(Preview) Batman: Arkham City

Title: Batman:Arkham City
Release Date: 10/18/11
Developer: Rocksteady Studios

Batman: Arkham city is the next installment in the series that Rocksteady Studios has developed being released on the X-Box 360, Playstation 3, and for PC. For fans of Arkham Asylum, many features that made the game so popular are returning, and being expanded upon such as fighting mechanics, and stealth tactics (making this sequel one of the most anticipated games of the year). Several trailers have been released showcasing some of the interesting characters returning, and new ones that never made an appearance in the first title including foes such as The Riddler, Dr. Hugo Strange, Two Face, and many more…and don’t worry…Joker makes a comeback as well (You can’t keep a good clown down eh Bats?)

Plot: Roughly a year after the events of Arkham Asylum, the former warden of the establishment (Quincy Sharp) is now Mayor of Gotham City having taken credit for putting an end to Jokers shenanigans. Sharp essentially buys up the slums in Gotham to expand Arkham Asylum into what is called of course, Arkham City. The “city” is surrounded by a privatized military group whose sole job is to insure the prisoners do not get out of hand or try to escape. Sharp then hires a psychiatrist (Dr. Hugo Strange) to do…psychiatrist stuff. From the trailers released online, it soon becomes apparent that Hugo seems a tad more interested in examining one patient in particular, and he is not an inmate. The streets of Arkham city are dark and divided amongst different gangs such as the Jokers goons and Two Face’s posse and the average bad guy making stealth once again a critical factor in this game if you want to navigate the city…and Rocksteady delivered with virtually tons of places to use your batclaw to gain an edge on your unsuspecting foes. While watching the game play trailer I feel like I’m having an assassin’s creed /prototype flashback…and it feels awesome. At times it will be necessary to plow through baddies in order to get from point A to point B, but that’s where the enhanced fighting game mechanics come into play.

The combo system in the Arkham series is exceptionally well done. You can fight off several enemies at once using the games free-flow style of combat and ability to counter any on coming attacks (pending your paying attention to that particular enemy before he strikes). It leaves you on edge and truly feeling very fluid like with the movements you input for Batman to react to. Some of your foes may wield something as simple as a pipe, or maybe even a fully automatic weapon in hopes to be the one to dispatch the bat once in for all. In a particular game-play video, an enemy is seen lobbing a wooden chair at Batman (I’m assuming he wasn’t trusted with a gun…or perhaps was just being resourceful after watching his buddies drop like flies. *As Batman approaches foe*“Oh crap…oh crap…umm…AH! A CHAIR!”) and Batman is seen returning the projectile at him as if it’s a real time quick button feature. This new element could add several new possibilities as far as combos go and is one of the many new interesting changes to the game. If beating your assailant to bloody pulp is not so much your style, then perhaps using a smoke bomb to daze them while you make a quick escape to gain a tactical advantage is. The new smoke bomb device is seen being used in the teaser trailer featuring Hugo Strange in which Batman does the above mentioned to make a speedy get away. Arkham city is not just a complete fight the entire game however; in fact even more puzzle features have been added to this game to make sure you remember that Batman is not just a vigilante, but also a detective.

 

The “detective mode” has also been changed. Rocksteady found that a majority of people were just leaving this mode on during game play to navigate through the game faster and thus taking away from the true experience of the world created by the developers. No longer will this be an option. The new DM is more of an "augmented reality mode" according to Rocksteady’s art director David Hego, which is supposed to be darker visually (making the world around you less visible) and is more of an investigation tool than a navigation feature. The same principal behind the use of the DM is still there, and expanded upon. You will still be able to see if a person is nervous or perhaps hostile, what weapon they have in their possession, or maybe even see something that was not blatantly obvious to the naked eye without the use of it. The deduction of a standard navigation feature may be a drawback, however it’s most likely Rocksteady plans on compensating the lack of it in the DM, with something else to help guide you through the gang infested war torn streets of Arkham City. If you’re upset about that one feature disappearing, then cheer up. Because the villains & heroes are sure to make you quickly forget about it.

With an amazing line up of baddies & characters and some roles reprised (Such as Kevin Conroy as Batman, and Mark Hamil as Joker *Note* If you have not the slightest clue who Mark Hamil is, it's important that you find the nearest tack hammer and proceed to hit yourself in the face...repetitively...LUKE SKYWALKER IS THE JOKER* which any fan of the animated series can appreciate). The line up is as follows...

Batman (....duh)
Robin: (As a playable character in the challenges, and no photos have been released)
Joker
Harley Quinn: (Always a pleasure to uhh...look at.)
Two Face
Poison Ivy
The Riddler: (Who actually shows up after several of his challenges are completed)
Cat Woman
Mr. Freeze

Alfred and many others such as Commissioner Gordon make an appearance as well, however the main line up is enough to get any Batman fan excited.

With the each passing day we are closer to seeing what Rocksteady has been working on since early 2009. I will list links to some trailers so you may view what your in for if you decide to shell out the $60.00 to purchase this game..and in my opinion, its well worth the money. I will follow up with a video review when the game is released so be sure to check back!

*Personal Note* At the end of the Hugo Strange trailer, the first time I watched I literally got chills when I heard him reveal he knew Batman was in fact Bruce Wayne. I'm curious as to where they will go with that situation.

Dr. Hugo Strange Trailer
Game Play Footage
The Riddler Trailer (there is actually a riddle in this...)
Official Teaser Trailer