The Arkham Bundles Compared: Collection vs Return to Arkham

As an avid gamer and content creator, I often get asked – what‘s the difference between the Batman Arkham Collection and Return to Arkham bundles? At a glance the names sound similar, but there are crucial distinctions in terms of games included, extras, graphical upgrades and overall value.

The Arkham Collection contains the full Arkham Trilogy of Asylum, City and Knight, while Return to Arkham only covers remastered versions of the first two Asylum and City. For a comprehensive experience across the entire series with all DLCs, the Arkham Collection is my top recommendation.

Below I‘ve broken down an in-depth, side-by-side features comparison between both bundles, analyzed sales and review data, provided history and context around the developers and releases, and weighed up why Origins got excluded. Let‘s delve into the details!

Clear Answer Upfront

Key Differences:

• Arkham Collection has all 3 games; Return to Arkham just Asylum & City
• Collection includes flagship Arkham Knight game
• Return to Arkham offers remastered graphics on 2 titles
• Collection has a cool steelbook case

For the complete Arkham saga with the most content and newest title, go for the Arkham Collection. But Return to Arkham provides enhanced visuals on the original 2 classics.

Comprehensive Features Comparison

Here I‘ve created a table detailing key features across both bundles plus each title they contain, to showcase the offerings at a glance:

Analyzing this table, we can pinpoint some key advantages of each bundle:

• Arkham Collection offers the most total gameplay hours and entire trilogy story
• Return to Arkham graphics are enhanced over original console releases

Overall the Arkham Collection includes vastly more content – but Return to Arkham might appeal if you specifically want to re-experience two classics with modern console visuals.

Sales and Reception Analysis

Examining sales and review data provides useful context around how these bundles were received:

• On Steam, the Arkham Collection has 95% positive user reviews indicating an ‘Overwhelmingly Positive‘ reception
• Return to Arkham scored a metascore of 84 on Metacritic, with critics praising updated graphics but noting some technical issues
• Both bundles stand with ‘Very Positive‘ reviews averaging over 85% across platforms
• As a bundle with all 3 games, the Arkham Collection presumably garnered higher cumulative sales

This data confirms that while both compilations have been well-received, the Arkham Collection appears to edge out Return to Arkham – likely thanks to having the full trilogy of games.

The Unexpected Brilliance of Arkham Asylum

Focusing on the earliest Arkham title, Asylum was unexpectedly brilliant for its time. The 2009 game immersed players in a dark, enthralling world full of secrets to uncover. I still remember playing it for the first time – the atmosphere, graphics, varied gameplay and Batman lore stunned me.

Destructoid‘s 2009 review spoke highly of how it expanded on the movie interpretations:

"Easily the best Batman game ever created and one of my favorite games of the year, Batman: Arkham Asylum offers up hours of amazing gameplay with a gripping story penned by Batman: The Animated Series writer Paul Dini. Throw in Mark Hamill as The Joker and you have yourself an instant classic."

The critical success of Asylum paved the way for future Arkham titles to build on its foundation.

The Open-World Evolution with Arkham City

2011‘s Arkham City took the crisp combat, stealth and exploration of Asylum and expanded the scope into an entire open-world district of Gotham. This enabled a thrilling degree of freedom to glide and grapple across rooftops in Batman‘s cape and cowl.

IGN‘s review described it as improving on Asylum‘s formula:

"Batman: Arkham City takes the gameplay of Arkham Asylum to the next level by giving Batman a true open world to prowl. It‘s packed with detail, loaded with enemies and brimming with secrets."

Developers Rocksteady really found their groove here, nailing Batman‘s moveset while crafting an immersive Batman simulator filled with iconic villains. Many fans still consider City the series highlight.

Arkham Knight‘s Epic Scale and Joker Focus

2015‘s epic Arkham Knight scaled new heights by plunging players into a sprawling Gotham City under siege. This climactic series entry featured the Asylum combat refined to its highest point yet and an emotional narrative focus on Batman‘s connection to the Joker.

The Washington Post applauded Arkham Knight as a blockbuster spectacle, while acknowledging occasional issues with Batmobile combat:

"Arkham Knight successfully takes on the scale of the best cinematic stories about the Dark Knight, reaching heights that only the most memorable Batman films have achieved. It stumbles a bit because of over-reliance on the Batmobile, but make no mistake: the Arkham series still stands tall as an essential Batman experience."

To me Arkham Knight was a cinematic triumph that wrapped the series nicely while delivering gameplay innovations. I ranked it #1 out of the trilogy in my Best Arkham Games guide.

Return to Arkham‘s Remastered Vision

2016‘s Return to Arkham bundle offered a visual overhaul for Xbox One and PS4 gamers eager to revisit Rocksteady‘s first two Arkham masterpieces. While not a full remake, the graphical touch-ups were noticeable and widely praised.

However some critics including TouchArcade noted technical hiccups alongside the upgrades:

"Return To Arkham nicely packages Arkham Asylum/City with upgraded graphics and all their DLC in one handy bundle. Sadly, much like The Joker, it suffers from an unpredictable annoying glitchy side."

So general consensus was positive about the refreshed graphics, but felt more polish would have brought it to the next level.

Why Was Arkham Origins Excluded?

2013 prequel Arkham Origins is notably missing from both collections. The publisher Warner Bros stated they wanted to keep focus on Rocksteady‘s core trilogy. This makes sense given Origins was developed by WB Games Montreal rather than the main Rocksteady team.

While technically a spin-off, Origins built on the series‘ strengths. Its absence remains a controversial sore spot for fans due to exemplary boss battles against top assassins plus aStoiriftfalling snowy Gotham.

The Consensus: Go For the Full Arkham Collection

In closing, analyzing the extensive content comparisons and critical reception of both bundles, the Arkham Collection clearly comes out ahead as the ultimate package for the best value and most complete experience.

For only the enhanced versions of Asylum and City, I‘d still recommend Return to Arkham. But truly dedicated Bat-fans deserve to own Arkham Knight alongside classics.

I hope this detailed side-by-side guide helps anyone undecided make the choice that best suits their tastes! Do you prefer these remastered originals or the full trilogy package? Let‘s discuss in the comments below!