Arkham City Release Date Brought Forward?

[Boozad]

Apparently this should be taken with a pinch of salt, but three major UK retailers have brought forward the release date of Rocksteady's eagerly anticipated sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum.

 

Link.

 

Feeling like Batman. That's what Rocksteady nailed in Arkham Asylum where countless other developers had failed. The powerful elegance of the combat, the billowing cape, that silhouette on the Gotham skyline - everything was perfect.

 

But what scope does that leave the sequel? All eyes are on the UK-based developer, but they're rising to the challenge with Arkham City, a confident, ambitious sequel that takes what made the original great, builds on it and, as you'd hope, betters it.

 

BATS OF ALL TRADES.

 

The Asylum now consumes several city blocks and its inmates are free to run riot on the streets. Batman, understandably, has been keeping an eye on the place, fearful the dregs of the prison will spill out into the city.

It looks like that terrible scenario may be about to become a reality thanks to some old 'friends' of Batman including The Joker and Two-Face.

 

"Arkham City is set in a sprawling, abandoned district of Gotham," explains Bill Green, Principal Designer. "This is reflected in its size and scale. This new environment is about four to five times bigger than Arkham Island."

 

Arkham Asylum's tight design was part of the original's charm - won't the sequel lose impact in a larger scaled, more open environment?

 

Sefton Hill explains: "Our objective has never been just to make a bigger game. We're pushing ourselves to make a better game".

 

"One of our key successes in the design and development of Batman: Arkham Asylum was the creation of an intense atmosphere and a very focused gameplay experience. Arkham City will give the player the opportunity to soar through the streets of Gotham and choose from an expanded range of gameplay options, but our core objective is to maintain that same degree of intensity and attention to detail that was an essential part of the first game."

 

FREE TO ROAM.

 

The new super-prison is home to all of the former inmates of the Asylum as well as Blackgate Prison. "There is only one rule in Arkham City," says Hill. "If you try to escape, you will be shot and killed.

 

In order to survive, the inmates have formed gangs and forged alliances with the various criminal masterminds that Batman has fought so hard to lock up."

 

The new abilities Batman has been given for the sequel have been designed specifically to compliment his new environment. Any new ability has to fit perfectly - Rocksteady worked hard to get the balance right for the first game, and one wrong move has the potential to offset the balance.

 

Green explains: "We wanted to equip Batman with an expanded range of navigation abilities to allow the player traverse the city with more style and speed than ever before."

 

There's opportunity to glide, grapple and dive your way around the multi-tiered rooftops and alleyways. The new power-dive is just one example of Batman's new, evolved move set.

 

"Batman can freely glide across the city scanning the streets below and break into a sheer vertical dive at anytime. This allows the player to take gangs of thugs by surprise by slamming them with a flying kick or choke hold at high-speed."

 

"Similarly, we felt that it was important to build on the gadgets and equipment that Batman had at the end of the first game as well as stay true to the continuing nature of the storyline. When the player visits Arkham City they won't be starting from scratch."

 

You'll also be able to use a zip-line to, essentially, fly. By keeping a rhythmic combo of grappling and gliding going - think Just Cause's parachute - you'll be able to traverse the city without ever touching the ground. You can use the zip-line as a tightrope too, allowing you to tip-toe silently across large areas.

 

But there's more. Catwoman. She's not just a straightforward villain as you might expect. One scene sees Batman rescuing her from the grasp of Harvey 'Two-Face' Dent, and the pair escape together, seemingly in cahoots.

 

And Catwoman's animations - the way she uses the zip-line, for example - are suspiciously similar to Batman's, hinting at possible co-op features. Rocksteady, naturally, are remaining tight-lipped.

 

SUPER SLEUTH

 

New Detective Mode features include analysing bullet trajectories to find the location of a sniper nest being used by the Joker. Later scenes will, apparently, involve multiple pieces of evidence, shaming the first game's basic trail-following mechanic.

 

But what about the combat? It's still the same elegant, simple system as before, but with a few tweaks. You can now catch projectiles mid-fight - like thrown knives - and hurl them back at your attacker.

 

There are also new 'beatdowns' that let you unleash all of your might on a single enemy (works well for armed guards) in a flurry of martial arts moves.

 

Oh, and the explosive gel from the first game is no longer just for blowing up walls and finding secret areas: you can now do a backlfip in the middle of a fight, spray it on the ground mid-flight and then detonate it to blow your enemies sky-high. Flashy.

 

It's worth noting that Arkham City is not a free-roaming game set in a vast GTA-style city. Rocksteady's famous attention to detail will still be prevalent - if not more so - and the focus will be on creating an authentic, lived-in environment packed with incidental detail.

 

Every area will have a story according to Sefton Hill, and exploration is rewarded with side-missions. The addictive Riddler Challenges are back, and you can expect myriad distractions similar to the last game's Spirit Of Arkham quest.

 

Backed by the Wayne Enterprises rivalling financial clout of new owners Warner Brothers, Rocksteady are in position to do something very special indeed with Arkham City. We'll be raising the bat sign for news, soon.

 

 

 

 

[joe_collector]

From what I have read, it sounds like Just Cause 3, which can be a good thing (JC2 was fun) or a bad one (for fans of the original Batman AA).

[Boozad]

Never played Just Cause, and I did really enjoy Arkham Asylum. One thing I did feel the game would have benefited from would have been a more open terrain to roam, so this one may be right up my street.

 

Either way I can't wait until it's released.

[Fedoraman]

I am genuinely looking forward to this game

[Shootydog]

Yeah this one is a must have. The first one was fantastic.

[kdoginohio]

[Mutie Fan]

I arrived late to AA, just got a copy recently and have not finished it yet. So far I think it's a great game. I hope the 2nd is as good.

[joe_collector]

While I really liked Batman: AA, I think I had more fun playing/watching LEGO Batman with the kids.

[kdoginohio]

Is this a multi-platform game?

[joe_collector]

Is this a multi-platform game?

 

Yep, PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

[kdoginohio]

Is this a multi-platform game?

 

Yep, PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Okay, now the fun part. Which one is the best? I've got all three.

[joe_collector]

Is this a multi-platform game?

 

Yep, PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Okay, now the fun part. Which one is the best? I've got all three.

 

Holy loaded question, Batman!

 

I say just buy it for whatever system/controller you like the best - I am in the same boat and usually buy action/punch-ups for X-box, RPGs and platformers for PS3, shooters for PC, and Mario games for Wii.

 

In terms of cross-platform games, I've played a ton, and the only one that stands out as being distinctly better/worse was RDR, which stunk up the house in PS3 and looks pretty bad compared to 360- Bayonetta PS3 was bad initially, but a patch cleared that up.

[kdoginohio]

Is this a multi-platform game?

 

Yep, PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Okay, now the fun part. Which one is the best? I've got all three.

 

Holy loaded question, Batman!

 

I say just buy it for whatever system/controller you like the best - I am in the same boat and usually buy action/punch-ups for X-box, RPGs and platformers for PS3, shooters for PC, and Mario games for Wii.

 

In terms of cross-platform games, I've played a ton, and the only one that stands out as being distinctly better/worse was RDR, which stunk up the house in PS3 and looks pretty bad compared to 360- Bayonetta PS3 was bad initially, but a patch cleared that up.

I don't play a whole lot of video games. Right now I'm into Super Mario Galaxy 2. Haven't really played the other platforms(I use the PS3 for the Blu-ray).