OTAKU REVIEWS: "Batman: Arkham Knight"

     After Arkham City hit the scene I thought the Arkham series was closed and done. With that unreal twist ending, and the amazing open world batman experience. How on earth could they top that?! But, developers back in 2014 surprised us with this launch title. They claimed that everything has come to this. The third and FINAL installment in the series. So I thought I'd take a look at the much anticipated, Batman: Arkham Knight!

     Just like in the previous Batman titles, the whole villain gang has come out to play. Some of our heroes most iconic villains are running wild in the streets of Gotham after The Scarecrow issues a mass warning to all of its residents. Now that the streets are empty, they are quickly being refilled by toxic gases and ravenous baddies. And the only thing standing between them and the city is YOU.

     The very first thing I noticed was Batman's new makeover. The new bat suit looks fantastic! The armor plates, the mechanical look, the mask. It all looks very cool, and very Batman.

     The suit also comes with many of the gadgets we've come to love from the series. Explosive gel, batarangs, batcaw, and many more. A new addition to that list is the Remote, which has a massive companion. The freaking BATMOBILE.

     This monstrous piece of hardware is by far the highlight of the entire game. There is nothing cooler than speeding through the city at top speed while fighting in chase scenes, firing a 60 MM cannon at tanks, and launching a hook to drive up walls. You heard me. Driving up walls is in the game.
     All of these new toys are amazing, and you'll need every single one of them to stop the latest threat to Batman and his city.

     A new player has hit the scene of Gotham, and he goes by the name "Arkham Knight". He's ruthless, tactical, wealthy, and scariest of all; he hates Batman's guts. Him and Scarecrow have teamed up, along with Knight's huge army of soldiers, to finally bring down the bat.

     When this character was announced there was so much speculation as to his identity. Who is he? Where is he from? Is he even a HE? All of those things crossed my mind as well, but the big thing I thought was just how cool and original he looks. His mask and armor seem to mirror Batman's, but the Knight has definitely cut out the bat look and replaced it with full on mercenary appeal. He means business when he shows up, and his set up tells you just that.

     With all these villains coming out to play, you'll have to bring some friends. Oracle, Robin, Jim, Fox, and a few others will be at your disposal throughout the game. Providing you intelligence, gear, and the occasional funny joke. All of the characters and villains are lively, and their voice acting is wonderfully done.

     Another feature is the new leveling system. You still earn experience by completing objectives and from fighting enemies, but the skill tree has become more customizable and detailed with every installment is the series. Your Batman is YOUR Batman, and you really feel the upgrades the second you equip them. Whether it be more defense against guns, greater speed while fighting, or extra combos to perform.
     All of these upgrades just added more to the already famous Arkham combat system. Which in my opinion has been perfected in this title. Everything is polished, refocused, and faster.

     You may also upgrade the batmobile and its weapons as well. That was very exciting, and added and extra challenge to the game in terms of choice and availability.
   
     Some issues I had with the game were pretty nominal. The occasional frame rate drop, or clipping through an object when I was moving to frantically or fast. But the game as a whole was incredibly solid. Unfortunately for PC gamer, they experienced a lot worse than that. Warner Bros has since then offered refunds and are currently working on resolving the issues with the PC version and have been providing constant updates. Until it's fixed I would advise picking it up on console instead.

     After playing it I can honestly say this game is the definitive Batman experience. If you're a fan of the bat, or just enjoy a fantastically put together game, then I would strongly recommend picking up Batman: Arkham Knight. Thanks for reading!!!

Score: "9 out of 10" - PLEASE GET THIS GAME!!!

-Otaku Anonymous

E3 2015: My Most Anticipated Titles Shown

     This is my very first E3 conference I've had the chance to see, and so far I'm getting incredibly pumped for the rest of the year. 2015 and 2016 are shaping up to be two of the best years in gaming for fans of almost every known series. So many games are on their way, and I have no idea how I will ever have the time to play all of them with the amount of time that they deserve.
     In the midst of all the announcements a few have really stood out to me. These are games that I have been a huge fan of in the past, have anxiously awaited another installment to dive back in, or just wanted new info about. So I picked a couple of my favorites to share with you and geek out about on here. I know there are dozens more, but these are my personal top picks that I just cannot hold my breath long enough for.

1. DOOM

     Most of you know by now that I'm a HUGE horror fan. So this should be no surprise that my most anticipated game is DOOM. I'm so happy that id Software is giving DOOM another installment on the PS4 and XBOX ONE. DOOM 3 was my very first rated R video game, and boy was it a memorable one. The guns, the demonic enemies, long hallways, plus the dark environments make for a terrifying and lasting experience.

     From all of the footage they have included this year it really looks as though they've taken all the elements that have made DOOM great in the past, and jacked them all up to eleven! New enemies, new guns, and a whole new story to take us back to Hell. I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to the all new "Glory Kill" executions.
     DOOM is set to launch Spring 2016.

2. Star Wars: Battlefront

     If it isn't horror and scary things popping out at me, then it's always Star Wars: Battlefront was a doorway into making some of my favorite movies go beyond what I saw at the theater. I could enlist in the Republic Army and rage war on other worlds as a nameless Storm Trooper. How freaking awesome is that?!

     I enjoyed the old Battlefront games immensely, and I can't wait to see what EA does for the series. They always seem to get a bad reputation, but I honestly feel they put out a lot of good games. And with all of the recent game play footage, it looks like we might have something exciting on our hands. Lets hope that this one will remind us of the old, while having that unique EA flare they add to all of their games.
     Star Wars: Battlefront is set to release November 2015.

3. No Man's Sky

     Here's a game I didn't expect to fall in love with so quickly. I held myself back from getting too hyped about this game due to the fact that there wasn't a ton of content or footage being released. But, after seeing No Man's Sky on the big screen at E3, I AM SOLD.

     This looks to be an absolutely massive and entertaining experience that cannot come out soon enough. It's a random generating, open universe, space exploration game. The in game engine generates completely random worlds and creatures as you fly through space. You can land on planets you see, fight in war battles against raging factions, search through unknown lands. I'm getting more excited just typing about it.
     No Man's Sky has no set release date.

4. Horizon: Zero Dawn

     This was a bit of a surprise to me. I didn't expect Guerrilla Games to launch a brand new IP, or for it to look this awesome! Not a ton of info was released at the conference, but they did show a beautiful game play video showing off the combat, story synopsis, and character/animal encounters. All of which look unique and very well designed.

     Something also nice about the game was the female protagonist. We've been given a new strong woman lead who isn't Lara Croft or Bayonetta. Though we didn't learn much about her, I already like her. The way she dresses, how she handles herself in battle, the quick witty comments she made. She's exactly what I want in a hero, and I'm pumped to play this game.
     Horizon: Zero Dawn is scheduled to release sometime in 2016.

5. Rainbow Six: Siege

     Nothing gets my blood pumping like some fast paced team death match. Rainbow Six is going to be single elimination cops vs robbers style gun combat mixed with a ton of game modes for a unique multiplayer experience. I've played a little of the Rainbow Six games in the past, and something you'll notice very quickly about them is that you need strategy. Running and gunning in this kind of game will almost certainly get you killed.

     I think this game will bring a refreshing take of the FPS multiplayer platform. Players will have to adjust and evaluate their matches before engaging, and it'll be interesting to see how we as players view it.
     Rainbow Six: Siege is set to launch October 2015.

     These are just five of the games I'm excited for, but you and I both know there are many many more. Comment with the games you're excited for below and let me know what you think of my opinions on the games. I also included footage of the games below, so click the links and enjoy. Thanks for reading!

-Otaku Anonymous

Trailer/Gameplay Footage:

DOOM - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq1zkyiUnNI
Star Wars: Battlefront - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlErxrZcuZw
No Man's Sky - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGy8HIYBwV0
Horizon: Zero Dawn - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkg5UVTsKCE
Rainbow Six: Siege - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp4wmAbIC4w