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Would-be Batman: Arkham City trailer is fishy, let's take a closer look
This is fun! A supposedly leaked trailer billing itself as "Batman: Arkham City - Warner Bros - Trailer Fight" has made its way to French video-sharing site Kewego. The approximately 2-minute clip features our fearless Dark Knight beating up baddies with ... the Joker? Putting aside our canonical concerns about the caped crusader clobbering criminals with the clown prince of crime, a few other things raise immediate bat signals. Join us after the break for our best world's greatest detective impersonation as we piece together the clues and reveal the truth about this "Trailer Fight."
Batman: Arkham City lets out unsatisfying teaser
You'll learn two facts about Batman in the brief Arkham City teaser video offered exclusively by MSN Games UK: Batman is sneaky Batman is good at fighting These are important character traits to reveal to people who have never heard of Batman before, which is apparently the target audience for this video. Otherwise -- if you know anything about Batman at all, or if you were looking for, say, gameplay footage from Arkham City -- the clip is less thrilling and more workaday.
Game Informer goes inside Batman's Arkham City
Game Informer's September cover story about Batman: Arkham City has now been posted online in its entirety, and it's full of details that you may not have heard about Rocksteady's superhero sequel. After detailing the story and setting up a daring rescue of Catwoman, the feature mentions some new mechanics being introduced, like the ability to perform takedowns more quickly by pressing a button at just the right time. Other new ways Batman can deal with enemies include taunts, projectile counters, and even multiple counters at once. He also has a "beat down" attack that will dispatch even armored enemies in a barrage of punches. His non-punch-related detective skills are augmented by gadgets like the "Broadcast Analyzer," which lets him listen in to police and other radio broadcasts and trace their sources. We encourage you to check out the full, exhaustive article -- as if you have anything else to do while waiting for Fall 2011 to arrive.%Gallery-104752%
New Batman: Arkham City screens drop in
Unlike last time, it doesn't take much detective work to figure out that these screenshots for Batman: Arkham City are the real thing -- they came directly from Warner Bros. this time. Check out the gallery to see the Dark Knight beating up a variety of goons, and Harley Quinn cosplaying as Harlot. %Gallery-104752%
Batman: Arkham City adds interrogation to detective skillset
In the latest issue of the UK's PSM3 magazine, Batman: Arkham City director Sefton Hill outlined an upgrade to Batman's "Detective Mode" designed to help him extract information. Batman will now be able to scan a criminal database to find likely informants among henchmen, and then interrogate them to get what he needs -- like extra Riddler clues. "The Riddler continues to taunt the Dark Knight with mind-bending puzzles and exploration challenges," Hill said, "but the location of his biggest secrets are known only to him and people he's told. Rather than unlocking their locations using maps, Batman will be able to scan a gang of thugs to find a potential informant." We're excited about the new gameplay mechanic -- as well as the challenge, described by Hill, of making sure not to knock out the one guy in a crowd you need to talk to. But mostly we're happy for the Riddler. He's well on his way to figuring out the secret to successful crime: not immediately giving the world's greatest detective any clues about how to find your stash.
Batman: Arkham City screens are an inexplicable treat
Before we get you all hot under the collar, a preface: We have no idea where these screenshots for Batman: Arkham City originated. They seem to be posted on an anonymous Flickr set, which then made its way onto NeoGAF. Normally, we wouldn't run images of enigmatic origins, though we've decided to make an exception this time for two reasons: These images look pretty legitimate. These images are as hot as the core of the Sun which sustains our planet. Get your first look at Two-Face, Catwoman and the new (and arguably improved) Harley Quinn in the gallery below while we try to confirm their authenticity. An intentional "leak" from WBIE's marketing department wouldn't surprise us. %Gallery-100909%
Paul Dini is back, writing for Batman: Arkham City
With every sequel announcement comes the inevitable fear that whatever made the original worthy of a sequel would be lost in the followup. Perhaps this fear is doubly true in the case of Batman: Arkham City; its predecessor, the less-awkwardly named Batman: Arkham Asylum, stands a giant atop a mountain of mediocre Batman games. Is it possible to capture that same lightning in a bottle? One good formula is to keep the same creative team around. While UK-based Rocksteady Studios is back in the role of "developer," writer Paul Dini is back in the role of, well, writer and spoke with MTV about the project. Perhaps most notably – outside of his very existence in the project – is the information that Arkham City started production right after Arkham Asylum was finished, giving the sequel a solid two years of development time before its Fall 2011 release, MTV reports. While Dini wouldn't drop any hints about the story (spoiler alert: Catwoman's in it ... and on the cover of Game Informer) he did tell MTV, "We're well on our way through production. We're doing recordings all this week here in Los Angeles [...] It's all sounding great and it's looking terrific." When discussing things that didn't make it into the original and may be in the sequel, Dini said there was "perhaps a little more Batmobile action" they would've liked to include in Asylum. We don't know about you guys, but no Batmobile segment in the sequel sounds a-okay to us.
Batman: Arkham City coming to PC, PS3 and 360 in Fall 2011
The sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum now has an official title -- Batman: Arkham City -- and will launch on PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360 in Fall 2011. There go your fears of deleterious franchise annualization! Of course, we might just go mad waiting so long for the follow-up to one of 2009's best games. As you may have guessed from a handful of internet domain registrations, the sequel will take place in "Arkham City", a "heavily fortified" mini-city deep inside Gotham City. Warner Bros. Interactive hasn't offered further details on the game's plot or new features, but a pair of gorgeous Game Informer covers (September issue) hint at a more brutal tone and reveal some of the villains Batman may encounter. You'll spot a very patriotic Two-Face, and a possible romantic interest in Catwoman. The official Batman: Arkham City website is up now, though it only displays the initial teaser trailer from the VGAs at the moment.
Possible Arkham Asylum sequel names dropped in domain registrations
It appears Warner Bros. went on a little domain-shopping spree for its Batman: Arkham Asylum sequel. Domain digger Superannuation has unearthed over a dozen new registrations by the publisher that reference the Dark Knight or events in the first Arkham Asylum game. Several of the domain names suggest a range of possible "Arkham" titles for the sequel, including: Arkham City, New Arkham, Rise of Arkham and City of Arkham. There's also one domain that references Warden Sharp and his run for mayor. We've listed all the new domain names after the break.
Mark Hamill plans to retire from Joker role after Batman: Arkham Asylum 2
In an interview with IGN UK, voice actor extraordinaire Mark Hamill -- also involved with something called Star Wars, we're told -- revealed that he won't be revisiting the role of Joker after the release of Batman: Arkham Asylum 2. According to Hamill, he was reticent to take up the mantle for the sequel, saying, "My answer to [developer Rocksteady] for the sequel was, 'Guys, we're never going to be able to top the original.'" He added that he had intended to leave the role on "a high note" with his work on the original Arkham Asylum. However, once Rocksteady told Hamill of its intentions for the sequel -- swearing him to secrecy in the process -- he agreed to reprise the role, though he's adamant this will be the last time. "This will be my last, there's no question about that," said Hamill, "but it's the last hurrah." Whatever Rocksteady has planned, it was obviously enough to get Hamill back on board, and that's reason enough to be excited, right?
Warner Bros. appoints Turbine's new boss
Ever since hearing the news of Turbine's acquisition by Warner Bros. last month, players have been anxiously awaiting a sign of how this might affect Asheron's Call, Dungeons & Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online. While answers are still in short supply, now we know who Turbine answers to: Jeff Junge. Junge was named Senior Vice President of Online Games and Digital Games Platforms by Warner Bros., a new position for the company. He was a key player in the purchase of Turbine, and will now be Turbine's direct boss. Junge has had a lot of influence within Warner Bros. as they moved into the games industry -- he convinced them to invest in OnLive, and led the initiative to purchase other game studios, such as Rocksteady Games and Midway Games. As one of the largest independent MMO studios is folded into the WB umbrella, we will continue to keep a close eye on the direction Junge and WB will take Turbine in the future. You can read the full press release here.
Rumor: Mr. Freeze and Talia al Ghul to appear in Arkham Asylum 2
The original Batman: Arkham Asylum's large cast of antagonists was awfully daunting for any detective to face off against -- even if that detective has pointy ears and is equipped with exploding Vaseline. Two reports have begun to circulate about the first pair of villains we'll be buffeting with all manner of bat-shaped weaponry in Arkham Asylum 2: Talia al Ghul (daughter of immortal mastermind Ra's al Ghul), and everyone's favorite horrible pun-smith, Mr. Freeze. According to Gaming Target, Talia's appearance was confirmed on Twitter by her apparent voice actor, "Castle" star Stana Katic -- though any Tweets to that effect have since been pulled. Freeze was similarly confirmed by voice actor Maurice LaMarche (who voiced the latter half of "Pinky and the Brain") in an interview with the GeekCast Radio Network. These certainly seem like reasonable choices for the next game's cast -- however, we're going to pray that if Mr. Freeze is actually included in the game (in a capacity greater than his cameo in the first Arkham Asylum), his dialogue won't sound anything like, well, you know. [Thanks John!]
Batman: Arkham Asylum for $27 at Amazon
At this point, it should be pretty clear that God wants you to have Batman: Arkham Asylum. The game has frequently been subject to some killer deals and Amazon is adding another one to the pile today. At this very moment, the online retailer is offloading Xbox 360 and PS3 copies for the sanitarium-sent price of $26.99. If you still don't have the game and refuse to buy it at that price, well, maybe you belong in Arkham with the Joker. Unless you're holding out for the Game of the Year Edition, in which case maybe you could be forgiven. Maybe. [Thanks, Henrique]
Batman: Arkham Asylum ... the action figures!
Holy late money grab, Batman! It appears that in the June 2010 issue of Toyfare magazine will reveal a cadre of the Batman: Arkham Asylum characters in action figure form (as pointed out by Previews). Though the issue will miss the May release date of Bats' Game of the Year edition, it'll arrive on store shelves by early June. June's issue is said to feature "a sneak peek at some of 2010's hottest video games and hottest video game toys," including the Dark Knight, among others. The listing also notes that DC Direct, makers of, well, lots of other video game action figures, will apparently be tasked with putting little Bats and crew together. It probably doesn't hurt that the "DC" in DC Direct is of the DC Comics variety, owners of the Batman IP. All will be revealed on June 9, so get your Bat Credit Card at the ready, folks! [Via Big Download]
BAFTA announces 2010 Video Games Awards winners, goes batty for Batman
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts handed out its 2010 Video Games Awards in London this evening, but it was a resident of Gotham City who came away the big winner. Although Uncharted 2 bagged yet more trophies -- Best Action Game, Best Use of Audio, Best Story and Best Original Score -- Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham Asylum came away as the Academy's choice for Best Game of 2009. Other notable winners include Flower (Artistic Achievement), LittleBigPlanet PSP (Best Handheld Game) and Wii Sports Resort (Best Family Game). You can see the full list of winners by category after the break. Congrats, Bats!
Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY edition's packaging, trailer revealed
Not only does the Game of the Year edition of Batman: Arkham Asylum add TriOviz 3D, it comes with Batman and Joker-themed 3D glasses. They're not exactly what you would imagine Batman and/or the Joker wearing to watch something in 3D, but they are decorated in the style of the two characters. They're like one of those old Halloween costumes with the picture of the character you're supposed to look like printed on the front. In case you haven't heard about this Arkham Asylum thing until now, you can see a trailer for the Game of the Year edition after the break. You'll be able to pick it up on March 26 -- but only if you're in Europe, Asia, or Australia, as those are the only regions for which this edition has been announced.
Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition not coming to North America
Uh, remember how we kind of got your hopes up with the promise of Batman in 3D earlier today? Well, we hope you North American readers didn't rush to your local game emporium to pre-order the "Game of the Year" edition, as you probably would have gotten laughed at. Warner Bros. confirmed to Joystiq that Batman: Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Edition -- with the 3D feature -- is only coming to Europe, Asia and Australia. We also learned that, no matter what territory you live in, 3D is not a feature that's being added to existing copies of the game. If you want all three dimensions, you're going to have to pony up for the GOTY edition. This may seem tough now, but if you, Charlie Bucket-style, convince yourself that it's better just by itself (the third dimension standing in for golden Wonka ticket here, of course) we're sure you'll pull through.
Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition includes 3D glasses
If you were planning to ignore the Batman: Arkham Asylum "Game of the Year Edition" (perhaps you're still stinging from the disappointing collector's release) you may not want to stop caring just yet. While we're unexcited by the promise of "six additional maps" on the disc (there are six available for download at the moment -- we have to assume those are the same ones), we're intrigued by CVG's report that the box will include special glasses for use with a newly added TriOviz 3D effect. The TriOviz tech, if you're unfamiliar, works with regular HD and SD sets, and doesn't rely on red and blue lenses, meaning colors are preserved. We'd love to give it a shot, but not so much that we'd re-buy Arkham Asylum to do so. Here's hoping there's a way for us early adopters to check out this new dimension of institutional insanity. [Update: Sadly, it sounds like this isn't gliding into North America.]
PC version of Batman: Arkham Asylum on sale for $12.49
We're going to need you to find some way to weasel out of that lunch date you have planned for tomorrow. See, the $12.49 you were planning on spending on that cucumber and cream cheese panini with Italian cream soda? It's about to go towards a much more virtuous cause: Purchasing Batman: Arkham Asylum through Games For Windows' Games on Demand platform, which until March 1, will only cost you $12.49. It may not be as delicious as the aforementioned sandwich, but it will take you longer to finish. Unless you're the world's slowest eater. Or the world's fastest game-tape solver. Or if it's the world's biggest panini.
Warner Bros. acquires Batman dev Rocksteady Studios
Holy strategic acquisition, predictable Batman reference! Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group has announced its purchase of a majority stake in Rocksteady Studios, the developer responsible for towing Batman's star vehicle out of a muddy Gotham ditch. Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham Asylum debuted in 2009 to critical applause and has since shipped over three million copies. Jamie Walker, studio director of Rocksteady Games, expressed pride in the deal -- the cost of which has not been disclosed. "We are proud to strengthen our association with WBIE, a world class publisher that we have enjoyed working with since we began developing Batman: Arkham Asylum," he said. In addition, games director and excellent sniper position Sefton Hill noted, "The Rocksteady team is very much looking forward to creating more great games based on widely recognized Warner Bros. brands like Batman." What Warner license will Rocksteady revive next? Whatever it is, it'll have to wait until construction is completed on the unnamed Arkham Asylum sequel. [Update: Square Enix Europe (Eidos) has confirmed that it still retains a 25.1 percent stake in Rocksteady.]
