I was hesitant on trying this game after reading all the reviews about how "bad" this game was. Thanfully I decided to go against what others said and try it out for myself and it's insane how close I was to missing out on a hidden gem in the Arkham series. One of the main gripes was how buggy the game is, and from my perspective playing this game in 2025, it wasn't too bad. I ran into the falling through the map glitch only once and managed to load a previous save to undo it. Everything else was minor and an annoyance at most, though on launch I hear it was a nightmare. Thanfully it wasn't too bad for me at least. The game is Arkham City but expanded upon, with amazing cutscenes and much better boss fights. You get the old map plus a new section added to it with a Christmas feel to everything which I like. The new voice actors did a fine job with Batman and Joker despite what the kiddy fanboys will rage at you about. The shock gloves were critisized for making combat trivial, but they're unlocked later in the game and are easy to ignore if you still want the challenge. City is the golden child of the series for most, but for me Origins had me engaded much more than City ever did. Do be mindful that it still has bugs, just no where near how badly it apparently launched with. Best to back up your saves just in case as I did.
Graphically speaking the game is good. However, the same can't be said for the gameplay which made the original so fun. Shooting your weapons (zapo, disintegrator, and anal probe) now have an auto aim feature you can't turn off, always making your shots curve away from where you're actually shooting because it locks onto another target nearby. What's worse is they butchered PK. You no longer get to hear the satisfying collision sound effects from the original when throwing people onto different surfaces like concrete walls, cars, and trees. You also can't slam a vehicle onto people anymore as they will walk unfazed while you're repeatedly slamming a car over there head. However, one addition I love is the SKATE ability which makes traveling not only easier, but fun. Sound quality for parts of the voice acting take dips during some cutscenes, and the sound quality for some weapons used sound very underwhelming. All in all, a decent remake, but not great like it could've been.
