Batman : Arkham Knight

From what I've heard, the PS4 and XB1 versions run just fine. The PC version is the one that's screwed. Apparently, Rocksteady outsourced the PC work to another company, who appears to have dropped the ball in rather spectacular fashion.

I expect that this is down to corporate dictating release dates, and figuring "We'll fix it after release." I think that the game will ultimately be fixed, as opposed to what happened with Origins. Origins had bad release day bugs and such (I think across platforms, even?), but the game-killing ones were ultimately fixed. With Arkham Knight, all the reviews on the fully-functioning consoles are spectacular as far as what the gameplay is like. It's the graphical/technical issues that are the problem, and that's the kind of thing I'd expect them to fix.

All that said, this is a really unfortunate trend in gaming, and it's a big part of why I have shied away from pre-orders. In this case, it's a moot point for me, since I won't even get to the game in the next month or so (I have plenty of other stuff to play), but it's part of a problem in gaming where release dates are firm and quality upon release is allowed to be, shall we say, warm, squishy, and stinky.

Really hating the batmobile, any excuse to bail out of it I take it, that's when I don't accidentally bail out of it instead of hitting combat mode.

Solo4114 said:

From what I've heard, the PS4 and XB1 versions run just fine. The PC version is the one that's screwed. Apparently, Rocksteady outsourced the PC work to another company, who appears to have dropped the ball in rather spectacular fashion.

I expect that this is down to corporate dictating release dates, and figuring "We'll fix it after release." I think that the game will ultimately be fixed, as opposed to what happened with Origins. Origins had bad release day bugs and such (I think across platforms, even?), but the game-killing ones were ultimately fixed. With Arkham Knight, all the reviews on the fully-functioning consoles are spectacular as far as what the gameplay is like. It's the graphical/technical issues that are the problem, and that's the kind of thing I'd expect them to fix.

All that said, this is a really unfortunate trend in gaming, and it's a big part of why I have shied away from pre-orders. In this case, it's a moot point for me, since I won't even get to the game in the next month or so (I have plenty of other stuff to play), but it's part of a problem in gaming where release dates are firm and quality upon release is allowed to be, shall we say, warm, squishy, and stinky.

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The game did get pushed a couple of times, prior to this release it was slated for last December as I recall. Really bummed to hear that it's not working on PC, it's flawless for me on PS4 (my GTA muscle memory when driving the Batmobile notwithstanding). After how many times they'd already delayed the game and the length of the last one maybe they figured it had to come out now, damn the issues.

cboath said:

The PC can be upgraded as well.

To put that in perspective, i'd be willing to bet the PC I bought over 5 years ago (i7 920, oc'd to 3.6ghz) would run AK at full specs with a current enough video card (GeForce 970? possibly even older).

These things aren't maxing out the processor these days, they're maxing out the graphics card. You can put together a i5 or i7 4xxxx series machine together with a 970 for somewhere in the 1000 range depending on what else you put on it and be able to max out AK.

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Since it's relevant to the current discussion, apparently a lot of the higher end machines are not handling this well at all. I think a 970 is supposed to be average for the game, but I really don't know video cards well enough anymore to say. I do know that the game is FPS-capped at 30fps, unless you edit the INI file, and that it doesn't allow for the super-hi-res textures unless you have a high end video card...but it doesn't recognize the high end video cards or isn't using them properly. Basically, graphics-wise, the game is screwed up badly at the moment. Major framerate drops. Some folks are finding workarounds, but it's not 100%. I think we should expect a few patches before this gets fully ironed out.

DuneMuadDib said:

I'll give Origins credit for how varied the boss fights were, but that's about it. The map was needlessly large, the game was buggy, and it offered nothing new but the shock gloves from the Wii U port of City which only served to trivialize combat. What really offended me though was that they lied to us about Black Mask being the villain. The twist that it was Joker posing as him wasn't clever, it smacked of WB Games Montreal not having the balls to have a big bad that wasn't the Joker. Even more, it's a stupid way to portray the first meeting between Batman and his arch nemesis. Then you have the needless recasting of Batman for that one game when they reused every other non-Hamill voice actor. Kevin Conroy can't possibly be that expensive nor WB that cheap if they were willing to pump out a sub-par game to get more money off the franchise while Rocksteady took their time making Knight. There's just so much about that game that makes me mad, it's the one Arkham game I have no interest in replaying.

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I've been really enjoying Origins, but I went into it with low expectations. It's as you say -- Arkham City with a cleaned-up city, but I like that. I wasn't looking for a total reinvention of the wheel, ya know? The boss fights are entertaining, and I haven't minded the new voice talent. The guy they got for Batman actually does a pretty solid Conroy impression throughout, although it sounds forced at times. The guy for the Joker isn't really doing Mark Hamill's version, but rather his own take on a Hamill-inspired one. It works mostly.

The story, though, is terrific so far. I haven't gotten to the second Bane encounter yet (been doing side missions and Dark Knight challenges), but overall I've enjoyed it a lot.

That said...the way upgrades and levels are handled in this game is...well...idiotic. The decision to make everything basically linear was a really, really bad one, and I hope the same doesn't hold true in Arkham Knight. This is doubly irritating with respect to the Dark Knight challenges where certain types of challenges (e.g. predator rooms) CANNOT be repeated and MUST be done within the single-player story mode rather than challenge mode.

glunark said:

Really hating the batmobile, any excuse to bail out of it I take it, that's when I don't accidentally bail out of it instead of hitting combat mode.

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I've heard people don't like it, but I've also heard once you get used to it and/or level it up a bit (if that's possible?) it gets a lot better.

The Batmobile handles very differently from what you're probably used to from driving in other games, but it mostly makes sense given what the car does. Most games you would have R2/Right Trigger as your accelerate and L2/Left Trigger as brake/reverse. Knight has Square/X as brake/reverse with L2/Left Trigger as your tank mode. Muscle memory keeps putting me in tank mode when I need to reverse, and because all four wheels turn (useful for strafing in tank mode) it's a bit finicky to get used to drifting in standard mode. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it, but I've certainly dented the car a few times by this point. Also I was swearing like a sailor at the first Riddler race challenge, I'm worried I'll have to buy a new controller after a few more of those.

I'm digging it so far. Glad I bought the PS4 version.

I hear new things every day that make me more comfortable with the fact that I can't play this game anytime soon. Nothing game breaking, but enough for me not to rush out and get a new system just to play it.

I'm enjoying the game so far, and it seems to be a lot longer then Arkham City (hopefully). Love the batmobile, but yeah driving took a bit of time to get used to, I'm still crashing the darned thing. The only thing feeling repetitive so far are the batmobile encounters, but I'm driving the batmobile so it's all good. Overall beautiful and fun game that I can't wait to get off work and continue playing.

I still haven't received my PC copy, but I think I'm gonna return it anyway, since I realized that my video card (a Radeon 5800 that I literally haven't thought about since I bought my PC because it can run everything else fine) only has 1GB of RAM and the minimum specs require 2GB. Given all the headaches PC users are having, I'm just gonna bring it to my local Gamestop store and get my money back. I'll buy the game later if I upgrade my video card, or get some Game of the Year edition down the road. Just ain't worth the headache and I have plenty to play otherwise.

Well, I managed to start playing up to the chemical ACE plant, then I got a message from the game saying it needed to install game data to go further, which comes which another 60+ hours of download (and going up, not down !), despite a 50mbps wired connection. I was looking forward to pull an all nighter discovering the story, but now I'm pissed as hell. Gonna go get a refund tomorrow morning first thing, don't care what they say I want a disk of the game, and a refund of the difference with the collector edition.

Really digging Jonathan Banks as Commissioner Gordon!! Love that dude.

That makes two Breaking Bad cast members to play the role recently - Cranston played him in Batman: Year One. I think I like Banks better!

teragon said:

Well, I managed to start playing up to the chemical ACE plant, then I got a message from the game saying it needed to install game data to go further, which comes which another 60+ hours of download (and going up, not down !), despite a 50mbps wired connection. I was looking forward to pull an all nighter discovering the story, but now I'm pissed as hell. Gonna go get a refund tomorrow morning first thing, don't care what they say I want a disk of the game, and a refund of the difference with the collector edition.

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I ran into a similar problem delivering Ivy to the GCPD, but once I shut my PS4 down and rebooted it the install actually went through and I was able to continue. That was on a physical disc though, download copy mileage may vary.

Surprised they didn't already refund you for the collector's edition, it was canceled a week ago.

Funny you should mention Cranston, I am sure they modelled Gordon's face on him.

DakGibralter said:

Really digging Jonathan Banks as Commissioner Gordon!! Love that dude.

That makes two Breaking Bad cast members to play the role recently - Cranston played him in Batman: Year One. I think I like Banks better!

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I thought I would hate him, but I am so glad to admit I was wrong! He nails it.

Holy smokes! The jump scares in this game are money! I gotta get back to playing. This is awesome!

WB's actually taking the backlash on the PC version seriously, as they've halted all new sales of the game until it's fixed. I wonder how much the new Steam refund policy had to do with that.

Well they should take the collector edition fiasco seriously too then, because I'm not the only one who's still waiting for the game to download before I can play. And I couldn't even return it since all I got was a code that I've used. What a load of bull**** ! This is getting a one star from me, don't care who good the game is. And I'm never pre-ordering anything from WB again.

Jedi2016 said:

WB's actually taking the backlash on the PC version seriously, as they've halted all new sales of the game until it's fixed. I wonder how much the new Steam refund policy had to do with that.

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That, coupled with the Steam reviews and the media furor (this made it to Forbes, btw), probably all had an effect.

Me, I'm just cashing my copy in unopened and getting my money back. Looks like I won't be playing this one for a while.

Getting pretty tired of waiting a minute for the game to reload only for the Knights giant tank to kill me again in ten seconds.