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After overcoming a launch plagued by game-breaking bugs and middle of the road reviews, Batman: Arkham Origins is preparing to throw a new fury of attacks at young Bruce Wayne. Players who survived the freezes and corrupted save files are likely finished with the Arkham Origins campaign and ready for some new challenges. Gamers that enjoyed the entertaining (but slightly familiar) adventure will have an opportunity to take on a brand-new mission starting tomorrow.
December 3, 2013 marks the release of the newest add-on content for Arkham Origins. The Initiation Challenge map pack flashes Batman's story back even further than the Origins campaign mode. Consumers picking up the DLC will take control of a pre-cape and cowl Bruce, as he hones his budding martial arts skills.
The DLC pack includes a new challenge campaign with four unique challenge maps and two original skins - Initiation Bruce Wayne and Vigilante Bruce Wayne. Interested parties will be able to snag the maps and skins for $6.99. If you happen to have already purchased the Season Pass for Origins, then the Initiation DLC is already covered.
Two Initiation achievements that were leaked on Xbox 360 Achievements suggest that players will be able to rock the new skins in the game's on-disc challenge maps. Players who obtain all 72 medals on the original Arkham Origins ranked maps, while dressed in the Bruce Wayne skin, will unlock the achievement. That'll make for a lot of retreading, but the more hardcore achievement hunters will likely muster the energy to revisit the original challenges.
Origins players have already seen the release of alternate skins and the two challenge maps included in Black Mask pack, but the Initiation content will be the first DLC to include substantial additional narrative. The martial arts-based challenges take Bruce to the Paektu-San Mountains of North Korea to test the future Caped Crusader's dedication and discipline. Bruce's teacher in Initiation may be Kirigi instead of Ra's al Ghul, but the trailer definitely is reminiscent of some moments from Batman Begins.
The developers at Warner Bros. Games certainly chose an interesting point in Bruce's early journey for the focus of the narrative DLC. Kirigi may be a bit of an obscure character in the DC Universe, but the early days of martial arts training fit right into the flashback setting established in Origins.
It doesn't seem likely that players should expect too much story out of a DLC pack that comes in at less than ten dollars, but it is nice to see the add-on content moving in this direction. Skin packs are always a ton of fun, particularly in comic-inspired games, but enhancing the original game's narrative is more rewarding for players and fans invested in the franchise's lore.
Is the focus on narrative in this DLC pack a selling point for you or are you just interested in new maps and skins? Sound off in the comments.
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The Initiation Challenge DLC will be available on December 3. Batman: Arkham Origins is out now, for PC, PS3, Xbox 360 & Wii U platforms.
An additional handheld adventure - Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate is also available, on PlayStation Vita & Nintendo 3DS formats.
Follow Denny on Twitter @The_DFC.
Source: WB Games