Batman: Arkham Origins for mobile is the worst of the franchise. Batman is easily one of the most recognizable superheroes around the world, and he's been adapted to just about every available medium. On the big screen, he's been portrayed by Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck, with Robert Pattinson inheriting the cape and cowl next for The Batman.

Batman has also appeared in countless video games over the years, with some being much better than others. Nostalgic gems include The Adventures of Batman & Robin for SNES or Batman: Return Of The Joker, while the likes of Batman: Dark Tomorrow or the video game based on Batman Forever are borderline unplayable. The series that truly got to the core of the character and, most importantly, made players feel like they were actually playing as the hero is the Batman: Arkham franchise.

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This series launched with the acclaimed Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2009 and led to several sequels and spinoffs. The games became known for their seamless blend of combat, stealth and detective work, which honored the character's past while adding elements to the mythology. Of the main series, 2013 prequel Batman: Arkham Origins is commonly considered the weakest since it did little to evolve the formula or add new mechanics. It's still a solid game in its own right, though the same can't really be said for Batman: Arkham Origins on iOS or Android.

Developed by NetherRealm Studios, Batman: Arkham Origins is a free-to-play beat-em-up. Players progress through areas by fighting against various thugs - some of whom are armed - before facing off with boss characters like Deadshot or Bane. The game plays very much like a mobile version of NetherRealm's Injustice series, and while it can be entertaining to play for about fifteen minutes, the shallowness of the experience soon overwhelms the fun. The loop of fighting faceless goons with occasional boss battles becomes mindnumbing, and while there are incentives to keep playing such as upgrading skills or unlocking costumes - including the Batman Beyond suit - there's little reason to return.

Of course, shrinking the Arkham franchise down to a mobile title beat-em-up was always going to bring such issues, and it's hard to complain about a free title that boasts such good graphics. That said, the franchise has become a mark of quality for the Dark Knight in gaming, making the shallowness of Batman: Arkham Origins for mobile a little hard to overlook.

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