"Batman: Return to Arkham" rolled out last Oct. 18 for both the Xbox One and PS4, bringing back the first two "Arkham" games on the new generation of consoles. Together with their launch is a brand new trailer showcasing the improvements made to the game's graphics.
The game was initially meant to launch last summer, but it was delayed so that the remaster's developer, Virtuous, had time to further refine the game.
Costing $50, the game comes with both "Batman: Arkham Asylum" and "Batman: Arkham City," as well as all of their previously released DLC content, such as the extra missions involving Nightwing or Catwoman and costumes like the Adam West Batman suit, the "Batman: The Animated Series" costume, and the "Batman Beyond" costume.
It is noted that the game does not feature a remaster of "Batman: Arkham Origins" given that it was developed by Warner Bros. Entertainment and not Rocksteady. It also does not come with "Batman: Arkham Knight," which was a PS4 and Xbox One game to begin with, and no longer needs a remaster.
Despite the graphical upgrade, the game is getting non-stellar reviews. IGN has rated it with a 7 out of 10 due to its minimal improvements and because the graphical switch has made the game brighter, which made the blocky textures more noticeable and eliminated the overall dark atmosphere.
The game also reportedly suffers from an unstable framerate that is locked at 30 frames per second instead of being improved to a consistent 60 frames per second. Because of this, the report states that it is advisable for fans to play the PS3 or PC ports instead or to wait for an update patch that will fix the current problems.
As reported by Gamespot, this and "Batman VR" will be the final "Batman Arkham" games that Rocksteady and their collaborators will be working on. From this point on the developers will be working on a brand new IP that is yet to be revealed to the public.
