3.5/5 ★ – Marki3810's review of Batman: Arkham Origins.

Despite being the "black sheep" of the Arkham series, i believe that Batman: Arkham Origins makes a fine addition to the series. The differences in character design and voice actors were jarring at first when I first started playing especially since I played the other Arkham games, but quickly became used to them. Gameplay-wise, Arkham Origins is the best in the series up to this point. Each entry the combat keeps getting better and better, and this title is no exception. Everything flows so smoothly as you fling yourself around a brawl or creating fear when sneaking around. However, one thing that Arkham Origins doesn't improve upon over its predecessors is the skill tree. It is largely linear with very few branches, forcing you to get boring skills like health upgrades, which I largely ignored in previous games, in order to get more interesting skills like finishers, special moves, and new ways to use gadgets in combat. The open-world is also pretty bland. It feels more like generic city rather than what you would envision Gotham to look like. Although, during certain missions, you are thrown into some interesting areas like the hotel and bridge. I enjoyed the story, but it never really pulled me in like Arkham City did. Arkham Origins is well worth your time even if its predecessors still surpass it in many ways.