Game: Batman: Arkham Origins

As a huge fan of Rocksteady's Batman Arkham series on home game consoles, I've been one of the many fans eagerly anticipating the release of the gritty prequel, Batman: Arkham Origins, coming up at the end of the month. But in a much-welcomed and surprise move, NetherRealm Studios has graced us with a mobile tie-in version of Batman: Arkham Origins. Coming from the same developer who gave a similar mobile treatment to other big-time superhero games like Batman: Arkham City and Injustice: Gods Among Us, how would this latest touchscreen brawler hold up to the expectations of excellence that Batman has brought to the gaming world at large in recent years?Spoiler alert: it holds up well, very well. The fully voiced and animated opening cinematic of Batman: Arkham Origins is simply astounding, and it made me feel like I was watching a full-fledged console game right there in the palm of my hands. The graphics elsewhere in the game are also up to the highest of caliber, from the fluid combat animations to the nice variety of thug types and environments, and the dark and ominous tone of the Batman Arkham console games has been revitalized here quite gloriously. Much like its upcoming big brother console game, the story of Batman: Arkham Origins involves a number of deadly assassins all vying to be the one who kills Batman once and for all, in order to win a substantial monetary reward. This allows the game to incorporate some wonderful and frightening boss fights against these assassins, like Deadshot, Copperhead, and my personal favorite, Deathstroke.The actual gameplay of Batman: Arkham Origins is extremely top-notch, and should be familiar to anyone who's ever played Batman: Arkham City Lockdown or Injustice: Gods Among Us. In each combat mission, players simply tap on the screen to pummel oncoming hordes of street thugs and other devious villains, while holding down two fingers on the screen to defend against blowbacks and other cheap shots. What's great about this is that the control scheme is so easy to get into, but offers just as much depth for those players who really want to make the most of it. Batman is capable of holding two different battle stances, an Assault Stance and a Guarded Stance, and activating each one opens up a number of additional special attacks or healing boosts that you can activate mid-fight.