Batman: Return to Arkham

'Batman: Return to Arkham' graphics comparison video is shocking

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May 26, 2016

Last week Warner Bros. officially announced Batman: Return to Arkham, a bundle that includes remastered versions of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City for the Xbox One and PS4. The press released boasted "improved graphics, as well as upgraded models, environments, lighting, effects and shaders," and our friend at Batman: Arkham Videos decided to make a comparison video based on the new trailer.

The results of the comparison are a little shocking. In many instances, the 2009 and 2011 games running on a PC look better than the 2016 remastered version for the Xbox One and PS4... at least to my eye! Check out the comparison video above, and let me know what you think of it in the comments below.

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91 comments

BatLuuk
May 26, 2016
Hopefully they'll patch it and make it at least somewhere near Knight level graphics, otherwise I'll just stick to the original PC games and skip this remake. Because the originals look WAY better than this "HD remake"...
Ravager
May 26, 2016
Overall it looks better but in some instances the original looks sharper. Huge Strange's hair was made way too bushy.
Jezza
May 26, 2016
I actually prefer the look of the originals...
1. Jezza
  May 28, 2016
  I don't give a crap.
residentgrigo
May 26, 2016
That´s the PC for you Chris. Just saving PS3 texture files as PS4 - 1080p isn´t the magic it´s cranked up to be. The lack of Origins is still the real crime. They could have just modified the combat a tiny bit + put the most current version (without multiplayer) on the disc and we would have easy had a low 80s metacritic game on our hands.
I have 100% story completion rate in Asylum and thus stopped then with the riddler trophies forever more. These need to be reexamined for future games
1. Nate
  May 26, 2016
  Darn those riddler trophies! I did the same thing: 100% on Asylum, but City was just too many. I just don't have that kind of time and patience on my hands.
  1. Renegade4Life
    May 27, 2016
    honestly i did those riddler trophies multiple times in both arkham asylum and arkham city though even though i finished the riddler trophies in arkham knight that one is the only arkham game i won't redo the damn trophies as that's where i draw the line with that game
Deathstroke
May 26, 2016
They must have labeled this wrong in the video. I think Remastered is the original, and Original is actually the remastered.
1. Guest
  May 26, 2016
  Nope, it's the correct labeling. If you look at the screenshots on the official website for the remaster as well, you can see that the comparison is valid.
OptimistPrime99
May 26, 2016
So uh... WHY EXACTLY couldn't Arkham Knight have come out on PS3 and Xbox 360, again?! "Outrageous"!
1. Ravager
  May 26, 2016
  More like why couldn't it come out on PC. I refuse to accept that it was "unfixable".
2. residentgrigo
  May 26, 2016
  The PS3 would have had a severe problem to display such a busy screen as Knight does at times and some of the textures are straight out insane. It was the best looking PS4 games till Uncharted and Ratchet came along. The PS3 still managed to display Phantom Pain and GTAV in a respective state, so who knows.
  (I love your Earth2 avatar.)
3. residentgrigo
  May 26, 2016
  http://www.popoptiq.com/wp-...
4. OptimistPrime99
  May 26, 2016
  I'm as serious as a Zack Snyder comic book movie. https://uploads.disquscdn.c...
  1. Alan Conn
    May 26, 2016
    Not to mention there r as many polygons in one character in arkham knight as there are in the entire environment of arkham asylum. They wouldnt have the power to even process that.
5. Um...
  May 27, 2016
  Frame rate
John Ottaway
May 26, 2016
At least compare like for like with regard to upgrading. PS3/PS4 xbox360/xbox One.
PC games are leaps ahead of consoles, especially if it's just upgrading an existing game
1. BatmanNewsChris
  May 26, 2016
  That's true, but a PC game from 2009 shouldn't look better than a Xbox One/PS4 game in 2016!
  1. Um...
    May 27, 2016
    Actually, yes it should.
    PC is THAT far ahead of consoles.
    1. Gonk
      May 28, 2016
      I'm a console guy but with the evidence put forth and any half decent knowledge of computers, you are right.
Milo Yiannopoulos
May 26, 2016
Is this the same guy who added candy land colors to Man of Steel, claiming that it was in any reality the standard color palette?
I'll wait and see the games on my Ps4
OssamNin
May 26, 2016
1.- Comparing PS4 with PC is unfair, PC will always be superior in the graphics department.
2.- They are comparing cutscenes that were pre-rendered on the original versions, and at least to me, it looks like the remastered versions will render all the cutscenes in real-time, just like in Arkham Knight, and that would be the reason for things like Strange's eyebrows and beard looking freaking weird and stuff like that.
1. Guest
  May 26, 2016
  The Hugo Strange scene isn't a pre-rendered cut-scene in the original. However, I do believe that your assumption is correct that the pre-rendered scenes are now rendered in real-time.
  1. OssamNin
    May 26, 2016
    you're right, I just remembered you could actually move the camera in that scene xD
2. Shallbecomeabat
  May 28, 2016
  dingdingdingdingding!
  the first person that knows what he is talking about. Finally. The Strange shot is an exception (and yeah they fucked up the hair and beard, I agree), just as the view on the Arkham building with the tower (which looks WAY better than the original version btw). Also, don't forget that this will run at full HD and 60 frames, while the old versions where 720 and 30 frames.
  The rest of you are so excited to be outraged that the brain shuts off automatically.
BW
May 26, 2016
I agree the original version somehow looks better
Tommy Pearson
May 26, 2016
I think they're deliberately changing things not intentionally to be better, but different. They want it to feel like a new experience even if the character models are more cartoony and the colour scheme is more saturated.
Mr J
May 26, 2016
The new colours of the characters made them look more comedic?
The original looks was more darker, better and realistic. The only characters that really stood out remastered was Two-Face and Solomon Grundy and the enviroment of Gotham Ciy in general.
But buy a new remastered game to see these two characters in better graphics for about 5 min? No thanks.
1. Philip Cardillo
  May 31, 2016
  it's comparing the remasters to the PC version, not the console versions
Gabi RkZ
May 26, 2016
OMG Harley <3
grayghost84
May 26, 2016
I would actually agree it is shocking. The remaster is terrible! I would have maybe bought this if it was a big improvement, but in most cases it looks worse!!
Worlds Finest Comments
May 26, 2016
Anybody else thinks the Joker looks better in the original? Hair looked more detailed, clothes looked dirtier (In a good way). Remastered just looks shinier...
emily_10
May 26, 2016
I like the one on the right side of the thumbnail, is that the new one? I can't see the video
1. BadJokr
  May 26, 2016
  The new one is on the left
Worlds Finest Comments
May 26, 2016
There's kind of a huge difference in cost and manpower between remastering a game and developing another AAA title from scratch...
1. Guest
  May 26, 2016
  Yeah, Rockaway themselves had nothing to with the remastering of theses games, they hired a third party company to do it. They obviously have more important things to do. Maybe a new game?
RedHood
May 26, 2016
the originals look better.
Guy
May 26, 2016
Is it just me, or the original graphics look better
1. Rob_wesb
  May 26, 2016
  Exactly my thought.
IamTheOneWhoKnocks
May 26, 2016
That remastered team needs to get fired.
col42
May 26, 2016
wow
noakai
May 26, 2016
Some of it I think looks better, but some of it also looks worse to me. Some of the "improved" lighting actually makes things harder to see and Hugo's eyebrows are terrifying now. Still, I'll buy this for sure.
SlyTrooper
May 26, 2016
Still gonna get it despite how small the improvements are. Just need an excuse to play through them again. If only Origins was included...
Ryan Keith Allen
May 26, 2016
Not that much of a difference , did they boost it up to 60 frames a second ?
OssamNin
May 26, 2016
At least they made Batman look young in Arkham Asylum, I always hated how his face looked all wrinkly and ugly in that game and all of a sudden he looked young in Arkham City
Batsassin
May 26, 2016
Pc master race xD
1. OssamNin
  May 26, 2016
  Ps4 remaster race... u.u
  1. Batsassin
    May 26, 2016
    Ok. Weird opinion but ok.
    1. OssamNin
      May 26, 2016
      look at the sad face, look at it! u.u
      1. Batsassin
        May 26, 2016
        I see it xD
GaboPSN
May 26, 2016
I prefer the original. The remaster looks sharper than the original, better lightning, shadows, textures and draw distance, but it looks too clean imo (look at the Joker for example), I like the dirtier look of the original and some characters look better in the original, like Strange: http://i.imgur.com/B4yhXTJ.jpg
1. GaboPSN
  May 26, 2016
  The face framed shadow makes this look more sinister and better.
  (And don't get me started with the beard and eyebrows).
  1. NostradennASS
    May 26, 2016
    Bruh, the beard and eyebrows look a shit ton better on the originals.
krampe1995
May 26, 2016
Rocksteady announce the superman game already!
1. IamTheOneWhoKnocks
  May 26, 2016
  Link please?
  1. krampe1995
    May 26, 2016
    only rumors for now but there was a arkham episode several months ago where they said what they wanted to do after batman and then it cuts. it goes like: so what are your plans, after you finished with batman.
    The creator were like: well not entirely... and then it cuts
2. krampe1995
  May 26, 2016
  it isnt confirmed but they are working on smth.
  The twitter page also liked several comments where the fans are begging for a superman game
  1. IamTheOneWhoKnocks
    May 26, 2016
    That's great news!!
    1. krampe1995
      May 26, 2016
      it could also be a justice league game but so many hints towards superman. And so many likes for superman game comments, the evidence is there
      1. IamTheOneWhoKnocks
        May 26, 2016
        Yeah, I was going to say that maybe someday they would do a Justice League game too....I'm good with either...this is awesome.
      2. krampe1995
        May 26, 2016
        wait for e3. It was even confirmed that 2 dc games are being produced right now. Maybe arkham origins developers are continuing origins and rocketedy are doing superman
      3. IamTheOneWhoKnocks
        May 26, 2016
        Yeah, that's most likely it, can't wait.
      4. David Sebastian
        May 28, 2016
        The second game will probably be that Batman from Telltales.
      5. IamTheOneWhoKnocks
        May 26, 2016
        Yeah, that's why they are making all these changes. cleaning house basically. We'll see what happens, hopefully it all works out....if anything, Rebirth got my hopes up.
GaboPSN
May 26, 2016
This is being made by Virtuos.
krampe1995
May 26, 2016
rocksteady is doing smth different. I hope for superman or flash.
1. krampe1995
  May 26, 2016
  they are not kinda done with batman and a superman game would be the shit

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This is an archive of Batman-News.com from 2010 to 2025. For the latest news, check out BatmanNews.com