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Batman: Arkham Collection

Batman: The Arkham Collection is a trifecta of modern classic video games that still hold up
93/1002958
Platforms
Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5, Stream, Xbox Series X|S
Publisher
Warner Bros. Games
Rating
M
Genre
Action, Adventure
Releasel date
Nov 28, 2018
Overall Score
Rating Overview
Gameplay/Controls
Graphics/Visuals
Sound/Music
Story/Narrative
Replayability
Performance/Tech Issues
Non-Wokeness
Rating Summary
Amazing voice talent and equally impressive game design combine to form one of the medium's greatest accomplishments.

The Batman Arkham Collection is a compilation of three critically acclaimed action-adventure games: “Batman: Arkham Asylum,” “Batman: Arkham City,” and “Batman: Arkham Knight.” Developed by Rocksteady Studios, these games follow the Dark Knight as he battles iconic villains in Gotham City, utilizing a blend of stealth, combat, and detective skills.

The Good

  • The graphics and visuals don’t get any better, and they mostly still hold up compared to today’s visuals.
  • The gameplay is a wonderful mix of stealth, puzzles, and brawling.
  • The voice acting couldn’t be any better.
  • Each game’s world is fully immersive.

The Bad

X Marks the Spot - Follow us Today!!

  • The language is unnecessarily harsh and filled with cursing, restricting responsible parents from purchasing it for any child under the age of 17.
  • It’s not woke free.
  • Arkham Knight’s batmobile controls, and handling has been an understandable source of contention for years.

The Ugly

  • The Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn character designs are overly sexualized (especially Ivy, who is nearly naked), precluding purchases for even the older children of responsible parents.

Batman: Arkham Collection Review

The video game industry continues its self-immolation via a combination of declining quality standards and an obsession with injecting identity politics and other radical progressive ideals into its products. As such, there has been an increase in nostalgia-play, with more and more gamers returning to the classics.

Batman: Arkham Collection (or Arkham Trilogy for Nintendo Switch users) is the perfect remedy for those woke game blues. Even at its most expensive, players get three games for the price of one. However, for those who are patient enough to wait and regimented enough to check continually, it’s possible to find it at a significant discount (I got mine for $20 from nintendo.com).

The Arkham games range from solidly crafted experiences to near-masterpieces. Featuring the legendary voices of Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin, these games bring Gotham to life in a way few video games ever have. Rocksteady Studios delivers not just stunning character designs but deeply immersive gameplay that only gets better with each entry. The controls start off strong and evolve across the trilogy, culminating in Batman: Arkham Knight, where the sensation of being the Dark Knight is about as real as it gets—short of donning the cape and cowl in VR.

There are some who may remember a less-than-stellar batmobile experience in Arkham Knight, but if you can forgive that single conceit or just enjoy smashing through walls and pedestrians, it might be time to revisit one of the greatest video game trilogies ever conceived.

Woke Report

WOKE REPORT

You're Only Getting Half the Picture.

This section is our site's secret sauce, and what truly separates us from the rest. If you don't read it, you haven't read our review.

Have the filmmakers chosenradical progressive messaging over story?
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James Carrick

James Carrick is a passionate film enthusiast with a degree in theater and philosophy. James approaches dramatic criticism from a philosophic foundation grounded in aesthetics and ethics, offering insight and analysis that reveals layers of cinematic narrative with a touch of irreverence and a dash of snark.

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'; win.document.open(); win.document.write(html); win.document.close(); try { var doc = win.document; var btn = doc.getElementById('copyLinkBtn'); var status = doc.getElementById('shareStatus'); var field = doc.getElementById('shareUrlField'); var urlToCopy = String(shareUrl || ''); function setCopied(){ if (status) status.textContent = 'Link copied.'; if (btn) { btn.textContent = 'Copied!'; win.setTimeout(function(){ btn.textContent = 'Copy link'; }, 1500); } } function focusField(){ if (!field) return; field.removeAttribute('readonly'); field.focus(); field.select(); field.setSelectionRange(0, field.value.length); field.setAttribute('readonly','readonly'); } function legacyCopy(text){ var ta = doc.createElement('textarea'); ta.value = text; ta.setAttribute('readonly','readonly'); ta.style.position='fixed'; ta.style.top='0'; ta.style.left='0'; ta.style.opacity='0.01'; ta.style.pointerEvents='none'; doc.body.appendChild(ta); ta.focus(); ta.select(); ta.setSelectionRange(0, ta.value.length); var ok=false; try{ ok=!!doc.execCommand('copy'); }catch(err){} doc.body.removeChild(ta); return ok; } win.__wiowCopyShareLink = async function(){ if (!urlToCopy) { if (status) status.textContent='No share URL available.'; return false; } focusField(); try { if (win.navigator && win.navigator.clipboard && typeof win.navigator.clipboard.writeText === 'function') { await win.navigator.clipboard.writeText(urlToCopy); setCopied(); return false; } } catch(err) {} if (legacyCopy(urlToCopy)) { setCopied(); return false; } if (status) status.textContent='Press Ctrl+C or Cmd+C to copy the selected link.'; focusField(); return false; }; if (btn) btn.addEventListener('click', function(e){ e.preventDefault(); win.__wiowCopyShareLink(); }); var nextBtn = doc.getElementById('nextComboBtn'); if (nextBtn) nextBtn.addEventListener('click', function(e){ e.preventDefault(); if (win.opener && win.opener.__wiowRefreshShareOptions) win.opener.__wiowRefreshShareOptions(win); }); var mainBtn = doc.getElementById('mainComboBtn'); if (mainBtn) mainBtn.addEventListener('click', function(e){ e.preventDefault(); if (win.opener && win.opener.__wiowResetShareOptions) win.opener.__wiowResetShareOptions(win); }); Array.prototype.slice.call(doc.querySelectorAll('.preview-frame img')).forEach(function(img){ img.addEventListener('click', function(){ var overlay=doc.createElement('div'); overlay.className='overlay'; var full=doc.createElement('img'); full.src=img.getAttribute('data-full') || img.src; full.alt='Preview'; overlay.appendChild(full); overlay.addEventListener('click', function(){ overlay.remove(); }); doc.body.appendChild(overlay); }); }); } catch(err) {} return true; } async function buildShareImage(container, options){ options = options || {}; var postId = container.getAttribute('data-post-id'); var sharePage = container.getAttribute('data-share-page'); var kind = (container.getAttribute('data-share-kind') || 'critics').toLowerCase(); var posterUrl = container.getAttribute('data-poster-url') || findPosterUrl(); if (!posterUrl){ posterUrl = ''; } var isRatings = (kind === 'ratings' || kind === 'ratings-admin' || kind === 'ratings-question'); var isAudience = (kind === 'audience' || kind === 'audience-teaser' || kind === 'audience-question'); var action = isRatings ? 'wiow_build_ratings_share_image' : (isAudience ? 'wiow_build_audience_share_image' : 'wiow_build_share_image'); var payload = new URLSearchParams(); payload.append('action', action); payload.append('post_id', String(postId)); payload.append('poster_url', posterUrl); payload.append('share_context', kind); if (options.force) { payload.append('force', '1'); } if (options.reset) { payload.append('reset_combo', '1'); } if (kind === 'ratings-admin') { payload.append('admin', '1'); } if (kind === 'ratings-question' || kind === 'audience-question' || kind === 'critics-question') { payload.append('questions', '1'); payload.append('mode', 'questions'); } if (kind === 'audience-teaser' || kind === 'critics-teaser') { payload.append('mode', 'teaser'); } var res = await fetch('https://worthitorwoke.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php', { method: 'POST', credentials: 'same-origin', headers: {'Content-Type':'application/x-www-form-urlencoded; charset=UTF-8'}, body: payload.toString() }); var data = await res.json(); if (!data || !data.success || !data.data){ throw new Error((data && data.data && data.data.message) ? data.data.message : 'Share build failed.'); } return { image_url: data.data.image_url, share_url: data.data.share_url || sharePage, cycle_image_url: data.data.cycle_image_url || '', poster_url: data.data.poster_url || posterUrl || '' }; } async function buildShareSquareImage(container, cycleImageUrl, posterUrl, options){ options = options || {}; var postId = container.getAttribute('data-post-id'); var sharePage = container.getAttribute('data-share-page'); var kind = (container.getAttribute('data-share-kind') || 'critics').toLowerCase(); var isRatings = (kind === 'ratings' || kind === 'ratings-admin' || kind === 'ratings-question'); var isAudience = (kind === 'audience' || kind === 'audience-teaser' || kind === 'audience-question'); var action = isRatings ? 'wiow_build_ratings_share_image_square' : (isAudience ? 'wiow_build_audience_share_image_square' : 'wiow_build_share_image_square'); var payload = new URLSearchParams(); payload.append('action', action); payload.append('post_id', String(postId)); payload.append('share_context', kind); if (kind === 'ratings-admin') { payload.append('admin', '1'); } if (kind === 'ratings-question' || kind === 'audience-question' || kind === 'critics-question') { payload.append('questions', '1'); payload.append('mode', 'questions'); } if (kind === 'audience-teaser' || kind === 'critics-teaser') { payload.append('mode', 'teaser'); } if (cycleImageUrl) { payload.append('cycle_image_url', cycleImageUrl); } if (posterUrl) { payload.append('poster_url', posterUrl); } if (options.force) { payload.append('force', '1'); } if (options.reset) { payload.append('reset_combo', '1'); } var res = await fetch('https://worthitorwoke.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php', { method: 'POST', credentials: 'same-origin', headers: {'Content-Type':'application/x-www-form-urlencoded; charset=UTF-8'}, body: payload.toString() }); var data = await res.json(); if (!data || !data.success || !data.data){ throw new Error((data && data.data && data.data.message) ? data.data.message : 'Square share build failed.'); } return { image_url: data.data.image_url, share_url: data.data.share_url || sharePage, cycle_image_url: data.data.cycle_image_url || cycleImageUrl || '', poster_url: data.data.poster_url || posterUrl || '' }; } window.__wiowRefreshShareOptions = async function(win){ if (!wiowCanAdminNext || !window.__wiowLastShareOptionsContext || !window.__wiowLastShareOptionsContext.row) return false; var ctx = window.__wiowLastShareOptionsContext; var row = ctx.row; var heading = ctx.heading || 'Share options'; var targetWin = win || ctx.win; try { renderShareOptionsLoadingWindow(targetWin, heading); var built = await buildShareImage(row, { force:true }); var builtSquare = await buildShareSquareImage(row, built.cycle_image_url || '', built.poster_url || '', { force:true }); if (!built || !built.image_url || !builtSquare || !builtSquare.image_url) throw new Error('Share build failed.'); window.__wiowLastShareOptionsContext = { row: row, heading: heading, win: targetWin }; renderShareOptionsWindow(targetWin, built.image_url, builtSquare.image_url, built.share_url || row.getAttribute('data-share-page') || '', heading); } catch(err) { if (targetWin && !targetWin.closed) { var msg = (err && err.message) ? err.message : 'Could not build next combo.'; targetWin.document.open(); targetWin.document.write('

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Could not build main combo

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'); targetWin.document.close(); } } return false; }; // Unified capture-phase share handler. Chrome incognito can allow the visual // pointer animation while another script prevents the later bubbling click // handler from ever running. Handle all top-level share buttons here first. document.addEventListener('click', async function(e){ var targetEl = e.target && e.target.nodeType === 1 ? e.target : (e.target && e.target.parentElement ? e.target.parentElement : null); var btn = targetEl && targetEl.closest ? targetEl.closest('.wiow-share-btn') : null; if (!btn) return; // Ignore the Audience modal "Rate" button (it also has wiow-share-btn class in your CSS usage) if (btn.hasAttribute('data-wiow-audience-open')) return; var row = btn.closest('[data-wiow-share="1"], .wiow-share-row'); if (!row) return; var platform = btn.getAttribute('data-platform'); // Public top-level controls must work even when AJAX generation or membership-gated data is unavailable. // Options still uses the full image-builder path below. if (platform === 'x' || platform === 'link') { e.preventDefault(); e.stopPropagation(); var quickStatus = row.querySelector('.wiow-share-status'); var quickUrl = btn.getAttribute('data-copy-url') || row.getAttribute('data-share-page') || row.getAttribute('data-post-url') || wiowShareFallbackUrl(row); if (!quickUrl) { if (quickStatus) quickStatus.textContent = 'No share URL available.'; return; } if (platform === 'x') { openPopup(btn.getAttribute('href') || btn.getAttribute('data-wiow-x-intent') || wiowShareXIntentUrl(row)); if (quickStatus) quickStatus.textContent = ''; return; } if (quickStatus) quickStatus.textContent = 'Copying link…'; var copiedQuick = await wiowCopyShareText(quickUrl); var quickLabel = btn.querySelector('.wiow-share-btn__label'); var quickOriginal = quickLabel ? quickLabel.textContent : 'Copy link'; if (copiedQuick) { if (quickStatus) quickStatus.textContent = 'Link copied.'; if (quickLabel) { quickLabel.textContent = 'Copied!'; window.setTimeout(function(){ quickLabel.textContent = quickOriginal || 'Copy link'; }, 1500); } } else { if (quickStatus) quickStatus.textContent = 'Could not copy link.'; } return; } e.preventDefault(); var previewWin = null; if (platform === 'copy') { previewWin = openShareOptionsWindow(); var preloadKind = (row.getAttribute('data-share-kind') || 'critics').trim().toLowerCase(); var preloadHeading = (preloadKind === 'audience' || preloadKind === 'audience-teaser' || preloadKind === 'audience-question') ? 'Audience share options' : ((preloadKind === 'ratings' || preloadKind === 'ratings-admin' || preloadKind === 'ratings-question') ? 'Ratings share options' : 'Critic share options'); renderShareOptionsLoadingWindow(previewWin, preloadHeading); } var statusEl = row.querySelector('.wiow-share-status'); if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = (platform === 'link') ? 'Copying link…' : 'Preparing share…'; try { var publicShareUrl = wiowShareFallbackUrl(row); var publicPostTitle = (row.getAttribute('data-post-title') || '').trim(); if (!publicPostTitle) publicPostTitle = 'this'; var publicShareKind = (row.getAttribute('data-share-kind') || 'critics').trim().toLowerCase(); var publicUpperTitle = publicPostTitle.toUpperCase(); var publicLineTwo = (publicShareKind === 'audience' || publicShareKind === 'audience-teaser' || publicShareKind === 'audience-question') ? 'See what the audience is saying.' : ((publicShareKind === 'ratings' || publicShareKind === 'ratings-admin' || publicShareKind === 'ratings-question') ? 'See the Worth it or Woke score.' : 'See what sane critics say.'); var publicBaseText = 'Is ' + publicUpperTitle + ' Worth it or Woke?\n\n' + publicLineTwo + '\n\nFollow @worthitorwoke for more.'; // Public top-level X and Copy Link controls should not depend on AJAX image generation. // The share URL itself carries the OG/Twitter metadata; scrapers can generate/fetch the image from that URL. if ((platform === 'x' || platform === 'link') && publicShareUrl) { if (platform === 'link') { var copiedPublicLink = await wiowCopyShareText(publicShareUrl); var publicLabel = btn.querySelector('.wiow-share-btn__label'); var publicOriginalLabel = publicLabel ? publicLabel.textContent : ''; if (copiedPublicLink) { if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = 'Link copied.'; if (publicLabel) { publicLabel.textContent = 'Copied!'; window.setTimeout(function(){ publicLabel.textContent = publicOriginalLabel || 'Copy link'; }, 1500); } } else { if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = 'Could not copy link.'; } return; } openPopup('https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=' + encodeURIComponent(publicBaseText) + '&url=' + encodeURIComponent(publicShareUrl)); if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = ''; return; } var built; var builtSquare = null; if (platform === 'copy') { // Build the landscape first so it chooses exactly one featured/gallery cycle image, // then pass that same image to the square builder. This prevents two square // outputs or mismatched gallery states in the Share Options window. built = await buildShareImage(row, { force:true }); builtSquare = await buildShareSquareImage(row, built.cycle_image_url || '', built.poster_url || '', { force:true }); if (!built || !built.image_url) { throw new Error('Landscape share build failed.'); } if (!builtSquare || !builtSquare.image_url) { throw new Error('Square share build failed.'); } } else { built = await buildShareImage(row); } var shareUrl = built.share_url; var postUrl = (row.getAttribute('data-post-url') || '').trim() || shareUrl; var postTitle = (row.getAttribute('data-post-title') || '').trim(); if (!postTitle) postTitle = 'this'; var shareKind = (row.getAttribute('data-share-kind') || 'critics').trim().toLowerCase(); var upperTitle = postTitle.toUpperCase(); var lineTwo = (shareKind === 'audience' || shareKind === 'audience-teaser' || shareKind === 'audience-question') ? 'See what the audience is saying.' : ((shareKind === 'ratings' || shareKind === 'ratings-admin' || shareKind === 'ratings-question') ? 'See the Worth it or Woke score.' : 'See what sane critics say.'); var baseText = 'Is ' + upperTitle + ' Worth it or Woke?\n\n' + lineTwo + '\n\nFollow @worthitorwoke for more.'; var textWithUrl = baseText + '\n\n' + shareUrl; var postTextWithUrl = baseText + '\n\n' + postUrl; var encodedUrl = encodeURIComponent(shareUrl); var encodedBaseText = encodeURIComponent(baseText); var encodedTextWithUrl = encodeURIComponent(textWithUrl); if (platform === 'link') { var copiedLink = await wiowCopyShareText(shareUrl); var label = btn.querySelector('.wiow-share-btn__label'); var originalLabel = label ? label.textContent : ''; if (copiedLink) { if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = 'Link copied.'; if (label) { label.textContent = 'Copied!'; window.setTimeout(function(){ label.textContent = originalLabel || 'Copy link'; }, 1500); } } else { if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = 'Could not copy link.'; } return; } if (platform === 'x'){ // X gets the URL through the intent URL parameter, so do not also duplicate it in the tweet text. openPopup('https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=' + encodedBaseText + '&url=' + encodedUrl); } else if (platform === 'facebook'){ // Facebook sharing has been intentionally removed from this plugin flow. if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = 'Facebook sharing is currently disabled.'; } else if (platform === 'copy'){ var heading = (shareKind === 'audience' || shareKind === 'audience-teaser' || shareKind === 'audience-question') ? 'Audience share options' : ((shareKind === 'ratings' || shareKind === 'ratings-admin' || shareKind === 'ratings-question') ? 'Ratings share options' : 'Critic share options'); window.__wiowLastShareOptionsContext = { row: row, heading: heading, win: previewWin }; var shown = renderShareOptionsWindow(previewWin, built.image_url, (builtSquare ? builtSquare.image_url : ''), shareUrl, heading); if (!shown) { var copied = false; if (navigator.clipboard && window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText){ try { await navigator.clipboard.writeText(shareUrl); copied = true; } catch (copyErr) {} } if (!copied) { var ta = document.createElement('textarea'); ta.value = shareUrl; ta.setAttribute('readonly', 'readonly'); ta.style.position = 'fixed'; ta.style.opacity = '0'; document.body.appendChild(ta); ta.focus(); ta.select(); ta.setSelectionRange(0, ta.value.length); copied = !!document.execCommand('copy'); ta.remove(); } } } if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = (platform === 'copy') ? 'Ready.' : ''; } catch(err){ if (previewWin && !previewWin.closed) { previewWin.close(); } if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = (err && err.message) ? err.message : 'Could not share.'; } }, true); })();