle of Arkham 10

Character bios updated: Ra's al Ghul, Black Mask

bodz5150 posted:

And you would be right...

Superman takes no poo poo, even from the Joker.

Yeah. The problem with Superman is that at a certain point you have pushed the immovable object too far. Then poo poo goes straight downhill. Superman at least has an inkling that he'd go straight off the deep end if he ever took that next step, which is why he does things like give bits of kryptonite to Batman. If someone needs to take him down, might as well be someone resourceful enough to pull it off. The Injustice comic has a few moments like that.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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citybeatnik posted:

I think the video cuts out a little early, in the middle of the second Scarecrow interview.

drat, you're right. It cuts off early. I'll have to cut it in the next video as well. Must've screwed up the frame count on my recording.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Arkham Mansion 3/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Scarecrow 2

Character bios updated: Scarface, Catwoman

DLC Combat: Crime Alley/Polsy

Right. The Scarecrow tape got clipped last time so it's in full at the end of this video.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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CuwiKhons posted:

You keep missing out on something special about the Visitor Center messages. :ssh: Once Joker (or in this case, Harley) is done speaking, after you turn around to walk away, if you turn to look back, the Joker statue will have moved positions. I couldn't always get it to work for me, or maybe some of the movements are just very subtle, but usually it's highly noticeable.
I didn't know this was a thing. I'm probably not going back to look at it again though. I've already got three simultaneous playthroughs going just so I can re-record if I miss anything. Autosaves are a double edged sword.

Hobgoblin2099 posted:

Is Crime Alley in the DLC meant to be the real one or just the one from the Scarecrow hallucination?
Near as I can tell this is meant to be the hallucination Crime Alley. At least, based on what it looks like compared to its appearance in Arkham City/Origins.

Thunk posted:

You missed the secret Arkham City teaser. Or are you coming back for that later?
Definitely going back for it later. I left a collectible in that area so I'll need to come back later anyway!

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Got it in a recording before the game ends so it'll show up for sure. Not for a little while yet, but it'll show up.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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To my great regret I've never read the Killing Joke. But I really want to. Everything I've heard or seen about it is that it's pretty much the Batman vs Joker story. It's not exactly crazy to say that not all Batman stories are created equal, All-Star Batman and Robin kinda goes off the rails, since, well...



Yeah. That was a thing. As for Batman killing the Joker in the Dark Knight Returns, not quite. The film is pretty accurate as to how he dies though, and to the book in general from what I've seen of it. He's acting fairly normal in his insane asylum until Batman appears on the TV at which point he...well, goes back to being the Joker. Then he quite deliberately snaps his own neck after the fight.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Penitentiary/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Zsasz 1/2/3/4/5, Chronicle of Arkham 11

Character bios updated: Poison Ivy, Clayface, Ventriloquist, Calendar Man, Two-Face, Mister Freeze

Combat: Shock and Awe/Polsy

Got a lot of characters showing up in this one. I'm noticing that I'm not getting the trophies that unlock challenge rooms before they'd be nice to have, so I'm probably going to start running through the challenges I've missed so far as extra videos. Still getting all the trophies! Just would like to have all the challenge rooms done before I hit the end of the game.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Discendo Vox posted:

I never noticed it was Zsasz in that challenge room before. Sadly, there's another cool developer easter egg you passed by in that episode- you might be planning to cover it later, so I'll wait to talk about it.

Planning on covering that too. The main reason I didn't get that and the other thing in that room is that I guess I was looking for an excuse to come back here later because of "hunting for things". It's not like we'll never be back there anyway so I could have planned it better but between you and me, I think I was a bit drunk while recording. And while doing audio. And right now.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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chitoryu12 posted:

Just so you know, you uploaded Two-Face's statistics in place of Mr. Freeze.

Figured I'd screw one of those up sooner or later. It's fixed.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Nihilarian posted:

Zsasz' interview tapes are kind of terrifying. Probably because he's a lot more realistic than Batman's other villains.

I think it's a combination of that and also because Zsasz isn't as publicized. Every other villain we've got tapes for has been a major movie or game villain, or is known from the animated series. Zsasz was completely new to me when I started up the game the first time and I'd never heard of this dude, but man oh man is he a rabbit hole unto himself.

Also, yeah, I realize now that the Clayface thing is that I didn't actually get close enough to talk to him. So. My bad. I may go back for it later and I might not. Probably not.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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All the pregnancy test talk is stuff that goes on in the next game. It's more of an Easter egg than it is something critical but it's still a little bit spoilery? Just toss it out for now if that's okay.

As for the outfit, I'd put that onto a callback to Harley having previously been a member of the staff at Arkham but I really hadn't put much thought into it before. She's just poorly dressed!

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Truth is I don't mind the chat on that bit since it is just an Easter egg. If it was a more significant thing like someone dies at the end of the game that might be a different story. So go ahead with this particular line if you're so inclined but for major plot points I'd prefer it's not a thing!

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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I've finally hit the big time, I've got a thread derail :woop:

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Speaking of back on track...

Botanical Gardens 1/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Joker 4/5, Poison Ivy 1/2/3

Character bios updated: Mad Hatter, Thomas and Martha Wayne

Predator: Survival Tactics/Polsy

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Nekomimi-Maiden posted:

If I'm not wrong, the distance you can leap around is dependent on how 'deep into' a combo's momentum you are - he just completed a takedown, which keeps his combo NUMBER, but resets his momentum. Low momentum + large distance = meh boot rather than room-crossing flying kick.

I'd chalk it up to the hit detection still being a little bit wonky in AA as well. See: any fight with a Titan thug.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Kal-L posted:

But could you at least tone down all the rear end-punching? Think about the kids! :v:

No. :c00lbutt:

Nekomimi-Maiden posted:

Any plans to go beyond Asylum, or think one metroidvania explorathon is enough?

I've got plans to move on to City but I don't know how long that'll take. It's a bigger undertaking for sure. I've got nearly everything recorded for this since I've got some vacation time in October so I'll have backlog, but I've got an intercontinental move a few months after that so it might be about half a year down the line if I get to it.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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I'm gonna have to start putting out these challenge videos two at a time if I'm going to get them all out before the end. So I will!

Botanical Gardens 2/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Poison Ivy 4/5, Chronicle of Arkham 12/13

Character bios updated: Humpty Dumpty, Killer Moth, Ratcatcher

Predator: Record Breaker/Polsy

Combat: Rumble in the Jungle/Polsy

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Samovar posted:

Edit: :stare: Holy God, I didn't know you could actually take on the Titan enemies without having to go through the whole gadgetry gimmicks.

Yep! There's an achievement called Mano-A-Mano that requires you to take down a Titan thug without using batarangs. The best way I've found to do it is by doing a punch or two and then leaping over them. I only got it recently and that was from the Rumble in the Jungle challenge, since you can do it on any game mode.

Also while we're on Ivy's characterization, I guess that can be chalked up to a combination of Dini's writing which has received some flak in the thread and also that she just might be considered differently in this series. In the comics she's more of a misanthrope, here she's more of a "use the tools at my disposal". At least that's my take on it based on having just recorded another section of the game.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Return to Intensive Treatment/Polsy

No new character bios.

Predator: Nocturnal Hunter/Polsy

Combat: Intensive Treatment Extreme/Polsy

This is the second DLC map (that has an actual finish) and the first Extreme version of a challenge map. It's similar to the first one but the score requirements are higher and the thugs are tougher, use more weapons, and will actually try to grab the guns and shoot you this time. Not having REFLEXES OF STEEL they won't always be astounding feats of destruction. But some of them will come close.

Also added the Killer Moth/Humpty Dumpty stuff to the second post because ha ha ha what

dscruffy1 fucked around with this message at 10:00 on Sep 16, 2014

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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There's something he says during the saving doctors bit way back when you have to batarang an inmate to finish clearing the room of Joker toxin. If you batarang the inmate and leave him there for a little bit before activating the fan, he says something like "I can't let that man die". I don't know if it's a game over if you wait, but I'm willing to believe that he wouldn't be throwing people down bottomless pits if it was going to kill them.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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double nine posted:

Wasn't there a horror game of some sort that would fake your tv muting itself?

Psycho Mantis did it in MGS, but Eternal Darkness had a sanity effect for that as well.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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It's no Scarecrow but I still think Killer Croc is handled pretty well in this game.

Return to Intensive Treatment/Polsy

No new character bios.

Predator: Silent Knight Extreme/Polsy

Combat: Sewer Bat Extreme/Polsy

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Worth mentioning: GOTY versions of Arkham Asylum and City are on Steam sale this weekend for $5 each. Arkham Origins is at $7.50, the season pass for all DLC is $5 on top of that.

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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I kinda needed to split this one up into two, it was a big video. So next video is going to start with a bang! And maybe a few whimpers.

More Sewer Level/Polsy - Interview Tapes: Killer Croc 4/5, Chronicle of Arkham 14

No new character bios.

Predator: Invisible Predator/Polsy

Combat: Shock and Awe Extreme/Polsy

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Being a person who enjoys all three games I can say you can't go wrong with Asylum. if that's not your thing because you've already seen most of it, City is mechanically my favorite. It's more open-world and beating up thugs in the streets along with the combat being a lot stronger, in my opinion. Origins has the best story, I think, but it's a little buggy in some areas while still being enjoyable.

If you like what you've seen of Asylum, start with Asylum. If you want something different, go to City. (which I think I'll be getting to eventually)

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dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

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Arcade Rabbit posted:

Ouch. How is it on console? My computer isn't really up to games like these, and there can be weird differences between platforms.

Yes, I mean you Bethesda!

I've played it on the PS3 and the PC. On the PS3 whenever I fast-traveled somewhere my game would crash. This is not present (to my remembering) on a more recent playthrough of PC.

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