Preview: Batman: Arkham Knight (Multi-Platform)

If there's one thing that Batman is really good at, it's making twisted enemies everywhere he goes. Besides Arkham Knight, a lethal Batman doppelganger created for the game, there's the usual Rogues Gallery of villains including the Riddler (in a more active role this time around), Penguin, Two-Face, Harley Quinn, and Scarecrow, who appears to be the mastermind behind the terrible things that happen in Batman: Arkham Knight.

Review: Batman: Arkham Origins (360)

Batman: Arkham Origins is a prequel, which focuses on the early years of Bruce Wayne being Batman and provides an initial point of contact with his future arch-nemesis Joker.

The story is centralized around a Christmas plot by Black Mask to kill Batman by offering a bounty of $50 million. Needless to say, the assassins start coming out of the woodwork: Deathstroke, Deadshot, Bane, Killer Croc, Firefly, Shiva, Copperhead, and Electrocutioner all make appearances to try and stop the Dark Knight. Your job is to remind everyone that you're the G**DAMMNED BATMAN!

Review: Batman: Arkham Origins (PC)

You know what? Batman: Arkham Origins is pretty darn good.

Sure, there are some traversal slogs through the city and the fact Batman starts with a bunch of weaponry that only trickles out slowly in the previous two titles, my brain inhales Batman the same way gamers sometimes do lines of Dorito® dust: in great quantities and with zero regard for the moral authority that would rather see a society devoid of orange moustaches.

Preview: Batman: Arkham Origins (360, PC, PS3, Wii U)

There was a small ripple of "What? What!?!" when it was revealed that the next installment of the Batman franchise wasn't coming from Rocksteady, developer of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, but any thought that this latest title -- Arkham Origins -- couldn't possibly match or live up to the previous games was assuaged in my mind by one name: Eric Holmes.

Review: Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition (Wii U)

Even though Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition on Wii U covers up Catwoman’s cleavage with a kind of all-over-body chastity suit and some of the Wii U controller features take a little practice, it’s still the solid game it was when it released in 2011.

Feature: This Generation - Part V

For the purposes of these features, "This Generation" refers to software found on the following hardware: Wii, DS/3DS, PSP, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360. Trends found on the PC platform will be addressed but because the demarcations between PC hardware iterations can be foggy, establishing what is of this generation is much more difficult to finalize.

"This Generation" includes major trends or evolutionary notes that will, in this writer's opinion, be identified strongly with this generation of games and hardware for years to come.

The fifth (and last) item to hallmark this period of gaming: Open World Games.

Feature: This Generation - Part IV

For the purposes of these features, "This Generation" refers to software found on the following hardware: Wii, DS/3DS, PSP, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360. Trends found on the PC platform will be addressed but because the demarcations between PC hardware iterations can be foggy, establishing what is of this generation is much more difficult to finalize. 

"This Generation" includes major trends or evolutionary notes that will, in this writer's opinion, be identified strongly with this generation of games and hardware for years to come.

The fourth item to hallmark this period of gaming: Episodic Games and DLC. 

Preview: Injustice: Gods Among Us (360, PS3, Wii U)

 

The intellectual property of Marvel Comics has seen strong representation in the fighting game arena for many years, particularly with the Marvel vs. Capcom series. It has only been in relatively recent years that rival DC Comics has explored the genre.

Departing from the generally well-received Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe -- a weird pairing if ever there was one -- developer NetherRealm Studios shakes free of Mortal Kombat and has grabbed onto DC Comic characters Batman, Superman, Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman, Solomon Grundy, Deathstroke, Green Arrow and more, in an otherworldly slog fest "where the line between good and evil has been blurred."

News: Catwoman's Cleavage Completely Covered

In a nod to realism, Warner Bros. and Rocksteady have released images of a decidedly more armored Catwoman set to appear in the upcoming Wii U version of Batman: Arkham City. (Also, there's a nod to C&C Red Alert's Tesla Troopers.)