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Seen@E3: Da-nanananananana Batmobile
Alright, this has to violate ... we don't know, at least 12 different health, fire safety and traffic laws. No wonder the villains in Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham Knight are so angry with Gotham's Dark Knight: he's totally inconsiderate of where he parks his car! Sorry Bats, but we're gonna have to write you a ticket for, let's say $1,000. We know that's a lot, but hopefully it'll teach you a lesson: you either park your car in an approved space or live long enough to see yourself handed a parking violation. [Image: Joystiq]
Batman: Arkham Knight scored by Call of Duty: Ghosts composer
David Buckley, composer for Call of Duty: Ghosts, signed on to write the music for Batman: Arkham Knight. Buckley will co-compose the game's soundtrack with Nick Arundel, the composer that scored the other two games in Rocksteady's Arkham triology: Batman Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. Aside from Call of Duty: Ghosts, Buckley's work in the video game space includes Metal Gear Solid 4 and Activision's Shrek Forever After game. He also composes music for the CBS TV show The Good Wife and the Ben Affleck-directed film, The Town, and provided additional music for Jerry Bruckheimer's Prince of Persia film. Announced in March as the final game in the series from Rocksteady, Batman: Arkham Knight will prominently feature the Batmobile as a primary gameplay element. The game is set in a section of Gotham City that's said to be "five times larger" than that of Arkham City, and will include "traffic-friendly streets" to accommodate for the Dark Knight's favorite ride. It will also spotlight the aptly named Arkham Knight, an arch-villain created from scratch by Rocksteady and DC Entertainment CCO Geoff Johns. The game is slated to launch later this year for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. [Image: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment]
PS Plus Weekly: Mercenary Kings, Batman: Arkham City free to download
This week's PlayStation Plus lineup has something in store for both longtime PlayStation 3 fans and PS4 die-hards, offering up Batman: Arkham City and the debuting console version of Mercenary Kings free of charge. Mercenary Kings, developed by Wizorb creator Tribute Games, melds the run-and-gun gameplay of the arcade classic Metal Slug with an online cooperative multiplayer mode and an in-depth item-crafting component. Tomorrow's PlayStation 4 release marks the first time Mercenary Kings is available on a console platform, following up on its Steam Early Access debut last year. Batman: Arkham City, originally released in 2011, finds the Dark Knight trapped in a walled-off section of Gotham City filled with classic villains and other miscreants. The downloadable PlayStation Plus version of Arkham City includes the Catwoman Bundle Pack, which adds a series of exclusive story missions and in-game collectibles. Both games will be available for PlayStation Plus members in North America starting tomorrow. Other PS Plus games premiering in April include Castle of Illusion, Stealth Inc, and Velocity Ultra. [Image: Tribute Games]
Latest Batman: Arkham Knight screens show the dark knight's new villain
Batman and Commissioner Gordon were recently on display in these totally-not-brooding screens for Batman: Arkham Knight. One of the characters showcased in the screens is Rocksteady's new arch-villain, appropriately dubbed "Arkham Knight." The PS4, Xbox One and PC game will arrive later this year.
Batman Arkham Knight set one year later, 'five times larger' than Arkham City
The recently-revealed final game from Rocksteady in the Arkham series, Batman Arkham Knight, will feature "traffic-friendly streets" in a map that's said to be "roughly five times the size" of Batman Arkham City. Lead AI and combat programmer Tim Hanagan told Game Informer that "at any given time, there are between three and four times the number of thugs active in Gotham City than there were in Arkham City," and that larger riots in the game will have up to 50 characters wreaking havoc. Arkham Knight is set one year after Arkham City, in which Batman's foes have banded together to tear the Dark Knight's attention away from a crumbling Gotham City. The single player-only game will also include an arch-villain created from scratch by Rocksteady and DC Entertainment CCO Geoff Johns. Rocksteady's initial announcement focused on another big addition to the Arkham series: Players will get plenty of time in the driver's seat of the Batmobile, which can be fetched at the press of a button, can handle the jumps and boosts expected of the more reckless drivers among us and will eject Batman out of his seat at times. Kevin Conroy will return to voice Batman after Roger Craig Smith lent his voice to the character in Arkham Origins. Additionally, Nolan North will voice Penguin, Wally Wingert will voice Riddler, Tara Strong will continue as Harley Quinn and Troy Baker will voice Two-Face again. Speaking of Harley Quinn, Joker's popular sidekick will be playable via pre-order bonus content that includes four challenge maps. [Image: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment]
Batman: Arkham Knight leaked on GAME listing [Update: 10/14 list date]
A listing for Batman: Arkham Knight appeared on the GAME retailer site. While no longer available to view, the game was listed for PS4, Xbox One and PC. A Google search limited to GAME's site shows the listing existed in some capacity before being pulled by the retailer. Update: Game Informer revealed that Batman: Arkham Knight will be the cover of its April magazine. The game will be the final one in the Arkham series from Rocksteady, and is set after the events of Batman: Arkham City. The game will feature the Batmobile and a new area of Gotham City reportedly "far larger" than that of Arkham City. Batman will spend his time in the game hunting down familiar foes: Scarecrow, Two-Face, Penguin and Harley Quinn in particular. Update 2: WBIE issued a trailer for the game and a press release, the latter found after the break. The publisher noted that the game will launch this year. Update 3: The game's website lists Harley Quinn as a playable character via a pre-order bonus. The add-on content will include four challenge maps and give players the opportunity to use Harley's "unique weapons, gadgets, and abilities first-hand." Update 4: An image on GameStop promoting Batman: Arkham Knight's Harley Quinn pre-order bonus lists an October 14 release date for the game. Given that GameStop is the only retailer with that listed date at the moment, we wouldn't mark our calendars just yet. We've added the image after the break and reached out to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to confirm the date. Update 5: A Warner Bros. representative told Joystiq, "Batman: Arkham Knight is scheduled for release worldwide in 2014. " [Image: WBIE]
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.
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."
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%
Xbox Live's Deal of the Week is all about the Batman, his boy wonder
Strike fear into the hearts of Xbox Live's ne'er-do-wells this week with a handful of discounted Batman-themed items. Outside of a few Avatar props, select DLC for Batman: Arkham City has also been reduced in price.The Nightwing Bundle Pack and Robin Bundle Pack have both been knocked down to 360 MS Points ($4.50) from their respective usual 560 MS Points ($7) asking price. Each comes with a handful of character skins and exclusive challenge maps, and unlocks each character for play in all of Batman: Arkham City's challenge maps.
Rocksteady's Sefton Hill shares Arkham recipe
Rocksteady Studios co-founder and game director Sefton Hill shared his recipe for making Arkham games at DICE 2012. Beyond the basic ingredients listed, all you'll need is a major license, a supportive publisher and millions to fund the project.Sefton's Arkham recipe: Make the game instantly fun and accessible. "We believe it's our job to entertain," Hill said, adding that the free-flow combat of Arkham was meant to instantly convey the feeling of being Batman. Deep core mechanics, with a contant, incremental challenge to maintain engagement. "We developed combat by introducing new enemy types ... it keeps giving you more, it keeps challenging you." Complementary Orthogonal Design. Boiled down, it's that systems like navigation, combat and story "all have their own distinct and strong uses." Essentially, he encouraged designing complementary design elements that don't step on each other. Authenticity. "The restraints of the character define the character." Hill said certain elements may seem like a pain the ass, but that one must embrace those constraints. The fact that Batman can't kill anyone was something the team had to maintain at all times. "It stops us from falling back on a lot of game cliches." Takeway: Celebrate and explore the limitations of characters and what makes them unique.So, there you go. Oh, you'll also need an engine. We're sure if you write a really nice letter to the guys at Epic, they'll let you license the Unreal Engine at a good price.
Arkham action figure line includes Titan Joker, Killer Croc and the Bats
DC Comics is releasing a new line of action figures based on the lead and supporting casts of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, though you'll have to wait a while to get your hands on them. The line is segregated into regular and "deluxe" figures; the five regular figures (Batman, Ra's Al Ghul, Azrael, a Clown Thug and The Penguin) will find their way to comic shops and toy stores this September.Two of the deluxe figures, Mr. Freeze and Killer Croc, will launch this June, while Titan Joker -- everyone's least favorite part of Arkham Asylum -- won't be available until November. %Gallery-145681%
New Arkham City DLC pack lands Dec. 20, takes us to the Batcave
Well, we don't know for sure that the Batcave challenge map included in the next Batman: Arkham City DLC pack isn't the one Adam West and Burt Ward called home, but it seems far more likely that we'll be beating down Gotham's worst in something a little more contemporary. According to this tweet, the pack arrives December 20 and also includes two previously available maps: Iceberg Lounge and Joker's Carnival. No pricing information has yet been revealed, though we feel safe in assuming that the sum total will cost more than nothing and less than a hundred billion dollars.
Batman gets a big head in this Arkham City Easter egg
Wondering how to take Batman's already Arkham-sized head and make it into something more Gotham-sized? The Rooster Teeth folks have figured it out, releasing a tell-all video (watch out for the F-bomb!) on Batman: Arkham City's "Big Head Mode," which can apparently be applied using the Cryptography Sequencer. The guys warn that the mode is only available in "Normal or higher" difficulties, though it'll also work in New Game Plus mode. Essentially, by holding down both triggers and maneuvering each analog stick in opposite circles of movement, the Big Head mode Easter egg will activate, rendering all forms of Batman and Catwoman (as well as enemies) with enormous noggins and puffy hands. And yes, in case you can't watch the video above just yet, it is absolutely adorable. [Thanks, Geoff.]
Batman: Arkham City PC receives mini delay
Batman: Arkham City's official November 18 launch date for PC in North America has been slightly shifted to November 22. Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment also stated the PC version will be available November 23 in Australia, November 24 in France and Benelux, and other European territories beginning November 25. Although WBIE wouldn't confirm, a major South African retailer has stated the game won't launch on PC until December in the region. The PC launch will occur just as the "Robin Bundle Pack" hits the digital distribution circuit.
PSA: Talk to Calendar Man in Batman: Arkham City today
Eager Trophy and Achievement hunters likely already know the deal: today is Halloween and Calendar Man, a Batman villain obsessed with holidays and dates, is looking for a little company. If you talk to him in Batman: Arkham City on twelve different specific holidays (you can see the exact dates on a calendar next to his cell in the basement of the courthouse), you can earn the Story Teller Achievement/Trophy. Of course, you could cheat your way through this by changing the date on your console, though we'd hardly condone that. The Batman is not known for taking shortcuts.
Batman: Arkham City ships 4.6M in first week, 2M sold
Batman is kind of a big deal, with his latest starring role catapulting Batman: Arkham City to astronomical shipping numbers: an approximate 4.6 million in the first week. LA Times reports that among those shipments, Bats has already slipped into 2 million homes. By most accounts, Batman: Arkham City is earning those numbers, with reviewers (including our own) praising the sequel's densely packed open world and attention to detail, among other things. And if the rest of those shipped copies eventually end up in consumer's homes as well, the game will have already surpassed sales numbers of its predecessor (4.3 million). Not too shabby for a development studio whose only non-Batman game is about being a random police dude!
Metareview: Batman: Arkham City
The entire gang is back. Developer Rocksteady studios returns to Gotham City, along with Batman scribe Paul Dini, and Mark "Luke Skywalker" Hamill in what he says will be his "last hurrah" as Joker. And the result is that Batman: Arkham City could very well become Joystiq's top game of 2011, something its predecessor was arguably robbed of in 2009. Coincidentally, Arkham City sees a similar competitive match-up this year, facing new Assassin's Creed and Uncharted entries, whose sequels were the two titles that defeated the dark knight two years ago. At the moment, though, Arkham City is universally acclaimed as one of the best games of the year. Giant Bomb (5/5): "Getting another chance to use Batman's considerable combat talents as you engage in one of the best fighting systems going today is a joy. The city looks terrific, like it's one step away from just bursting into flames as criminals crawl across every single surface doing... whatever it is that criminals do when they're locked in a city-shaped prison." Game Informer (100/100): "The size of the game is daunting. I still have a ways to go to reach 100 percent, but I wouldn't be surprised if I have invested over 60 hours so far. Throw in the new game plus and a dizzying number of combat challenges for both Batman and his feline friend and this game could be one of the biggest and most enjoyable time sinks of the year." IGN (95/100): "Batman: Arkham City isn't perfect, but listing the little things I didn't like gets in the way of all the stuff I adored. The voice acting, the challenges, the amazing opening, the unbelievable ending and the feeling of being the Dark Knight -- these are the things that standout looking back. I've beaten this thing twice and still want to call in sick and chase Riddler Trophies. " Eurogamer (90/100): "If it's lacking something, it's surprise. Arkham City has nothing that beats the first game's brilliant unveilings and fourth-wall mind-tricks (although it has a go at an equivalent) and it can't trump the central, crucial realization that somebody had finally made a Batman game that was enriched by its license rather than subtly crippled by it. Instead, though, you get refinement: better bosses, slicker animation, and more to think about on a second-to-second basis."%Gallery-136482%
Batman: Arkham City swoops to PC on November 18
Warner Bros. has deemed today the day to reveal Batman: Arkham City's delayed PC launch date as November 18, one month to the day after its arrival on consoles. The Games for Windows version was delayed last month via a terse WB announcement, which didn't provide an explanation at the time. We can exclusively reveal why today: Bruce Wayne is exhausted, y'all. He's got a lot going on, between film and TV and video games, and he just needed a few weeks to chill. Okay, that and PC version bug fixes.
Buy Batman used at GameStop, get free Catwoman code
It is true that all new copies of Batman: Arkham City will come bundled with a code that unlocks Catwoman. Those looking to purchase the game used apparently won't miss out on her nimbly-bimbly antics, Kotaku reports. A supposed internal GameStop memo states that all customers purchasing used will be given a free code, which will be printed on their receipt following purchase. We've contacted both Warner Bros. and GameStop for additional information.
