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Three years later, Calendar Man reveals Arkham City easter egg
Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham City has an easter egg that even "The World's Greatest Detective" (AKA: Batman) might have struggled to find, players have discovered. A recent YouTube video from the channel "Batman Arkham Videos" (embedded above) has revealed a secret message in Arkham City that not only went undiscovered for three years, but required developer intervention to discover. Turns out, if you set your Xbox 360, PS3 or PC's clock to December 13, 2004 - the day Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker founded Rocksteady - you'll trigger a unique monologue from Calendar Man. After talking about how he's been there "from the beginning," the date-obsessed villain warns that "the end of days is coming." If you think this story sounds familiar, that's because it also took a nudge from Rocksteady to reveal an easter egg hidden in Batman: Arkham Asylum. In that case, the secret was a room stuffed full of references and teases to Arkham City. The uploader of this new video likewise theorizes that Calendar Man's cryptic message is a reference to the upcoming Batman: Arkham Knight. You know, if a development team can slip these hidden bits of information past the Dark Knight and his followers so routinely, we have to wonder if Rocksteady might secretly be run by supervillains. [Image: Warner Bros. Interactive]
Xbox 360 spring sale discounts Batman games, Saints Row 4
Microsoft is cleaning out its digital shelves with a sizable sale on Xbox 360 games and add-ons this week. Ending April 21, the sale spans 11 games and hundreds of pieces of DLC. Five of the games feature popular DC comics superhero Batman in some capacity, such as 75 percent off both Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City through Games on Demand ($4.99 / £3.74 / 4.99 euros each). Additionally, Injustice: Gods Among us is half-off ($19.99 / £17.49 / 24.99 euros), Lego Batman 2 is 67 percent off ($6.59 / £4.94 / 6.59 euros) and XBLA game Gotham City Imposters is 75 percent off ($3.74 / £2.49 / 3.59 euros). All of the above deals are valid for those with a paid Xbox Live Gold subscription. Among the other games on sale for all Xbox Live users is Saints Row 4, which is half-off this week ($14.99 / £12.49 / 14.99 euros). Three other games are discounted through Games on Demand: Borderlands 2 is 65 percent off ($6.99 / £6.99 / 10.49 euros), Lego Marvel Super Heroes is 33 percent off ($33.49 / £30.14 / 43.54 euros) and Prototype 2 is 75 percent off ($9.99 / £4.99 / 7.49 euros). Lastly, XBLA games Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ is half-off ($4.99 / £3.37 / 4.74 euros) and Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD is 33 percent off ($13.39 / £10.71 / 13.39 euros) for the week. [Image: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment]
Batman: Arkham City's Clayface figure shows his ugly mug
A custom Clayface figurine, modeled after the character's portrayal in Batman: Arkham City, has been announced by DC Collectibles. There is no word on pricing or release date as of yet. Clayface is 13 inches tall, making him the biggest figure in the line that pulls from the cast of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. That line includes a 7-inch Batman and other notable characters like The Penguin, Killer Croc, Mr. Freeze and Solomon Grundy. Head past the break for a side-by-side look at the Clayface figure next to the Batman. The latest game in the Arkham series, Batman: Arkham Origins, launched in late October. Origins, which serves as a prequel to the first two games developed by Rocksteady, was created by WB Games Montreal.
Batman: Arkham games ditch Games for Windows Live, 75% off on Steam this weekend
Batman's tool belt has always featured the most advanced gear on the planet, so it's always struck us as strange that the World's Greatest Detective would use Games For Windows Live as his PC platform. Today, Warner Bros. has announced that Batman has given up on the soon-to-be-shuttered Games for Windows Live platform in favor of Steam's collection of similar features and copy protection. GFWL copy protection and features (including achievements) have been removed from both Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City. The upgraded Steam versions now include Steam Achievements, cloud support, Big Picture support, full controller support and Steam Trading Cards. "If you purchased either of the games on Steam all you have to do is let Steam download the latest patch and you will be fine. If you purchased the games somewhere else you will need to enter the code in Steam," an announcement on Steam detailed. Steam users report a free upgrade to the GOTY editions of each title upon registering their CD key in Steam. Switching to a new copy protection system means that players will be forced to restart the game as saves rooted in the GFWL platform are not compatible with Steam. This weekend, both Batman games are available for 75% off to celebrate The Dark Knight's upgrade to the industry's preferred PC platform.
Batman bundle contains Rocksteady's two Arkham games
A new bundle featuring Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City is coming to Xbox 360 and PS3 on September 23, GameStop has revealed. The bundle, available for $50, packs in Game of the Year versions for each game. The Game of the Year version of Arkham Asylum includes a Trioviz 3D mode (a post-processed 3D presentation compatible with any television) and some extra challenge maps. The Game of the Year version of Arkham City tosses in a smattering of DLC packs: Harley Quinn's Revenge, Catwoman Pack, Nightwing Bundle pack, Robin Bundle Pack, Challenge Map Pack and Arkham City Skins Pack. In total, this equates to an additional seven maps, three more playable characters, 12 skins and more. The next installment in the Batman Arkham series, Batman: Arkham Origins, is due October 25 on PC, Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii U. The prequel is currently in development at WB Games Montreal and, for the first time, adds a multiplayer component to the series.
Arkham City Wii U, Far Cry 3, AC3 on sale at Best Buy this week
Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition, the Wii U version, is $20 at Best Buy as part of its weekly deal offer. Also on sale are the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Far Cry 3 and Assassin's Creed 3 for $30, or PS3, Xbox 360 and PC editions of Black Ops 2 for $40 each.We found the Wii U version of Arkham City to have some cool features, such as the WiiPad audio function whenever Batman picks up a conversation on his earpiece. Otherwise, it's definitely not the prettiest way to play a Batman game.
Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition review: Wonderful toys
For Wii U re-releases of existing games, we're republishing our original reviews with added evaluation of the new material. Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition brings a little bit more to the excellent 2011 game than some action figure-looking armor. For what is supposed to be the marquee feature, the B.A.T. armor isn't really a big deal – except for the nice side effect of covering up Catwoman appropriately for cold weather. Poor Catwoman.A meter fills as you punch people, representing stored kinetic energy. This can be released by tapping an icon on the GamePad or clicking both analog sticks, temporarily increasing your strength. It's a nice feature for big fights, but not really a big deal.What is a bigger deal is the GamePad integration. This ranges from the usual "DS port" stuff like a persistent map screen and a touch menu interface to upgrade Batman's abilities, both of which are very appreciated, to AR tweaks like tilt-controlled Batarang aiming. I found these additions, and the use of augmented reality to search crime scenes in Detective Mode, pretty useful and natural. Aiming in particular augments analog stick targeting with tilt fine-tuning in the same way Uncharted: Golden Abyss did, and it's welcome.The coolest use of the GamePad, however, is in the environmental audio. When Batman receives radio transmissions from Oracle or overhears a conversation with his surveillance equipment, the audio comes in over the GamePad, simulating Batman's earpiece. As you get close enough to a conversation that Batman would be able to hear it unassisted, it shifts over to the TV audio. It's cool.You can also play the entire game directly on the GamePad, which is an absolute boon for absentminded Riddler trophy searching while watching TV.These extras – along with the presence of all previously released DLC – would all be fine reasons to opt for the Armored Edition over the normal, uh, Spandex Edition on other consoles, but there is one Bat-Caveat that must be noted. The framerate is nowhere near as smooth as it is elsewhere. Armored Edition doesn't really have slowdown – instead, there's a consistent choppiness to animation. I hope this is a problem Unreal Engine 3 developers get sorted out quickly. In any case, it's not a reason I would avoid Armored Edition (it still looks great), but be aware you're not getting the best-looking version.Original Batman: Arkham City review by Griffin McElroy:
London Games Festival exhibition art being auctioned for charity
Organizers of The London Games Festival's large exhibition of video game-related art, which concluded in October, are going to auction off all of the pieces on display for charity's sake. There are over 100 works going out, covering games like Batman: Arkham City, Fable 3, and Dishonored. All of the profit from the auction will go to support SpecialEffect, a charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for anyone with disabilities.You can browse through the gallery of art on the Festival's website right now, and they're also taking bids on all pieces at this time. Not all of the art is available for auction right away, but eventually it'll all be up for offer, with new weekly pieces up until December 3. If there's something in there that floats your boat and you feel like paying a little bit of money to charity for some great art, bid away.
Batman: Arkham City GOTYE now on Steam, 20% off until Tuesday
Now and then I think of buying games on PC,like maybe something with some action or some stealth?But how to know which game is right for me? So many different gaming companies,Been burned before and it's an ache I still remember.You can get addicted to the purchase of games on Steam, especially when there's a sale, always a sale. So when I found Batman: Arkham City, including every piece of DLC,well I'll admit that I was glad it was 20 percent off. But you didn't have to kill them both!Shot them dead behind the theater and now I'm an orphan.I've still got my butler though,The Joker tries to kill me and it feels so rough. No you didn't have to stoop so low, try to poison all of Gotham just to find your answer.But I guess I need that antidote, now I've spent some money that I used to own.On Batman: Arkham CityOn Batman: Arkham CityOn Batman: Arkham CityNow I've spent some money that I used to own.
Catwoman is also armored in Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition (plus: Wii U boxes are blue!)
The tablet technology included with the Wii U allows Batman to have fancier armor in Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition. We don't understand how it works either – just go with it. A new image released by WB today shows that Catwoman will also benefit from this increased armor tech. Now she's more covered up.Speaking of Wii U and being covered up, the box art image sent by WB reveals something interesting: not only do Wii U game covers have a blue bar on top – the actual boxes appear to be light blue. That'll be hard to miss on the shelf.%Gallery-162636%
Paul Dini explains absence from next Batman game
Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City writer Paul Dini isn't working on the next Batman game from Rocksteady, but we already knew that much. However, other than some vague tweets, we didn't know why that was the case. The reason turns out to be much less thrilling than any of his Batman scripts: "The last talk I had with Warner Interactive about future games was while I was doing promotion for Arkham City last September. Naturally as there was such a rush of interest about Arkham City, everyone was asking me about a third game, and frankly, I had been wondering about that myself. When I asked about the possibility of working on a third game I was told that as Rocksteady had just finished wrapping the second one, it would be a while before everyone was ready to sit down and discuss future plans. That said, it was intimated that for future games, Warner and Rocksteady might not be looking as much to freelance writers, the message being, that if I had something else interesting coming my way, I might want to take it."Dini says he wasn't included in Arkham City's DLC projects, and he hasn't been tapped for work on the rumored Silver Age-themed Batman game, said to be Rocksteady's next project. He's since taken on other work that makes him "unavailable to take on anything new until 2013." He's not bitter, though, even noting that "If we wind up working together again at some point, that would be cool, too."
Paul Dini not returning to Rocksteady's Batman universe
Paul Dini, famously known for writing and producing the classic Batman Animated Series, will not continue his work with Rocksteady on the Batman Arkham franchise. Dini was credited with penning the story of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City."Kinda hoped I'd be doing another Arkham game in London during the Olympics. Esp, as I had a good source for tx. Ah, well," Dini tweeted late last month. In response to questions on Twitter, Dini said that, while Arkham City was slated to be his last writing gig in the Rocksteady franchise, he would love to return. "I would if I could," he wrote, "It's not my call."According to a recent Variety report, the next Rocksteady-developed Batman game will take place during the hero's Silver Age.
The last Catwoman Riddler trophy is exclusively at Comic-Con
You might think you've collected all of Catwoman's Riddler trophies in Arkham City, but you're wrong! It turns out the Riddler has crafted one more puzzle, hiding one last trophy at the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con. There's only one way to unlock these 8-pound, LED-lit replicas, and that's to put down a $100 pre-order at the TriForce booth. Granted, that's not really much of a riddle, but there's certainly an element of challenge associated with opening your wallet.Only 100 of these puppies (kittens?) will be manufactured and, to make them even rarer, Comic-Con will be the only opportunity to place a pre-order. The full price to throw one of these real trophies onto the pile of digital trophies you've already collected? $400. Me-yow.Check out a high-resolution image of the trophy in the gallery below.%Gallery-158600%
Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition takes us on a virtual tour
You may be wondering what exactly is so special about Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition, the Wii U port of Rocksteady's excellent 2011 game. Well, this video overview should be able to answer most of your questions, so long as you're asking whether you can control a batarang with the WiiPad or not.Yes, young ward, you totally can.%Gallery-157243%
Batman: Arkham City 'Armored Edition' headed to Wii U [Update: Includes all DLC]
We already knew Bats was headed to Nintendo's Wii U, but we didn't realize that Arkham City would get a full re-treatment care of Warner Bros. Batman: Arkham City "Armored Edition" is headed to Nintendo's Wii U with a set of new WiiPad-specific controls. WB didn't give the game a date or detail how much extra content (if any) will come with it, but we'll be sure to bug WB for more info this week.Update: Warner Bros. has sent out a press release confirming that all DLC for Batman: Arkham City will ship with the Armored Edition for Wii U, in addition to the fancy armored duds for Bats and Cats seen during the Nintendo E3 press conference.
PSA: Harley Quinn's Revenge begins today on PSN and Xbox 360 [Update]
Harley Quinn's rampagement begins today on PSN and Xbox 360, and runs through PC in early June. The DLC is part of the Batman: Arkham City Game of the Year Edition, which includes previous packs featuring Catwoman, Nightwing and Robin.Harley Quinn's Revenge is a plotty affair, beginning with players as Robin as he tracks down Batman, who has gone missing after Arkham City's final moments. Control shifts between Robin and Batman, but is contained to the DLC's world and any previously released challenge maps.We assume the closed-world setting is a metaphor for the psychological cage that Harley constructed during her time with The Joker, but hey, we're not the psychiatrists here. She is.Update: Yes, it looks like Harley has made her way to Xbox 360 today as well. Also, Spoiler: There are clownish thugs in Harley Quinn's Revenge.
Watch Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy record for Arkham City, destroy the fabric of reality
This voice acting-oriented episode of Inside Rocksteady Studios is the first time we personally have ever seen either the Joker or Batman's voices come out of real human bodies, and suffice to say that oh man is it weird.It's almost like Batman and the Joker are providing voiceovers for Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, instead of the other way around. Seeing the Joker's spooky laugh come out of a hunched-over Mark Hamill is an image that'll stick with us for a while, and his cheshire cat grin didn't help much either. The video also features Stana Katic (Talia in Arkham City and Detective Becket on Castle), but seeing her perform isn't so much of a head trip, considering that it's basically just Detective Becket with an undercover accent.
Harley Quinn is still really upset in the latest Arkham City DLC trailer
Poor Harley Quinn. First the Joker breaks her mind, and then The Batman breaks her heart. It's nice to see that she's not wallowing in self-pity, though, and that she's got the initiative to get back out in the world and make a name for herself. Granted, she's using homicide to do so, but still, good for her.This latest trailer for Ms. Quinzel's starring role as an Arkham City DLC antagonist gives us a look at the various brow beatings Batman and Robin will dispense to the citizenry of Gotham's beating lunatic heart, as well as somewhat unsettling introduction from the man in white himself.
Play as both Robin and Batman in Harley Quinn's Revenge
The Harley Quinn's Revenge DLC coming to Batman: Arkham City has been detailed, and it sounds like a departure from the game. Instead of an open-world affair, the DLC is story driven, initially placing you in Robin's boots and tasking you with finding Batman, who's been lost chasing Harley Quinn after the final events of the main game. The story time-shifts, explaining where Batman is and what he's been up to by switching viewpoints a few times.Robin still doesn't have the chance to wander Arkham in full - he'll only be able to explore this content and any previously released challenge maps. Harley Quinn is scheduled to get her revenge on May 29, for $9.99 on PSN, or 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live.%Gallery-155232%
Harley Quinn's Revenge to commence on May 29
You may have noticed that April 30 came and went without so much as a peep from the young Miss Harleen Quinzel, and that her purported plans for vengeance have yet to procure reparations for, well, you know.That's because the original date we had listed for the Batman: Arkham City add-on, Harley Quinn's Revenge, was incorrect. The tweet that originally gave us the April 30 date has been amended, listing May 29 as the content's correct worldwide release date. In hindsight, that makes a bit more sense considering that the Game of the Year Edition also hits that day.Though our minds know another month isn't that long of a wait, our hearts are just as broken as Harley's. Come, ease the pain with this absurdly high-resolution version of the cover art seen above.
