With just less than another year to wait until we finally get our hands on the new Arkham game from Rocksteady, it’s prompted everyone to don their thinking caps and ponder on exactly why they had to delay it in the first place.
Could it be to add a super special layer of Bat-polish to everything? Perhaps to add another playable character to proceedings like we got back with Arkham City and Catwoman? Whatever it is we’re just hoping to any and all that’ll listen that the delay doesn’t turn into a Watch Dogs-style scenario, where on the other side of it everything either looks exactly the same as (or worse than) it did before.
The level of fervour around proceedings is akin to when Christopher Nolan was wrapping up his version of the Batman mythos back in 2012, and judging by how divisive that turned out being, it’s safe to say that whatever happens, Rocksteady’s magnum opus will be going down in the history books regardless.
So far the latest word from the team is that they “develop [each game] as if it’s their last” which going off their previous track-record, means even despite the amount of coverage we’ve seen so far there’ll still be plenty of secrets, hidden gems and worthwhile content to lap up come release.
10. The New Batmobile
Revealed earlier this year, the new version of the Batmobile is taking a page out of the Nolan-style ‘Tumbler’, albeit with a wider overall frame and a few more gadgets.
It’s not just an aesthetic change though, as the ‘Batmobile trailer’ shows we’re getting a whole host of weapons to try out. Sure they’re non-lethal, as even the Joker-killing Rocksteady don’t have the stones to let Batman break his one rule. Even if you try to permanently take a perp down in-game by running into them at speed, the Batmobile will automatically shock them instead.
Apparently playing like Burnout Paradise in terms of speed and feel, you’ll also be targeting unmanned drones with some armour-piercing cannons and finishing off any straddlers by launching some ‘slam rounds’ from a riot gun, which we don’t know about you, but they sound mighty sweet.
9. The New Fear Takedown
So far what we’ve seen of Arkham Knight is testament to the fact that in the canon Batman is a much stronger, wiser individual than he was before the events of Asylum and City. One of the newest additions that solidifies this is the Fear Takedown; something that the creators have said you can execute if you get the heart rates of three nearby guards simultaneously racing.
Beforehand there wasn’t a whole lot of point to scaring the crap out of people outside of then dropping down in front and finishing them off with a few punches and kicks, but now Rocksteady have added this lightning-fast animation that sees you dart from one to the next, leaving them all in one pile of broken bones and groans.
In addition, as Warner Bros. took over the reigns for Origins and fleshed out the backstory of the Bat whilst also letting us play as the Joker for a strange trip into his mind, it’s original developer Rocksteady who are the ones to introduce and revolutionise gameplay with new animations and moves.
We saw a huge step-up in terms of the amount of combat options you can use in City; from punching straight through shielded perps to disarming gun-toters, as well as adding a handful of other finishing moves – so it stands to reason that alongside this new Takedown we’ll see a bunch more animations to use in general combat too.
8. A Hugely Expansive, Open-World Gotham
Will there be anything better than dispatching a few teams of thugs only to call your Batmobile as you walk away and burn off into the night towards the next situation that needs your help?
The Arkham series has always done a fantastic job at making you feel like Batman in every aspect except that of just prowling through the night, zipping from one crime to the next, foiling them all with only the sense of style and punishment-doling justice that The Dark Knight can deliver.
Although City gave us a section of Gotham to play around in it didn’t really feel like a living, breathing city, and although in Arkham Knight it seems the pedestrians have been evacuated, we’re set up to see far more evidence that the whole place was thoroughly lived in not hours before your time on the streets.
From neon lights to steam grates, shop fronts and a dominating skyline, perching on the edge of any high-point before diving off down into the depths and letting your cape flair and catch you at the last minute will surely be of the defining aspects of Arkham Knight.
7. More Memorable Fights With Iconic Villains
We’ve gotten a taste for how the lineup of villains is going to go, but as was the case with City there were far more people involved in proceedings that what we initially thought.
Nobody knew of the reveals of people like Clayface or Ra’s al Ghul until the exact moment Rocksteady wanted them to. Therefore we can only hope that although there’s been a confirmed list of a few familiar faces – Two-Face, Harley Quinn, The Penguin, The Riddler and the Arkham Knight himself – there’s still plenty more waiting in the wings to get stuck into.
Some of the most memorable missions in the second instalment weren’t necessarily those that were story-heavy, instead it was tracking down Deadshot by analysing his bullet trails, or discovering the sick reality of what Hush had been up to, that stayed with us. Hopefully it was just a hint at some darker subject matter, the expansion of which with the right villains means nobody will see them coming until the last minute.
6. How They Handle The Joker’s Absence
Of course we’re having to dig deeper into the list of Batman villains sheerly because the main antagonist in his mythos is nowhere to be found.
Last seen being carried out of the Arkham City prison by the Dark Knight himself after accidentally smashing the antidote to his own poison, we’re all but sure we’ve seen the last of the Mark Hamill-voiced maniac.
Rocksteady are staying pretty tight-lipped on the whole thing too, occasionally breaking silence to confirm that he’s not in the game, although ardent fans simply refuse to believe them, as after the ‘Joker was Clayface’ reveal in City, anything’s possible.
It marks a strange correlation to the Nolan movies, as now both titanically huge franchises are going into their third and final acts without one of the elements that made the second so appealing. Only time will tell if the Clown Prince does make another appearance, but it’s up for debate whether or not he should stay dead throughout or not.
5. A True Next-Generation Experience
Although we’re finally starting to see some games emerge that look like when you put them in will actually elicit a response of pure excitement rather than disappointment, the majority of titles we’ve played that are of any worth on our new machines are either re-masterings of old titles or indie titles that could easily have been made two generations ago.
For the most part it’s not a knock against the quality of the titles that are out so far – although Watch Dogs seems to have become the industry’s whipping boy – but the real brass tacks of the matter is that many of us had our hopes pinned on Arkham’s original October release date and were looking forward to it being the first big title they could get stuck into.
Since that date is no longer in motion we can only assume it’s due to Rocksteady upping the ante on the project overall, utilising the tech they’ve already been using for two years to fully deliver an experience that’s worth the wait.
4. Kevin Conroy’s Return
Although we’re pretty sure Mark Hamill won’t be returning as The Joker (although to be honest Troy Baker’s performance blew us all away), one of the main reasons long-time fans of watching Batman on screens of all sizes are hyped beyond belief, is the return of Kevin Conroy.
Now 54, the ageing actor’s potentially croakier pipes will suit the character perfectly, and unlike how in Metal Gear Solid we’ve seen franchise Snake voice actor David Hayter totally shafted, Conroy gets to continue taking up the cowl himself, hopefully playing the character as the older, wiser badass we know he is.
Another great point is that Troy Baker will be returning to once again play Two-Face – which certainly means he’s on-hand if Rocksteady need him for a Joker spot, following how Hamill has vowed that he’ll never voice him again. Here’s hoping.
3. The New Suit
We’ve seen the Batmobile and we’ve seen the potential for a whole horde of villains to take on, but what good is it if the Batman himself isn’t encapsulating the total unbridled bringer of justice we’ve all come to love?
In the Nolan trilogy many thought that the change from having a cowl to that of a moveable neck-piece made the costume look a little strange; like a suit of armour with a slightly-too-big headpiece. Here however the Bat-silhouette is in perfect form thanks to striking a better balance between the two.
In addition the costume itself does take on the aforementioned sense of being a suit of armour, but it’s great to see Rocksteady taking a page out of ‘rival company’ flag-flier Iron Man’s book, creating a costume that’s less made of flexible material, and more of many smaller interlocking parts.
Even the bat symbol seems to fragment and move independently, which in of itself makes for a wedge of processing power dedicated just to making sure Bats moves and walks like a ninja in a high-tech billionaire’s suit would – which we can’t wait to see in motion.
2. The Identity Of The Arkham Knight
One of the biggest questions going still revolves around the identity of the titular Arkham Knight, with everyone from Bruce’s father Thomas Wayne, to the Joker and even Harley Quinn being tossed around as potential candidates.
Our bet is that this is the one ace-in-the-hole that Rocksteady are keeping tighter to their chest than Tony Stark’s chest-magnet (last Iron Man reference we promise), as forgoing any unwanted leaks that may arise between now and release date, this is a huge selling point for fans new and old.
We know he can best Batman as we’ve seen it in the trailers released so far. We also can assume he’s male based off his stature, but aside from that there’s not been any information revealed in terms of motive or even reason for being in Gotham at this point in time.
Could it be the Joker, Deadshot, a venom’d up Riddler? Let us know in the comments what you think, as in addition to this what we’re really excited for is…
1. A Ballsy Ending To The Arkham Series
Now this is the real test of how much creative control Rocksteady can exert over Warner Bros.
We already know they let them kill Joker in part two (as long as he stays dead that is), but as was the general notion in regards to Batman potentially meeting his maker as we went into Dark Knight Rises, there’s an encroaching feeling that this could be the final entry in the Arkham series too.
Why? Because Rocksteady have confirmed this is the last one they’re ever going to make, which means Warner Bros. will once again get handed development rights to pick at story threads if they want to continue. Again if Joker stays dead, that means we’re going to have a long-running Batman franchise with one of the main villains down for the count, which any fan of the many stories they’re yet to pull from will tell you, is a bad idea indeed.
Many say Christopher Nolan should have ended Rises just as Alfred looks at the camera, before the reveal that Wayne was still alive came in, thereby leaving his own stamp on how things played out and allowing the fans to decide for themselves just what he was looking at. But alas Bruce was revealed and a wave of fanboy-hell was unleashed forevermore.
This time however we’re living in a world where this backlash is well known, and going off how well Rocksteady know the mythos along with the decisions they’ve made so far, we can’t wait to see what their final scene is going to be.
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