Home Gaming Brand new Batman: Arkham Knight details reveal an evolved world and prime villain

Brand new Batman: Arkham Knight details reveal an evolved world and prime villain

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Batman AK (4)

I’m pretty excited for a new Batman game. Hell, I’d pay top dollar for a new Rocksteady game that featured nothing but new visuals and extra ass-kickery from the darkest of knights. But Arkham Knight won’t just be a grand finale to the work that Rocksteady have created. It’ll be an evolution of the Batman, making him the apex predator that he was meant to be.

At an event in San Francisco, Rocksteady revealed a ton of new details about the game. First off though, was a new look at the Arkham Knight himself, a vigilante that operates without the code of honour that the Dark Knight adheres to.

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“The opportunity is exciting, but the expectation [from fans] is off the scale,” Rocksteady producer Dax Ginn said to VG247 about the Arkham Knight. “That’s why working with DC is so awesome for us, because those guys are so experienced, and it’s obviously something they do a lot of.

So when the idea was on the table for us to develop our own character and introduce that into Batman’s world, there was so much energy and excitement around it at Rocksteady – but we really were conscious of the value of the collaboration creatively we have with DC to make sure the gameplay role the Arkham Knight has is really reflected in his appearance and his outlook and his perspective.

That’s not an opportunity that comes along very often, and I think we totally nailed it with this guy.

Batman AK (6)

Beyond the new villain however, the caped crusader is getting an updated combat system. As Dax explained to Kotaku during a live demonstration, the freefight system has evolved into a more brutal beast:

We’ve expanded the freefight combat system. Brand new moves. brand new techniques for Batman to use. He’s disarming this guy. He’s taking that baseball bat and he’s using it against his mates.

Weapon-steal is a brand-new feature of freeplay combat. He can use that as long as he wants or until it smashes on the face of some poor dude. Sweet moves! That guy is going to try to take Batman down. Gaz took him out with a bat and a throw counter and—YES! This is a sweet combination of moves, man. A sweet combo.

Batman AK (3)

This evolution also extends to Batman’s gliding capabilities, which in addition to allowing him to now do 180 degree turns while in the air, will also see the world’s greatest detective use his gadgets while airborne:

So gliding obviously an immense part of Batman’s navigation in Arkham City. In Arkham Knight, we’ve introduced a brand new concept: gadgets while gliding. GWG, we call it. So, at any time, you can deploy the line launcher to give us a perch

Batman AK (2)

But most important of all in Arkham Knight, as my inner child squeals with joy, is the Batmobile. You’ll have access to that vehicle at any time. And it sounds like a proper beast:

So we have designed this in collaboration with DC Comics. An incredible honor. What an amazing opportunity to design your own Batmobile, something that the studio has been incredibly focused on, giving it a lot of energy, and you’re going to see a lot of incredible features from this vehicle as it augments Batman’s abilities in every possible way. Number one, we’ve got to light some tires, hit the afterburner and we are off.

As you’d expect, the Batmobile comes fully equipped with gadgetry as well. Gaz is going to use immobilizer rockets, a non-lethal vehicle takedown to take this vehicle down and interrogate the driver. Opening shot. Nice! Good damage.

Batman AK (7)

We poured all of our heart and soul into this and put the Batmobile in the epicenter of Arkham Knight. But what’s the Batmobile without the entirety of Gotham City to drive through and destroy the way that Gaz has done? But number three, that power fantasy of being Batman in this, the epic conclusion that we have created to the Rocksteady Arkhamtrilogy.

All of those considerations have been the things we’ve been driving towards ever sinceArkham Asylum. The promise of being the Batman is always what we’ve been all about. The power fantasy of being the Dark Knight. In his city. Being in complete control.

So, having said that, Batman should be able to walk out of that door and walk into the streets of the city that he protects without a worry in the world.

Batman AK (1)

Arkham Knight is out in October, for PC and new-gen systems only. And yes, I have multiple bats in my mental belfry about this game already.

Last Updated: March 27, 2014

35 Comments

  1. That suit can really work for a Batman Beyond movie.

    Reply

    • The D

      March 27, 2014 at 10:08

      • Jedi JJ

        March 27, 2014 at 10:11

        Oh how I love Batman Beyond. Can’t they just make a movie already?
        Christian Bale already looked like a hundred year old man in the beginning of TDKR anyway.

        Reply

        • TiMsTeR1033

          March 27, 2014 at 10:13

          I still need to see that, lol from hearing how bad it is, I may never end up seeing it.

          Reply

          • VampyreSquirrel

            March 27, 2014 at 10:15

            It’s worth a watch, it’s kinda bad, not terrible, not great, somewhere in between, yeah.

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 10:17

            Hitting the nail on the head there Mister Squirrel.

          • VampyreSquirrel

            March 27, 2014 at 10:28

            That’s probably as vague an explanation as I’ve ever made.

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 10:29

            Sounds right to me.

          • Unavengedavo(aka. Bilbo)

            March 27, 2014 at 10:33

            My theory is he the director did this to ensure that no one wants a sequel… As far as I know, he didn’t want to make another movie after Heath Ledger’s death

          • VampyreSquirrel

            March 27, 2014 at 10:39

            Sounds about right… I know it was the last planned “Dark Knight” movie.

          • Jedi JJ

            March 27, 2014 at 10:16

            Good action movie. Bad Batman movie.

      • VampyreSquirrel

        March 27, 2014 at 10:17

        That looks like the best fall protection on a biker jacket ever…

        Reply

    • Admiral Chief of Auraxis

      March 27, 2014 at 10:18

      BB movie would be most awesome indeed!

      Reply

  2. TiMsTeR1033

    March 27, 2014 at 10:04

    DAMN! Batman looks flipping sweet! Loving the whole futuristic look.

    Reply

  3. TiMsTeR1033

    March 27, 2014 at 10:10

    The Arkham Knight looks really badass. I am assuming he will be a really tough foe to beat.

    Reply

  4. El Capitan del Blade

    March 27, 2014 at 10:17

    I’m still convinced the Arkham night is Jason Todd…

    Reply

    • Unavengedavo(aka. Bilbo)

      March 27, 2014 at 10:20

      But isn’t he the “New” Red Hood?

      Reply

      • El Capitan del Blade

        March 27, 2014 at 10:26

        He is, but characters change personas all the time… Hank Pym anyone.

        Reply

        • Unavengedavo(aka. Bilbo)

          March 27, 2014 at 10:28

          Agreed, but why would they go through all the trouble of creating a new villain especially for this game?

          Reply

          • El Capitan del Blade

            March 27, 2014 at 10:29

            Why not? It’s a way to keep the game unpredictable. It’s easy with the joker, because the joker was unpredictable… The Best way to retain that element, is to build a new, unheard of villian.

          • Unavengedavo(aka. Bilbo)

            March 27, 2014 at 10:31

            Well the original Red Hood became The Joker… So what if this is the Joker and he never died, just assumed the mantle of Arkham Knight O_o

          • El Capitan del Blade

            March 27, 2014 at 10:34

            That just seems like a cop out to me…. 😛 And looking at the design, I doubt it. Just the costume evokes a sense of purpose. This Arkham Knight has Equipped himself to take on and defeat the Bat. I doubt any form of the Joker would think that methodically.

          • Unavengedavo(aka. Bilbo)

            March 27, 2014 at 10:37

            Lol, that was more sarcasm than anything else :P… But have they mentioned Jason Todd in any of the previous games?

          • El Capitan del Blade

            March 27, 2014 at 10:43

            They haven’t directly no, But that’s no reason not to….

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          March 27, 2014 at 10:33

          Useless info: An image search for Mr Hankey Pym doesn’t achieve much.

          Reply

    • El Capitan del Blade

      March 27, 2014 at 10:24

  5. A 2 Cthulhu?

    March 27, 2014 at 10:21

    Those suits, that detail, incredible!

    Reply

  6. Devourer of Small Bunnies

    March 27, 2014 at 10:43

    That looks crazy cool. This new game has got mah ears all a flutter and what not.

    Reply

  7. TiMsTeR1033

    March 27, 2014 at 10:59

    Just a thought of what could be possible if made a batman beyond movie.

    Reply

  8. Sk3tz0

    March 27, 2014 at 11:07

    *giggles* I’m as excited as a schoolgirl at a justin bierber concert for this game..

    Reply

  9. Hammersteyn

    March 27, 2014 at 11:20

    Sold!

    Reply

  10. Kensei Seraph

    March 27, 2014 at 11:32

    The helm in that side profile pic of the Arkham Knight makes me think of a cat.
    Could he be Catwoman’s brother who is after Batman since he won’t marry Catwoman?

    Reply

    • Peet Luckhoff

      March 28, 2014 at 11:51

      Catman?

      Reply

  11. Aussious

    March 27, 2014 at 11:43

    The killer apps are finally on the rise

    Reply

  12. Macethy

    March 27, 2014 at 13:35

    If Arkham Knight is somehow The Joker in a suit with guns, I’m going to break the disc instantly!

    Reply

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