Unlike the previous two titles, Arkham Origins will not be developed by Rocksteady but in house at Warner Bros. Games' Montreal studio. Before you all freak out, it is worth noting that the previous game's engine and assets have been provided to this studio from Rocksteady. At least we will be getting the same look and control scheme we have all grown to love already. That's a bonus right?
Knowing all that and the fact that it is being helmed by the lead designer behind [Prototype] is nice and all, but what bugs me is that this is going to be a prequel to the other two titles. Reports place the game's story to take place long before Arkham Asylum during the early days of Batman's career. The story is also stated to revolve around eight of the best assassin's, Deathstroke listed as one, have come to Gotham to kill The Bat on Christmas Eve. Sounds fun, but why a prequel I still ask?
Unlike other franchises, like God of War, the Arkham games have yet to write their story into a corner that is near impossible to escape. There is still so much ground to cover going forward. The only thing I can think of is that they can't think of a creative way to have Batman loose all of the gear and skills he would have at the start of a sequel, but should that be a driving goal here? So many other franchises are going backwards instead of forward and that is my main concern with Arkham Origins.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited for the new title, but I still have not placed it in my 'need to freak out over' list yet. What do you guys think? If anything, I am sure everything will be fleshed out as we get closer to October 25th, that being the current release date.
