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Old 08-06-2009, 09:05 PM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nomadsoul View Post
"Batman walks and runs like toyfigure"

Its too streamlined , too cinematic for fans to enjoy and savor.

What do you mean by the toyfigure feel?

Also, IMHO "improved cinematography" in games is what the next-gen consoles are aiming at. But then again, I am still not sure what could have ruined your experience from your point of view.
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Old 08-07-2009, 07:45 AM   #42
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I've just finished the demo and i think it's great! The graphics are nice and slick, the frame-rates are smooth, combat and stealth are fun, feel natural and satisfying imo (i had no issues anyway), the voice acting sounds great (especially Mark Hamill's Joker), and it's great that the game isn't a typical movie tie-in of The Dark Knight or Tim Burton's Batman, but rather, inspired by the original source material and animated series. I also like the Character Trophies and Character Bios you unlock along the way.

I can't wait for this game to come out. I'm really looking forward to it. And i can't wait to experience more of the 'detective/investigation' side of it as well as the boss fights.
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Old 08-07-2009, 08:39 AM   #43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Legend View Post
What do you mean by the toyfigure feel?

Also, IMHO "improved cinematography" in games is what the next-gen consoles are aiming at. But then again, I am still not sure what could have ruined your experience from your point of view.

Yeah but cinematic nature should now put gameplay on backburner.
But again they have to satisfy everyone, even casuals, noobs, teens ....you have to tone down gameplay to this degree i guess.

The AI is garbage, rooms are reptitive, you just press R1, it prompts you (you dont even need to aim, lol), you just walk in the valley, it auto plays, sit on gargoyle and you just need to press one button to hit enemy while gliding(while he is way of), you dont even need to glide on him manually, lol...i don't know about others but this joke for me.
I highly recommend it to any adventure game lover since fighting is no where near deep or hard, and stealth is no Splintercell either.

Just checked GT bane boss video, which feels crap, damn i was so anticipating it, there is no AAA title coming till NGs2 which is sept end, way too long wait.


When you will get the demo make him run or walk towards you, that is total toyfigure animations, specially his legs, lol.
Also notice how enemies die....here toyfigure pose...lol

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/q.../bat360_06.jpg
http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/q.../batps3_01.jpg

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Old 08-07-2009, 08:50 AM   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nomadsoul View Post
(...) combat is even worse, very easy very cheesy.
I was hoping for lots of combos and shit like that (not DMC\Bayonetta\Godhand crazy but yanowhatimean) and instead it seems that you only need to press one freaking button.

Thats what i've heard from gametrailers at least.
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Old 08-07-2009, 11:01 AM   #45
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I had a brief run through the demo.

Top marks for visual flair and overall ambiance, though like most games the animation is very obviously mocapped, which in this case meshes badly with the fairly stylized models. Could've done with some exaggeration and general refinement in their movement - an animator's touch, if you will.

And - though this too is a problem for most games - the characters are much too shiny. I really thought we'd gotten over normal maps by now. Used wisely it can create amazing detail, but used excessively it makes everything look like it's made of wax or metal. Is Valve really the only studio that knows what a specular map is?

Gameplay-wise it was fun, but I agree with nomadsoul that the experience is too heavily directed and simplified to offer much gameplay depth. You can only grapple onto predefined points (gargoyles) and hiding under grates is obviously also limited to certain paths so the stealth aspect of the game becomes rather constricted. Would've been cool if you could climb across the level more freely a la Assassin's Creed.

There's no analog movement even with a gamepad (you have to hold A to run) and this is indicative of the rest of the mechanics. Many of the attacks are very cool, but the interaction is generally limited to pressing a single button and watching the Batman execute.

Overall seems like a good game but maybe not as daring as it could be...
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Old 08-07-2009, 03:39 PM   #46
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I love the wind-up chattering teeth! Batarang fodder!

Just finished the demo, played it on my X360 so my experience is a bit different from you who played it on your PC.

Good and strong art direction. I actually don't mind the stylized "waxy" look, it works well with the overall aesthetic of the gameworld - it's based on a comic book, not on real life. I love the dynamic shadows on the characters, subtle but it lends atmosphere and believability to the environment. The character details are incredible! They're practically concept art come to do [digital] life!

I like the pacing a lot, steady exploration punctuated by some tactical stealth, then action moments. The detective angle is interesting, makes it feel more like an action adventure with a coherent story (however shallow, but hopefully not too shallow). The voice acting is spot on and very professional, particularly Joker's.

I agree, it feels a bit too easy for seasoned gamers. Then again, you guys are playing a demo and it's at the beginning of the whole game. In-game tutorial, anyone? That stated, I'm wondering what the Challenge Mode is about. Is it a higher difficulty level? I hope so. Is it some kind of time trial? We'll have to wait and see.

I'll have to detract slightly from Ninja's disappointment. A game designed like this can also serve as a gateway into the universe of gaming for people who are new to it and also love action movies like The Dark Knight. But yeah, it could use difficulty slider for the dedicated gamers. Is that what the Challenge Mode is about?
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Old 08-08-2009, 03:25 AM   #47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TiAgUh View Post
I was hoping for lots of combos and shit like that (not DMC\Bayonetta\Godhand crazy but yanowhatimean) and instead it seems that you only need to press one freaking button.

Thats what i've heard from gametrailers at least.
Same here, i was hoping for better gameplay than Watchmen game, i mean that game had variety and more visceral atleast to stick you till end. Here you really need to keep walking(not rolling evade) to avoid punches and enemies will keep doing their fighting moves in air.
And yeah i gave the joystick to my 7 yrs old cousin, asked him to hit this button to beat them, and it worked, you don't need to touch analog with enemies(without gun) i guess, atleast in demo. And Counters with triangle bring on extremely messy clipping issues, where batcape goes through everything, walls, himself, enemy etc.
I thought they would change/fix it from gamestop demo, wonder why they delayed the game.
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Old 08-08-2009, 03:26 PM   #48
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nomadsoul View Post
Yeah but cinematic nature should now put gameplay on backburner.
But again they have to satisfy everyone, even casuals, noobs, teens ....you have to tone down gameplay to this degree i guess.

The AI is garbage, rooms are reptitive, you just press R1, it prompts you (you dont even need to aim, lol), you just walk in the valley, it auto plays, sit on gargoyle and you just need to press one button to hit enemy while gliding(while he is way of), you dont even need to glide on him manually, lol...i don't know about others but this joke for me.
I highly recommend it to any adventure game lover since fighting is no where near deep or hard, and stealth is no Splintercell either.

Just checked GT bane boss video, which feels crap, damn i was so anticipating it, there is no AAA title coming till NGs2 which is sept end, way too long wait.


When you will get the demo make him run or walk towards you, that is total toyfigure animations, specially his legs, lol.
Also notice how enemies die....here toyfigure pose...lol

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/q.../bat360_06.jpg
http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/q.../batps3_01.jpg


I must say I AGREE with you COMPLETELY!
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Old 08-09-2009, 12:39 AM   #49
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From an enthusiastic fellow gamer at Ars:

Quote:
The demo is seriously awesome. Things to try:

The fourth bad guy and his conversation with the Joker... listen to the whole thing. You'll know where I'm talking about.

Hang a guy upside down from a gargoyle. Once his friends investigate, cut him down with a batarang. The jumps they all make are hilarious.

Use a glass ceiling to do a takedown.

The last guy remaining? Just walk around behind him. Let him find you in his face.
Looks like I'll be booting up my 360 to replay the demo in a few minutes.
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Old 08-09-2009, 08:41 AM   #50
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I wonder, the press A to run thing, is that just cause it's a PC port (even with a 360 controller), or do you not have analog movement on the Xbox either? Treps? This seems like a really strange design-choice.

I had another play through it and I think I may have been a little harsh. The batarang stuff, like the example described in above post, is pretty cool and it seems grappling also works on other parts of the level - it's just a little over-excited about locking onto gargoyles. It's hard to tell from such a short demo, but if the level design in the full game is open enough and the rest of the gadgets are any good it could be worth playing.

One thing I can't work out though is how do you break through the glass ceilings? None of the buttons I try seem to do anything.

Still think the characters are too shiny and the animation should have been more stylized and smooth (with nice arcs and all that), but the rest of the visuals are impressive enough to compensate.
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Old 08-09-2009, 10:47 AM   #51
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I've just finished the demo and was a little underwhelmed in places and quite impressed in others. Bearing in mind I don't follow game news/previews so it's the first I've seen/heard/played of it. Ever.

The thing that irks me the most is the 'digital' style of gameplay where a single button press can carry out a series of actions as opposed to individually applying them yourself. Instead of just taking control away I'd like to see a set of small 'analogue' interactions that add up to a larger emergent 'event' like in Bioshock or Dark Messiah. If there are enough of these 'digital' interactions then things may get quite interesting later but it feels like a cheap and albeit effective way of making players feel 'cool'.

I don't like the way all the barrel chested nutters are practically identical either. The AI is fun but the enemies suffer from a mild form of MGSSED (Metal Gear Solid Shit Eyesight Disorder). If the ceilings/tops of rooms were made significantly darker and higher, and Batman's actions weren't quite as noisy I'd be able to suspend my disbelief a little more but as it stands it seems too dumb even for a comic book adaptation.

On the plus side, the graphics are suitably stylised and the voice work seems great overall, particularly the Joker who made me laugh out loud. I loved his remarks to his henchmen over the tannoy, very amusing. I also didn't know Mark Hamill did his voice, no surprise either - he's a great voice actor. The Bio section and character gallery are interesting, though I'm not sure sure about the collecting of their 'Trophies' but then again I hate obligatory trophies ie. most of them.

I'll also be very interested to see how the detective mode pans out. Overall I had fun, let's see how it goes on release!
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Old 08-09-2009, 10:50 AM   #52
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ninja Dodo View Post
I wonder, the press A to run thing, is that just cause it's a PC port (even with a 360 controller), or do you not have analog movement on the Xbox either? Treps? This seems like a really strange design-choice.
No analogue movement on PS3 so it's likely another 'digital' interaction...
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Old 08-09-2009, 12:20 PM   #53
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I loved it.

The atmosphere and voice work is great. The graphics are a product of the U3 engine so are a tad shiny, but I can live with it.

The combat at first seems pretty simplistic, but this is the opening level, button mashing won't get you far. It's more about the rythmn and timing with the counters and punches making for a flowing combat system. (I also hear that later on you get to use the cape, batarang and other combat combinations). It was clearly never meant to be God of War as Batman is more about silent kills.

Using the claw on the scenery (and not just the gargoyles) was cool. sneaking up on bad guys for silent takedowns, hanging from gargoyles, breaking through glass ceilings, smacking them with the Batarang were all fun ways to dispatch the enemy.

I'm really looking forward to this now.
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Old 08-09-2009, 01:06 PM   #54
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You make a good point that the Unreal engine is particularly guilty of causing shiny syndrome (Gears of War, Bioshock) but surely it is not the only one? Doom 3 gets a pass for being the first to use normal maps, but by now real-time 3D artists should be able to do better than this. Specular maps, people! This is basic stuff. And yet, the only example of decent skin-shading that I can think of is Valve's work on Alyx and the other human characters in HL2, or the cartoony shading in TF2. It's like nobody else cares?

Why does every game have to look like plastic? We can do better than this.

[/rant over]

Again though, apart from these niggles I've mentioned the game really does look gorgeous and has a great attention to detail (I love the bat-fade ). The music is also worth a mention. It's very nicely reminiscent of the Dark Knight soundtrack and suits the atmosphere perfectly.

It's a pity the game tends towards 'digital' over analog interaction as geggis puts it, but it looks like it could still be a fun ride. I do agree with you as well though that the stealth would be more believable if the dark was a little darker - in this day of HDRI we could really play around with light and dark a little more...
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Old 08-10-2009, 02:28 AM   #55
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Maybe the digital/analogue analogy is stretching it a bit, I suppose it's because there're no 'gradations' in the actions; you do something or you don't. On/Off. 1/0. The running is a good example of that; run or don't run. The glide kick better illustrates my point though. You can glide yourself about but in order to attack someone it requires you simply press 'square' then the game auto-glides and auto-kicks the enemy rather than you gliding there yourself THEN pressing square to land one. You'd get a greater, s'cuse the pun, kick out of that than the 'digital' approach.
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Old 08-10-2009, 04:17 AM   #56
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I agree.
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Old 08-17-2009, 06:01 AM   #57
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I get the impression from this demo that, even if the game doesn't get any harder, I'd still have loads of fun playing it.

Worth a punt, methinks, though I totally agree with those who hope that it gets a bit more challenging.

If only the special edition was a tad cheaper. Part of me really wants the model boomerang thing, but not at a premium of over £30...
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Old 08-17-2009, 10:21 AM   #58
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I thought the demo itself was great. Ran smoothly on my system, looked great and it was very atmospheric. I was impressed with the variety of ways you could take out the room of enemies, and the combat seemed simple enough -- perhaps too simple, but I assume things will progressively harder as you move through the asylum. My only concern is how varied the gameplay is actually going to be. From the demo I got the impression it was just sneak, fight/takedown, hear the Joker, move on. I really hope the game lives up to the hype it seems to have collected for itself, it could turn out to be a cracker.
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Old 08-17-2009, 05:40 PM   #59
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I thought the demo itself was great. Ran smoothly on my system, looked great and it was very atmospheric. I was impressed with the variety of ways you could take out the room of enemies, and the combat seemed simple enough -- perhaps too simple, but I assume things will progressively harder as you move through the asylum. My only concern is how varied the gameplay is actually going to be. From the demo I got the impression it was just sneak, fight/takedown, hear the Joker, move on. I really hope the game lives up to the hype it seems to have collected for itself, it could turn out to be a cracker.

Game is leaked , some users at gfaqs have it, my shop has got it too. 2 boss video fights are out, and they are lame easy, and combat in later sections is still square mashing affair nothing genius or deep.
Collision/clipping is still mess, in one video batman doesn't even hit the enemy face, his punch doesn't even touch, kills immersion.


Here spoilers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5kleRrwRAc

user has more videos check his channel
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Old 08-17-2009, 10:32 PM   #60
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Still looks ace.
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