DabigRG The Enemy Within Impressions and Review

As a quick recap, when I first heard Telltale was a making a Batman game, I was pretty skeptical and very disinterested. However, upon learning of a second season and seeing commercials, review scores, and even comments from otherwise very critical fans praising it, I couldn't help but slowly consider checking it out for myself. So I bought it in the late third or early fourth quarter of 2018 only to sit it on the backlog while I gradually attended to other games that had priority and later got the second season during impromptu Christmas Eve shopping alongside Telltale's Jurassic Park. In the time between New Years and mid-to-late March, I have played Season 1 and found it to be quite a good experience, recognizing that my initial dismissal was very much ignorant of proper thought and wrote chronicling impressions in a similar style that I did The Wolf Among Us; in the time between then and now, I also played Jurassic Park, which I wrote transcripts and review of in the appropriate section. And now, after a fairly considerable delay, I'm finally getting around to playing it's acclaimed sequel, The Enemy Within.

As a hopefully accurate heads-up, there's a couple of things I wish to establish about this playthrough. First and foremost, there will still be slightly delays between posts per episode as has been the case for other games. Secondly, for those who have/will read my previous impressions and gotten used to their style, I've made it a point to change that up into a simpler form with this. As I found after doing the finale of Jurassic Park, that style of jotting as I play is unfortunately just prone to inflating already long episodes into even longer time sinks. Finally, the review of the first episode will probably and/or hopefully be up by the end of this week, though I can't exactly make promises.

Comments

  • Hey there. Time for a update.
    Still haven't put the game back in the system after already having installed it following the finale of Season 1. Been playing Dragonball FighterZ's Hard Story Modes in the meantime and repeatedly flaked on the prospect of simply changing the discs when I'm done with a play session.
    Not sure if anyone besides maybe mods and Rias(Press F) has actually been waitin on it, but I might try to actually do so tomorrow if I don't have to go anywhere AND/OR get distracted doing other stuff again. Good night.

  • edited May 2019

    So after a long ass delay, I finally played Episode 1 The Enigma last night.

    This was a fairly relaxed start off to the sequel aside from maybe the stuff Riddler's traps and puzzle box resulted in. It's been a few months since I did Season 1 as well as apparently a year in universe and yet it almost felt like I slipped right back into the fold a bit seamlessly. I mean, I obviously forgot a bit of what happened in Season 1, but it's not really crucial for the most part.

    As a change up from my previous style of recap/review, I focused more on just playing the episode and only started to jot down quick things like dialogue, character identities, and the occasional observation; the same basic pattern as before, yes, but more brisk for the sake of time and focus. Of course, I was vividly reminded why it takes so long for me to actually play these games--because the episode's themselves are pretty long. I started at around 8:30 and the occasional 5 minute or so break included, it took me till a little after midnight to finish. Like, holy shit.
    Anyway, enough about me, let's talk about the game! Overall, I'd say this was an okay episode that leans towards good or rather enjoyable, but there were a few concerns in places. As a reflection of my adjusted effort, I will confine the actual elements of discussion in order to keep things focused.

    Also, the music in the water was kinda goofy. That ain't got nothin to do with anything, I just thought I should mention it.

    The Riddler

    Continuing with how these games seems to know what elements to use, I liked how they implemented the Riddler here. His penchant for mind games, be they his riddles and/or traps, makes him an ideal choice for a villain that emphasizes puzzles. And I kinda like the idea of him being this notorious villain from back in the day, as odd as that might sound--Gotham's original costumed criminal and Scourge of the Underworld, who even Carmine Falcone avoided. The fact that he is said to have disappeared suddenly, only for it to be revealed that he allowed himself to be arrested in Pena Duro just so he can cause a mass breakout before going on a lowkey spree elsewhere for the rest of that time is a great backstory element that just goes to show what a notorious mastermind he is. Also, the one trap in the Water Tower was very good, having a clear motif that was pretty cleverly tied into not only the solutions but also the second trap.

    However, there are a couple of issues with how he's executed. First off, while it's not uncommon for spinoff media to make characters like him and the Penguin more capable, I found it was actually a bit diluting. So while it kinda works that he can actually fight, I thought he was a little too on the rough side. The Riddler is primarily known for carrying himself with a punctuated narcissism, be it the 60s show & Forever's wacked energy or the Animated Series' calm class or the Arkham games' insufferable showmanship. And to be fair, that stuff is here in how he keeps newspapers of himself on a board and ultimately wants to prove himself superior to the younger Batman. However, his portrayal here seems to make him more of a tranquil thug that slips into rougher talk at a few noticeable points.

    Another issue is the Riddles themselves: outside of the ones around the Monkey Senses, the others are surprisingly minimal and rather unimaginative ones. I remember actually being concerned once he really got going, wondering what in the world I'd be having to figure out for crucial encounters, but the ones on the boat in particular are super basic and quite frankly petty. In fact, another aspect of the Riddler that may or may not work is how fair he is about the penalties--while he themes the traps after the answers and it ultimately does tie in with what this version is trying to prove, I seem to recall him having some minor degree of neurosis regarding the challenges being completed in a specific way. That's not as big an issue, just one that creeps to mind.

    And finally, there's the big result at the end that I'm sure many take issue with(and that I knew of from a previous skim). Killing him off here kinda felt like a bit of a waste and arguably added to the criticism of the riddles. Given his backstory and motivation with the Agency, which is prevalent in this season due to the presence of Amanda Waller, you would think they'd have kept him around a while longer. Now for all I know, they might go into him some more as in the next episodes, but considering the detail that Waller wasn't around for his start, it just feels like a prospective unresolved plot.

    The Agency

    Sporting a near nonexistent set of credentials yet lots of overturning authority, The Agency is an international government organization that deals with terrorists and other major threats to the US, such as civil rights violations, domestic black sites, and accountability. The regional group that occupies the North East apparently tortured the Riddler in the past and made him who he is, which gives off the impression that they might be unfettered bordering on corrupt. Fittingly enough, it is this same group that repeatedly fought him during his time away from Gotham, always a step behind to the point that Riddler managed to acquire personal information like phone numbers for each of them at some point.

    After their last encounter in Sudan ended in something of a stalemate, they followed him back there and now seem poised to act as a rival policing force to the GCPD. They are currently led by Amanda Waller, a former congressional aide with a political science PhD. Director Waller is ruthless and somewhat uppity is her efforts and thus has a fearsome reputation. It was peculiar, yet interesting to see her becoming so involved with fighting the Riddler of all people and act as conflicting authority to Gordon. I generally play on guard yet cooperative when it comes to her, though I also got a laugh out of how someone so tough instantly became concerned if Batman used the signal to get Eli to talk. Among those working under Waller were Iman Avesta, Agent Blake, and Agent Fernandez.

    Special Agent Avesta works with Intelligence and thus is in charge of looking into the backgrounds and motivations of majors suspects in order to get an angle. Batman is asked for any information he has on Riddler's connection to Mori and Bruce is questioned about John Doe's whereabouts due to his history with Gotham's Most Notorious Criminals. She kinda feels like a stand in for Vicki Vale from the previous Season by being a pretty face that sticks her nose into everything hoping to uncover secrets. Though there is a mild degree of sympathy to be had with her where Vicki just increasingly came across as scoop prying for any angle she can use against people; as she is apparently a fan of what Batman does for the city and gets captured alongside a few of her colleagues before the climax after her snooping got the better of her. It likely due to her earlier investigation that Waller was able to figure out Batman's identity at the end, which is wtf moment otherwise.

    Another major enforcer under Waller's command is Mario Fernandez. He is presumably of a high caliber as good or better than Avesta, carrying out direct orders at the Virago's crime scene and investigating tips on own. Dispatched to investigate word that Riddler is hold up within the East End, the poor man end up being tortured by the villain and fell pray to each of his traps before dying alone. It is through the extra clues left around his corpse, such as one eye being dilated or his fingers being sliced off that Batman and Gordon were able to solve the riddles in order to learn what Riddler had planned for his enemies. As if Mori wasn't a good enough establishment and Lucius wasn't personal enough(which it was), it is this guy's death that probably ranks in second place for how sadistic the Riddler is.

    Working alongside the more inquisitive Avesta is Agent Vernon Blake, a terse crackshot who uses electric bullets to take down criminals for likely capture and later interrogation. We don't really get to know much about him or hear him speak outside of when he feels he has to back up his partner, though it's likely he would've opened up if it wasn't for the events of the climax. Unfortunately, the two and some other guy end up being lured into a trap by the expecting Riddler after attempting to track him using Port Authority Logs and are held captive aboard his armed ship, The Lady of Dublin. It is here that Riddler enacts his final riddles before his defeat by asking Batman to identify three people involved in their own feud: blasting Iman when he gets it right and threatening to behead her cohorts if he gets it wrong or refuses. Unfortunately, he is killed when it is revealed she can only take a two blasts without being killed outright and thus pleads with Batman not to answer--a final request that is carried out.

    Alfred

    The Wayne Family Butler and Bruce's father figure, Mr. Pennysworth still supports him in Batman's crusade even after his far from quiet kidnapping by the Children of Arkham. Alfred now wears an eyepatch(?) and suffers from occasional tremors as a result of the trauma he endured at the hands of Lady Arkham. After this, years of being complicit of Thomas's backdoor dealings, and especially what happens with the Riddler's disc, he vaguely seems to be fine about doing what it takes to inflict justice upon those to harm the innocent. He isn't in the episode very long, from what I could tell, but what time he did have reinforced the bond between he and Master Bruce.

    Lucius and Tiffany Fox

    The Head of Wayne Tech's R&D Department, Mr. Fox also apparently played a part in Bruce's upbringing following the death of his parents. He also provides Batman with his state of the art gadgets and other crime fighting equipment. Effectively a third member of their team, Lucius can be relied on when Batman himself isn't smart enough to figure out a technological issue. And this time, he seems to have the company of his daughter Tiffany, who he seems to want to involve in his secret work. Given the events of this episode, it is very likely she is someone Batman can fall back on if necessary.

    After Bruce and Alfred fail to figure out what the Riddler's Puzzlebox is actually for, they bring it to Lucius at Wayne Tower the follow Tuesday morning. At first, I assumed it was some sort of bomb or tracker when it was first unfolded at the Batcave and then was like "Are you fucking kidding me?" when it finally seemed to be a record--a constantly beeping record. Tragically, Lucius ended up being lost when the unfolded Puzzlebox that emits Micropulse waves turns out to be a target signaling a missile strike(Oh shit!).

    Having graduated from Cornell University in molecular engineering, Lucius' oldest is a genius in her own right. She snuck out of orientation to show that she made a radio controlled drone for Bruce that ends up coming in handy for Batman. Despite presumably pushing her mid-20s, she strikes me as being rather spirited with a prodding nature for things that are "above her clearance." While some may see her as being younger & hipper than her pop and affirmative action in play, I was honestly more concerned about why her skin is so pale. And that hair....

    Starting her first day at Wayne Tech on the same day that ended up being his last, Tiffany seemed to be following in her dad's footsteps. She reaffirms his observation that the sound it makes seems to be emitting Micropulse waves, as well as deducing that the circuit seems intentionally unorthodox to show off. But due in part to being left out of the loop regarding what it is, the disk's actual functionality still required testing to figure out--or so they thought. She later admits to having seen his remains--there was little of him left.

    Attending his funeral at Divinity a week or so later alongside her mom and little brother, she mentions that he was rarely home because he loved his work. Tiffany then asks whether the disk had anything to do with it and angrily demands to know if Bruce knowingly put him in danger. As foul as it is to withhold that information to her, it was hard not to given not only the reason Lucius had the disk, but Bruce's own ignorance of what it did until it was a little too late. It didn't help that I ended up hurting her feelings with my blunt sarcasm and attempts to block her.

    Commisioner Gordon and GCPD

    Jim Gordon is current head of the Gotham City Police Department and Batman's connection with the law proper. He unfortunately got that position due to his predecessor Commissioner Loeb being killed in battle with Two-Face's militia but fortunately fit into the role well. He does what he can to police the streets of Gotham while remaining one of the few honest cops with the City. Which naturally means he ends up having to bend to the authority of The Agency when The Riddler returns after being missing for so long.

    This sets the situation's atmosphere as one where there are two crime fighting forces with varying levels of conduct and so the vigilante has to choose which one to work with at any given time to deal with the Riddler. Because the area between 42nd and 48th is lawless due to lack of funding after Mayor Harvey Dent blew it up, Gordon travels to East End with Batman to follow a lead regarding where the Riddler may be hiding. This leads them to a water tower, where they indeed find a hideout where the Riddler laid his head, planned his next move, and communicated with another group of terrorist led by an H. Due to the place locking them in as soon as they enter and a Faraday Cage blocking the electromagnetic fields that allow their phones to work, the two had to work together in order solve the riddles that open the door, survive the traps that killed Agent Fernandez, and discover the clue as to how the Riddler plans to deal with the Agency.

    Also still in active duty is Renee Montoya, who essentially acts as Gordon's right hand. After being manipulated into killing Carmine Falcone in custody, Montoya was welcomed back into the force thanks to Batman proving she was drugged by the Children of Arkham. And ironically having a brief stint of vigilantism, the detective received a recent promotion and is seen as the True Blue Cop. The Sergeant represented Gordon in his absence during a grilling session in their station, but supported Batman's efforts and thanked him for not going too far.

    Gordon himself unfortunately comes off as just a tad too distrustful this time around, namely due to the presence of Amanda Waller. He seemed to be familiar with the Director and was very reluctant to give her any leeway within his jurisdiction. But because she has connections with the Governor and can cause some serious problems for him, he ultimately has to allow her people to do their thing if he wants to keep at least some of his authority. He instead settles for telling Batman not to give her anything if he can help it--the keyword there being "IF."

    Quite frankly, I didn't really get the Commish's personal problem here. He becomes very doubtful of Batman after he learns that he gave the Riddler's box to Lucius, which ended up getting him killed by a missile. He explains that he figured Batman had a team of people within the city helping him anyway, given the sheer amount of things he does, but the fact that he learned Lucius was one of them from the Riddler instead apparently made him second guess working with him. This unsettled reaction is one thing, but he breaks contact with Batman entirely after he interrogates Knable behind his back and the Riddler ends up dead!

    Look, I definitely understand him being apprehensive about the Agency--I disproved of Waller myself and let them know whenever it wasn't inconvenient. But Gordon's backlash at Batman felt unprovoked and made him out to be moody. Sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture: he got angry at me for trusting Waller--quote on quote trusting, btw--but you gotta look past that. Gotham is in danger and ya gotta do what ya gotta do in order to save the City.

    The Pact

    A mysterious group of terrorists who are packing serious firepower and are apparently named after some code of honor they supposedly follow. They are compromised of the world criminal minds in the world and seem poised to be a crisis unlike any Gotham has seen before. They allegedly made such a pact with John Doe and want people like Bruce Wayne for whatever it is they have planned for Gotham. And most relevantly, they were the ones supplying the Riddler with some of the equipment he intended to use to get his revenge on the Agency and take back his hold on the City. Their liaison with the Riddler or possible leader "H," who may actually be the awol psychiatrist Dr. Harleen Quinzel according to Waller, was most displeased with how the narcissist endangered the plan by using those resources to fight Batman and so sent someone to kill him following his defeat.

    John Doe

    A mysterious mental patient who appeared out of nowhere, John befriended Bruce when Lady Arkham drugged him into attacking Oswald Copplepot and helped him escape in exchange for a favor.
    As of the day of Lucius's funeral, he had been discharged from Arkham Asylum months ago for some reason. It's clear that he doesn't know what to do with the freedom he's been given and he admits to missing the Asylum. But now that he's out, he's finally came for the favor: John made a pact with some people he wants him to meet and he doesn't want to take no for an answer--he can't handle rejection....

    So dropping the really brief fuckin recap and the pretense that comes with it, I actually kinda forgot this guy was a thing. Yeah, he's undoubtedly the selling point and a major element of this Season's success to jump the gun a bit here, but I honestly didn't remember him. All this stuff with the Agency & the Riddler was going on and he shows up in the black. So when I saw him at Lucius's funeral talking to Tiffany, I was like, "This guy. This Fucking guy."
    He mentions that Dr Leland just up and claimed he was cured, which is why he's been in the city looking for Bruce. Which is odd and I can't help but wonder why--didn't he cause the riot?In fact, this was alarming enough that it's a favor in Agents Avesta and Blake investigating Wayne. Why? Because John listed him as an emergency contact.

    The fool clearly needs his medicine, as he displays signs of anger bordering on violence. He's apparently made enemies with the Riddler, who he understandably considers an egomaniac, and threatens to knock a man's teeth out for shushing him during the funeral service. In fact, it is because of John that Bruce was tipped off regarding where to find Riddler's hideout. Apparently, Mr. E Nigma is a loner that always made people come to him at East End. The fact that John knew all this has me wondering if he actually made some deal that fell through.

    Rumi Mori and Eli Knable

    A well known businessman and secret arms dealer, Mori ran guns during Arab Spring and lives a double life of his own--philanthropist by day, war profiteer by night. He previously had a arrangement with the Riddler, who apparently threatened his family to bully Rumi into dealing with him. After completing a significant transaction, Mori asked Riddler to leave them alone and ended their arrangement. It is perhaps due to him that the Riddler finally returned to Gotham. Having a night of gambling at The Virago, which he owns, Mori is unknowingly being watched by Bruce.

    When unexpectedly approached by his ex-contact, Mori furiously maintains that their deal is over and demands that he leave. Unfortunately for him, Riddler wasn't just taking no for an answer and took the place over alongside his Goons. He then locked Mori in one of his traps and forced him to answer his Riddles, which he inevitably got wrong. Among those helping Riddler make an example of Mori is Eli Knable, his second in command. The goatee'd criminal confident throws down with Batman after he swiftly takes out most of Riddler's Goons, but is defeated and gets arrested by Montoya. Losing a few figures due to the trap, Mori is saved by Batman, Commissioner Gordon, and the Agency and taken to receive medical treatment.

    After finding out Riddler intends to use Micropulse wave seeking missiles to take out the Agency, Bruce and Alfred set about trying to figure out where he has them stashed and intends to launch them from. This presents a choice: go talk to Mori as Bruce Wayne to see if he has any information or have Batman go interrogate Knable about the next phase of Riddler's plan. I honestly didn't see why we should bother talking to Rumi when he just provided Riddler with the ammunition, so I of course went to grill Eli. Which is supposedly done behind Gordon's back, but nevermind that.

    Buddy had them Converses on as he cowered in a fetal position in the interrogation room, though he was ultimately not talking. The fact that he was happy Batman was there was really not what I was expecting and it almost makes you wonder what did they did to him. Regardless, I overall tried to get his trust & Waller's embarrassment by promising to protect him and when that was proving to be nothing compared to his fear of Riddler, I bluffed him with the signal and scared the shit out of both of em.

    Newspaper and Codex

    Councilwoman Gail Dent doesn't trust Batman.
    Harvey Dent's trial is constantly pushed back, with the next two months being the fourth delay. Brandon Hoffman's team recused themselves and are the third set of attorneys Dent went through before he decided to represent himself.
    Oswald Cobblepot is a model prisoner at Blackgate Prisoner, even accepting his sentence of 40 years and forgoing a hearing in court.
    Martha Wayne is essentially the mystery of the Wayne family with her actual involvement in their crimes being unknown, though Bruce considers her the source of his morals.
    Gotham currently has a population of 10.5 million.

    Choices

    We all hide or true selves
    I’m undercover. Shh
    [Lie] meet me outside
    tear gas
    pole
    tear off
    the gun
    wrench
    tie him down
    you're yesterday's news
    i believe in justice
    body slam
    He's arrogant
    I haven't had the pleasure
    you could have warned off
    I only work with Gordon
    back off
    They had some kind of deal
    Its unavoidable
    I don't like threats

    ambient on record player
    I always worry about family
    They're going to make things harder
    Arkham has plenty of room
    Eye of a needle?

    Something for Lucius
    not when aimed at my head
    please don't say old
    its above your clearance
    you should go
    Can't decide future
    see ya later
    am i in trouble
    My family owes a debt to Gotham
    on the news
    no more than anyone else
    John may say so
    I tried to stop the fight
    that's creepy
    What's your point
    I'm not a criminal
    I'll be right there

    You held us together
    Riddler will suffer
    I know how you feel
    I asked too much of him
    I'll tell you, just not here
    Of course I didn't
    don't bother her
    very thoughtful of you
    that's where you belong
    stayed silent
    i'm pretty busy
    Calm down, John
    Only from the news
    You can trust me
    Don't get involved
    Risk tracking device

    The rest deserve our sympathy
    We all need limits
    Inform Waller
    I won't fail
    Haven't you killed enough
    You're a worse enemy
    You're still responsible
    I don't sacrifice lives
    I worked with him
    It's hard to talk about

    I couldn't lie
    I still have you
    I don't want you to see this
    ::Why Mori?::

    Just keep them off of me
    We'll find your agents
    Your Agency created Riddler
    I'm doing this my way
    Turn camera on
    Ignore the screaming
    They hurt you pretty bad
    Riddler was right
    I'll get to it
    Let me protect you
    I won't let you die
    Bluff him with the signal
    It's your move Eli

    It makes me a hero
    Let her go
    Lucius
    There is no right answer
    That would be me
    Anchor Punch
    This isn't your fault
    This is your fault, not mine
    They're next on my list
    I'm sorry Jim
    But we're a good team
    You'd have done better?
    Riddler was betrayed

    Results

    Gordon was Betrayed 22.3%
    John was Hopeful 41.4%
    Imam was Guilt Ridden 44.4%
    Alfred was Grieving 31.3%
    Waller was Collaborative 38.1%
    Tiffany was Comforted 22.1%

    Achievements

    Are you Dead
    All in a day's work
    New Game in Town
    Goodbye Old Friend
    A Friend in Need
    Made of Madness

    Questions

    Why did Alfred have an eyepatch in this?
    Did Bruce install cybernetic eyes into himself or something?
    How did John get Bruce's number?
    What are domestic black sites?
    Should Bruce and Luscious really have been talking about the disk in Bruce's office?
    Iman said Bruce fled the riot John started with Zsasz, when I thought he got knocked out. What's up with that?
    Lucious helped raise Bruce?
    If the Faraday cage was incomplete, how was it still blocking signals
    Why didn't Batman just look at the message screen from other side of the chamber's window while it was open?
    I didn't understand the puzzle where Bruce decodes Lucius's last words and how it was more a word match. Wasn't the point to clear the audio for the emitters sound?
    What the fuck was Waller on about when she brought up Carmine Falcone in the cell? I fucking impaled him, so how could I go further?
    What exactly gave Fernandez brain trauma? I don't remember it being stated.
    What happened to that other Agency guy Riddler captured? I thought the idea was that he'd die if I mess up once, then Blake would be next.
    Why did Riddler claim I came at him? Cause that's bullshit and he should know it.
    Why are most of the women in this kinda homely?
    Why does Mori's ID say No Fly?

    Technical Issues

    The sound cut out for a moment at beginning of fight with Riddler.
    Gordon's lipsynch was off at one point in the water tower, I wanna say when they found the second statue.
    Couldn't observe the newspaper above the Riddler's bed.
    Can't talk to Gordon in tower.

    Memorable Quotes

    He's a thief, And a killer. And worst of all, he's...he's rude.
    Hey, maybe we'll get lucky and they'll kill each other.
    She keeps chipping away at my authority, I'm gonna crack.
    Trust is hard earned, yet easily lost.
    He can hurt you in ways they ain't got names for

  • edited May 2019

    Great review! Can't wait to read your thoughts on the rest of the episodes.

  • Alfred's eyepatch is a result of the choice of revealing your identity to Lady Arkham in the finale of the last season. If you don't take off your mask, she'll damage Alfred's eye.

    Were your saves imported correctly?

    DabigRG posted: »

    So after a long ass delay, I finally played Episode 1 The Enigma last night. This was a fairly relaxed start off to the sequel aside from

  • Ope, well that answers that question! So clearly not.
    I was wondering if there was a way to check or redo that aspect. But unfortunately, I had already did the importing separately from actually playing.

    Pipas posted: »

    Alfred's eyepatch is a result of the choice of revealing your identity to Lady Arkham in the finale of the last season. If you don't take off your mask, she'll damage Alfred's eye. Were your saves imported correctly?

  • edited May 2019

    Okay, so I created another file, used the Story Recreator to get more accurate main choices, and completed Episode 1 again on it. I may update my initial review according to reflect the few changes and/or extra notes.
    Hopefully, I'll play Episode 2 within the next two days as planned.
    EDIT: I editted Episode 1 to make a few slight addendums and have played Episode 2. I will convert the notes on that into a review tomorrow.

  • Thank you! I'm pleasantly surprised to see that there are still people visiting these other parts of the community.

    Putinovich posted: »

    Great review! Can't wait to read your thoughts on the rest of the episodes.

  • I should apologize to anyone who was still looking forward to my review of Episode 2, which really should've been up by now. Unfortunately, the Community going doing when it did seriously delayed my progress with it and by extension, detracted from whatever momentum I had going with it.
    It's almost ready to go, just need to restring the rest of it together and I will be starting the review for Episode 3 immediately afterwards, as I also played that in the time this was down and still have my notes.

  • Well it's about damn time Dabig !

    Yeah i don't know if you can tell but John's character is completely different from who he was in S1 for the most part.

    Reading your review made me want to play it again.

  • Good to have you back buddy! Sorry it took so long, on top of only getting to it after you were seemingly chased off.

    Yeah i don't know if you can tell but John's character is completely different from who he was in S1 for the most part.

    Yeah, I kinda noticed. Kinda because I somehow forgot about him until he showed up.
    The story sorta justifies it though, thus far.

    Reading your review made me want to play it again.

    Excellent! I'm actually planning on doing an eventual replay myself, which I can't really say for Season 1.

    iFoRias posted: »

    Well it's about damn time Dabig ! Yeah i don't know if you can tell but John's character is completely different from who he was in S1 for the most part. Reading your review made me want to play it again.

  • So, after an overly long break thanks in part to repetitious technical issues, here is Episode 2 The Pact

    This episode was pretty good, suffice to say. The plot thickens with many members of what is normally a fairly divided Rogue’s Gallery join forces to accomplish a multistep plan that seems set to considerably overhaul Gotham City as everyone knows it. Like Season 1, The Enemy Within really takes advantage of the source material and applies it in brilliant ways that fit into the Telltale formula. Batman has one of the most famous collections of villains in media and this episode puts some of the more standout on full display.
    I also liked how the gameplay continued making choices out of combat; they probably don’t amount to much, but sometimes it’s good to have simple actions similarly outlined for your convenience. If there’s one small thing that I can point to as an issue, it’s the EMP puzzle under threat of death. I’m not sure if it actually happens or not, but I got lucky if so. It was a bit hard to tell there were multiple squares to set at a glance or rather how you were supposed to be conducting them. It doesn't help that my eyes weren't drawn to schematic initially, which appeared to show red buttons compared to the pink of the actual EMP.

    Amanda Waller and The Agency

    This episode saw The Agency take a bit of a back seat due to the Pact coming into focus, though they were still around in a supportive role. Their own legal movements come into play at opposing ends of the episode, where the Pact truly made their presence known without the assassinated Riddler. Gotta admit, I was a little confused when we seemed to be fighting them, but did what I could to avoid casualties while also mostly remaining under cover. Though given what they turned out to be protecting, one has to wonder even more about how much of this is red tape or red hands.
    Director Waller is likewise somewhat nebulous as to how she wants to portray herself. During the rooftop rendezvous in particular, I almost couldn't tell if she was crook or compassionate. She compares the resilience of Gotham’s locals by citing Avesta’s admiration of Batman and more reasonably expresses value for her people’s lives over completing the assignment. Yet even more offbeat than that, she at one point starts talking about needing friends (Wtf)! Ultimately though, her general outlook becomes clear one more when she advises Batman that she thinks getting into some real trouble is fine because you need to be troubled to get the job done. The first compliment comes about because she’s apparently getting antsy being stationed in Gotham due to its perpetual state of criminal activity and insanity. But, as Batman puts it, that is the job.
    As for her job, she’s ever prepared to do what needs to be done—however blurrily. She knows the The Pact may want revenge or may simply accelerate plans in the wake of Riddler’s death, though ironically not considering that they may have done it themselves. Either way, they are planning something big and so she is setting up an ambush to take them when they are most vulnerable. She needs Batman and Bruce Wayne in order to deal with Riddler’s allies, which gives her motive to not tell anyone (well, aside from him already helping her that is). In fact, she considered taking Bruce to infiltrate them to begin with--something I guess she was expecting me to complain about that idea now that she’s shown her hand thanks to Avesta’s work.
    Speaking of whom, Avesta continues to be of dual operating modes from what little we see of her here. Despite snooping about to deduce his identity and narrowly averting being killed alongside her partner, she shows up to the Warehouse to check in on Batman. And though she parts by assuring him that working with Waller will see a speedy stop to the murders, she actually makes it clear that she’s also putting off resting in part to thank him for saving her life. Waller backs up her starry eyed first impression by revealing that she fought for this assignment in order to see her “Hometown Hero” in person. Batman’s respect is supposedly important to her and she hoped to impress him. It’s odd to think otherwise, especially since she was at the bar making sure Bruce stuck to Waller’s plan, but it did almost get her killed. So overall, it seems she is sticking by half of her own advice: “keep your eye prize and be careful.”
    Too bad she and Montoya seem to be outliers, as the authoritative struggle between them & the GCPD continues as they deal with this assignment together. While certainly not a huge feature of the episode, it is clear that the two forces and their leaders are competing with the intention of solving the case without the other. When trapped under a pile of rubble at the GCPD Arsenal courtesy of Bane, I recognized that Waller’s people are well-trained to safely deal with stolen weapons, but chose to call Gordon. Likewise, when Waller informed Batman of her plan to ambush the Pact during their collaborative interception, I encouraged her to Loop in Gordon since taking them down will require all the manpower Gotham has.

    Commisioner Gordon and GCPD

    Much like their current rivals with legislative backing, Gordon and his men take something of a backseat this time around. It’s even more pronounced with them, however, due to Waller continuing to suppress and override their authority on top of their technical closer ties to the Pact by proxy. Whether this is for the better or for the worse remains to be seen, but for now, they are doing what they can to work around suppression in their city.
    Gordon remains ever steadfast in dealing with any threats to his jurisdiction, whether from the Pact or from the Agency. This means he is pretty decent at getting a detail on things for what he has to work with, but also fairly touchy when his justice is obstructed. As such, he isn’t happy when locked out of the loop or told to turn stay out of an investigation; it may even be giving him further reason to smoke despite his daughter trying to get him to stop.
    When trapped under a pile of rubble at the Warehouse courtesy of Bane, I chose to call Gordon because while his precinct may not be as prepared as the Agency, he knows the city well enough to have a better chance of finding the stolen weapons. This led to a combined effort to get Batman out alongside Montoya, but also an expression of reflective disappointment. The Commissioner admits that he only agreed to work with Batman because he saw him as a Man of Principle, but now he feels as if he has changed for some reason. I suppose he really is mad about what I did with Eli, but still. And while it may have further angered him, I made an attempt to convince him that Waller.
    Regardless of these disagreements, he still primarily does his duty despite the strain and is willing to work with Batman and to an extent Waller to protect the city. With the unexpected addition to helping Batman at the Arsenel, he covers the simultaneous backlash from the Pact by sending Detective Bullock to write a report at the Gotham Brokerage House. He also manages to get information on Harleen Quinzel from sealed records at the Coroner's Office, expressing sympathy for the situation with her late father. He also further affirms to still having Batman’s back since Waller must have leverage on her and offers to do something about it (despite already being jammed up himself)—I ultimately dissuaded him from getting involved, though.

    The Pact

    A colorful collection of criminal minds that work together on a series of heists to take over Gotham City. And given the involvement of the Agency, that goal possibly extends to the rest of the country, if not the entire world. Comprised of The Riddler, Dr. Harleen Quinzel, and Bane with assistance from Mr. Freeze, John Doe, and now Catwoman, many of its principal members each appear to have their own skills, factions, and motives. In contrast to its name, the exact level of allegiance and loyalty among its member seems to be uneasy at best. It doesn’t help that its standout members all appear to be of a psychological and/or criminal background.
    Before his death, The Riddler was actually Mastermind behind The Pact’s organization, though most of them disliked him due to his narcissistic personality and tactless misuse of their resources in order to wage his personal war against the three enforcers of the law. Harley Quinn and Bane in particular have a pretty fierce rivalry on top of their aggressive demeanors, which is likely not helped by wake of The Riddler’s assassination. Mr. Freeze is a coldhearted scientist who only cares about his research, though he seems to trust Bane. John Doe is a recently discharged inmate who has found a place to belong among them thanks to his prior history with Harley and Catwoman is likewise an extra member who joined in on the action for unknown but likely avaricious reasons. Despite all of this, the Pact is indeed armed with the formidable equipment and the painstaking intelligence necessary to gradually build their hold over the city.
    The terrorist group reveal themselves with a bang by launching three simultaneous mass attacks on locations such as GCPD Arsenal, the Financial District, and Biotech. Freeze acquires storage and transportation of material from Gothcorp Labs’ Genetic Research Facility, Bane and his men traffic away armored transport with enough weapons to arm a small militia from GCPD’s Arsenal, and Harley singlehandedly makes off with 10M dollars in diamonds as well as the contents of safety deposit boxes from the Gotham Brokerage House. Supposedly having been looking extra funding with legitimate connections, they were also looking among Gotham’s elites to fill out their ranks via John Doe.
    And with a combination of money, influence, and having been a suspect of another conspiracy last year, Bruce Wayne was a perfect benefactor to have on their side. However, they prove scrupulous enough to distrust him initially--bringing him into the Old Five Points bound & gagged and requiring him to convince them in order to join in on the big job. Despite the shakeups and conflicts of interest amongst them, he proves himself by getting the Phalanx Key to open half security keys in Gotham, with an working EMP as interest. With his recent addition, The Pact has taken an even huger step towards achieving their goals.

    Alfred and Wayne Tech

    Alfred spends much of this episode monitoring Wayne Manor & the Batcave and doing what little he can to help Bruce deal with the dangerous situations The Pact put him in. When Bruce comes in from his encounter with Bane, Alfred is distressed from both being in the dark and the recent loss of Lucius. The increasing amount of deaths in The Pact’s wake and the threat posed by Bane alone does little to build esteem that Batman will conclude this threat alive. To say nothing how the infiltration of their ranks via John and the claustrophobic encounter with Tiffany has had Bruce become acquainted with a minefield of danger as well. Naturally, I apologized for making him worry, encouraged him to relax, and assured him that The Pact can be defeated, but admitted that we’ll need allies of our own. Whether that includes the ones Bruce has otherwise remains to be some notable desperation.
    Speaking of losses and desperation, The Pact’s impact on the security of Wayne Tech may cause some further problems. Lucius has already fallen to their Micropulse missiles due to the puzzle box’s signal, forcing both Tiffany and the rest of the company into having to recover from his sudden loss. And as if that wasn’t compromising enough, there’s also Harley Quinn’s unexpected invitation to the premises. Interested in obtaining his Phalanx key, she and John drove Bruce to Wayne Tech as an effectual rite of passage. The two suddenly tagged along after he signed in through a thumb scan, knocking out the night watchman on the way. Harley also proceeded to accost Regina on the elevator and Tiffany in Lucius’s lab, forcing me to barely mediate both situations to keep her from screwing their trust in Bruce and/or kill them.
    Alfred was watching all this go down through the security feed and was undoubtedly triggered by repetitious close calls, but had no choice but to hope against the worst. Luckily, things turned out with minimum physical repercussions aside from the night watchman getting a lump. Alfred simply bribed him with a generous payout and an extended vacation, as well as replacing the security cameras with dummy footage. Regina, on the other hand, was left unsettled and will be harder to smooth over. Nonetheless, I had to once again assure him that sticking the plan is for the best, but encouraged him to relax in order to alleviate some of his stress.

    The Riddler and Mr. Freeze

    Assassinated with a toxin made from a psychoactive medicinal cocktail, The Riddler has left quite a hectic legacy behind him. He had already made himself known due to his battles with the Agency across and use of micropulse missiles to get Batman’s attention. And that’s not getting into his former history as Gotham’s original costumed criminal, which further motivated his actions prior to his arrest. But as it turns out, not only was he strenuously allied with The Pact leading up to his return to Gotham--he was their leader! Harley in particular notes that he was a critical member of their group and despite their destructive contrasts, they were truly relying on his genius. Even more surprising is the air that they may not be the ones who killed him and in fact go to the trouble of retrieving his frozen corpse.
    Their reasons for taking such a risk (beyond a confounding amount of loyalty) is an enigma in itself, but perhaps this is where The Pact’s other scientific genius comes in. Attacking Gothcorp Labs’ Genetic Research Facility for equipment necessary for the storage and transportation of materials, Mr. Freeze was sure to leave no room for error or mercy. Not only did he freeze everything up to the cameras so that the police can’t determine what was stolen, but killed all of at least twenty witnesses—some of whom have had their limbs shattered from the struggle! While Harley and Bane are more straightforwardly hot-blooded with their violence, his lack of empathy towards anyone that’s not his wife is something else entirely.
    Transformed by an accident in his lab, Freeze gave up his job, health, and soul to keep her safe. She'd n doubt be horrified by the frostbitten monster he has become—if she wasn’t suspended in storage herself due to her condition. He currently keeps watch over her within a lab he had arranged within The Old Five Points, which logically led to a bad first impression when John set off Bruce’s EMP and knocked out the power. Nonetheless, it became necessary to earn his trust for the sake of being let in on the next move. While Freeze doubts anyone can understand his pain, he recognized Bruce Wayne’s own loss and agreed that just as she deserves a chance at life, the innocent deserve to be protected. As such, he voted Bruce in on the job despite the dissenting ballot of Bane, whom Freeze surprisingly trusts and warns the others that leaving him behind will have consequences for them all.

    Harley Quinn and Bane

    With The Riddler’s death on The Lady of Dublin, the stage was set for another costumed criminal to lead The Pact. And it seems the reigns for this role are being contested between a clown with a mallet and a luchador on steroids. The two power players are supported in their authority by John Doe and Mr. Freeze, respectively, though their level of authority seem to contrast in interesting ways: Harley Quinn is essentially acting leader now, but Bane has clearly has the majority of the men on his side. It’s clear that they associate with much vitriol and wish to outrank the other, but the two continue working together in order to see their operation through and bring Gotham to its knees.
    Mere minutes after the old boss’s assassination, his allies chose to reveal themselves with simultaneous attacks across Gotham. While Bane’s men would go directly to GCPD’s Arsenal, Harley Quinn would act alone in robbing Gotham Brokerage. With a combination of gunshots and smashing in some heads with her mallet, she killed a dozen people and wounded even more in the process. She would then walk away with diamonds worth $10M and other unknown contents of safety deposit boxes, with some witnesses recognizing her as Harleen Quinzel. Once a successful doctor, she was devoted to trying to save her father. The man had been suffering from mental illness for several decades and eventually committed suicide. After he “ate a shotgun,” his daughter went through a breakdown that eventually resulted in her current criminal activity. Harley Quinn now considers him a lost cause and had the records of his condition hidden, though some correspondence still remains. As tragic of this background is, it’s safe to say that the futility and even betrayal involved had an impact on the inner workings of her current identity.
    Harley Quinn’s current personality may pass off as just some bimbo with a number of screws loose, but her time as a breaking daughter and psychologist has informed a lot of her behavior. The former could still be seen when I apologized for what happened with her father, which tipped her off that Bruce had done some thorough diggin into her past. Interestingly, while I lied by saying I learned about it in Arkham, she was nonetheless impressed that he was able to find that out despite pulling a gun on him for it. This is partly a testament to how, more so than any other member of the Pact, Harley can be unpredictable in her moment to moment interaction: accompanying her serene and flippant attitude is her underlying nature as a bellicose, hostile, and ultimately unbalanced psychotic. However, it could also be because this crosses over into the latter, which is actually how she is able to deduce a number of things herself. In between these polarized emotions are two things: the feisty balance of the mood-swings and an astute perception of the human psychology. Intrinsically speaking, Harley is self-aware about her behavior, its propagation, and very likely it’s source. When I bluntly told her she was out of line back at Wayne Tech, she opts to concede having a bad habit of stirring things up and alienating people, though she primarily attributes it to needing to keep her guard up and keeping her fellow terrorists off-balance.
    When she’s not the subject of analysis, however, she proves to be very assessing of everyone’s motivations: among her observations are Bruce’s contrasting reasonability, Bane’s staunch masculinity, Freeze’s hyper focused dedication, and John’s uncertain potential. In fact, Quinn’s sense of humor, penchant for violence, and instability are easily dethroned for the role of her most dangerous attribute. When it comes to The Pact’s operation, Harley practically earns the right to lead by being very intelligent, resourceful, and assessing. Given the suddenness of Bruce’s acceptance of their offer, she makes it a point to probe his intentions, test his character, watch him like a hawk, and if Bane’s own profundity is frank, had [almost] every intention of killing him once his part was done. She somehow knew that Wayne Tech had developed the Phalanx key and craved its ability of open half of the security keys in Gotham, which she interwove into a rite of passage for Bruce Wayne himself. And she immediately identified Lucius’s EMP Generator and had John take it on the way out on a whim, but the shield casing within The Old Five Points suggests she had wanted one for a while and basically lucked out after forcing herself onto the premises. Additionally, but certainly cause for alarm, she actually knew exactly where the secret lab was because of Penguin breaking in during his tenure as CEO (something Bruce probably should’ve thought about) and based her poking Bruce on his recent wound after releasing Tiffany, she may even know his biggest secret too!
    What’s particularly interesting within the greater mythos is how her dynamic with John is something of role reversal, since Harley Quinn is traditionally a manipulated admirer of a psychotic clown. Either way, her role is probably a testament to her breakout status from the animated series, as she is quite literally the main antagonist going forward. All of the characteristics that comprise her role, as well as such non-sequiturs about things like rocking out to John’s [stolen] radio, slurping slushies, and tacos make her a twofold example of a character that is entertaining, but difficult to actually deal with as a person. And some of one-liners are certainly “charged” with the numerous implications that she may be thirsty for something else, which fits with how she can be funny or unsettling. Overall, Harley Quinn has become my favorite character within The Enemy Within thus far, which may have been a tertiary factor in my decision to head her off over Bane.
    Speaking of whom, standing contrariwise to her authority is the mustachio’d strong man who calls himself Bane. While his fellow freaks launched personal attacks on Gotham Brokerage and Gothcorp Labs, he conducted a raid of GCPU’s Arsenal accompanied by many of their men. Together, they took a mechanic captive, gained access to the keys of the Armored Personal Carriers, and began loading them up with weapons when Batman arrived to stop them. I initially prioritized taking out some of the goons before engaging Bane himself, who eventually told them to stand back and injected himself with a chemical that made him even stronger. Despite continually being stabbed numerous times by Batman (& at one point the mechanic) and shocked with a light fixture, Bane was able to win the fight with relatively minimal fatigue by throwing him into a wall that then collapsed to bury him. And with the mechanic also being inflicted with what would be a fatal injury at some point, Bane assured his men that they was no longer an issue and instructed them to inconspicuously return to the warehouse.
    Described by his cohort as being volatile, wanton, and macho (and that’s without the opioid, mind), Bane is nonetheless an insightful and frank man. While his interactions with his enemies and Harley leaves much to be desired, he generally promotes a spirit of camaraderie amongst his men both in the field and out—even Freeze admits to respecting him. The encounter within the Arsenal indicated a robust level of trust via being able to direct coordinated attacks using his hands mid-sentence, opting to fulfill his promise of an entertaining battle with the Batman to their cheers, and even wishing them safe travel afterwards. He’s also apparently willing to converse with anyone during personal time if offered beer (which he can down in seconds no less)! And unlike Harley's office adorned with clownish mannequins, bats, & makeup, Freeze’s private lab, or even John’s room filled with selfies & medical memorabilia, he chooses to spend his leisure in a corner mainly consisting of weights, a punching bag made of tires, a minilab kit, and of course luchador posters. Above all else, he respects strength and loyalty and, by extension, seems to hate those who don't do hard work.
    All of this is likely why he doesn’t get along with his vulgarian rival Quinn and is very hostile towards the blue blooded newcomer Wayne. When Harley and John bring him to the Old Five Points, Bane is quick to remind them that they wanted to kill Bruce once they got what they need for the operation, manhandles him to size him up, and tells him that his place among them is unwanted regardless. When Bruce attempts to schmooze up to him with cerveza, he responds by pinning him under a dumbbell and directly prodding his true intentions for joining the Pact. He was particularly suspicious because of Riddler killing Lucius and wanted to ascertain the likelihood that Bruce would have wanted revenge by proxy: I told him that such a goal was futile since Riddler was already dead—a death Bane felt was undeserved. My standing with him was official liquefied when I choose to spare a goon he suspected may have been involved in both said assassination and the mechanic interfering with his fight against Batman, proving to him that Bruce is not willing to serve the Pact and thus should be voted out of the job. In kind, I made of note of avoiding any casualties during the retrieval of the package until he and Harley persisted against the rearming Agency, though I still agreed with Freeze that we shouldn’t have left him behind to take bullets to his heart’s content.

    John Doe and Willy

    Needing an audience with The Pact so that Batman can save Gotham in addition to being spurred by an allusion from the dying Riddler, it was time to contact John Doe in order to meet his friends. Using the tracker he placed during Lucius’s wedding, Bruce decided to go meet him at a bar called the Stacked Deck. There he walked in on what can only be described as a mocking Alcoholics Anonymous meeting between John, a frequently inebriated man named Willy, and two dolls—a blonde in a red dress and a representation of Bruce Wayne. Once they got an opportunity to sit and talk, John expressed his disappointment in being bugged and questioned Bruce changing his tune; I responded by admitting that I wanted to be sure I could trust him to find Riddler and claimed I simply wasn’t ready before. He seemed to understand my decisions as well as my inaction in regards to his proposition to pinky swear. Unfortunately, it seems our proverbial friendship is one rife with the promise of trouble and mistrust.
    A news report on the bar’s TV covered the Riddler’s death aboard the Lady of Dublin, to which John proclaimed that he got what was coming to him complete with a face that was, like, wtf. When asked if he was involved, he admitted that he hated him but questioned Bruce’s belief that he’s capable of murder--I claimed that I don’t think he did, although it IS now ambiguous as to whether he really didn’t. But then John’s friend, an already booked third wheel during this meet up, poked his opinionated head in. And he had quite a problem with Bruce Wayne: Willy saw him as little more than a coward who let others dirty their hands for him and incidentally saw Batman as hired muscle for rich guys like him. Attending John’s therapy circle held on every second Sunday, he had run out of “medicine” John had under his chair and assumed Bruce was giving him a hard time. After a failed attempt to assure him otherwise and a retracted offer to buy him a drink, I was forced to knock him out and ran from one source of trouble into another.
    On top of simply getting out his camera phone to record instead of interfering insider the bar, he’d effectively set up a surprise threesome in the alleyway. After asking Bruce to keep a secret and hotwiring the car he almost certainly stole, the girl of John’s dreams entered the back seat clad in red with black diamonds (in complement to his nice shirt) and began to grill Bruce about his interest in the Pact at gunpoint. Over the course of Bruce simultaneously proves himself and shows his moral fiber at WayneTech, John becomes concerned with her repeated come-ons towards Bruce. But he is ultimately happy since Bruce pissin Harley Quinn off inadvertently makes her want to talk with John, feeding into his feelings for her. He met Harleen Quinzel during their shared days in Arkham Asylum, eventually realized he was in love, and that gave him a reason to live on the outside once he was suddenly discharged. So it’s not much a stretch to think she may have influenced his connections with Bruce and that his participation in the Pact is largely based around his belief that they are destined to be together.
    Having his invitation honored brightened up John’s day in conjunction with Riddler’s death, so he did what he could to help him fit in amongst the other members. During the encounter with Tiffany in Lucius’s lab, John continued to play friendly despite getting electrocuted and reminded Harley that he Bruce still got them the Phalanx Key when he rejected her. Recognizing that Freeze may just respect technological prowess, he set off Lucius’s EMP within the hideout as a distraction so that Bruce could prove himself; I told him he shouldn’t have risked it, but he is right that it helped avoid being killed by Bane. He also allows Bruce to take a beer called Cerveza Prisca so he can freely talk to Bane, who John finds Bane scarier than anyone back in Arkham.
    It was clear before that John misses his time within the Asylum and is having trouble adjusting to freedom. It is primarily his friendship with Bruce, the love he has for Harley, an unnerving fascination with violence, and his collective experiences with the Pact that keep him sane—relatively speaking. In addition to his phone and car, John also has his own little house within the Old Five Points across from Harley’s office. Within this house are a wheelchair he relaxes in, clown masks, an orderly outfit, a shovel, and a number of vests. He also has a collection of selfies adjourning his wall, which includes Dr. Leland, Bruce(or a random guy with his face taped over), Harley(which are both hilarious), and finally an empty portrait saved just for Batman, who he hopes to meet again….

    Lucius and Tiffany Fox

    On the very day she officially joined WayneTech, Tiffany lost her father to a missile strike courtesy of The Riddler’s puzzle box for Batman. I previously lied about Bruce’s knowledge about it for obvious reasons and continued to pass on bringing her into the Batfamily despite observing that we’ll need allies. Poor gal was just as angry as she was devastated and that naturally seems to still be the case mere days later. It didn’t help that with all that was going on with The Riddler and the Pact, she was getting even more vigilant about looking into the circumstances behind his death.
    As his daughter and a genius in her own right, Tiffany is likely up to prematurely step into Lucius’s shoes and maybe even take over his office as Chief Engineer. One thing that she may not inherit, however, is his secret lab: still hidden in Bruce’s office via a chessboard activated elevator, this room is where he maintained maintenance of the Batcomputer and developed much of Batman’s gadgetry. It’s also where he stores them for post-production and upgrades, as opposed to previously keeping batarangs in the R&D Wing. But with that aside, this lab also acted as a secondary office for Lucius and as such, contained certain keepsakes and other personal items. Most of these items were a lingering testament to his love for Tiffany: a cat ornament she made in art class, a photo of them with a rocket she built, and a pre-mortem note reminding him that they were going to have dinner at 7:30. He may have held her in very high esteem, but I don’t intend to have her become Batman’s proprietor of gadgets if I can help it.
    While there’s definitely a crucial void revolving around that technology, it’s simply too dangerous to get her involved--for both her and Bruce. When he was forced to go to Lucius’s secret lab to look for the Phalanx Key, tension ended up coming from more than being accompanied by Harley and John. The room’s vault was equipped with a thumbprint scanner set so that only Lucius could open it, requiring Bruce to find latent prints using his phone’s scanner. However, that very vault showed a telltale(ha) sign of being tampered with via lockout--someone naturally turned out to be Tiffany. She had managed to get into both the lab & its vault somehow and was furious to see not only what it contained, but what else Bruce brought in with him.
    Clad in her GCU hoodie with a bigger bone to pick, Tiffany surmised that Bruce apparently had him keep weapons for him inside and now he brought two pale faced maniacs into his lab after allowing them to assault his employees. Of particular note is a shock gun, which she ended up using on John when he entered the vault to check Bruce’s progress. After tazing the affable loon and making a break for it, she finds herself pinned by Harley under threat of getting smashed. But ever defiant, Tiffany voices her belief that they are the ones killed her dad and calls out Bruce for associating with them. In a counterproductive bid to save her life, I told Harley that she's essentially family and even told Harley to her face that I’m nothing like her. It’s just too bad Tiffany doesn’t seem to consider that so, but at least Harley took that final act of defiance (plus the Phalanx Key and an EMP generator) in relative stride—for now.

    Newspaper and Codex

    Montoya didn't appreciate going behind Gordon but understood why
    Bruce might as well be Alfred son. Instilled right values and steered away from father's vices. Moral compass and best friend
    Avesta has rarely seen level of determination
    Riddler claim they broke the pact
    I thought it was obvious why they’d want him dead
    Was Riddler their ringleader?
    I love how Bruce doesn’t seem to know John is with the Pact...only to mention him in the Gotham entry
    RIDDLER hideout was tour of psychology. Methodical and obsessive on sadisms. Guinea pigs test murderboxes
    Lucius true genius behind enormous success to many
    Bruce call irreplaceable most trusted advisor
    Max Meloni wrong about Batman thought was lunatic and grave danger. But walk with dog near Cobblepot Park and getting mugged didn't cross mind
    More in serious but stable condition
    Wayne chief technology officer. Industrial accident
    Riddled more than two decades ago
    Civil rights attorney Uma Murthy every time GCPD work with Batman they open up to lawsuit for prisoner rights
    Five things to know about agency Waller is at the head six months ago. Region: everywhere. Riddler’s the focus and not crackdown on crime. Armed and dangerous authorized deadly force if get in way. The nation’s best topmost covert organization accept only most skilled and decorated into ranks

    Choices

    The Lady of Dublin 1157pm
    I don't trust you
    I can't risk that kind of exposure
    Gcpd Arsrnal1234 am
    Chokehold
    Disarm goon
    Flying Knee
    Vicious Disarm
    Disarm Goon
    Batarang
    Shock
    Call Gordon
    Do your Job
    I'm sorry, Jim
    I’m sorry about your partner
    Sorry to put you through that
    We can weather this storm
    I could use some help
    I have to take the risk
    They'll want Wayne as an ally
    Finish your thought
    It was a matter of trust
    No, I don't think you did
    I wasn’t ready then
    Stayed silent
    You’ve got the wrong idea
    Buy him a drink
    Guess I’ll keep it
    I’m happy for you
    I'd blush if I could
    Did you steal this?
    I'm more useful alive
    I'm laughing on the inside
    We both hate the Agency
    I feel bad for him
    You're right to be cautious
    It's the truth
    No thanks.
    It won't be so easy
    Wayne Tower 1242 pm
    Business never sleeps
    Help security guard
    You'll regret that
    Prospective business clients
    It won't happen again
    Let's stay focused
    I lied to protect you
    She's family
    I'm nothing like you.
    Wayne Manor 5:49 PM
    I'm trying to protect her
    You should relax, Alfred
    GCPD 7:16 PM
    Those things will kill you
    Tragedy can twist you
    Grow up, both of you
    Please don't get involved
    This is the job
    And it almost got her killed
    Stayed silent
    Loop in Gordon
    I won't betray my code
    Old Five Points 8:27 PM
    You need my support
    You were out of line
    You're smarter than I thought
    Depends on the job
    So what's the story on Freeze?
    She'd be horrified
    I don't think Bane likes me
    I'm sorry about your father
    I've lost a parent, too
    [Lie]I learned it in Arkham.
    I know your pain
    She deserves a chance at life
    The innocent deserve our protection
    You shouldn't have risked it
    Riddler’s already dead
    Be merciful
    Midtown heights 1140 pm
    Stand down!
    Stopped Freeze
    Waller what are you doing?
    Knocked out thug
    Knocked out man
    Head off Harley
    Stay down!
    We shouldn't have left him

    Results

    Alfred was sad 0%
    Harley was Happy 60.2%
    Waller was Content 99.8%
    Tiffany was Freaked Out 18.3%
    Gordon was Worried 81.1%
    John was Happy 60.2%

    Achievements

    A Threat Rises
    Strange Bedfellows
    Unsure Footing
    A Family Affair
    Behind Enemy Lines
    Whirlwind

    Questions

    What happened to that other guy who was with Blake?
    What was Regina's last name again?
    How old is Bruce supposed to be to say he and Tiffany grew up together?
    Who was Bane’s men hauling out after Bruce fixed the EMP?
    Was that one guy at the ambush the same one from Lady of Dublin?

    Technical Issues

    Music stop for second before Bane drew gun
    Collapsing wall looked hokey. As if simple styrofoam stack
    Can't tell if game froze or if I delay on pushing off beam
    If you grab knife but don’t slam you get stabbed oh shoot
    Can't select anything or anyone beside safe in secret lab. At first
    Bane's arm stuttered out there for a split second

    Memorable Quotes

    “A man cannot win a war alone”
    “It’s rude, duplicitous, and invasion-of-my-privacy-like, but it makes sense.“
    “I--I guess that’s a pretty dumb thing for a couple of grown men to do.”
    “At first, I thought I had some kind of disease. But no, I think it's love.“
    “What about money, power, and influence? They bore you too?” “ No. Those are fun.”
    “Oh trust me, I'm laughing my ass off on the inside“
    “Suck on that.” Car jumps. “I swear it’ll make your whole body shiver. C’mon put your lips on it. I ain’t got cooties. Cross my heart.”
    “Is that right you'll do whatever I want?“
    “No rest for the weary." "No. Or for the wicked.”
    “You got a firm grip, Mr. Corporation. Wanna show me what else you can do with those hands?”
    “You know, I think you two are the closest friends I've ever had.“
    “I touch what I want when I want, Brucie boy.“
    “I kinda like her, but I don't know whether to smooch her or smash her head in.“
    “What's that got to do with the price of tea in China?”
    “Oof. The iceman bummeth.”

  • After nearly completing the rest of the year, here is Episode 3 Fractured Mask.

    Full Disclosure, I honestly stopped giving a shit about properly completing this and I am not surprised if some of you didn’t know there was a shit to give. I intended to get back to it during the little vacancies that popped up from time to time, but let’s be honest, that wasn’t happening in my field of study when there are other games I wanted to play that also were scantly played over the semester, tv shows or Youtube videos that I watched during and/or between downtime, and quite frankly a inclination to just take it easy that trumped being lazy. I thought I had actually done a little more with this before I forgot about, but I guess it really get as far as the organization process. So now, I’ll just generalize what I remember of my thoughts and leave what I have as a combo of my old TWAU and my Batman summaries.

    This was sort of a tense experience as it seems each of the parties involved turn a suspicious eye towards in addition to having it out for each other and it was honestly hard not to use lies & subterfuge just to get by with some measure of safety control. What appears to be the true threat to Gotham is revealed and the Agency has more than a passing knowledge of it. Loyalties and trusts are pushed with the GCPD, the Wayne Foundation, and especially within the Pact as they, Catwoman, and Batman struggle to get things under control while uncovering hidden motives.

    Most of this episode’s drama comes from most of the relationships or actions that were established among the characters previously and while that certainly generated a good sense of things continuing to fester, it can also lead to the feeling that some are kinda easy to forget about on top of not as much moving forward without John and maybe Catwoman. Tiffany is the biggest example of this, with Montoya and now Avesta still being something of a satellite. The ending was also kinda sudden, in that while they end in a precarious situation at a point where some of the chips are in nebulous or underutilized play.

    I’d say the standout sequence of this episode would be the return to Riddler’s hideout in order to find useful information on what other crucial intel he had for both The Pact’s plan and his vendetta against the Agency. Funnily enough, I think it may have moved things forward more fairly early since it’s where much of the episode’s action and setup for where it is going happens. On another note, I feel the Riddles were better here than they were in the previous episode, with the one about sleep being a somewhat memorable example.

    I couldn’t help but feel the Wayne Manor and then Bat Cave sections were just a tad on the weird then eh side give what happens. You can still play same music on the record player though. Not important, just felt I should mention it.

    Catwoman

    Lost a friend recently
    Scan Riddler eyes for retinal key to access old employer. Make googles
    Catwoman Figures The Pact killed him
    Didn't know what to expect coming into group
    Knew Fiddler as hirer. Not sure has friends now
    Encountered Harley before
    Riddler ask Cateoman to steal Renoir
    Catwoman knew Riddled as flawed but capable of a little warmth
    Catwoman Freelance work. Painting from Louvre, already robbed twice. Valuable contact when need money John doesn't like Cat woman's history with Riddler
    Catwoman Feels responsible for not reeling Riddler in

    Remembers being called thief
    Catwoman Not one bit
    Catwoman Didn't moss Dating game, but ttx to be professional due to both lives at risk
    Selina notices that Alfred is on verge of nervous breakdown

    Catwoman Thinks Bruce doesn't have the code to do what needs to be done
    Right handcuff chair took flashdrive
    Look like flash fell from sleeveq
    Catwoman Still has scaler device
    Use Fiddler cane to escape
    Added Ridfler cane to display.
    Race to get things done
    Injured fairly badly
    “Motorcycle accident”
    Gordon ambush
    Catwoman Wanted to avenge Riddled herself but recognizes scope
    Wants Bruce to admit need help
    She insisted on fighting
    They've captured her already!
    Catwoman vs Freeze... Starting to end about as expected
    Throw her in a murderbox instead of a Freeze chamber

    Harley Quinn and The Pact

    Harley suspects trap by rat, perhaps previous guy beaten. taking complete control
    Harley Keep encrypted labtop to self due to mole
    Evidently fun, as een Bruce couldn’t resist doing it at least once

    Harley take control of Banes men after killing Timothy.
    Put John in time out for being self
    Considers makeup a favorite toy
    Noticed labtop is gone and grilled almost everyone
    Thinks John lying would grow him a spine

    Feel Bruce and John are getting to close.
    Claims to have sent Bruce
    She forgot to put on her diamond eyes
    Know Thomas's reputation regarding traitors
    She thinks Bruce is out to prove he's just ad bad as his dad
    Bruce reminds her of her dad
    Her dad used to sign to her
    Claims to have soft spot for Bruce

    Freeze shattered people for experimental explosive against fire fail safe
    consider making prjectivel
    Prepared a chamber to punish Catwoman on Harley’s orders
    Curbstompy freezing arm
    shattered
    Probably shouldn't contact Waller while still in hideout

    Bane and Timothy

    Bane
    Angry using Harley for goal
    Bane offers to forgive if succeed
    He has holes in his neck from injection

    Timothy Guy suspicious
    TimothyGuy vouched for Wayne
    Timothy being questioned by Bane
    Timothy allowed alarm to go off he was supposed to disable
    Timothy Ask Bruce to reciprocate vouch
    Hamburger face?
    Timothy Frozen and Shattered
    Bane freed his men from Santa Prisca

    Bane advises abiding by twisted world rather than vainly struggling
    Bane believes Bruce and John are colluding. Harley doubt because local to a fault
    Bane observes that Bruce must be doing reconnaissance
    Heard about gcpd
    He heard John found Project Lotus. John likes to play both sides
    Duly noted efforts to cover tracks
    Head-butted out

    John Doe

    Can't remember anything before Arkham
    John Likes Harley's ruthless, slipping accent when mad, escalation into violence
    Remembers prior hostility fondly
    John Misses the lights, can’t be replicated on the outside
    Admires how Harley thrives on chaos of outside world
    Calls her his light

    John Sensitive about style
    Riddler Always John interrupted jokes, hurt confidence, embarrass
    John Sure love filming fights
    John suspicious due to Harley labtop
    John Drinking slurpee
    Can't tell John I don't wan't labtop

    Sees bat signal
    John followed me
    Does pretty good impression of Bruce
    Took selfie of Batman

    The Riddler and Sanctus

    Find out more
    Feels a bit out
    Slippery slope due to issues
    He knew of a blacksite
    Riddler kept job blacksite location to himself
    Riddler had beef with former employers at black site lab
    Riddler Carried aesthetic cane in Europe
    Riddled dies from mix of psychiatric medications

    Riddler Had weird fashion sense
    Keep canned food
    Keeps decrypted on flash drive for labtop and supercomputer
    Required prompt retinal skin
    Riddler's plan

    SANCTUS Project Lotus
    Hapeadtus protocol
    Scary group up to no good
    Patient 843 black woman 10 milligram at .01% solution
    Patient 844 white young man10 milligram at. 015%
    Bodhi Spa
    Both succame with red swelling I'm face
    Riddler knew these people are hiding in Gotham. They also did something to him

    It's the Agency
    SANCTUS was shutdown before Waller joined. What was left went underground
    A global threat they've searched for years
    Willing to start war or blow up a book to cover tracks from Agency
    virus incubators
    Is fully functioning business with high end massages and active social media feeds, 24 7

    Commissioner Gordon and GCPD

    Detective Bullock
    That tie
    Was asked to report suspicious activity
    Accepts but warns not to die due to consequences

    Gordon Got nicotine patch because of advice
    Gcpd got there late and got ass locked by Bane
    Think Lucuis was doing shady stuff
    Now believes something is up with Bruce
    Gordon Sending task force after Catwoman

    Security Guard reported Harley assault
    Alfred did sloppy job with security cameras
    Bullock reported bribe and name-drop
    Gcpd ambush
    Armed robbery, murder, and criminal conspiracy to commit a terrorist act
    And Jim gets fired

    Alfred and Tiffany Fox

    Aflred Got drones on look out
    Alfred invited her in
    Does Alfred not know about Cat woman being Selina?
    Oh, so he does know. He's just concerned for their relationship
    Alfred finished Lucius contact to detect heat and cold signatures
    Alfred Ready and able to serve Scan for viruses and safeguards
    Alfred angry that Bruce keeps distancing himself
    Believes this is worse than two face, penguin, and even lady arkham

    Tiffany
    Wanted to talk earlier
    Tiffany called them
    Tiffany knew about the agency
    Thinks agency work is why Lucius died
    She heard about the mission
    Gave him lip for missing dinner
    Tiffany is early twenties fresh faced and optimistic

    Amanda Waller and The Agency

    Waller couldn't retrieve Bruce due to Emp knocking out contact
    Riddler was 60 and researchers wanted to dissect his corpse to find ehy he was formidable
    Avesta believe they're pushing Bruce to hard. Waller insists that he knows how to cover his tracks
    Avesta thinks two problems will resolve themselves. They can clean up quickly and minimize casualties

    Was brought it to clean up Agency's past, however elusive. One involved creepy black oos experiments
    "The Wall"
    Intends to make those who conspired under her nose regret it

    Waller questioned how Bruce knows about Virus
    Waller and Avesta to the rescue...?
    Slipped up about professional vs authority there
    That look she gave Avesta seems sketchy

    Newspaper and Codex

    !

    Choices

    Old Five Points 246am
    Nice to meet you
    Riddler killed him
    Neither should you
    Why are you here?
    Im never nervous
    That was dangerous
    Let me see the labtop
    Ok, Ill help
    Be careful with him
    Find us a way in
    Innocents died because of you
    [Grab the crowbar]
    Gordon will vouch for me
    We can work this out
    [Bribe Bullock]
    No one's beyond reach
    I can handle Catwoman
    How'd you meet Riddled?
    So why are you really here?
    Your hair is really green...
    You seem to love Harley
    Why'd you hate Riddler?
    Do you ever think about me?
    Well make sure it's safe
    I'm undercover
    Professional it is
    You could get hurt
    Throw her
    Strike from above
    Cafe triste 428 am
    You'll regret jt
    She's out for herself
    Be yourself, John
    I've always known
    Be your nicest self
    This is ridiculous
    Perfect
    That was beautiful
    Paid for coffee
    Gcpd 450 am
    Waller called me off
    Lucius Fox was a saint
    Bruce is helping you
    I'll keep an eye on him
    Do what you have to
    It's my fault
    Our goals align
    Cancel message
    Did nothing
    I can't make exceptions
    Destroy phone
    They didn't need to die
    You were brave
    Leave him hanging
    Didn't find anything
    Your hammer
    Going as Batman
    The Stacked Deck 715 am
    [Sneak up]
    Think of the greater good
    Maybe next time.
    Stayed silent
    Wayne Manor 800 am
    How'd you get in?
    It's okay this time
    I'm worried about him
    He did what he had to
    I don't know...
    Don't guilt trip me
    You're the one who needs me
    [Hold her close]
    Stayed silent
    I didn't mean to
    She's just playing with me
    How are you holding up?
    Youre my ally
    Thinks it's time to reach out to Waller
    Wayne Tower 945 am
    Remain silent
    I understand
    I'm not a bad guy
    Don't fire him
    Here's your chance to talk
    It's classified
    I'm Batman
    Your dad was a hero
    You'll need to train
    You let this slip?
    The Pact is unpredictable
    Bodhi spa 1130 am
    No one dies on my watch
    I could ask you the same
    It's just a spa
    Old Five Points630 pm
    I'm not scared of her
    Killing is wrong
    I'm more than that
    He meant a lot to you
    Stay away from her
    It could be John
    Hit me again
    But you stole the lab top!
    Stayed silent
    She's too useful to kill

    Results

    Waller aligned 29.6
    Tiffany honored 87.6
    Gordon 90.2 remorseful
    Selina betrayed 47.9
    Harley less skeptical 29.6
    John valued 29.6

    Achievements

    Unexpected Encounter
    Shot in the dark
    Motley Crew
    Hive of Villainy
    In the line of duty
    Descent into Darkness

    Questions

    Cummerbund?
    How exactly did that happen handcuff
    How did Gordon know Catwoman was back?
    Why are none of Bane’s men Hispanic as well
    Someone was here recently ? Bodhi Spa

    Technical Issues

    I clearly pulled Catwoman down at one point, but she was seemingly unimpeded.
    John stuttered out with his arms on the fable for a second.
    Bruce likewise tried to headbutt his way out the game for a split second.
    Can't go on railing near the car in Batcave.

    Memorable Quotes

    “Nice place you got here. Did it come with the vermin or did you add that yourselves? Nice to meet you”
    “Criminal virgin, huh? I won't hold it against you”
    “And whoever it is is going to find their insides suddenly al fresco”
    “Friends have the easiest access to stab you in the back”
    “Don't worry. I brought my key” * Takes out crowbar *
    “Ooh, we can take turns! See if you can get any candy to come out. “
    “We can't all get lobster thermidor on a whim”
    “He's... Something. Charming and unnerving at the same time.”
    “That's one way to get her to notice you.”
    “She's the most intriguing creature ever to grace me with a demeaning insult”
    “how can I be myself if I don't really know who that is yet?”
    “This is ridiculous.” “Ah, that was perfect. She tells me that all the time!”
    “Your face... Has all of the adequate face-like qualities...one looks for in uh...in a face.“
    “And THAT means something stinks in Denmark”
    “Secrets poison relationships, Bruce”
    “You gonna get your own business card that says Detective Bane now?”
    “I'm a trained psychiatrist. What are you? A side of beef with a hunch?!”
    “And they say heart disease is a silent killer.”
    “Or did you have the halo, and Harley the horns..?”
    “A black and white world. So much easier to parse.”
    “Perseus, I bring you the gorgon's head.”
    “I shouldn't have to ask permission to help a friend in need”
    “But sometimes you have to use bad people to do good things”
    “This situation is a spark away from a wildfire”
    “Dangerous and expendable. My favorite adjectives”
    “Now he's just a glimmer ina maggot's belly.”
    “Can't learn to ride with training wheels on forever, you know.”
    “So much for the solidarity of sisterhood.“
    “I've seen that look in your eyes before...on other men just before they get themselves killed.”

    Stuff I don't remember what it's for

    Catwoman
    Riddler
    Bruce
    Disagreement
    Harley Pact
    Investigation
    Control
    Bruce

    Freeze separate from power play
    chamber
    Bane Timothy
    Anger
    Mole
    Observant
    John
    Harley
    Problem
    Bruce
    Riddler and Sanctus
    Conflicting
    Hideout

    Threat
    Bodhi
    Gordon GCPD
    Bullock
    Crusade
    Arrest
    Alfred Tiffany
    Condition
    Helpfulness

    Call
    Mission
    Waller Agency
    Reasoning
    Cleanup
    Trustworthiness

    !

  • edited May 2020

    So confession time: I've had the material to writeup reviews or whatever of the last two episodes for a while now. I even had Episode 4 organized and ready to be weaved into paragraphs( Lol, no I didn't apparently), but I just couldn't find the energy or rather motivation to actually do it; Episode 5 is just the recorded thoughts format I did with the Wolf Among Us and Jurassic Park because that's how I took notes on these games. I was delaying posting anything in part because it didn't feel right to just release unfinished, un-matching material, but ultimately, I think I should just submit that there's no real point anymore. I can't think of a reason to really care enough and honestly, I just keep forgetting because there's a lot of other things that have been going on since the year started.

    So I guess I'll just go ahead and wash my hands by putting whatever I had in the Drafts out in separate posts for its own sake. If anyone really has a hard time gleaning anything or wants to know more about [what I can recall about] my experience, they can always just ask if they're even around. And they aren't interested, confused, or just around, okay.

  • Ep 4
    Bodhi Spa 816 pm

    Pretty good opening narration in lieu of previously on segment
    Why is she waving and not gagged here? And why is Bruce seingly from fine with this
    I thought it was a woman behind the desk
    Knock him out
    Not bad Bruce I give you an A for effort but a C for style
    Why is there a mainframe behind a portrait? What am off security choice
    Lol peakijg at a woman, idiot
    Getting final destination vibes. Of course it is an elevator disguised for the Riddler's goggles . Although I'm wondering why they work for him
    Oh good, I could use a little color
    Wait how can a virus be used to cure someone FreezE? Or perfect the venom Bane
    A selfie for the big job
    Frown
    Wait that same pjoej still works?! And it's bent too
    Hey Mr, which way to your most dangerous toys?
    Stopped guard and thus Harley
    Why would he contact her while they're still close
    And John overheard it. Great
    So he hears voices constantly
    And he fears Harley will split once she gets the virus
    Let's sabotage her plan
    You know when you invest so much into something, I becomes a part of who you are
    The thing is John could always use this to get in good with Harley
    Plug in flah deiive to open door
    Waited a second for any dialogue
    Did Freeze just catch that bullet Okay that's cool
    Save The Guard
    Starting to test Freeze patience
    Did Bane kill that scientist
    Gatling gun!
    This fool running up the wall
    And she throws the hammer dead on
    Nice beard
    Slide under
    Home stretch gotta distract them
    What's this some kind of barbecue
    What kinda drill in neeation measure is this
    Guess those freeze grenades came in handy
    Hanza...tan frio
    Dammit another gun

    Made it through the door Guess I can just wait it out
    Waited a few seconds plbeforw accessing panel
    It's like Jurassic Park in here
    Unlock slave terminals?
    Oh, I'm destroying the virus
    Interesting subvesion of a hub and mingames
    It says complete circuits ty unlock, but the first was just a rectangle and square that didn't touch. Same with Star, triangles,
    Oh shoot Bane took down gun. And Harley states Bruce is going solo. This can't be could either way
    Oh shoot, he popped the venom
    Door is almost open
    He bought to break his neck
    What am I doing? I'm doing what I want for once. Being my TRUE self
    Damn, he strong to pick Bane up like that
    Danny St John in it
    Dammit, he got three vipes anyway
    Shit,it's the agency
    Oh shit, here comes the hamma
    Dang, these suckslaa just betrayed each other
    Breach of Darkness

    Sanctus Research Facility 906 pm

    Calling Tiffany to the manor
    Put Freeze in an airlock
    John got away as well
    Oh, I could think of some more colorful words to describe this situation
    We need to focus on Harley
    Why'd he bring up Catwoman
    Sanctus is the darkest part of Afnecys history. Chemical weapons and human experimentation
    Waller wants to repurpose equipment
    That sounds risky
    Avesta suggested Freezeay know where she went but Waller unusually shot down
    Waller is out of line
    Distracted Will
    Sure you wanna let that panel down?
    Freeze questions the betrayal due to lack of gain
    I'm sorry this happened
    Oh shoot, he is infected
    Oh, they injected Riddler with this?! Oh, he worked here
    So they left the temperature a bit up to weaken him? Damn
    I can do that
    So Riddler's blood converts it into a healing agent.
    Waller must be pulling some strings here
    Bane supposedly hoped to cure his addiction. Which is making me sketchy
    Harley wants to create a serum
    Freeze has some of the blood already
    Something about this ain't addin up
    Waiting like this with the goody Christmas music and Freezes sneer looks creepy
    Lowe temperature
    Lower from 102 to 5
    That's as probably a mistake of mercy
    Avesta wants to come due to suspecting Waller of withholding the secondary function
    She can't keep secrets from me
    Suggest not suiting up for attention
    I kinda figured. That Bruce would've figured too
    You were just doing your job
    12 minute in
    Episode Four What Ails You
    Darkest Night

    Director Waller has been increasingly erratic and secretive in Gotham
    Oh yeah, she's a Batman fnagirl
    Maybe next time
    You put a lot of etimr and energy into this crusade. I prefer to think of it as a mission
    The methods, clandestine nature, fear tactics, occasionoal brutality
    I don't always enjoy it
    How does Waller give you an existential crisis?
    Things have gotten grey recently. Too grey.
    Trust your instincts
    Waller allowed the Pact to get Riddler's body
    No duh it was intentional. She gave up ahead of time.
    She seriously had deep reservations about Waller.
    Yet you told her about my identity
    Mr. Quinzels mental illness had a strong hereditary link
    Oh she's trying to cure herself. That... doesn't quite add up
    If she fails, she's got one deadly Plan B

    Old Five Points 931 pm

    A corner rat with a virus in hand
    Catwoman's out
    The office is lit magenta
    What vials? She has the one she needs. Oh, he meant Freezes container -85 C
    Can't talk to Avesta
    Not sure why wasting time if she has them already
    Leftover C4. Is she making a deployment bomb?
    Dried blood from Banes men. Where are they
    No hurry button
    Someone damages Riddler's capsule
    Liminal device not as powerful Phalanx key. The agency was here?
    I thought this thing was supposed to preserve him. Obviously it failed
    Decomposition is accelatredr. Yet he looks the same. Wait, theyre trying to prevent more serum from being made
    It's textbook asset denial, but it's some sloppy work
    Sent bioscan to Alfred
    Waller wants the Lotus products for her own access
    The Pact all had medical problems they needed solving. She can control them now
    She is still here
    Fortune reversed

    Oh, it's John. He tried to fight her or at least got hit. Has he been drinking
    He seems to recognize Avesta
    Answer the question
    He feels I steered him wrong at every turn
    I was trying to help you
    Well newflash! You're bad at helping Bruce. Like Bad Helping Hall of Fame bad.
    Don't make me hurt you
    That weird smell is Riddler
    Avesta sympathetizes with running
    Tell me where she is!
    Harley got here after the Agency. He hid the whole time. Nboy, they can't check for shit
    How about your ass then
    Help me bring her to justice
    You gotta keep an eye on this guy. That Wayne charm gets em every time! You sure kbow how to spin things. All the right ways to twist my arm.
    John plans on stopping by a few places to do something alone before meeting up later. Curious. The bad kind
    Stayed silent
    Oh shit he does have a gun. An empty gun. Asshole
    Avestas going to look for the vials in cold storage
    What had to be done

    Wayne Manor 1022Pm

    Your Riddler Codex files have been updated
    Too quiet. Can't go to the research area
    Oh shit, Alfred! He fainted
    Hes seeing Thomas. He tried to warm him about committing Mrs Cobblepott.
    Where is Tiffany
    It's me, Bruce.
    We can't ignore this
    Freezes magic cure all doesn't work as intended

    Riddler Codex

    Gordon was the job and can't be taking his dismissal well.
    Montoya is still an ally of confidence within GCPD
    John is a quick thinker with an ambiguous amount of self-interest and an unfailing ability to bounce back
    Alfred has always been good with technology despite reacting under RThe weight of Batmans work
    Avesta has respectable tenacity
    Waller is the only voice of law enforcement left and she may be covering up her real motive
    Riddler was offered a fortune to work for the Agencys science and intelligence units, advancing their generic engineering and biomechanical weaponization
    He actually dosed himself after several failed trials and exhibited enhanced regenerative properties, which made him a test subject tobhis fellow scientists.
    Gotham's fate lies in the hand sof an emotionally distraught, drunken exArkham inmate pursuing his violent exgirlfriend. I may need a plan B.
    The lowers temperature merely slowed Freezes infection.
    Bullock's attitude kept him from being promoted, but he's one of the few good cops.

    Gotham Feed

    Batman is believed to be out for the count after Luchador fifht
    The vehicle maintenence mechanic Charles Chip Paul died age 53. He was leader of a neighborhood watch, a marine veteran, husbamd to Abigail, father of four, foster folather of three
    Wayne is believed to be snapping under streess after batfighr annd drinking with John
    Victor and Nora are consdoered missing. Nora held charartoes as a pgilathrospitd. Dora Smithy is asking for her sisters return.
    Bane and the Riddler's body being taken is discrediting both law enforcement temqs
    There are rewrad for Catwoman's capture from private citizens, museums, and corooroations
    Chip Locke died at the arsenal. His daughter Susannna wanted to introduce his month away granddaugter. A vigil has been founded in his and others honor

    Riddler is the only survivor of Lotus.
    The serum repairs the body before damaging the brains chemistry
    We all should know by now that miracles come at a cost
    Riddler would enjoy this
    Alfred thoroughly investigated Avesta
    My problems are purely psychological. My real cure is a very long vacation.
    Quit avoiding the doctor
    He's trying to avoid saying too much about Batman
    Avesta plans to destroy Lotus entirely now that she's located it's housing.
    Wait and let me help
    Tiffany is upstairs
    I'm afraid that's all we do. Worry the ones closest to us

    Tiffany plans on staying until the doctor gets there
    It's a definite concern
    was this techno music always here
    She free up her own costume. Excuse me, tactical suit. With flipped colors, mesh, glasses, and some sort of glidepack
    She designed a fucking fun for Bane
    Batman doesn't kill
    I won't let myself
    More about design than actually thinking about it
    John found Harley at the old Bonus Bros carnival on the ouskirts

    Bonus Bros Carnival 1128pm

    Why'd he come as Bruce?
    Weird little tea party
    Put it down
    Oh shit, this is Harley's place alright. And she just cut on the lights
    Sick Duck at 30. That was dumb.
    What kinda fucked up house is this?
    Do the hangman You lost
    That sounds like an actual person. And he murdered a couple of agents in self defense. Or so he says
    What did you do?!
    Harley left right beforehnad. The Agency opened fire the moment they saw him.
    Something took hold of me. Something dark, and vicious, and desperate for survival.
    He laughs when he's nervous, huh? I could half believe it
    He shot the woman in the back when she went for another gun. I thought they didn't carry actual arms though
    You don't sound sure...
    You're not telling me everything
    You're surrounded by bodies!
    Stayed silent
    Dodge
    Okay, he definitely remembers that he's Batman now
    Think what you want
    The signal was obvious, yes.
    We're two threads in the same stitch. Bound together, even under strain.
    Harley hid an Agency convoy to escape across the Gotham Bridge.
    He's telling the truth
    I'm still turning you in
    Why is he scared of court?
    Dammit, he's going back to Harley
    Zero Sum Game

    Gotham Bridge 1216AM

    Harley is threatening to blow the bridge if the GCPD and Agency don't play along
    How'd they know she was coming though?
    That lady looked like she had a wire
    Sneak up on her
    Damn, she moved
    She's aware of the situation and ain't playing around with that Dead man's switch
    You're not in control here
    You're making things worse
    Avesta succeeded. Waller shouldn't have given that up though
    Grapple the virus
    Shit, wrong choice and he's ready to blow her up anyway
    I need you like a joke needs a punchline. Like maggots need meat.
    You'll be killed, too
    He spent half his life in the asylum because of his sickness
    Save bystander
    Save officer
    He smeared the makeup and threw them off a bridge
    Those screams
    The Punchline

    Results

    Tiffany 45.2 Apologetic
    Avesta 42.7 Determined
    John 35.7 Villain
    Waller 24.1 Dismissive
    Alfred 75.1 Proud

  • Ep 5

    Starts on smartphone 58 degrees
    Been three weeks or so
    Bullock found a joker goon packing a van
    The explosion killed 16 people

    Cathedral Hill 624 am

    Montoya doesn't wanna take any chances moving Bullock with what's happening lately
    Be gentle or I'll pop!
    Bullock was hit in the head, nailed in his hands, dresses like a clown, left to bleed out, Bomb in his stomach,
    Cut open with batarang stop smile
    It's a jack in the box
    We're past the sick punch line
    Gordon regrets getting too involved instead of letting Batman investigate
    Waller went too far
    She's bad for this city...A disease. And we're all infected.
    Had time to remember when it was only gangsters and believes Batman is the difference
    You could be right
    With me as Gotham's guardian, criminals have to adapt or perish
    Respects Batmans admittance and thinks it would've been better if they worked together
    Don't push yourself
    Clowns picked up a drop in a stolen van and left a box of colorful automatic weapons, masks, and a shipping order courtesy of Chairwoman Regina Zellerbach
    Her assistant answered the phone for her
    She must've been referred by Oz to Harley

    Wayne Tower 803 am

    Share holdings have held well despite past few days, but risks factors caused by CEO Bruce and the clowns assaulting the guard
    Go in cool
    A man in purple shit and orange tie reported Bruce's presence to a woman through his earpiece
    I was working undercover
    She claims she never saw such an order
    Talk, NOW!
    Harley killed guard
    Throw chair
    Put hands up
    Kent was planted to orchestrate this takeover
    Whaddya think I want, sweet cheeks?
    John now has pink eyeliner, lipsticks, green&brown shoes, a purple jacket, magenta gloves tie, and a green shirt with moused hair
    What's with the frenchy music?
    Episode Five Same Stitch
    Shake his hand
    Of course,joy buzzer
    Doing a grand tour across city, with Wayne Tower being his favorite
    Because it reminds him of a dream his parents saw in him
    Does it cover accidental death and dismemberment?
    Stop this before it's too late.
    They made more of the virus
    Was her we always showing?
    Why did they leave the other crate?
    Used virus on chairmembers during 1st person sequence where you can't do anything
    Declares he'd be a worse enemy on than anyone prior
    Harley swat Regina onto table to die
    Broadcast announcement of virus bombs hidden across Gotham
    Set off one as further demonstration
    Camera takes over pov
    GCPD list of demands: 24 hours to put Batman's head on a pile in Gotham square,
    Reach for Joker but can't
    Harley has numeors demands, Joker has only one: to be stopped by his best enemy
    You're pathetic
    Says Bruce will be the sad little man looking for attention
    Harley took off Kent's mask
    Harley decides they should leave and knock out Bruce with mallet
    That should kill him, for the record
    Tiffany showed up to get Bruce out, stares at Regina
    Joker left pocket square
    Everyone dead in Tower
    James from accounting
    Control dizzy faijt Bruce walking to elevator as Tiffany checks bodies
    Man on elevator drops dead
    Funny or die

    Batcave

    Shouldn't they take a chemical shower?
    Tiffany can't forget what happened to the people who didn't deserve that, but feels she has to be okay
    I'm sorry you had to see that
    Alfred in Batcave
    The bombs mean Joker and Harley's escape route is unknown
    The bombs can explode tonfirte spread virus
    Southside Docks closed for dissipation with everyone aboard ship killed in seconds, Gotham Bridge is among those shut down due to people dying while driving, Mercy St Station had multiple explosions with Gotham General Hospital at the center
    Joker is keeping Bruce's identity secret from Harley
    I can exploit that
    Pollen wax and wine
    Tiffany is unimpressed with odd cross references
    Sometimes a hunch is all a detective has
    Batcomputer section wear press a over area to find any selectable prompts in Carnival, Bar, Cafe, and Church
    Some have multiple points, but immediately dismisses area if one doesn't fit
    Why did it end in a church?
    Why is there whine out
    Knew people would be looking for solace
    Because I'm Batman is seriously an option
    This is the job, Tiff
    I noticed that the subtitles say at least, but she didn't.
    The drone can disarm the bomb
    She appears to be reanalyzing the images

    Waller shared other demands: portraits of them painted on City Hall, brain of Riddler's killer, and her alone from the Agency remaining to be shot out of a cannon at the stroke of midnight. That last one is her personal favorite
    Better find a cannon
    Waller is sending out men unbeknownst to Batman
    The Pact hit one of her transports
    Releases they're intentionally turning the city against them
    Youre not alone
    An agent and an EOD specialist are on their way

    Divinity Church 228PM

    Batman inchurch. What an image
    Avesta will block the door while Tiffany analyzes data
    That fool walk in the church, played the organ, went in the lectern, and then planted the bomb
    Can kill everyone within five blocks
    Bomb set to open and close teeth faster if tampered with
    Examine bomb with x-ray to determine component, failsafe, and power
    Cut yellow wire
    Fired confetti as congratulations
    Did she just speak a different language?
    Left a letter crossing out that he'd hate for the bomb to actually kill Batman
    Avesta is pissed that this is just a game
    Tiffany found special paint solvent and sent to Agency and GCPD
    Iman realizes that destroying the blood was a mistake since it crwated this mess
    You weren't the only one
    They say you should never meet your heroes. I'm pretty sure they're wrong.
    Why did Waller allow Gordon to contact Batman?
    Gordon "found" Joker at Ace Chemicals
    Defender

    Ace Chemices 552 pm

    Gordon looks like Joker from behind
    Why did him saying Jim sound like a cough?
    The laughing clown gang
    Why does that one have a safe face
    For a second, I thought this was an Arkham fight
    Batman and Gordon the teamup
    These guys must hit hard
    Joker stopped them and killed one
    Crushed Jimmy's glasses and offered a map with the bomb sites
    Don't beat yourself up, Jim Jim. I've got people to do that for you.
    You actually believed him?
    Okay, Yojimbo. Run along and save Gotham
    Shot out his knees
    Get him to the hospital!
    Dr Leland said anger is often a response to feeling powerless
    That's the therapist in the previous game right?
    Your therapist failed you
    I was in such a dark place before. Now everything is light.
    Plans to mess with all of Bruce's friends
    Harley wanted to infect the city to find the serum survivor. That's actually a really smart plan
    Doesn't sound like love
    I know Dr. Leland. The unconscious is a sticky wicket.
    Joker is considering infecting Harley?
    Expects Harley to blow the city if Batman doesn't keep the map a secret
    Tazed him like a dog
    A Shadow Falls

    Funhouse

    Joker is offering Selina a chance to get even by trapping Bruce for her own Freedom
    And she did it. It's a trick to make Bruce feel betrayed
    Did he throw something at him?
    I thought you'd escape
    Sounds like BS at any angle, doesn't it?
    He doesn't know she knows
    He dislocate his fucking thumb! Shit
    And she did this before
    I give your escape two thumbs up! Get it?
    It's a key in a hand inside an electrified cage
    Already cooked two agents alive
    with special guests on the way
    The Agency placed a collar on her after finding her on the Murderbox. She is the sole survivor from the transport
    Use Riddler Cane to push key since it only unlocks from her side. Of course, she could always choose to ditch Bruce
    Take the key
    Toss Riddler Cane since Joker rigged this to kill whoever is left
    I was hoping the Cat would lose all of her nine lives
    Getting Heavy Rain vibes
    What could be more romantic than pulling shards from each other's kneecaps?
    That's a fuckin nail through the hand. He gone catch tetanus at this rate
    Graves for the Waynes, Lucuis, Riddler, John,
    Mechanic Old Rude
    Father Puppet Stain
    Wife Mother Accessory
    Father Philanthropist Murderer
    Diagnosed Rejected Reborn
    Those zooms on the phones are comical
    Can't talk to Selina in Graves
    A heart chest in Lucius grave
    Bruwc turned towards Selina then was suddenly facing opposite
    Drawings of Thomas, Joe Chill, Bruce, and Batman
    Put face on right grave
    Matched Thomas with himself, Joe with Martha, Bruce with Lucius, and John with Batman
    Joker expected Thomas on Martha
    Selina approves of Bruce and Lucius
    Good enough. Batman would have been more accurate, but I guess you can't separate the man from the other man...in combat spandex.
    Twas Bruce who killed the poor little Doe.
    Used Crowbar
    It's Tiffany. How'd he get her? Oh, that's right--he knew about the shoot and had her for hours.
    Oh she came looking when Alfred lost contact
    Stayed silent
    The subtitles said it, but she said the truth
    She killed Riddler for revenge. Now Selina wants to avenge him
    Restrain Selina
    Let's survive this first

    Dinner room

    He has the collar control. It can also detonate
    Enough with the theatrics
    Eat the steak
    They put a fuckin balde in it? I almost thought it was one of the agents
    Woah, I think they bout to start fuckin. Theyre faces lol
    Alfred. Of course
    Thats smart
    Burnt scone
    Joker is smarter
    The main course is a bomb
    Still lying to Harley?
    Stabbed right in the thigh
    Play along
    She noticed that
    Let's get to know just how awful each of you truly is. Think of it as your last confession.
    Fingers up if true, fingers down if false; he gets to do something terrible if so, except Harley
    Never have I ever: Alfred lied to a friend, Selina used a friend, Tiffany killed a person in cold blood,
    I did it to protect you
    Tiffany never lied? Or used anyone.
    Lower a finger
    Harley made Catwoman admit to using--guess she really does feel betrayed
    Thought she was gonna use it, but okay
    Don't test us, lab rat
    Tiffany refuse to play and threaten Harley
    I think the gal who feel into our trap just called us dumb
    Harley believes there's a .001 % chance of surviving the virus
    John's not dead
    Did he just hit her?
    Joker sold you out
    So she is infected with something
    Joker
    That's right, they still have the control
    Tea Party
    Did he just stab himself in the arm?
    Joker's head hits 90 Large Marge
    Shit! Hammer to the head
    The analog didn't work
    Slashed her knee then used bang gun
    Cute couple. They'll be cuter with their brains bashed in
    Sweeped with her own hammer
    Real gun to deflect hammer
    Chandelier
    Joker abandoned Harley

    What's this song
    You're nothing special
    Stab em, then bite em
    Stabbed him in his own leg
    Held fourth punch back
    Joybuzzer to resuscitate
    So you can face justice
    You--you really love that word. Justice. You hide behind it. You think it'll forgive all of your sins.
    He really wanted to believe they could be friends. He cherish the night at the coffee shop
    Yeah...we did
    Stabbed in the side for his troubles
    Joker was looking at Bruce, then looking at sky

    Ambulance

    Waller is pulling her people out of Gotham
    I don't believe you
    When you had a career as long and ugly as I have, you get dirt on you.
    Believes Bruce would retaliate even harder if exposed
    Gordon
    Gordon may not walk again without a can, but saved lives with the map. She believes he's learned
    A tough old dog like him--he's good for a junkyard like Gotham
    He deserves to be honored
    Avesta
    She can come work for me
    I'm surprised she's fine with that
    Liked Clinton Street's steak
    Selina
    Keep her out of Gotham
    Never wants to come back
    They're tailing Tiffany on the rooftops
    Let me handle it

    Mayor's Office 329pm

    Yep that's her
    Joker guessed she did it since he believes she's a psychopath
    You could have told me
    Wanted to work with Batman, but was afraid after killing Riddler
    Mrs Fox is a shut-in, Luke lashes out,
    Stayed silent
    Stayed silent
    Cool outfit
    And she flew away
    Fractured

    Wayne Manor 546pm

    Nice hat Alfred
    Then again, this won't be the first time I've found my courage in a single malt.
    Just a vacation
    I can't do this without you
    Alfred is leaving after everything has gotten so grey
    That was a mistake
    There's evil without Batman
    Alfred though Tiffany's enthusiasm would remind them of the beginning
    The lives we've touched are touched by pain.
    We can fix that
    It was staying with Batman that caused Alfred's issues
    Alfred, I'm so sorry
    He feels Bruce isn't that different from Thomas
    You can't really believe that
    You did the best you could
    Give up Batman
    Darkest before the Dawn

    Evaluate Choices

    Harley Quinn Jailbird 37.6
    Amanda Waller Director of the Agency 35.6
    Jim Gordon Commissioner 28.6
    Catwoman Person of Interest 1.8
    Tiffany Fox Fugitive 7.5
    Iman Avesta COO, Wayne Enterprises 27.5
    Alfred Pennyworth Family 36.3
    Joker Best Enemy 31
    Photos Collected

    Arkham Asylum

    Joker plans to make Bruce smile
    The Last Laugh

  • Damn it's been a year,so what did you think of the game in the end ? And i see you played the Villain path first that's interesting did you try the other one ? (Vigilante) they're like two completely different episodes.

    DabigRG posted: »

    Ep 5 (Spoiler) Cathedral Hill 624 am (Spoiler) Wayne Tower 803 am (Spoiler) Batcave (Spoiler) Divinity Church 228PM

  • Awesome twist on how Joker was created.

    iFoRias posted: »

    Damn it's been a year,so what did you think of the game in the end ? And i see you played the Villain path first that's interesting did you try the other one ? (Vigilante) they're like two completely different episodes.

  • Yeah, I know. Shit happens, motivation changes, yadda yadda.
    Overall, I thought it was pretty good. There are issues here or there that could unearthed, ironed out, and dealt with in places, but I enjoyed it.

    I've actually started a mostly noteless 2nd playthrough of the first game recently to experience what the alternative choices collectively add up to.

    Yeah, it was interesting, if a bit weird in places. Taking a huge break might've hurt the momentum though, as I'm currently blanking a bit on the in-between.

    iFoRias posted: »

    Damn it's been a year,so what did you think of the game in the end ? And i see you played the Villain path first that's interesting did you try the other one ? (Vigilante) they're like two completely different episodes.

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