Batman: Arkham Origins may be headed up by a new team while the series creator is up to mysterious doings, but it bears the general hallmarks of Rocksteady's own work. The handheld spin-off Blackgate, by comparison, is a wholly different animal, borrowing pieces of its elder siblings and attempting to fit them onto a handheld in a cohesive way.
You've watched the cinematic trailer and read our preview (I trust you), which means marketing now deems you sufficiently informed to watch actual Batman: Arkham Origins gameplay. Warner Bros dropped the debut trailer during Sony's pre-E3 press conference last night, showing some merry old BIFF!ing and POW!ing as various villains attempt to cash a bounty on the Bat's head.
Yesterday, veteran Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy said he would be playing a role in the next Arkham game. Since we already knew that Roger Craig Smith would be voicing the Dark Knight in Arkham Origins, we naturally figured that Conroy would be playing another character, or perhaps an older version of Batman. As it turns out, the situation is a bit more complex.
Kevin Conroy, the voice actor known for his iconic pipes as Batman in the classic animated series and the previous Arkham games, says he just finished a long stint of work on the "next Arkham" game. While he doesn't specifically name Batman: Arkham Origins, he did mention that his 9-10 months of work has gone into a game that has recently been announced, allowing him to talk about it.
It's near Christmas, it's snowing, but all is not well in the city of Arkham, as a young Batman will be fending off assassins that want to end his storied career before it even gets started. A new teaser for Batman: Arkham Origins shows the Dark Knight battling perhaps the toughest killer in the group, Deathstroke.
Batman: Arkham Origins is starring a younger Dark Knight, in a younger Gotham City. That change impacts everything, and art director Jeremy Price has talked a bit about how the new setting and younger Bat will be reflected in the game's visual style.
We've heard a lot about what Batman: Arkham Origins will have: Deathstroke, Black Mask, and a stronger emphasis on teaching the player. But what about what it won't have? WB Montreal detailed a few of its original ideas that didn't make the cut.
Kevin Conroy has been the voice of Batman throughout a lot of iterations, but WB Montreal may be using a different actor to play the Dark Knight in the upcoming Batman: Arkham Origins. A report from a South African magazine claims that Conroy is out for this installment, since the game features a younger Bruce Wayne.
Batman: Arkham Origins exists in its own universe, the "Arkhamverse" as comic book fans been known to call it. Through Origins, WB Montreal is aiming to make their prequel form the foundations of that universe. Batman has had plenty of origin stories that trace back his crime-fighting roots, so DC Comics' chief creative officer, Geoff Johns, explained the themes of this particular prequel and how it differs from some others.
Batman: Arkham Origins is rolling back to an earlier time in Batman's history, making for a tricky minefield of storytelling. We already know where these characters will end up, which runs the risk of making the plot lack stakes. But WB Montreal has explained more about how it will make this piece of the story stand out, notably by playing with its earlier iterations of characters.
Batman: Arkham Origins is said to star Black Mask as its primary antagonist, taking a break from the usual Joker threat. But Warner Bros knows that some fans don't know much about this villain, and are picking and choosing pieces of his comic history to tell the story of Batman's early, less experienced years.
Following the reveal of Batman: Arkham Origins and its handheld tie-in Blackgate, more details are coming to light about the pair of games. The prequels are letting WB Montreal reintroduce some characters, but the primary antagonist is completely new.
Warner Bros officially announced Batman: Arkam Origins today. The earliest rumors claimed this would be a prequel set in the Silver Age, detailing Batman's first encounters with his rogue's gallery, particularly the Joker. With today's announcement, that seems half-true.
Time Warner had said a new Batman Arkham game was coming this year, and now we know what it is. Batman: Arkham Origins has been revealed and, as suspected, is not being developed by series creator Rocksteady. Instead, it's being developed by Warner Bros Games Montreal, who worked on the Wii U port of Arkham City. It will be released worldwide on October 25 for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U.
Batman: Arkham City followed about two years after Arkham Asylum, which means we're about due for another game revolving around Gotham's favorite insanity hotspot. Warner has confirmed that another title in the franchise is due this year, though it hasn't given much else in the way of official info.
Read more: Warner games 'include the next release in the Batman Arkham franchise' »
The Wii U's distinguishing feature is its tablet controller, promising at least a few new bells and whistles for older titles that are re-released on the platform. For Batman: Arkham City: Armored Edition, that means quick access, and touch and motion controls added to the Bat's vast array of high-tech gadgets.
Given the blockbuster success of its earlier efforts, it shouldn't be too surprising that Rocksteady is probably working on a follow-up to Batman: Arkham City. But despite its cliffhanger ending, the next game may take a break from those plot threads and go all the way back the Silver Age of comics.
Today at Nintendo's E3 2012 press briefing, Warner Bros Interactive and Rocksteady showed off the new edition of Batman: Arkham City, subtitled "Armored Edition." It features the touch screen for gadgets, along with armored Batman and Catwoman suits exclusive to the Wii U version. WB Games Montreal is developing the port.
Those of you craving more Batman: Arkham City story content should already have marked your calendars for this bat-time and bat-channel. But just in case you forgot, the Harley Quinn DLC is available starting today. The DLC is already up on Xbox Live Marketplace, and it will hit PlayStation 3 and PC later today. It adds a new story mission for $9.99 (800 MSP).
Update 8:15 a.m.: Rocksteady's community manager has issued an updated tweet correcting the previous date; the Harley Quinn DLC will launch on May 29 (PSN) and May 30 (XBL) alongside the Game of the Year edition.
Original Story: Warner Bros and Rocksteady Studios confirmed not one but two rumors today, with the announcement of both a Game of the Year edition and another pack of upcoming downloadable content for Batman: Arkham City. The newly announced Harley Quinn DLC is coming soon, and if you were patient enough to wait for Batman this long, waiting some more for the GOTY edition will get you that content (and loads of other goodies) included.
Batman: Arkham City released last year, and received a few downloadable content packs featuring Robin and Nightwing as playable Challenge Maps. That would seem to indicate the end of that particular DLC, but a new set of Trophies seems to indicate we'll get a new story episode. Ending spoilers follow.
Ever since the PC edition of Batman: Arkham City launched in November 2011, an unlucky portion of players have been finding their save files mysteriously corrupted and their progress lost. Four months later, Rocksteady Studios has finally released a patch addressing the problem, which even salvages the saves for some--but not all.
The dark days of dire DirectX 11 performance in Batman: Arkham City on PC are at an end, thanks to a new patch. Unless you're running a 32-bit version of Windows 7 or Vista, that is, in which case developer Rocksteady suggests you continue to avoid DX 11 entirely until another patch is released.
The PC edition of Batman: Arkham City has been ever-so-slightly delayed, publisher Warner Bros. announced today. Previously due in North America on November 15, it'll now arrive on November 22. The Australian release will follow on November 23, while Bats will spread across Europe on November 25.
What makes Nightwing different enough from Batman that you'd want to pay $7 to play him in Batman: Arkham City's challenge maps? Have a look for yourself in the first gameplay trailer showing the former Robin in action.
The Nightwing Bundle Pack downloadable content will bring the high-swinging Dick Grayson to all of Arkham City's challenge maps, complete with his own "unique gadgets and special moves." It'll also add two extra challenge maps--Wayne Manor and Main Hall--plus the Animated Series Nightwing character skin.
Comment on this story