The world’s greatest detective is back on the PS4 and Xbox One in an HD collection; the collection consists of Arkham Asylum and, Arkham City. Does this series need an HD collection or should it have just with the last generation of consoles? let’s find out.

Arkham Asylum (2009) and Arkham City (2011) come storming in on the PS4. In Arkham Asylum you are confined to one location filled with Gotham most notorious criminals, you have one target in the game though the Joker. After an incident at the mayor’s office in Gotham city, Batman captures the Joker without any fight, upon the arrival at Arkham immediately the Joker breaks free to un-foil a plan to poison Gotham’s water supply and to get to Dr. Young and the titan; a drug that DR. Young developed which is a stronger venom than what bane uses. So your job as the caped crusader is to find an antidote to the titan and stop the Joker, along with your journey you will have encounters with other “famous” Batman villains such as Scarecrow, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, and Bane, but your main objective defeat the Joker.
In Arkham City, you start playing as the irregular billionaire Bruce Wayne tied up in a room being beaten by DR. Hugo Stranges henchmen (Tyger). Leaving the room you realize you have become a prisoner in Arkham City, strange then talks about protocol 10 and to make matters worse in this case he knows you are Batman. You are in an open world this time in the Arkham franchise, during your time here you will have your main quests with side missions and content. In this installment of Batman Arkham franchise, you have your main story bringing down Hugo Strange and, stopping protocol 10 ,but there are stories on the side like the Joker dying with a severe illness and, Ra’s al Ghul and the league of shadows that you can complete as you progress through the main story.

When it comes to gameplay Rocksteady revolutionized a combat style that we see many games do today the free flow combat style, where you can bounce from enemy to enemy unleashing devastating attacks. While you are not using hand to hand combat you are using stealth takedowns using your gadgets like the Batarang, explosive gel. When you are not in combat you are flying around using your grappling hook and collecting riddler trophies.

Verdict: Batman return to Arkham has its appeal to people if you have not played them on the previous consoles, but after the Arkham Asylum you feel a little burned out and are in no rush to go right into Arkham City. These games are really fun and good to play but you get burned out on them after the first game

Score: 7/10 Batman Return to Arkham.

Rise of the Tomb Raider
Alex the Kidd, Gamers of the Round Table

Lara Croft has returned to PlayStation with her 20 Year Celebration edition of Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix’s Rise of the Tomb Raider. The follow up to 2013’s Tomb Raider, fans have been eagerly awaiting the next installment of the rebooted franchise, and now after a year-long wait, PS4 owners can experience Lara’s next adventure; does Rise of the Tomb Raider live up to the twenty year legacy of this award winning franchise, or is it a failed expedition that could derail the progress its predecessor set?
The Good
Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration is packaged with concept art from the creators and fan art submitted in celebration of twenty years of Lara Croft. Along with this collection of art, the game comes with every add-on available during the first year of its release, and new content as well. This includes VR support for “Blood Ties”, new “Ultimate Survivor” difficulty mode, new outfit and gun inspired by Tomb Raider III, 5 classic Lara skins, Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch, Endurance Mode, Cold Darkness Awakened, 12 outfits, 7 weapons, and 35 Expedition cards. With all of the additional content offered, players can feel good about paying full price for a game that is technically a year old; in the end you actually save money compared to those who bought the Xbox 1 copy last year and then purchased all of the subsequent DLC afterwards.
The story in this game is a proper continuation from where we last left off. Players see the aftermath of the previous adventure where a survivor was born, and the ripples it created in Lara’s life. The adventure progresses at a steady pace, and no plot-point is left unresolved.
The emphasis on resource gathering is a welcome addition, forcing players to hunt, forage, and look for supplies to upgrade their weapons and gear. Players must also gather collectables to increase their knowledge of ancient languages in order to find valuable artifacts. This game keeps the player from having anything handed to them, forcing them to earn the valuables they seek.
The Bad
The inability to blind-fire from behind cover becomes a problem as the amount of combat Lara is subjected to increases; when enemies are both running to your position and firing from a distance, the battles can feel aggravating, especially for those playing on survivor or ultimate survivor mode. The brutality seems toned down compared to the last installment, and while many may enjoy the lack of graphic visuals, it was a major component of the rebooted franchise – this isn’t your old Tomb Raider game, and this isn’t Lara Croft as you’ve experienced her before.
Lack of dual-wielding pistols; at the conclusion of Tomb Raider, Lara defeats the final boss by firing two pistols simultaneously as an homage to the classic weapons of choice that have populated the series since the first game. While this is about the beginnings of Lara Crofts journey, this installment didn’t even offer a nudge to the classic weapons. The end of the last game insinuated that we would see a development in Lara’s arsenal, but players are left with more of the same from the previous installment.
Rating
10 – Rise of the Tomb Raider is a welcome addition to an already amazing franchise, not only continuing the journey set out from the 2013 reboot, but standing on its own as an excellent Tomb Raider game. This Lara Croft is a very human character, and while she isn’t the dual-wielding badass she was in previous years, it’s clear to see that she is well on her way. The 20 Year Celebration Edition for PS4 is the complete experience and then some, providing everything a gamer could want and more in a full-priced game. This game is the reason for owning a PS4.