This thread is devoted to discussing the Arkham Universe as a whole which is composed of a series of Arkham related comics as well as the series of games. To kick things off I've enclosed a timeline I found online that outlines the major timeline of the series.
Year 0 - Kirigi Initiation Year 1 Year 2 December 24th-25th Arkham Origins Incident - set 10 years prior to Asylum in year 2, Asylum in year 12 December 31st Cold, Cold Heart Year 3 February Blackgate Incident Dick Grayson becomes Robin - shown in Multiplayer and he isn't in Arkham Origins Blackgate Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Barbra Gordon becomes Batgirl Year 7 Dick Grayson leaves Gotham and becomes Nightwing Year 8 Jason Todd becomes Robin Year 9 Assault on Arkham Year 10 Jason is ‘killed’ by the Joker Tim becomes Robin - mentioned in game that he became Robin 6 months after Jason's 'death' so it likely occurred in the same year Batgirl: a Matter of Family - Tim is a very new Robin in this likely only just starting his career Barbra is paralyzed by the Joker - this could be placed in year 11 as well either at the end of 10 or beginning of 11 Year 11 July Arkham Asylum Incident - roughly 10 years after Origins Year 12 Year 13 February Arkham City Incident - 18 months after Asylum March Harley Quinn’s Revenge - 2 weeks after City October Harley Quinn preorder DLC October 31st
Recently played Origins on Xbox 360 after hearing it wasnt that great. It was awesome. Comfy, evocative winter setting. Simply story. Got a PS4 and started Knight. It's not that great so far. Sort of, chaotic or claustrophobic. The bat mobile is a pain in the ass.
Landon Martin
Ah shit, you just reminded me I need to play it.
It always slips my mind, I've had the game for 2 or 3 years by now
Jace Martinez
I have a fascination with this series for three major reasons.
Firstly, this series is an amalgamation of comics, film, and tv shows for inspiration constructing this universe.
Secondly, the Arkham series represents a finite tale of Batman. There is a beginning, a middle, and an ending. Something about that really speaks to me.
Lastly, this series had one of the best interpretations of Jason Todd and provides more than a justifiable reason for his hatred towards Batman. Being tortured for months on end by the Joker is so much more terrifying than simply being beaten with a crowbar and then blown up. Arkham Knight: Genesis is a must read for Jason Todd fans.
I just wish they didn't make the Knight's identity so obvious. That and making him a shit boss fight, as well as a complete whiny bitch once he's unmaked.
Josiah Allen
Depending on whether you consider the comic canon or not because some comic events conflict with audio logs in knight (I personally consider comics canon because they state they are canon in one of the first issues), the Arkham Knight (Todd) executed a whacked out Bane prior to the events of Batman: Arkham Knight. It's the events like this along with Deadshot killing Boomerang that really makes the Arkham Universe distinct from the other iterations of Batman. There is a sense uneasy as anything could deviate from our expectations at any moment.
Carson Wood
One thing that I think is worth remarking on is that the Arkham Origins soundtrack by Christopher Drake was fucking on point. It's like a fusion between Danny Elfman's 1989 orchestral soundtrack and Zimmer's The Dark Knight with its electric sound and unique strings. Link for reference. youtube.com/watch?v=BQFkV7zcF9A
Daniel Murphy
Probably one of THE BEST iterations of Killer Croc. Terrifying featues without being a monsterous hulk (which isn't to say that version doesn't have its time and place).
Owen Rodriguez
>Scarecrow >Riddler >Firefly >Mr.Freeze >Kiler Croc >"Black Mask" >Penguin best boys
Noah Roberts
I heard somewhere that Weather Wizard appeared in one of the series, is this true? Huge RoguesFag here.
Alexander Russell
How do you feel about adding Hugo Strange and Jason Todd to that list?
Also, I nearly shit myself when this moment happened in City. Still haven't gotten all the way through Knight so I don't know if the pay off is worth it. Would appreciate "yes/no" feedback rather than spoilers.
Wyatt Powell
Big no.
Landon Butler
Of all the characters to have a complete character arc, I'm so glad the Riddler has a whole story. You literally watch him degrade over the four games from charming, cocky extortionist to a literal sewer creature. I love it.
Luke Mitchell
I liked that the 3 main rogues batman was up against had a basis of gang warfare
Christian Cruz
Plowing through the series now and I don't see Weather Wizard or any other Rogues. Will post if I manage to find any. Did manage to come across the page where Deadshot takes care of Boomerang. With the inclusion of Assault on Arkham into the Arkham lore, Deadshot murdering Boomerang is so in character in hurts.
Landon Hill
>Tfw rocksteady could've done the ultimate ruse and have the arkham knight be red X
Justin Foster
I don't consider the Bane thing canon since a Gotham City Story in Arkham Knight says that Bane left for Santa Prisca
Alexander Gomez
I utterly loved Origins, don't know why it got so much hate.
I just wish there was an option to repair the batsuit.
Michael Hernandez
But who would be Red X
Dylan Murphy
I've always hated that. I don't wanna fly around in the tattered suits all the time
Tyler Flores
WHAT THE FUCK
THEY KILLED MY BOY
Dominic Hall
Motherfucking huge no. It's the stupidest, most tacked-on shit in the game.
Ethan Price
Maybe he would have been Candleja
Wyatt Gonzalez
I know, right?
I mean, it made sense in Asylum, made Batman feel more trapped. But there was no reason not to have a clean, repaired Batsuit in the following games.
Chase Howard
JUST
Easton Williams
Fuck I love this soundtrack
Adam Morgan
the entire series is plagued by it's strict separation of mechanics
fighting, solving puzzles, navigation, and stealth fights all have their own distinct interaction method
its clean, but it also leaves the game feeling overproduced. This is the one thing I was hoping they would work on in future versions, but they just stuck to what worked
Andrew Thompson
No.
Vastly lower your expectations.
David Carter
Before the game came out I was sure it would be a grown up Anarky because of the red and white color scheme. They even said the Knight would be a totally original creation. Super disappointed when he turned out to be Red Hood with bat ears.
Jaxon Hall
youtube.com/watch?v=xvA_S1FsMhA I thought this was a pretty interesting analysis of the Batman and Joker's relationship throughout the Arkham series. Perhaps more so than any other iteration of Batman, the connection between these two characters is at the heart of most of the major Arkham stories (for better and for worse).
Angel Miller
He appears in Arkham Endgame.
Tyler Cooper
How does everyone feel about Troy Baker's version of the Joker? I feel like his iteration is a logical starting point for what would eventually become Hamill's version. That said I feel like he starts out edgier and more volatile than his later incarnation which definitely moved towards the campy direction. youtube.com/watch?v=r-7vHnxwB9A
Aaron Clark
Viktor Bogdanovic's art is really similar to Greg Capullo's. It's even more evident in New Super Man.
Parker Gonzalez
I'm a little pissed about Clayface
Jose Thompson
I agree. Personally, I don't ever want Hamill to stop doing it and in a perfect world, he could keep it up forever. But if he was going to be replaced, I'd be totally fine with Baker taking over, with DiMaggio filling in whenever he's busy
Brandon Bailey
It was a pretty good twist though. I kept waiting for him to show up again in AK.
Luke Ortiz
I think Troy fit as a younger joker but I'm not sure about a full time tho
Colton Roberts
I really enjoyed the craziness of Origins Joker more than in the other games. He got under Bats' skin really quickly and effectively. It was a top-tier twist. Sadly it was spoiled for me.
Jaxson Baker
Totally agree. Also I feel like DiMaggio's Joker doesn't get nearly enough love around here. I feel like he's a unique blend of comical and crime lord. Alternating between slitting throats and cracking a Joke in the blink of an eye. Also I appreciate that DiMaggio didn't try to ape Hamill's voice and instead did his own thing. youtube.com/watch?v=vay4-ieB1fk
Thomas Sanchez
Not all Batman related media is my favorite, but good or bad, i love every single one of the Arkham games. Arkham City is definitely my favorite out of all of them, and it initially got me into Batman, which led me to comics in general. With that said, I'm glad the series came to an end, and hopefully Rocksteady is moving on to other projects.
If DC decided to make a DCVGU, that would be fucking great.
Ethan Butler
>hopefully Rocksteady is moving on to other projects Yeah, like making Daredevil in the same vein.
Easton King
>making Daredevil in the same vein
Anthony Taylor
A lot of the hate comes from being part of the first wave of games to advertise a great new concept, but not only fail to deliver on release, but release broken amd buggy on day one. At least they fixed it with numerous updates, but day one Arkham Origins had huge frame drops moving between sections of the city, crashes when trying to load cutscenes, unresponsive Batman, and glitching through buildings. I personally liked how the game handled Batman and Alfred's relationship, it's definitely the highlight of the games story. Plus GOAT atmosphere.
Jack Taylor
I really enjoyed how they explained Bane getting brain damage and forgetting who Batman was to reconcile his criminal mastermind persona with the dumb brute he was in Asylum and City.
Carson Cox
To me it's a mix of And coming out at a moment when people were getting very vocal about how bored they'd grown with the formula. Being made by a studio other than Rocksteady didn't help either, making it look like a rushed, cheap product shovelled out by the publisher as a blatant cash-grab. It does have a bunch of issues, but I really, really liked the writing and character designs.
Matthew Ramirez
>The fucking glitch that stopped you from completing the Riddler quest
Julian Jackson
Origins is honestly my favorite Arkham game plus Bane's design is GOAT
Dylan Evans
>And coming out at a moment when people were getting very vocal about how bored they'd grown with the formula. Yeah, how Joker was advertised as having a lesser role in the story, but literally hijacks the plot halfway through.
I had what i think was a glitch during the Copperhead fight, where if she manages to cling on to you, you can't struggle out of it and eventually die. IIRC the only way for me to beat her was to make sure she never touched Bats.
Or maybe I'm just a faggot and that's what i was supposed to do.
Jack Robinson
Oh yeah, that was some shit. Once I got past the initial Fuck You, I found it to be a pretty good Joker, but still, some shit.
"I'm in your house, Bruce" got me good.
Charles Perry
The music in AO was great.
Noah Martin
>got me good Fucking yes. Actually, everything that happened since you got in the hotel was GOAT, the best stuff in any of the games. Even fucking Firefly was well done, and I didn't think that was even possible.
Colton Diaz
And? It was unnecessary. Batman has a plethora of good villains to use, and while Black Mask doesn't have that many great stories, Origins had a chance to strike new ground with him as a villain. WB Montreal squandered it for more Joker. Hell, Joker could've been a post main story questline like how raids are endgame content for MMOs and such.
Jaxson Butler
In an ideal world, the game would've kept the "Black Mask hired a bunch of hitmen" plot to the end, and KGBeast would've been in it.
Jason Richardson
One thing I super loved about the Arkham series is that the actual length Bruce served as Batman allows for the story to operate as it does. Because there is a ten year or so gap between Origins and Asylum, it makes logical sense that Bruce could have had three different Robins as well as Batgirl trained during that period. The new 52 version of Batman loses a lot of his credibility because supposedly Batman trained all his sidekicks in the span of 5-6 years. youtube.com/watch?v=dlFP4L8mf_w
Eli Campbell
The lengths to which Bats went during Origins to not kill were pretty impressive. In that fight at Blackgate, the whole Bane's heart/electric chair rig? It was amazing shit. Has anything like that ever been done in the comics?
Jaxson Walker
The only thing is, Bruce's age seems inconsistent, in that he didn't seem to be aging.
Daniel Collins
He's healthy
Easton Scott
Starts Arkham Origins at 27. Ends Arkham Knight around 37-38. Although he doesn't change substancially in the looks department, Bruce doesn't strike me as the type of guy to age terribly. See pic related. He doesn't look like the oldest guy around, but he definitely doesn't look 27.
Levi Thompson
Oh how I wish that Batgirls Arkham Knight DLC featured Killer Moth and Firefly rather than The Joker and Harley, but in a way I guess it was worth it
Jaxon Taylor
God, the textures and lighting just ruin it...
John Martin
Posting the best Batsuit out of the entire series.
Liam Ward
I consider this suit the runner up.
Owen Perry
I disagree
Adam Campbell
I actually really like the AK suit. It fits with how Bruce is becoming more unhinged and upping the terror factor. Though that may be more "Holy shit, I just took down 5 guys and instantly took down this brute."
On another note, did anyone else feels the voice direction in Knight was really lacking? It felt like the only time anyone was really into it was when Hamill was going nuts as the Joker, and some of the side villains, like Langstrom and Mister Freeze. The rest felt uninspired. Hell even the Riddler wasn't as interesting.
Aaron Stewart
I think it's just a case of burnout/the cast getting older (conroy and hammill have been doing this for decades). Each game has gotten successively more and more stuff crammed into each one. Recording all that stuff has to be draining after a while. That said, I still found the voice acting servicable enough to get through.
Samuel Bailey
I find city to be the best out of all the games
It has a great TAS feel while having decent boss fights which I found to be the weak point of the series as a whole
Adrian Collins
I wish Conroy did a better take of the I am Batman line near the end
Lacked Impact.
Other than that everyone sounded fine.
Jason Morris
Riddler wasn't that interesting until you were getting close to find all the trophies. It seems like they told Conroy that he would have two emotions, angry and angrier. Which is a shame because we all know he could a wide range, and at certain times it shined through.
Dylan James
>Recording all that stuff has to be draining after a while. Oh yeah. Conroy said he had days where he went into a booth and grunted for 8 hours for City. That's up there with Ian McKellen doing the Hobbit.
>That said, I still found the voice acting servicable enough to get through. Sure, though I felt their what, fourth choice of Jim Gordon was just sort of there. John Noble was A+ though. Just barely beats out Jeffrey Combs as the Scarecrow. Otherwise, I dunno, it just felt like everyone was tired.
>It has a great TAS feel while having decent boss fights which I found to be the weak point of the series as a whole >ywn get an Arkham style TAS costume that isn't just an animated version.
Luis Young
>tfw TAS skin doesn't return to Arkham Knight At least you can have a secret Chia Pet mode with the Arkham City skin.
Jace Gutierrez
I was spoiled on Jokers appearance in Origins, and his role in the plot. I was annoyed until I played it.
I thought Joker had excellent writing, a good design, and although he was doing a Hamill impersonation, Troy Baker did a good job.
This scene gave me chills the first time I saw it. The music, combined with the woman dying from Joker toxin...great shit
Not to mention how Jason taunts him for being old throughout Arkham Knight. 38 isn't old. I've generally seen Batman as being at least 40 in the comics.
Luis Anderson
>Bruce doesn't strike me as the type of guy to age terribly. DKR Bruce was 50,I think all the stress of being Batman would make him age terribly
Nicholas Martinez
50 year old DKR Bruce was a fucking tank. The fact that he was able to go back to being Batman after taking a 10 year absence following the events of The Last Crusade demonstrates he was in incredible shape. Even at 40 he was still able to almost match Killer Croc in match of pure physicality. Compared to the rest of his Rogues gallery, Batman came out on top compared to Selina and Ollie.
Asher King
Although they are in different universes, I feel like the Arkham iteration of Batman and the DCEU Batman have a lot of similarities. Both of them have a storied history with the Joker. Both of them have similar fightning styles (Nolan Batman gets crushed in this category). And both of them have been operating in Gotham for a number of years (Arkham Knight - 13 years; DCEU - At least 20 years). It's interesting because it theorteically makes Batfleck the oldest Batman to be potrayed in media asside from the DKR version.
Luke Lopez
Arkham Knight's portrayal of Scarecrow is the best portrayal of the character. John Noble killed it.
Oliver Thomas
I legit that hate the best interpretation of scarecrow was on this game, it was so well done and i hoped that someone did something with it
Oliver Harris
Scarecrow actually tells you in the first game about what he eventually does in the third. He talks about how one day he'll engulf Gotham in his fear gas.
Michael Jackson
His voice was perfect, the way he spoke even more
Luis Jackson
Yeah but he says that all the time, then he gets his teeth kicked in
Landon Richardson
Explain
Angel Taylor
Why doesn't Batman switch his fear toxin supplies with Fanta? Then he'd be all scary n shit but injecting people with Fanta. Then he actually, without knowing about it sets up a bomb that explodes what he thinks is toxin but just floods Gotham in Fanta?
Jason Sanders
Legit Question, does anyone else finds it funny that the best joker we had in fucking years was in knight ? he was actually making jokes and was not a edge lord every five minutes
Tyler Ortiz
I actually think that Arkham Knight is the best the world of Batman has been presented in years. Probably the best since the animated series.
Hudson Bell
Too bad they gave him a plan that made no sense. >Let's scare everyone into leaving Gotham because I'm going to cover the East Coast in Fear Gas and need the room to work >Oh Batman stopped the bomb? I'll just get the Cloudburst then and gas the city! >the city that was just evacuated >I know! I'll unmask Batman and prove to the world he's just a man! >Even though it's common knowledge that Batman really is just a man in a suit. >And upon unmasking everyone knows that one of the richest men in the city sacrifices life and limb every night to keep them safe from criminals and uprooting corruption in the city and is pals with Superman
Jaxson James
I think it's neat to compare the Gotham of Origins to the Gotham of Knight. THe city can be thought of as gradually becoming more and more corrupted/grungy as the years go on. Gotham in Origins is before it was tainted by the freaks. Knight is the city as a result of Batman's influence.
Aaron Mitchell
I would like to mention another thing that you said >Pals in Superman i gotta give Rocksteady props for putting nice references to the overall DCU in the game, the militia talking about superman, the John Constantine building and the Alec Holland bench park are my favorites
Elijah Ross
If you where the Arkham City skin in scenes where Batman takes his helmut off, Batman's hair will shoot through the top of the cowl, but Batman will keep it on because the Arkham City cowl isn't designed to come off like the other costumes. It will look like a Chia plant growing out of Batman's head. They may have fixed it, I haven't played in a while.
Levi Sanchez
>I know! I'll unmask Batman and prove to the world he's just a man! >Even though it's common knowledge that Batman really is just a man in a suit.
He was actually putting an end to Batman as a symbol. Thinking that when this was done it would be the last ditch effort by plunging Gotham in to chaos and fear.
Scarecrow didn't just underestimate Batman, he underestimated Gotham.
Kevin Cruz
Origins was also a completely different area of Gotham.
Brayden Price
Is it wrong to want a DCAU inspired Superman game from Rocksteady? The writers in that one knew how to make fights that weren't just Superman jobbing for 15 minutes until he decided to beat the piss out of that week's villain.
Nolan Rivera
If they make Bane look like this in the DCEU I could die happy.
Hunter Reed
>Preferring tacticool to realistic spandex suit
Benjamin Hernandez
IIRC, we are getting a squad game and a Green Arrow or Flash one, but my bet is that we will get a Flash one first
Charles Jones
Fuck yeah DiMaggio's Joker is awesome.
Jose Rogers
His turn at the end of the game felt super lazy to me
Carter Morgan
thanks for this OP, just recently 100%'d Arkham Knight and love the series as a whole
