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[BlueLyria]

Arkham Asylum and City are some of the best hero games ever and definitely better than any Spiderman, but every insomniac Spiderman is better than Arkham Knight

 

[dottme]

I"m still a big supporter or Arkham Asylum. The more constraint and directed story gives a much better, more dense adventure.

 

[XXL]

Also, Rocksteady didn’t have someone like this handling the writing of the Arkham games.

No you're right, they chose to make Suicide Squad instead.

Spider-Man 2 is an amazing game with some stupid moments.

Suicide Squad is a bad product with nothing of value.

 

[ungalo]

The first Arkham game released 15 years ago and the last one in 2015. And Spiderman on the other hand was inspired by those games.

Spiderman is perhaps done better i don't know, but is way less impactful.

Also the Batman universe and the way Rocksteady handled it >>>>>>>>>>>

 

[Icymanipulator]

Spider-Man is the better game, but couldn’t exist without Batman.

 

[arkhamguy123]

The first Spider-Man is competent with the writing, certainly nothing special, just typical Marvel-safe content.

But after that one, it becomes obvious that SpiderMan is just another empty vehicle for the writers narrow view of the world. They don't even care about giving a classic or faithful representation of Mary Jane or anyone else. It's all secondary to them.

Arkham, on the other hand, was clearly written by people who love the character first and foremost, with zero concern about bringing other agendas into it. Those are the only kinds of people who should be making games.

The writing comments here are puzzling. Even politics aside I found it inferior to Arkham. It feels like corporate mayonnaise MCU writing. Completely kid friendly and edgeless

Spider-Man 1 is solid, I’d put it behind all 4 Arkham games in writing but it’s solid. But 2 is kinda dogshit. They completely jumped the shark, as in, the story is just so random and un relatable and wacky and the writers don’t seem to be aware of this at all. In fact they seem to think they’re actually doing something with the script.

Also the dialogue is bad. Way worse than what I remember from Spider-Man 1. Because they changed the writing team. It’s mostly women now which is fine but could we have hired some women with talent? Ones that don’t write lines like “goodbye world. Hello planet goo” played completely straight. Or exchanges like “But are you sure? Lizard has big teeth!” “So do I….” Played completely straight. Which doesn’t even make sense. And off the top of my head a Peter MJ exchange

“Miles was off his game”
“I’m sure he was just trying to help”
“Sometimes it’s just easier to do things by myself”
“hey that’s not fair Pete! We’re a team!”

Which is borderline amateur and shockingly bad for any professional writer as it doesn’t even flow or relate to what Spider-Man said and just wanted to crowbar strong woman melodrama

 

[arkhamguy123]

No you're right, they chose to make Suicide Squad instead.

Spider-Man 2 is an amazing game with some stupid moments.

Suicide Squad is a bad product with nothing of value.

Cmon that’s not fair bro. You know they wanted to do Superman or something but WB cockblocked em

 

[MAX PAYMENT]

No you're right, they chose to make Suicide Squad instead.

Spider-Man 2 is an amazing game with some stupid moments.

Suicide Squad is a bad product with nothing of value.

Suicide squad literally isn't a product yet.

Wow. A lot of really dumb takes in here in defense of spiderman.

1. That arkham combat copied assassins creed? They aren't remotely close.

2. You can finish batman encounters by mashing Triangle? Completely false.

 

[Jigsaah]

Batman, not even close.

 

[Gonpachiro Kamaboko]

Spider man 2 is great, but when you’re done with Batman you have a ton of stealth and combat challenges.
The combat isn’t bad in SM2 but Arkham City is still untouched in that regard.
Stealth gameplay in Arkham is better, in SM2 on ultimate difficulty it’s still way too easy.

 

[Urban]

I know you cant do a real city vs fictional city but Gotham in AK was for me the best city ever build in a video game.


It just has his own soul

 

[The artful mincer]

Nah
Not true at all

Video evidence right here. As far as I can tell not even using the analogue stick either.

 

[MAX PAYMENT]

Video evidence right here. As far as I can tell not even using the analogue stick either.

If you'd ever played an arkham game before, you'd know how few encounters exist in the game with only the lowest types of thugs. Add in a single brute, shield guy, gun, martial artist, etc that tactic does not work. Also that encounter is the one directly in front of the courthouse where two face has catwoman captured. It's intended to be THE first combat encounter after getting your batsuit. The player went to that spot (which still has the same enemies) after protocol 10 when the building is destroyed.

 

[Slothbeing1209]

. Wrong thread lol

 

[poodaddy]

Oh I am glad this thread got made!

I don't mean to pick on you but this is common sentiment held about arkham combat and I mean to challenge it.

Arkham combat was cool and innovative in 2011. It still looks and feels good other than that in 2023 the combat system mechanically speaking is an absolute joke. Take this is video an example



One button press no movement....

I know that's at the start of the game but the combat doesn't evolve nearly enough to be interesting.

There's a reason the only good boss fight in the entire series was a stealth fight.

The only thing Spider-Man really copies today is the finishers. It's its own thing these days I don't know how I would classify it. It's more like devil may cry lite than arkham.

Spider-Man combat is way more versatile and interesting in Spider-Man 2 they have shown they can do good boss fights and it can scale against loads of enemies. Spider-Man combat has shown it can work in almost level design where as arkham can only work in a big bland arena.

Traversal and graphics well that's no contest its Spider-Man.

Stealth okay I would give that to arkham

Story meh don't care enough either to comment they both do there job.

Overall there's a reason why Arkham peaked with City and declined afterwards and the combat system is no longer being copied.

Arkham was definitely the more influential but that's not the question.

Spider-Man especially 2 are the far superior games.

That is quite a verbose and interesting take, and a high effort contribution to the thread. I'd like to make a counter point.

Nah.

 

[YOU PC BRO?!]

Does anyone remember when Insomniac turned MJ into Sam Fisher and forced you to play as a deaf girl in the latest Spider-Man?

 

[BouncyFrag]

Kevin Conroy cannot be surpassed. I went looking for a vid to post about him and ended up watching all of them.

 

[Trilobit]

The writing comments here are puzzling. Even politics aside I found it inferior to Arkham. It feels like corporate mayonnaise MCU writing. Completely kid friendly and edgeless

When Danika Hart, the goody-two shoes poodcaster, appeared in the Miles Morales game I was absolutely certain that she was going to be a villain. No one would write such a meaningless and dull character intentionally, right? She'd have to have a dark side. But as the game was nearing its end I realized Insomniac had put this abhorrently boring woman, that spits out diabetically sugary comments about how friendly and good everyone is, as a polar opposite to Jameson.

Luckily you can shut off her podcast.

 

[Evil Calvin]

Batman is boring. an unrelatable millionaire, no super powers, just gadgets and tech. At least Iron Man can fly and has repulsors. Batman was a detective with some helpful weapons. He sucked and still sucks.

 

[zombrex]

The city in Spider Man is much better. Feels like a real city. Helps to really sell the authnticity of the world. Batman series city feels like an amusment park mocked up to look like a city. For free roam immersion, Spider man is more fun. For combat Batman series vastly superior.

 

[SF Kosmo]

The first Spider-Man is competent with the writing, certainly nothing special, just typical Marvel-safe content.

But after that one, it becomes obvious that SpiderMan is just another empty vehicle for the writers narrow view of the world. They don't even care about giving a classic or faithful representation of Mary Jane or anyone else. It's all secondary to them.

Arkham, on the other hand, was clearly written by people who love the character first and foremost, with zero concern about bringing other agendas into it. Those are the only kinds of people who should be making games.

It's pretty clear your opinion is being colored by perceived agendas that conflict with your own, and it might be important to rememeber you played Arkham at a time where not everything was hyper-politicized.

The Spider-Man games have some cutesy virtue signaling like a BLM mural or gay people existing in very minor roles, but it's not like the story itself is trying to advance some agenda. The core themes are just about moral conflict and redemption, which just work very well for a hero story.

 

[The artful mincer]

If you'd ever played an arkham game before, you'd know how few encounters exist in the game with only the lowest types of thugs. Add in a single brute, shield guy, gun, martial artist, etc that tactic does not work. Also that encounter is the one directly in front of the courthouse where two face has catwoman captured. It's intended to be THE first combat encounter after getting your batsuit. The player went to that spot (which still has the same enemies) after protocol 10 when the building is destroyed.

I know it evolves beyond that but what other combat system can be played with literally one button press? FF16 with the rings attached?

What you said is true about other enemy types adding a bit of depth but that's true in every combat system in any game.

Fundamentally I think the arkham series relies too much on animation pairing to have much depth or enemy variety. Personally I think it's it's had its day and that's why nobody uses it these days even Assassin's creed pivoted away from it.

Spiderman is the only successful series today that still has a bit of DNA from it but insomniac had the foresight to remove the OP counter with a dodge and now they have added a parry in SM2. Thankfully they seem to be using hit boxes more in SM2 as well.

 

[MoreJRPG]

The Arkham series has much better writing. It’s dark, gritty and isn’t afraid to take chances in its narrative. All the characters stand out and you actually feel like you’re in Gotham.

Arkham Knight is also the best looking game out of all of them, despite releasing on last gen hardware and is probably the best looking game ever released on console(or second to The Last of Us 2)

 

[3liteDragon]

Spider-Man 2’s better than all of them, but Arkham series as a trio easily.

Update on this: Best trilogy overall, Arkham by a longshot. 80% on story rn with everything else finished & this shit is peak superhero gaming, nothing else even comes close.

 

[MAX PAYMENT]

I know it evolves beyond that but what other combat system can be played with literally one button press? FF16 with the rings attached?

What you said is true about other enemy types adding a bit of depth but that's true in every combat system in any game.

Fundamentally I think the arkham series relies too much on animation pairing to have much depth or enemy variety. Personally I think it's it's had its day and that's why nobody uses it these days even Assassin's creed pivoted away from it.

Spiderman is the only successful series today that still has a bit of DNA from it but insomniac had the foresight to remove the OP counter with a dodge and now they have added a parry in SM2. Thankfully they seem to be using hit boxes more in SM2 as well.

I can somewhat agree with what you're saying. Though I find arkham combat to be far better.

But assassins creed combat and arkham combat are not similar. Like at all.

 

[jorgejjvr]

What's the best way to play the Batman games? I never did and now I want to after Spidey

I got a series X and PS5, and looks like I own them.

Also any specific order to play them in?

Any insight would be appreciated

 

[Freelance Yakuza]

Video evidence right here. As far as I can tell not even using the analogue stick either.

So, if I spend half an hour pressing triangle during the game's tutorial combat, at some point the henchmen might die and that's proof that the combat is inferior to Spider-Man's?
Well, I have a friend who spent the first hour of Bayonetta 1 just holding down the fire button and managed to kill most of the angels. By that logic, Bayonetta is garbage.

 

[The artful mincer]

I can somewhat agree with what you're saying. Though I find arkham combat to be far better.

But assassins creed combat and arkham combat are not similar. Like at all.

The old Assassin's creed games used animation pairing arkham did as well. They can be different combat systems while using the same tech.

Most combat systems use hit boxes but feel massively different.

It's cool that you prefer Arkham I am expressing why I prefer spiderman

Old school Assassin's creed was awful I could only stomach one game!

 

[The artful mincer]

So, if I spend half an hour pressing triangle during the game's tutorial combat, at some point the henchmen might die and that's proof that the combat is inferior to Spider-Man's?
Well, I have a friend who spent the first hour of Bayonetta 1 just holding down the fire button and managed to kill most of the angels. By that logic, Bayonetta is garbage.

Well 2 minutes.... the fundamental point is that movement and space in arkham combat is not important.

The fact that a few gimmick enemies force you to dodge or use a gadget now and then don't turn it into DMC either.

Spoiler

Or even Spider-Man 2!

 

[The artful mincer]

hat is quite a verbose and interesting take, and a high effort contribution to the thread. I'd like to make a counter point.

Nah.

 

[Leonidas]

What's the best way to play the Batman games? I never did and now I want to after Spidey

Any insight would be appreciated

On PC. Its nice playing the games at max settings and way over 120 FPS

 

[jorgejjvr]

On PC. Its nice playing the games at max settings and way over 120 FPS

Nah, like I said I got Xbox series x and PS5. What's the best way there?

 

[XXL]

Nah, like I said I got Xbox series x and PS5. What's the best way there?

They're pretty much identical.

 

[jorgejjvr]

They're pretty much identical.

Sometimes xbox has like framerate boost and such, so I didn't know

 

[XXL]

Sometimes xbox has like framerate boost and such, so I didn't know

I'm just talking from memory, but I dont think it has boost mode on Xbox.

 

[jorgejjvr]

Sometimes xbox has framerate boost and thi

I'm just talking from memory, but I dont think it has boost mode on Xbox.

So return to Arkham is the way to go?

 

[TheloniusFabdul]

Sometimes xbox has framerate boost and thi

So return to Arkham is the way to go?

From what I understand, asylum runs at 45fps with poor frame pacing and city is locked to 30, at least on Xbox, so not exactly ideal.

 

[MAX PAYMENT]

The old Assassin's creed games used animation pairing arkham did as well. They can be different combat systems while using the same tech.

Most combat systems use hit boxes but feel massively different.

It's cool that you prefer Arkham I am expressing why I prefer spiderman

Old school Assassin's creed was awful I could only stomach one game!

Arkham only seems to pair for counters and takedown. The rest feels like spiderman, but better.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

Thanks GAF, for choosing the correct series.

 

[thegame983]

arkham asylum was the 2nd coming of jesus.

Everything after is just an iteration

 

[poodaddy]

When Danika Hart, the goody-two shoes poodcaster, appeared in the Miles Morales game I was absolutely certain that she was going to be a villain. No one would write such a meaningless and dull character intentionally, right? She'd have to have a dark side. But as the game was nearing its end I realized Insomniac had put this abhorrently boring woman, that spits out diabetically sugary comments about how friendly and good everyone is, as a polar opposite to Jameson.

Luckily you can shut off her podcast.

Between Miles and Spoders 2, I still haven't heard but maybe two sentences from her. The second she comes on I immediately go to the settings and disable her podcast. I have no idea how bad it gets, but I'm willing to bet it'd kill me from a cringe overdose.

I keep JJ on as I love hearing his bitching, he's my spirit animal in many ways.

 

[BadBurger]

I appreciated the more focused and confined atmosphere and design of the Batman games, but it felt too on rails for me at times. A weird argument to make given some of the segments of Spider-Man, I know, but at least the Spider-Man games open things up more.

Also those god awful Batmobile parts in the final(?) Batman game were excruciating for me.

 

[Gambit2483]

Sometimes xbox has framerate boost and thi

So return to Arkham is the way to go?

"Return to Arkham" completely butchered the art style from the original games. Sure it's technically the current best way to play them but the characters and some graphical effects are (somehow) much worse.

The Arkham Trilogy looks to restore the art direction from the original games and will hopefully look and run better (at least for the first 2 games).

I'm personally hoping for The Arkham Trilogy to be the definitive way to at least play 'Asylum' and 'City' especially considering they will be portable.

 

[MarkMe2525]

Spiderman is wonderful to jump in and swing around for awhile, but I did feel like it hit its peak within the first 10 hours. I probably was more impressed with the Spiderman games from a scope and visual standpoint, but those Batman games really got its hooks into me. I never played Arkham City, but did complete Arkham Asylum and Arkham Knight.

This probably is not fair as I have yet to play Spiderman 2 and I never finished MM.

 

[Halo2redvsblue]

Some whiny Spider-Man crying all the time or the goddamn Batman.

 

[IAmRei]

It's batman for me, as i was born in era which most of us are batman fans. The graphic is aged fine, the feels and atmosphere are built well, and the design is still solid.

Although i'm also okay with spiderman. But the thing is, some combat kinda rough for me in spiderman 1, i see in miles and spiderman 2 are smoother now, kinda fine with that. The spiderman 2 is kinda buggy for me, not game breaking. One complain for spidey is like the button is jumping uneccessery complex for me.

The most i like about spidey is travesal. Although i cannot compare it to batman because, yeah you know, batman is stealth based

TLDR, i like both, but i'm more into batman

Now... I really wish for wolverine to be as good at least, just like those two above.

 

[jorgejjvr]

"Return to Arkham" completely butchered the art style from the original games. Sure it's technically the current best way to play them but the characters and some graphical effects are (somehow) much worse.

The Arkham Trilogy looks to restore the art direction from the original games and will hopefully look and run better (at least for the first 2 games).

I'm personally hoping for The Arkham Trilogy to be the definitive way to at least play 'Asylum' and 'City' especially considering they will be portable.

Wait, that's only for switch? There's nothing equivalent for PS5 or XSX?

 

[jorgejjvr]

From what I understand, asylum runs at 45fps with poor frame pacing and city is locked to 30, at least on Xbox, so not exactly ideal.

Is PS5 any different?

 

[skit_data]

I really can't decide which one I prefer between the two franchises.
I like the Spider-Man gameplay better in general and part of that is the traversal is so superior IMO.
I like the setting and tone better in the Arkham games and Batman TAS was my favourite show as a kid so seeing a mature yet familiar(much thanks to the voice cast) take on Gotham is just hard to top due to the nostalgia.

Edit: Of course I watched the animated series dubbed with swedish VAs but I've rewatched Batman TAS later.

 

[Neolombax]

As fantastic as the Batman games were, I still say Spiderman because I'm a huge Spiderman fan.