The fall flood of new games continues into the holiday season on the PlayStation Network this week, led by the Caped Crusader himself as Batman: Arkham Origins and Arkham Origins Blackgate arrive for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita respectively.
This week's gaming forecast comes to us courtesy of Sony Social Media Specialist Ryan Clements. Along with a whole bunch of bundles, special editions and initial launches, Clements said that the Dark Knight's latest pair of outings are worth keeping an eye on.
“Lauded for its gritty visuals and stellar play, the Arkham games have garnered a huge following in the world of gaming,” Clements said. “That tradition is sure to continue with Batman: Arkham Origins, a prequel to Rocksteady's revolutionary first two game in the series.”
While the Arkham series is now being handled by a new developer, Clements said Batman and Co. are just as violent and visceral as ever, featuring an “intense single-player experience you'd expect from an Arkham game,” but with a “robust online suite for gamers to compete within.”
Both Arkham Origins and Blackgate will arrive this Friday, a bit later than the weekly norm of Tuesday afternoon. Both will be available at retail and also digitally through the PlayStation Store. For those who care about continuity, Blackgate takes place after the events of Origin, but before Arkham Asylum.
Also launching this week are a couple of 2K collections at retail. The Essentials Collection features BioShock, Borderlands and XCOM: Enemy Unknown while the Power Pack Collection includes The Darkness II, BioShock 2 and Mafia II.
Alien Rage also arrives on PSN this week, inviting players to “blast through hordes of aliens in this sci-fi first-person shooter” featuring 10 boomsticks sporting two firing modes apiece and 14 levels.
Those who need to get in some less alcoholic training before heading off to their college parties can enjoy a digital version of Beer Pong this week, as well as the Director's Cut of Deus Ex: Human Revolution including additional bosses, some DLC and interplay between the console version of the game and the PlayStation Vita screen.
A blast from the past is also making an appearance this week with Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Premium Edition, which includes the years-old action adventure game, as well as the story-driven DLC pack and some extra skins.
Ethan: Meteor Hunter breeds platforming and puzzling on the PSN this week, alongside Lego Marvel Super Heroes, which puts the standard Lego spin on a brand new action adventure game featuring a bunch of famous characters, like The Hulk, Spider-Man and Wolverine, on both PSN and at retail.
Magrunner: Dark Pulse lets players go toe-to-toe with the elder god, Cthulhu, with the help of a glove that controls magnetism while yet another Naruto game, Shippuden: Ultimate Storm 3 Full Burst does what Naruto games do best.
Finally, rounding out this week's list of Tuesday releases is Rocksmith 2014 Edition, letting you learn guitar with a real instrument, and SpongeBob SquarePants: Plankton's Robotic Revenge.
