Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate - Deluxe Edition

 PC
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 80 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 80
  2. Mixed: 37 out of 80
  3. Negative: 20 out of 80

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  1. csabber
    May 11, 2014
    7
    Arkham Origins: Blacgate is a different yet enjoyable expansion of the acclaimed Arkham series. It’s set in a closed prison where Batman goes against his old time nemeses The Joker, Blackmask and The Penguin. The gameplay suits well for the portable game machines, but PC gamers, who want to try the detective work of Batman, can have fun with it too.

    MORE ON: http://prosncons.22web.org/    Arkham Origins: Blacgate is a different yet enjoyable expansion of the acclaimed Arkham series. It’s set in a closed prison where Batman goes against his old time nemeses The Joker, Blackmask and The Penguin. The gameplay suits well for the portable game machines, but PC gamers, who want to try the detective work of Batman, can have fun with it too.

    MORE ON: http://prosncons.22web.org/

    + Blackgate is a welcome addition to the Arkham family. It has a distinctively different game play than its big brothers. Detective work takes over melee fights and this change really suits the handheld gaming environment.
    + It’s different, and we must emphasize this. Batman isn’t called the world’s greatest detective for his gadgets and toys. In this game he relies on his problem solving skills. The game includes some great puzzles that can’t be found in other Arkham games.
    + Blackgate isn’t a PC game on the first place. It’s a handheld game with an existing PC port. Based on this it’s looks absolutely great on the PC too. It gets close to early PS3/Xbox360 titles. Batman and the main characters are detailed. There are some blurry textures here and there, but the overall visual experience is very good.
    + With good game design come good boss fights. There is only a handful in the game, but those are very distinguishable. You have to approach every one of them differently. In one you have to rely on you gadgets, but in the next may be locked in a melee fight.

    ~ 6 hours. That long will take to beat the campaign of the game. It isn’t much, but given the handheld nature of the game we can’t hold grudges against it.
    ~ While most of the bosses of the game are fun in one way or another, the final challenge can be extremely annoying due to the flaws in the combat mechanics. It’s very challenging, but not necessarily in a good way. The fight is great but it’s spoiled by the mechanics.
    ~ The game does include some collectibles in forms of upgrades or clues for crimes, but one can’t help but wonder, that in a game which focuses on the detective aspect of Batman, they could’ve done much more. Maybe characters that could be unlocked by solving crimes or finding clues to extend the length of the game? It’s a missed opportunity.

    - Arkham games are immediately recognized by their excellent audios and music tracks. Blackgate is a disappointment in that regard. There aren’t any original tracks to speak of and the sounds feel weak and uninspiring.
    - It’s a real disappointment that in such a high profile game, devs can’t get some basic things get done. Lip movement is missing in the game. This very minor detail is very disheartening about a 2014 game.
    - The greatest thing in all Arkham games is the superb fighting mechanics that allow everybody to be The Batman. It’s fast, responsive, powerful and most of all satisfying. Not in Blackgate. Simply this pseudo 2D environment and the unresponsive combat don’t support this type of gameplay. Those sections when you have to clear a room – great sections in the big brothers – are awful. The only good thing about the combat is that the devs might have recognized it’s flaws and they don’t force the gamer into too many fighting scenarios.
    - Forget pre-rendered or in-game cutscenes. Boring hand drawn still images represent the game’s cutscenes that introduce most of the important story elements.

    Time to beat: 6 hours
    Replay Value: 2/5
    In one word: Detective
    On P’n’C scale: Fun Time
    Must give points: 72

    MORE ON: http://prosncons.22web.org/    … Expand
  2. samuelmason900
    Apr 3, 2014
    7
    Good Is:
    Graphics is awesome
    Brilliant 2.5d platform free to play add new dimension to arkham games
    Boss fights are also good
    Story will keep us going
    But Bad is:
    Gameplay some time gets too linear
    not free flow combat like previous arkham games
    conclusion is:
    All the way this game is satisfying treat for Batman fans
  3. BluBlaBlu
    May 3, 2016
    7
    Good game overall. The idea is good, but still has some basic flaws.
    Combat and movement are a little dummy, even if it's a 2.5D game there are some stuff that shouldn't happen on these days.
    Story is great, all the detective side is a cool thing.
    Basically: Fun game, not fantastic, but enjoyable.
    Would recommend.
  4. debigman
    Jun 11, 2014
    9
    Quite a god game in all regards. Not quite as good as the main entries in the series, but the game looks good and plays well. Hours of fun, highly recommended.
  5. kevinbrown
    Jul 15, 2018
    2
    I will address this review to two kinds of people:

    1- Gamers 2- core Batman fans Skip it straight to your number, whether you want to buy as a gamer or just because you're more into Batman 1- Gamers Alright so where to start... Pfff... Ok... 3,2,1... K go Usually I'm trying to keep a certain level of objectivity in my reviews. Well here it's kind of complicated, because...    I will address this review to two kinds of people:

    1- Gamers
    2- core Batman fans

    Skip it straight to your number, whether you want to buy as a gamer or just because you're more into Batman

    1- Gamers

    Alright so where to start... Pfff... Ok... 3,2,1... K go

    Usually I'm trying to keep a certain level of objectivity in my reviews. Well here it's kind of complicated, because... Well.... There is simply nothing good to say about the game.

    It's 15 hours of non-stop frustration, though a ♥♥♥♥ED UP 2.5D map, which you really try to follow but always ending right where you got lost in the first place. I'm sure that the developers couldn't even tell you themselves where the ♥♥♥♥ you're heading to. Level design is the worst I've ever seen.

    Gameplay: Wow couldn't do worse on the combat system, so pathetic ; just one straight punch, right or left, without following any sort of combo (and believe me the animations will make you throw up).

    The boss battles (and game overall) are really, really tough... Not because they're actually hard, but rather because the whole thing is bugged as hell... always ending up dying trying to get grab the one ladder currently in your face for the past 5 minutes; or a npc getting jammed into the wall, whereby you can't do ♥♥♥♥ anymore since you can't be seen as part of your mission.

    ------- Ok so I just noticed it's been a little less than 6 minutes I'm typing this review and I don't really feel like I should waste my life here anylonger. Sorry but this game does not worth a ♥♥♥♥ and certainly not my precious lifetime.

    Oh I almost forgot...

    2- core Batman fans

    Batman sucks in this game and there was nothing interesting for the Batman fanboy that I am.

    Worst.
    Game.
    Ever.    … Expand
  6. LoletinAlexis
    Oct 13, 2019
    5
    Arkham Origins Blackgate is a good idea badly executed, clumsy and boring that only the most fans of the Batman may like.

    *STORY*: Three months after “Arkham Origins,” an explosion at Blackgate Prison allows the Joker, Penguin and Black Mask to gather minions in order to seize the prison. After being informed, Batman will investigate. Batman meets Catwoman and others for the first time,    Arkham Origins Blackgate is a good idea badly executed, clumsy and boring that only the most fans of the Batman may like.

    *STORY*: Three months after “Arkham Origins,” an explosion at Blackgate Prison allows the Joker, Penguin and Black Mask to gather minions in order to seize the prison. After being informed, Batman will investigate. Batman meets Catwoman and others for the first time, and begins to forge a relationship with a young Gordon.

    Interesting and well written, but it stands out absolutely nothing, although it is appreciated to know the origin of the relationship of Batman and Catwoman.

    *PLAYING*: Very basic, fulfilling its function in an acceptable way, although boring soon.

    *GRAPHICS*: Coming from consoles like Nintendo 3DS, I expected something worse, although it is clearly a vitamined version of the PS VITA version.

    *SOUND*: The dubbing, as always, excellent, but the soundtrack does not stand out and some sound effects are too simple or poorly worked.

    *INNOVATION*: Blackgate is a curious attempt to redo a Batman platform. I do not know if the previous ones were good, but it is clear that this is not.    … Expand
  7. PortalToH3LL
    Dec 16, 2018
    6
    Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate is recommended only for true fans of the Dark Knight, honestly in the game of mind maze, in this part without a map in any way, my score for this game is 6/10.
  8. sitebender
    Apr 19, 2019
    9
    I felt this was fantastic despite it being 2.5D and not having nearly the budget as the other games. They make use of comic or basic art in cut scenes, but the rest still feels like a great MetroidVania with a good use of the source material.
  9. Genek13
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    Different than rest of Arkham games - kind of platformer type of game.
    To describe this game I will use one word - decent.
  10. Thejodjeremie
    Dec 1, 2020
    6
    The game is a interesting spin off of the batman arkham games. It mixes side scrolling gameplay with the arkham combat and it's a weird mix. I enjoyed it at times but it felt clunky when you were in combat and exploring the prison was very tedious.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
60

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. Hooked Gamers
    Apr 14, 2014
    60
    While it does some things well, namely its exploring and parts of its combat, almost everything seems like the “lite” version of what they should be.
    Read full review
  2. 4P.de
    Apr 11, 2014
    41
    It has its moments. But there are too few and they are not spectacular enough. The one-dimensional action seems even more inappropriate on the big screen. It just is not interesting.
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  3. PC Games
    Apr 11, 2014
    71
    Not a vast improvement over the Vita version, but it plays better on the PC and looks a little crisper too. Deluxe oder not, Blackgate is a fairly solid metroidvania experience that never reaches its full potential.
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