deathly_hallows said:

What do you think would happen if either Sony or Microsoft removed the 2nd stick from the PS4 or Xbone controllers? Do you think gamers would be cool with that because games control "fine" with only one stick?

Oh hell no, there would be riots in the streets. Probably literally. Because, gamers.

But that probably has more to do with people loving FPS games, not 3D action games. I think the best-made 3D action games have no need for camera control. But that's just me. And that's all I was getting at before; what I think would work for me. Others probably disagree, and I respect that.

@Zero

Yeah, agreed here too. Though I think WB shouldn't underestimate the 3DS audience. I'm pretty sure a high-end 3D Batman action game could do really good numbers. But they may be nervous about that kind of commitment, so they don't risk it, and then they (might) get the results they feared in the first place, because they didn't give the audience what they really wanted (and probably deserved). Kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Or maybe not. I dunno.

I'm lost. I just got the Batclaw and I'm trying to find the balcony I need to get to in order to find Penguin but I can't seem to get back to where the cut scene that triggered the need for that new item. I'm really confused as to how I got so stumped so early in the game.

@GameDadGrant
Hmm.... dude, I don't know, are you before or after the fight club scene? My suggestion is spam the detective mode and scan everything, everything! I remember a lot of the early puzzles having to do with using the batclaw to pull down those out of reach grates.

I'm 8 hours in and 75% complete now, there are some hard puzzles and cool secrets in this game, like any Metroidvania worth it's salt!

I'm past that scene. I guess I'll just go back and spam detective mode. I've pulled off a lot of the out-of-reach grates with the Batclaw, but I guess I missed something. Which is very un-Batman of me.

@GameDadGrant
It takes a while to get used to the map, and the map is never very good because there is no depth, I've pretty much memorized how to get around most of the main areas. In the beginning though, you're pretty confined, so if you've missed something then it's probably not hard to find. Also make sure that you've gone as far as you can go, sometimes you think a hallway ends but there will be a section you can "hold A" in front of and B-man will slip in some door or hole in the wall that at first looks just look like background.

@deathly_hallows

Yeah, I'm probably missing something totally obvious. I'll track it down sooner or later, though. Like you said, there's not much space to explore right now, I'm still fairly early in the game.

Though I do like how non-linear this is so far - I can jump out of this section of the prison, and do some exploring in another area, then come back with more gear. Kinda cool. (I like finding those Wayne Tech boxes, too. Feels like finding Missile Expansions in a Metroid game, or a Heart Piece in a Legend of Zelda title, ha ha)

@GameDadGrant
I'm at 9:37 and still only 83%, the game is maybe a little larger than I think. Yeah I love finding the Wayne Tech crates, and it's important to get every upgrade you can because the bosses can get kind of nasty.

I'm not sure if I'm going to 100% the 3DS version or just get to the end and then 100% the Vita version in order to get the platinum trophy, hmm....

Finished. 11:08 at 87% completion, hard to believe I missed so many secrets I thought I was being thorough!

Man, this game was definitely rushed, it starts to show towards the end, there are some very sloppy gameplay scenarios that feel like they weren't even tested, and also some graphical/audio glitches that get pretty rampant in the last hour or two. I unlocked one of the optional batsuits and it was obviously not even finished, Batman's hands were just giant blobs and hit feel were like sludge. WTF!?

Looks like Warner Bros. just wanted to get this out at the same time as the console version come hell or highwater, I feel a little bad for Armature because a lot of Metroid Prime fans will be checking this game out expecting greatness, and well... it's just... mediocre.

@deathly_hallows

Speaking of rushing this game - I ran into a glitch last night. I had Batman fall down shaft, and he kind of slid down towards a wall on the right-hand side...then got stuck in the geometry. No button inputs let me move him, and none of the Bat-tools could free him. The game was running normally, so I could still access my inventory and map and detective mode and all that - but ol' Batsy was literally STUCK. Kinda lame.

Thankfully, going into the pause menu and selecting "load last check point" allowed me to reset, and the next time I went down the shaft I was able to avoid getting caught, and I had no issue from then on. The check point wasn't too far away from this trouble spot either, which was a relief. I hope I don't run into anything else like that again.

But anyway, I was able to get past the area that had me stumped - it was just a simple task of selecting the right Bat-tool, then holding down the L-trigger and selecting the right target afterwards. I probably should have thought to do that last time I played, but it was late at night and my brain probably wasn't working at full capacity. But anyway. Onwards and upwards!

@deathly_hallows

P.S. - congrats on beating the game!

@GameDadGrant
Thanks! Congrats on getting unstuck, now get to it!

Yeah thankfully the checkpoints are like every few screens so when something goes wrong or you die it's not a big deal.

I wonder if there are any plans to patch this game and fix some of the glitches? I sorta doubt it, I bet Warner Bros. is too cheap! It's embarrassing though, during the credits the audio gets super distorted and stutters, and it's part of the credits where they are supposed to be celebrating the people who worked on the game, such as the audio engineer, what the hell!?

EDIT: I ended up scoring this game a 7, it has some flaws but... the world is beautifully crafted, the secrets are plentiful and satisfying to find, and at the end of the day it's another portable Metroid game to put in your pocket or bag and carry around town, can't complain about that! (too much )

Okay, now on to the Vita version and that platinum trophy!

Okay now I'm at 29% completion in the Vita version, man... none of the reviews I've read have corroborated this fact, but the Vita version is so much more polished and so much better looking, I think it was definitely the lead SKU, and this makes sense given Armature's experience. Couple things I've noticed:

The camera is more zoomed out giving you a larger view of your surroundings, so in a side by side comparison of the same exact area Batman actually appears smaller on the screen. This explains why sometimes in the 3DS version enemies will see you when they are off screen and you cannot see them, I thought that was odd! (and especially problematic in the last 10% of the game where they introduce characters that can instakill you from any distance.)

In the Vita version the characters have a lot more detail, for instances they actually have faces, which is great, and also sorta weird, because it draws attention to the fact that people's mouths aren't moving when they speak, except... sometimes they are, for example a scene I was just in with the joker his lips were moving but Batman's were not. Very unfinished-y feeling.

The audio in the Vita version doesn't distort or skip in cut-scenes (at least not yet), that's a good thing.

The load times are much longer in the Vita version, they're barely noticeable in the 3DS version but can take up to 10 seconds on the Vita. Not a huge deal since massive areas of the game load at once, but still worth noting.

Cape is glitchy in both versions. This is the weirdest thing so far, I've been able to position Batman in the same place in both games and his cape will glitch out in the exact same manner, it goes to show that much of the underlying code must be nearly identical.

Trophies: It's really nice getting trophies for things like solving cases and destroying the penguins and joker teeth, makes the collectibles seem a little bit more worthwhile. I really wish Nintendo had trophies.

There's one extra batsuit in the Vita version, but it's only unlockable if you have Origins on PS3 under your PSN account. If there was a blockbuster around like back in the day I might considering renting the game to get that, but oh well.

Various graphical enhancements: All textures are much higher resolution, most textures have normal maps etc. vs. being flat on the 3DS, surfaces appear wet in the rain, smoke has more volume and there is more of it, the fires are larger, they cast light differently, there are sparks and smoke that are absent in the 3DS version, better draw distance in outside areas, more environmental details like broken objects and garbage on the ground. Some light sources have lense flair. Shadows are much more distinct and dynamic. Colors are much more saturated, more contrast, blacks are blacker, side by side the 3DS seems to have a gray film covering the screen.

Okay, this ends my personal Batman log, onwards and upwards!

I almost got to take on Penguin, but then I got locked out of the area he went to. So I had to backtrack to another section of the prison, and I stumbled upon Joker! Dude tried to gas me! I chased him down, but of course he got away.

I stopped for now, but I hope to get to another section of Blackgate tonight.

@GameDadGrant
It looks like it's just me and you playing this game Grant, keep the dream alive!

Either that, or we're the only ones that are admitting that we're playing it, ha ha!

That's okay, I had a feeling that this game wasn't going to be hugely popular, generally speaking. I mean, 1.) It's a handheld version of a big console game, so it naturally won't get much attention, 2.) It's a 3rd party game, so Nintendo fans are less likely to even think about it, and 3.) Even those that are big 3DS fans, are probably not playing this game, and instead playing Pokémon anyway.

Hope I can finish this game up soon, though. I've got a backlog to get through, plus I'm taking part in "NewGameBer" so I don't want to crowd up my game time too much.

GameDadGrant said:

3.) Even those that are big 3DS fans, are probably not playing this game, and instead playing Pokémon anyway.

That is so not true!
okay maybe a little

GameDadGrant said:

Either that, or we're the only ones that are admitting that we're playing it, ha ha!

That's okay, I had a feeling that this game wasn't going to be hugely popular, generally speaking. I mean, 1.) It's a handheld version of a big console game, so it naturally won't get much attention, 2.) It's a 3rd party game, so Nintendo fans are less likely to even think about it, and 3.) Even those that are big 3DS fans, are probably not playing this game, and instead playing Pokémon anyway.

I can only speak for myself, but maybe a reason it's not that popular is... 4) the game isn't all that great?

Well, it certainly doesn't sound appealing to me, based on the impressions I've read in this thread. Which is too bad, because I was looking forward to it.

@roykoopa64

Also true. I mean, it's not bad - a solid 7/10 kind of game, at the very least. Maybe higher depending on one's tastes. So it would make sense that 3DS gamers would gravitate towards better, more robust options, since they are available.

And also, Nintendo gamers have higher standards than most when it comes to games, IMO. A game that is "only" a 7/10 could be a big turn-off for this audience.

I will say, if you were looking forward to it, I'd still say it's worth playing. It's NOT bad, but it's not this "OMG AMAZE-MATRON" game either. IMO, anyway. If you can wait for a price-drop, then I'd say just hold out until then.

The only thing that's really put me off is how slow and clunk the combat seems. After seeing the combat in three Arkham games on the console, the combat on the handheld just looks....well it doesn't look very fun.

To me this game is a 7/10, decent, good, not great but good. But it's also a freaking Metroid game, and a 7/10 Metroid game is like an 14/10 for any other genre.

Also, like I've said before, this game get's held to pretty high standards due to being a part of very popular franchise and also from a developer people (rightly or wrongly) expect great things from. The cards were stacked against it in terms of expectations. If this game wasn't Batman and just came out of nowhere I bet it would be reviewing much better and getting a lot of buzz.

deathly_hallows said:

To me this game is a 7/10, decent, good, not great but good. But it's also a freaking Metroid game, and a 7/10 Metroid game is like an 14/10 for any other genre.

Also, like I've said before, this game get's held to pretty high standards due to being a part of very popular franchise and also from a developer people (rightly or wrongly) expect great things from. The cards were stacked against it in terms of expectations. If this game wasn't Batman and just came out of nowhere I bet it would be reviewing much better and getting a lot of buzz.

Yup.