It’s really becoming quite sad that the brouhaha surrounding Arkham Knight’s piss-poor PC port is overshadowing what a great damned game it is. It’s the culmination of years of experience crafting the finest in Batventures, and that’s being lost in the hubbub around how godawful one of the three available versions is. And it’s set to get worse.
As you already know by now, the PC version of the game has been yanked from sale by Steam. Physical sales have also been halted, even here at the tip of Africa – and it’s because PC gamers have been stiffed with a truly horrendous port. How bad is it though? Many have reported having a pretty good experience with the PC version, especially once they’ve manually unlocked the game’s frame rate.
According to the wizards at Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry, it’s pretty damned bad. They say that the PC version of the game, other issues aside, doesn’t even look as good as the console versions running on inferior hardware.
“…PC lacks key visual effects seen on PS4 even at its top settings. Ambient occlusion is cut from the game, bokeh depth of field is noticeably dialed back,” they say, adding that “the transparency layer used for raindrops is cut from all surfaces as well. Gotham City is stripped of a great deal of atmosphere as a result, with areas appearing lighter without SSAO in place – despite this setting clearly being enabled in the .ini file.”
The delicious rain effects that give the game’s hero and his ride that shimmery wetness are wholly absent from the PC version.
“Likewise, rain doesn’t appear on Batman or the Batmobile as it does on PS4. The reflective, dewy sheen is missing across the city, though specular and normal maps remain identical to the console release. The PC’s highest settings show very little difference otherwise to Sony’s console, barring a tweak to motion blur velocity settings.”
So even on its highest settings, the PC version of the game just doesn’t look as good as the PS4’s one – which, given the relative lack of power in Sony’s console shows what an appalling port job it was.
Interestingly, those rain effects do make an appearance in Nvidia’s Gameworks trailer for Arkham Knight on the PC, which has led to many crying foul. There’s some speculation that the video, which promises 60fps gameplay was recorded in theatre mode, if not sped up to reach the delicious frame rate. Dubbed Chipmunkgate, the video seems to show evidence of being sped up – but really, that’s a whole different discussion.
The PC port of Arkham Knight should never have been released in its current state, and it’s a good thing that it’s been removed from sale – but that’s hardly consolation to those sitting with a bum copy of one of the year’s most anticipated games.
To sum up, Eurogamer says:
“With its crippled frame-rate, poor streaming, pared back feature set and bloated minimum and recommended hardware spec, Arkham Knight is bitterly disappointing and should never have been released in this sorry state. There’s a massive amount of work required to get this version of the game into shape – as things stand, the experience is totally unacceptable.”
Last Updated: June 25, 2015
Admiral Chief's Adventure
June 25, 2015 at 12:39
Wait a year for the inevitable sale and completed game has never been more true
RinceThis
June 25, 2015 at 12:42
Eish. EISH. EIIIIISH
Mistake Not...
June 25, 2015 at 12:43
So what about the people who didn’t buy it on Steam? Are they stuck with this? How does this even happen?
In other news: PS4 greffix > PC greffix. lol. *rekt
*runs
Admiral Chief's Adventure
June 25, 2015 at 12:47
Money >>> QA
Viking Of Science
June 25, 2015 at 12:47
I think that’ll be down to the retailer’s discretion, unfortunately.
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2015 at 14:04
HAHAHA
Geoffrey Tim
June 25, 2015 at 12:46
The PC mustard race. A Race to the bottom.
Lord Chaos
June 25, 2015 at 12:48
Meh, I’ll just continue trolling NASA and play with the Mars Rover on my PC
Admiral Chief's Adventure
June 25, 2015 at 12:51
Don’t you have some zeroes to go hunt?
RinceThis
June 25, 2015 at 13:13
HAHAHAHAHA
Bagel
June 25, 2015 at 13:25
Console Peasents should Ketchup…
Oh thats the door? thanks.
Geoffrey Tim
June 25, 2015 at 13:51
I chuckled.
Matthew Holliday
June 25, 2015 at 13:30
sabotage
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2015 at 14:04
Looooooooool
oVg "I hate Portals" - Geralt
June 25, 2015 at 14:54
lol
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2015 at 15:42
He’s such a joker.
Viking Of Science
June 25, 2015 at 12:46
It feels like this whole mess could have been avoided if WB contracted a better studio to handle the port…
Geoffrey Tim
June 25, 2015 at 12:47
Yes, and after the Mortal Kombat X debacle, you’d imagine they’ve now learned their lesson.
Viking Of Science
June 25, 2015 at 12:48
I mean, how much money have they lost during this debacle, Surely It would’ve cost them less to hire NOT High Voltage or Iron Galaxy to do ports for them.
Lord Chaos
June 25, 2015 at 12:48
Not to mention stock drops
Viking Of Science
June 25, 2015 at 12:52
TWX (Time Warner) stock have been trending downward since the 22nd… I wonder what happened *sarcasm*
http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Time_Warner_(TWX)
Captain JJ Browmehn
June 25, 2015 at 13:13
They haven’t learned to care yet. That’s the problem.
Deceased
June 26, 2015 at 10:38
Wait, no, @elcapitandelblade:disqus and @johnambitious:disqus, the new trend for corporations is to appear as if they don’t give a fuck… not a single one…
We’ve now seen it with WB and that other one which cannot be mentioned in polite conversation these days 😐
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2015 at 13:19
Steam didn’t do refunds then.
Captain JJ Browmehn
June 25, 2015 at 13:19
Oh wow. That makes you think.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2015 at 13:21
I know right? When MKX was released it was business as usual. What’s changed between the time MKX was released & B:AK? HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM I WONDER?
Lord Chaos
June 25, 2015 at 13:22
I read that “B” as a “K”
Captain JJ Browmehn
June 25, 2015 at 13:23
Wise
Captain JJ Browmehn
June 25, 2015 at 13:23
So I’m not overly sensitive for thinking WB are assholes. Good to know 😀
Lord Chaos
June 25, 2015 at 12:46
So if they halted physical sales, can people get refunds?
And will the ship new disks with the complete game or just stiff the fans with a 20GB patch?
Matthew Holliday
June 25, 2015 at 13:41
doubt we can expect a reprint of the disks.
although in my case, it would be totally legit, seeing as my disks only install 7.7gb of the 33gb game.
dont think retail can do refunds, since once you try install, the key is locked to your steam account.
its like going to cash crusaders to buy a game and hope that the cd-key still works.
ster kinekor must be feeling the pain though.they cocked up the release date and are going to be inundated with refund requests at the end of it.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2015 at 12:48
If this is the crap AAAs are going to try selling, just… don’t. Don’t even port it. Really, it’s okay. If the choice is between a poo sandwich and not a poo sandwich, I’ll choose not.
Trevor Matrix
June 25, 2015 at 12:49
But what if it is a Bat-Poo sandwich? Complete with Bat symbol and Batarangs?
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2015 at 12:52
Still poo. I haven’t played DA:I, I haven’t played GTAV, I probably won’t play ME4 – my life still goes on quite uneventfully.
Trevor Matrix
June 25, 2015 at 12:53
GTA V is certainly not poo. Not saying this cuz I’m a fanboy. I’m a fanboy because the PC port was amazingly well done and Trevor loads of fun!
Lord Chaos
June 25, 2015 at 12:54
I wouldn’t call it a port. I think they pretty much started from the ground up.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2015 at 12:54
The point was not playing a certain game doesn’t make any difference to my life. There’s always something else. 😛
Trevor Matrix
June 25, 2015 at 12:55
Ah. I see. Still man. You should seriously consider GTA V. Pssst…. I heard this little rumour that the new Batman sucks Joker-Balls. So stay away from that.
RinceThis
June 25, 2015 at 12:50
I bet you wish you had that decision back in school lunch break, eh?
Lord Chaos
June 25, 2015 at 12:50
Thought he was home schooled?
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2015 at 12:51
Wot r “school”?
RinceThis
June 25, 2015 at 12:52
There there. Mr Robot has been granted a second season! WOOT!
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2015 at 12:52
YES! FUCK SOCIETY! So you watched it? Brilliant eh?
RinceThis
June 25, 2015 at 12:54
MIND fucking BLOWN dude! I watched it twice because I was so hard, I mean, it was so hard in awe… umm… Do you have all of them?
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2015 at 12:55
It only starts properly next week, they just released the pilot early. I knew I was in for something special right from the start when he spoke about Steve Gods. Oops, Jobs. 😉
RinceThis
June 25, 2015 at 12:56
Bwahaha. Slater is excellent. As is whatshisface 😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2015 at 12:57
He would be excellent, if he was real? Still not convinced. 😀
RinceThis
June 25, 2015 at 13:10
You STAPH you!
Admiral Chief's Adventure
June 25, 2015 at 12:51
oVg’s gif from earlier today comes to mind
Admiral Chief's Adventure
June 25, 2015 at 12:52
This one:
http://i.imgur.com/hz2PYe4.gifv
RinceThis
June 25, 2015 at 13:05
HAHA
kuuu(UMAR)rrrr
June 25, 2015 at 12:57
Master Race…….lol
Pieter Kruger
June 25, 2015 at 12:58
Must admit I’m enjoying the Xbox One version, feeling very bad for the PC users, this is unacceptable crap! Was no quality testing done at all???
FoxOneZA
June 25, 2015 at 14:23
PC hamsters are the new quality testers 😉
Gr8_Balls_o_KFM_Fire
June 25, 2015 at 13:03
Karma. Such a rotund beast
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
June 25, 2015 at 17:17
I fail to see how this is karma… If anything its a really kak business practice to release any game in a broken state, on any platform, be it ps4 or a mobile game, it has to at least work, calling it karma because you hate pc gamers just brings you down to that level, sorry, just saying, we’re all gamers and for the life of me, I’d love to have a console, it’s just bloody expensive right now…
Gr8_Balls_o_KFM_Fire
June 30, 2015 at 07:51
Ey no man.. i meant karma for the developers of the port. They gonna get such a huge kick in the ass. And the publishers stock price got a kick too.
How dare you think of me that way :((((
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
June 30, 2015 at 10:00
Ai Sorry man, I think I might have misinterperated what you said, I feel like poop on a stick now…
Gr8_Balls_o_KFM_Fire
June 30, 2015 at 20:53
Lol is cool man. At least you had some exercise jumping to a conclusion 😀
Bagel
June 25, 2015 at 13:09
Stop pre-ordering video games.
Geoffrey Tim
June 25, 2015 at 13:09
Yes. This.
Captain JJ Browmehn
June 25, 2015 at 13:10
Considering WB’s success with the other Batman games, including Batman of Mordor, there wasn’t any reason to expect this one to be so bad.
Captain JJ Browmehn
June 25, 2015 at 13:11
I’m not defending pre-orders. I dislike it just as much as the next guy since I’ve burnt myself badly with it before. But this is still all on the companies who pumped the game out.
Bagel
June 25, 2015 at 13:13
I feel if an indy studio is making a game you really really want, and feel you can trust the devs have at it hoss. do you bruh. But just based on history and principle, AAA studio’s can go fly a kite.
Captain JJ Browmehn
June 25, 2015 at 13:15
I agree with you 100%. I’m all for supporting indie games and their development once I’ve read up a bit about the people behind it.
Viking Of Science
June 25, 2015 at 13:11
Arkham Origins: Never Forget!
Captain JJ Browmehn
June 25, 2015 at 13:12
I bought it on sale for $5. So I missed all the bad stuff. Personally found it way better than City in the end.
Viking Of Science
June 25, 2015 at 13:13
But it was broken as hell at launch… City also had issues. And Need I bring up MK9 and X at release?
Captain JJ Browmehn
June 25, 2015 at 13:14
Like I said. I didn’t even know Origins was broken. Got it on sale. I’ve only pre-ordered two games in my life. The one was the biggest load of shit ever spewed and the other, well, the other was The Witcher 3.
Viking Of Science
June 25, 2015 at 13:15
No…. you didn’t…. Tell me you Didn’t Pre-order ALIENS: Colonial Marines….
Captain JJ Browmehn
June 25, 2015 at 13:15
Hehe. No. It was GRID 2. Which is the racing version of Colonial Marines.
Viking Of Science
June 25, 2015 at 13:16
oh thank god….
Captain JJ Browmehn
June 25, 2015 at 13:19
I have bought a few games on Early Access though. Five, I think. Only one which was a complete waste of my support. The others, specifically two, are superb for the price I paid and considering they’re in beta.
Viking Of Science
June 25, 2015 at 13:20
I don’t even support Early access. My thought is, I’d rather play the Full Product, rather than parts of it…
Captain JJ Browmehn
June 25, 2015 at 13:21
I just like to support the little guys who really try to bring something new to the table. Especially when the “AAA” companies are pumping out kak like this Batman.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2015 at 13:26
That’s why I’m quite happy to back KS campaigns for games that look interesting. That’s even riskier than preordering a game because it might even end up not being released, but I’d rather have the warm glow of feeling like I helped make some game happen than deal with disAAApointments.
Captain JJ Browmehn
June 25, 2015 at 13:31
Yea. That was my one Planetary Annihilation mistake, but I live with it. They didn’t do about 20% of what they said they would and raised in the top 10 highest ever for KS.
But others were so worth it though.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2015 at 13:34
Shadowrun Returns, cool; Divinity: OS, so damn good; others are… um… backlogged.
Lord Chaos
June 25, 2015 at 13:21
You’re gonna make one lucky lady very happy. 😛
Bagel
June 25, 2015 at 13:21
Again its up to the devs in question. Will i purchase an Early Access game made by the ARK devs? Hell yeah. Will i purchase an Early Access game made by Dean Hall. Fark no.
Captain JJ Browmehn
June 25, 2015 at 13:22
Yes. This.
Bought ARK myself, just need to start that download now and pretend that I have time to actually play it.
Bagel
June 25, 2015 at 13:23
Its worth it. Really. that game is just…… fking beautiful. i mean THEY HAVE DODO BIRDS.
Captain JJ Browmehn
June 25, 2015 at 13:24
Haha. A game with dinosaurs that you can ride and you mention the dodos. So much win. 😀
Captain JJ Browmehn
June 25, 2015 at 13:25
Bad game = Planetary Annihilation
Good ones = The Long Dark, The Forest. (still to play ARK but I think it might slot in here)
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
June 25, 2015 at 17:20
I agree wholeheartedly, with the mordored batman being as good as it was(not broken at release) how was this even possible?
Pariah
June 25, 2015 at 14:10
The last game I pre-ordered was NFS Underground 2. I wasn’t disappointed. That was however a long, long time ago.
Viking Of Science
June 25, 2015 at 13:18
http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0137/6352/products/houseofbiscuitposternew_large.jpg?v=1431044070
Lord Chaos
June 25, 2015 at 13:19
Biscuit? I prefer cookies.
Bagel
June 25, 2015 at 13:19
Blasphemy.
Lord Chaos
June 25, 2015 at 13:19
How’d you know my middle name?
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2015 at 13:27
Because that’s what your parents always answer when asked if you’re their kid. *run*
Lord Chaos
June 25, 2015 at 13:31
Yea? Well.. I… I…
I hope you get CoD for your birthday.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2015 at 13:33
lol – less than an hour ago my colleague was telling me how she’s surprised I don’t get fucked up more often for smartarse comments.
Lord Chaos
June 25, 2015 at 13:40
Fortunately the team I’m in runs of sarcasm.
Admiral Chief's Adventure
June 25, 2015 at 13:41
You need to learn to talk to the ladies dude
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2015 at 13:45
But I don’t want to play dating sims or “those” visual novels you get on Steam.
Lord Chaos
June 25, 2015 at 13:54
You prefer “those” flash games?
Bagel
June 25, 2015 at 13:33
That is just fucking rude dude. take that back right now.
Admiral Chief's Adventure
June 25, 2015 at 13:36
BAD MINION!
HvR
June 25, 2015 at 13:49
https://youtu.be/K8nrF5aXPlQ?t=136
Lord Chaos
June 25, 2015 at 13:55
I’d rather listen to skrillex and his food processor…
Captain JJ Browmehn
June 25, 2015 at 13:19
Can I pre-order this?
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2015 at 14:05
*Preorders book
R1ker
June 25, 2015 at 13:26
I am so glad I didn’t budge on impulse and pre-ordered it on steam. Very disappointed on the bad port. The first 2 worked fine. Why could they not get the 3rd one to work as well.
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
June 25, 2015 at 17:22
I was so close to get this the other day… Also glad I skipped it… Holy poop on a pedestal, I would have been quite upset…
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2015 at 13:32
Oh, I knew I saw this somewhere too:
http://www.pcgamer.com/batman-arkham-knight-system-requirements-updated-just-ahead-of-launch/
Apparently they updated the game’s min spec for AMD cards to a 7950 less than a day before release on Steam. They knew this shit was coming. Tried to pull an Ubi & hide poor optimisation with high specs.
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
June 25, 2015 at 17:25
Yep! I wouldn’t call it poor optimisation though, just the worst possible business practice ever practice to adopt…
Wraith
June 25, 2015 at 13:35
Wasn’t this meant to be included as a free game for new graphics cards? Raw deal.
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2015 at 14:05
It is free, cant remember the graphics card though
Wraith
June 25, 2015 at 14:35
Assume it was Nvidia. Explains why they’re scrambling to lend a ‘helping hand’.
Ghost In The Rift
June 25, 2015 at 14:26
Do the devs that did the port get punished or is this just water under the bridge type of situation?
Batman deserves more than being duped by a port, okey lets not give the Joker ideas.
Joe Black
June 25, 2015 at 17:20
Some publishers are certainly not making any friends among PC gamers these days. Me?.. I’m glad I stick mostly with Indie devs and not AAA publishers with their calculated machinations.