Tag: arkham-origins

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) Movie Review- The Batman: Arkham Origins Of The Quiet Place Franchise (Yes, that’s a compliment!)

AdamLeave a comment

It might seem hyperbole to describe A Quiet Place as a franchise as basically being the Batman: Arkham series of the horror movie genre thus far. You have A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place: Part II playing the roles of Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, working near perfectly as back-to-back stories that helps evaluate the genre of entertainment it is a part of while staying true to what it does best. And if that pattern continues, we can basically count on A Quiet Place: Part III (scheduled for release next year) as being the Arkham Knight of the series, a technically impressive and well made final (?) entry that bites off more than it can chew and relying on shaking foundations and underwhelming reveals to get itself to the finish line in one piece. Which will likely be followed a near decade later with Death Angels: Kill The Human Race, which involves the monsters wiping out the rest of humanity, including all the characters we’ve followed in the previous films, giving them the most underwhelming send-offs and death scenes imaginable. In the meantime, we now have what can basically be considered the Arkham Origins of A Quiet Place franchise with A Quiet Place: Day One, a prequel that will likely be seen as the black sheep of the series and more of the same but still has an engaging enough narrative that it can stand on it’s own two feet, even if you haven’t gotten into the series thus far.

It still provides the same amount of thrills, scares, and set pieces as the previous two films, it still is treated with the same amount of love and care in terms of pure craftmanship, and Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn are both so engaging on screen that you will actually not find yourself missing Emily Blunt and her children on screen. However, it still can’t escape the whole feeling of “been there, done that” and the central story is something that I don’t believe was needed to fit into the unique, post apocalyptic world that is A Quiet Place. The good old Big Mac still tastes good but you might be craving for something more and healthier, such as a delicious steak from here on out.

Premise: When New York City comes under attack from an alien invasion, a woman (Lupita Nyong’o) and other survivors (Joseph Quinn) try to find a way to safety. They soon learn that they must remain absolutely silent as the mysterious creatures are drawn to the slightest sound.

The one thing that is absolutely clear about A Quiet Place: Day One is that it’s not so much interested in being an origin story that tries to fill in the blanks and answer questions that no one really needed to be answered but tell it’s own tale that just so happens to be set in A Quiet Place universe and just so happens to take place before the events of the first two films outside of the opening prologue to Part Two. Those that are hoping for answers about who the Death Angels are, where they came from, and why is it that sound is their true vision will surely be disappointed. What we have instead is the most human and character driven story told in this world with a young woman named Sam, a terminally ill cancer patient that is finally getting a chance to explore the world for the first time in forever that just so happens to be the day where all hell broke lose and the monsters invaded hurt. And when she gets that freedom to explore the world, she doesn’t care about figuring how what just happened and who these monsters are. All Sam cares about is getting some pizza, and she will act by any means necessary to get it.

On one hand, it does feel refreshing to have a prequel story that isn’t interested in acting as a Wikipedia page summary and wants to just stand on it’s own while providing a different experience from prior entries in it’s franchise. And it also helps prevent them screwing up the lore with the monsters and make the universe feel much more smaller and contrived than before (*cough* Alien: Covenant). However, that does create the big question as to why this prequel even needs to exist or if it adds anything to the series. And unless you count there being two new heads getting focused and a new location in New York City, A Quiet Place: Day One never really answers that question other than to make some extra money.

What makes this all forgiven is that the new characters we follow are just as engaging as the characters we’ve followed in the first two films. Sam, played wonderfully by Lupita Nyong’o, is just a woman that is wanting to enjoy the outside fresh air in any way she can now that she is free, even if that happens to be on the day where monsters take over the world. Eric, also played wonderfully by Joseph Quinn, is someone that just wants to survive but also wants someone to be along side them on the way as he finds a safe place. You have Djimon Hounsou’s Henn, the only returning character from the previous films, that is doing everything in his power to keep the remaining human race alive. Alex Wolf shows up as a fun assistant to Sam for a limited period of screentime. Oh, and you also have an incredibly awesome Cat, who unironically makes the smartest and most logical choices out of any character in the series thus far. Even as someone that’s starting to keep tired of kitty cats showing up in every movie, I certainly liked this one.

The scares and thrills are still impressive here, easily containing the biggest set pieces of the series so far, which is crazy considering this is suppose to be a prequel. Even if setting it in New York City does make it comparable to other typical disaster flicks out there, Day One is still able to make most of these moments, providing unique tension and suspense whenever are characters are just roaming through the streets to get from one location to the next. There’s nothing here that quite tops the stepping on a nail or stepping into a bear trap moment but there’s enough of a body count and gruesome deaths to provide the tension when it needs to.

If it seems like this review is shorter than usual, that’s because there’s not much to say here that can’t already been said about the previous two films. We still have a story at it’s center about the human race trying to survive against deadly monsters that are attracted to sound while trying to live their life to the fullest in the remaining time that they had. It’s just that this time around we are starting to get the sense that this series is beginning to run out of tricks in providing a new and unique experience for A Quiet Place. The majority of what works about the previous films still work here but this feels like the first installment that you have done without the Quiet Place gimmick slapped onto it. Also, as said before, those that are looking for answers about the Death Angels themselves will likely be severely underwhelming as the film has no interest in answering those kind of questions.

Even so, the scares and thrills are still effective and Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn are both super compelling on-screen, with both of their characters undergoing satisfying arcs throughout, that it more than makes up for any potential short comings. If you look at it as it’s own thing, A Quiet Place: Day One is an intense and enjoyable sci-fi horror flick. But looking at it’s at another installment in this franchise, that at this point needs justifiable creative reasons to acknowledge it’s existences, it’s a showcase that this series is beginning to run on fumes and should be given a proper wrap-up soon before it wears out it’s welcome completely.

Bring on A Quiet Place: Part III and even A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, the new video game that just got announced! But, perhaps don’t bring on anything more after that!

Other comments:

  • If done right, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead can be the best and most satisfying IP licensed game since Alien: Isolation!

  • I also remembered there’s a scene in the film where a character is forced to carry the cat while swimming but the cat doesn’t scratch them or anything. That might be the least sensitive cat I’ve ever seen! I love it!

  • Also, NO, I did NOT get the Batman: Arkham comparison from Jeremy Jahns in his review. I already had that in the back of my mind before seeing his review. I promise! It was just bad timing, okay!

Ranking The ArkhamVerse

AdamLeave a comment

With Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League now out, why not rank it among the other installments in the Batman: Arkham gaming series, since it has been confirmed canon to that same universe whether we all like it or not.

I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that this is probably considering the best superhero gaming franchise out there with the possible exception being Insomniac’s Spider-Man series. This is a series that not just revolutionized the character of Batman to a new generation but superhero triple A games in general. And the fact that these games are still being talked about and played to this very day despite beginning 15 years ago, with the latest installment coming nine years after the previous one, just goes to show you the impact and pure staying power that these games have had.

A big disclaimer here, I’m only doing games that were released on the main consoles and are generally considered the main series installments. I was considering trying to secure a copy of Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate and Batman Arkham VR before doing this list but a.) I couldn’t find the charger for my Nintendo 3DS and b.) I couldn’t find a PlayStation VR that was super cheap. So because of that, those games will be off the list.

This will cover the four main series Batman: Arkham games along with the newest addition, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. Let’s get right down to it!

5.) Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League

Do I have the hate boner for this game that the majority of the internet has? Not really. Does that mean this game was worth the near decade long wait from Rocksteady? Again, not really. Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League feels like a game that was basically doomed from the start. Not just because this was a game nearly a decade in the making and following Rocksteady’s previous track record with their successful Batman: Arkham games but it was basically by design made to chase the worst kind of trends in modern gaming imaginable. It certainly does it better than most (at least compared to the likes of say Marvel’s Avengers) but like most, it’s own restrictions holds it back for it’s true potential.

It may get the job done by offering a typical action and shoot-them-up game for the Overwatch and Fortnite crowd, and at least has the decency to make the majority of content free (if not free to use offline) but it really doesn’t bother to be anything much else, which goes against what Rocksteady had stood for years now. The plot feels more like a 12-year old’s “What if?” edge lord fan-fiction than it does as being a true continuation of the Arkhamverse, giving the clear indication that this is only in the Arkham name for the sake of boosting sales rather than because anyone thought this truly belong in the same canon.

Yes, the upcoming seasonal content could fix the majority of the complaints and have this game get a resurgence later on down the road (similar to EA’s Star Wars Battlefront 2) but the fact we might have to wait over a year to get all of that says more about this game chasing trends for the sake of chasing trends and not much else. I don’t know whether this was Rocksteady or Warner Bro’s doing but both are capable of much more than this. Is it at least a playable game? Sure! Is it the weakest of this entire series? Without a shadow of a doubt!

4.) Batman: Arkham Origins

For years, Batman: Arkham Origins had the reputation of being the black sheep of the Arkham games. Nothing but the forgotten step child of the bunch and some even like to pretend doesn’t exist. On the surface, it’s easy to see why. This is the only one of the main four Arkham games to NOT be developed by Rocksteady, it doesn’t have the legendary Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill in their roles as Batman and Joker respectively, and was basically the one that acted the most as a “filler” game that was basically made to buy time between the releases of Arkham City and Arkham Knight. There were also multiple reports of bugs and glitches that plagued the game for most people, which I was NOT one of them. However, when looking at the game itself now time has past and updates of the game have been made, Arkham Origins is actually a really damn good game in it’s own right and is highly underrated.

The gameplay is as fluid and fun as it is in the other Arkham games, the addition of the shock gloves is a neat one, seeing Bruce Wayne in his younger, more reckless stage as Batman is engaging and perhaps the most interesting in the entire series, the voice work from Roger Craig Smith’s Batman and Troy Baker’s Joker is great, and it has hands down has the best boss fights in the entire Arkham franchise, with the Deathstroke one in particular being an all-timer. Not to mention, even Alfred gets his time to shine here, including that great scene where he tries to stop Bruce from going out as Batman, showing he truly sees Bruce as his son and not just as his butler. Sure, it does feel like a pre-heated meal compared to the three Rocksteady Batman games and it did suck to see them pull a switch-a-roo with Black Mask not being the actual villain to make room for the Joker but those flaws are no where near a deal breaker for this game.

While not the best, Arkham Origins easily remains the most underappreciated game in the Arkhamverse. To this day, I don’t understand the scorn that fans have with this game or even why both Rocksteady and WB Games Montreal feels so obligated to pretend this game never happened. I understand being critical of this game when looking at it from a business and commercial standpoint (with it being a “filler” game and all) but looking at it’s own thing and the limited amount of time that WB Games Montreal was given, Arkham Origins is a really solid game with gameplay features and story elements that are among the very best of the Arkham games. I remember playing the hell out of this game when I got in on Christmas Day back in 2013 and enjoying it all the same and still do this very day.

3.) Batman: Arkham Knight

The (original) ending of the Arkhamverse divided Batman’s fans everywhere when it arrived in 2015. While plenty found it to be a worthy send-off for this iteration of Batman, others were frustrated by it due to the new elements that the game itself included. However, as the dust settles and in the wake of lesser superhero games that are somewhat Arkham related such as Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, there seems to be more appraisal towards it. While I did feel a bit cold of this game upon my first playthrough of it, Batman: Arkham Knight has only gotten better with age and easily grows on me each time that I play it.

Yes, there’s too much of the Batmobile that gets more tedious the more the game progresses. Yes, the Arkham Knight reveal is very obvious if you know the Batman lore. Yes, the final showdown with Deadshot is underwhelming. And yes, those goddamn Riddler trophies can go to hell! However, there’s plenty of greatness to be found here! We finally have a fully realized Gotham world that’s fun to explore, the gameplay is the best and more polished than ever before, the voice work is superb, the story is the most stake-heavy with resonating themes that feel very Batman appropriate, the graphics is some of the best in any video game, and is able to find a fitting end to a character that isn’t very well known for having definite endings. Yes, the flaws are still presented and prevent it from being as good as it’s main predecessors from Rocksteady but so are the overall strengths for it.

Do I think Arkham Knight is as good as Asylum or City? Not quite but I do feel there are plenty of instances where it comes pretty darn close. So much so that I wouldn’t be surprised if one day, it would surpass at least Asylum for me. Regardless of the quality of the new Suicide Squad game, I do love how it has encourages fans to look back on this series and see the amazing accomplishments that these games have turned out to be. Showcasing how superhero and license video games don’t have to suck. When you have the right amount of right people who want to create something special, it’s then you will have a gaming series as successful as the Batman Arkham series. Had this been the last true game we got in this universe, I would have been more than okay for how satisfying of a game it truly is.

2.) Batman: Arkham Asylum

You would be hard pressed to find a superhero or even licensed game that was able to define the seventh generation of consoles than Batman: Arkham Asylum. After so many Batman games have come and gone with mixed results, this was the first one that just perfectly capture the distinct feeling of being the Caped Crusader himself. Coming off the year after the release of The Dark Knight which helped set the golden standard for superhero movies, DC and Rocksteady was able to follow the success of that greatly with Batman: Arkham Asylum, the game which helped set the golden standard for superhero licensed games. 

Batman: Arkham Asylum is ever bit as awesome as you remembered it was back in 2009. While the boss fights are still rather weak and I don’t fully buy Joker’s “let’s create an army of Banes” master plan, nearly everything else is done rather flawlessly that it’s hard to let those minor gripes bring down the entire game. The combat is absolutely fun with plenty of inventive ways to beat your opponents, the gadgets always come in handy, the detective aspects add a ton to the experience and character of Batman, the entire Arkham island itself is cool to explore, the unlockables are so eager to collect, the voice acting is incredibly stellar, and there’s never a second which you don’t feel like you are in control of The Dark Knight himself.

This is a game that has continued to stand the test time, even 14 years later. For a studio that was relatively unknown before Arkham Asylum came out, there was no better way for Rocksteady to put themselves on the map for gamers all around after crafting this absolute achievement of a video game. If you are a Batman fan and somehow still have not checked this game out, I highly recommend it. Even if you are not a Batman fan and want a really fun action packed game, then I recommend it too. Perhaps it might even turn you into a Batman fan yourself just like I imagine it did for gamers everywhere back in 2009. If 2008 showed how good superhero films can get with The Dark Knight, then 2009 showed how good superhero games can get with Batman: Arkham Asylum! Even to this day, the Caped Crusader remains the standard!

1.) Batman: Arkham City

If you want to talk about a quintessential Batman game, look no further than this masterpiece! After the critical success of Arkham Asylum, Rocksteady knew exactly the direction where to go to top themselves and it perfectly shows throughout the game. Not only does Batman: Arkham City act as a perfect sequel to Arkham Asylum but it also acts as a perfect Batman game and just a perfect superhero game in general. It takes everything you loved by Arkham Asylum, tweaks some of the things that didn’t work about it, throws in some new elements, and is able to off a much grander and wide open world where you truly feel like Batman. If that is not the signs of a great follow-up, then I don’t know what can.

The combat is improved in every way and offers more unique and inventive ways to take down criminals, seeing Batman pushed beyond his limits is always fascinating to see, Arkham City is incredibly fun to explore, Catwoman is a great new addition, the missions from both the main and side stories are all interesting, it’s paced extremely well, the story is the best in the series, the music and voice work are outstanding, and the ending with the death of the Joker will always be an all-timer. This is a game that’s so good that even the little things you can nitpick at (such as Hugo Strange being reduced to being a background villain despite teasing to be the main driving force of the game) aren’t worth mentioning because it doesn’t feel like flaws in any way but more of a tiny little blemish you find on a flawless face. Not to say this game is 100% flawless because no game is but it just feels like that whenever you are playing it.

I don’t think Rocksteady could have followed up Arkham Asylum any better than they did here. If anything, one could make the strong argument that Batman: Arkham City basically acts as to date Rocksteady’s Magnum Opus, a marvelous achievement that every cast and crew apart of this game should be extremely proud of, even 13 years later. Batman: Arkham City is not only the best game in the Arkhamverse for me but it’s one of my all-time favorite games period. I’ve played through this game so many times and I wouldn’t be surprised if I have several more playthroughs with it in the future. As much as I love Spider-Man, when it comes to pure superhero gaming entertainment, Batman: Arkham City still remains on top!