10 Items That BROKE Video Games

8. Shock Gloves - Batman: Arkham Origins

death stranding
Warner Bros.

One of the reasons why the original Batman: Arkham game, Arkham Asylum, was so highly praised upon release was because of the combat.

It's kind of weird to remember now, but it was the first time we'd seen melee combat (outside of fighting games) that was so fluid, responsive, and so satisfying. Since then, Arkham-style fisticuffs have become the standard for most third person action games.

Which makes it all the more confusing why, the third (and most underrated) entry in the series, Arkham: Origins, made the choice to add an item that completely breaks that combat system.

Not content with the fact that the shock gauntlets were already twice as strong as regular hits, they also built your combo meter faster, further increasing your damage output. In addition to that, they could break the formerly hard defenses of more advanced enemies and chew right through armored brutes.

All of these elements are where the difficulty and nuance of combat come from, but with the shock gauntlets, you can basically mash the punch button without even looking and still win most of the time.

Contributor

At 34 years of age, I am both older and wiser than Splinter.