Batman: Arkham Asylum details revealed
- Posted August 13th, 2008 at 05:04 EDT by
- 3,923 views
- 15 Comments
The first major details on Rocksteady’s upcoming Batman game, Batman: Arkham Asylum, have surfaced in the latest issue of U.S. publication Game Informer. The preview contains a plethora if information, including gameplay, characters and tie-ins to the comic books.
Here is a list of details from the preview:
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Publisher: Eidos
Developer: Rocksteady Sudios
Release: 2009
-Clever choice of location moves the game away from an open world Spider-Man clone and more into the dark and gritty realm of The Chronicles of Riddick.
-Packed with Batman’s most dangerous archenemies, Arkham Asylum boasts a brand new story reminiscent of the depth and twists of Bioshock.
-Story is written by Paul Dini (Batman: The Animated Series, Detective Comics).
-Wildstorm is crafting the authentic yet distinct new look for all the key characters.
-Gameplay places just as much focus on Batman’s role as a detective as his combat prowess.
-Game isn’t being rushed to tie in with any TV/Film marketing cycles.
-Game runs on Unreal Engine 3.
-Most of the game is played through an over-the-shoulder perspective.
-You’re going to see and get to fight against all the major super villains, including The Joker, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Zsasz, Penguin, Riddler, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze and others the magazine doesn’t want to spoil.
-Allies revealed so far are Commissioner Gordon who plays a big role and Barbara Gordon (aka Oracle) who is your radio contact in the game.
-Game opens with the Joker surrendering himself and subsequently taking over Arkham because of some secret the facility holds.
-Magazine teases that this game will be the ultimate Batman experience so the voice cast will reflect that (Think Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill).
-Arkham was chosen as a location because of its limitations including the fact that it’s an island prison. It’s a persistent location so you can visit any location at anytime including Batman’s secret on site Bat Cave etc. Don’t think that just because this is an island prison there will only be small hallways. The developers have taken into account all the construction/destruction of the facility over the years so locals will vary.
-Eidos’ Batman license includes all 70 years of comic book fiction so they’re pulling from all of that.
COMBAT:
-Boss Battles won’t necessarily be a series of straight pugilistic fights. Each enemy represents a different side of Batman and not all of them can match his wide skill set. Some battles are focused on combat others will focus on gadgets some are similar to giant Zelda style bosses.
-Combat description in the magazine talks about Batman perched on a high ledge in a wide open room as he watches some of the Joker’s thugs rifle through drawers. Batman switches to investigation mode using a blue tinted visor that among other things lets Batman see his enemies through walls and identifies things like guns and knives. One thug is carrying a machine gun so Batman jumps of the ledge, spreads his cape and kicks him in the face. He then swipes his cape in a large arc to stun his other enemies and then goes to work on them with a stylish blend of punches, kicks, a knee to the face here a behind the back elbow there. Combat has a gymnastic flourish and is accomplished using only three buttons. Attack, Stun and Throw.
-Combat is only one element of the game so the developers didn’t want a bunch of button combos that you’d forget because you’ll be doing other things besides fighting.
-During battle a combo multiplier at the top of the screen will increase with every strike. Once the combo expires a colony of bats will swirl around Batman and then contribute to an experience bar on the left side of the screen. In an RPG like skill tree system players will be able to distribute points where they prefer. Think Combat moves, faster takedowns, or gadget upgrades like the ability to throw multiple batarangs at the same time.
-Gadgets are revealed by collecting items in secret rooms. You’ll need gadgets to survive as there are very tough enemies in the game that you can’t just go head to head with (Think Killer Croc, he’s 10 feet tall in the game and super tough)
-There are sections that involve sneaking but the developers call them Predatory gameplay sections as stealth tends to imply weakness, they prefer to think of it as picking ... (continued on next page)
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Comments
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angryplaystationdude |
sympozium_666- 5:54am BST - August 13th, 2008
- 3
Unreal Engine 3 just declared this game sh!t. Better not be inferior to the xbox version or Epic fail
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TestosteRohne |
TestosteRohne- 7:18am BST - August 13th, 2008
- 4
How the f@ck do they expect to adapt Grant Morrison's seminal Arkham Asylum graphic novel into a videogame.
Paul Dini (Especially now as his Detective Comics run has been dire) is really not up to adapting Grant's work.
Although I am interested in seeing Wildstorm's (The comic company I presume) interpretation of the charactres.
Please no robocop costume from the film, Jim Lee's version will do just fine.
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hush404 |
hush404- 9:30am BST - August 13th, 2008
- 7
Why's everyone hate on the Unreal3 engine? Lookat Mirror's Edge, that game uses UE3 and it looks spectacular. The UE3 has a lot of power in it and if used right can be made to run an awesoem game. Its those haves that use the tech (at its simplist level) that give it a bad name, pumping out crap games that barely consistitue a mod.
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TestosteRohne |
TestosteRohne- 2:01pm BST - August 13th, 2008
- 8
djrussel how about some actual feedback, we all play games and we're even registered to a game forum, we ALL need to get a life!
I'm major Batman fan.
I'm not superficially complaining about a graphics engine, I'm concerned about content and substance. You know the thing that mosy teenage gamers don't care about.
The Graphic novel is a thematically dense work that even makes the recent fantastic film look thin compartively.
Dini used to be ace, especially on those early seasons of the animated Bats, but his latter output has been severly lacking.
Have you read Arkham Asylum or anything major by Grant Morrison?
My concerns are quite valid.
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Shenlong99 |
Shenlong_99- 2:23pm BST - August 13th, 2008
- 9
UE3 is quite capable of producing a very impressive looking game, its just most developers dont use it to its full potential.
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DeadOnArrival06 |
DeadOnArrival06- 2:52pm BST - August 13th, 2008
- 10
HAHA @ TestosteRohne !
I'm actually looking forward to this very much. If they can get the actual Voice actors from the Animated Series that would be awesome!
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hvnlyswrd08
- 5:48pm BST - August 13th, 2008
- 11
the movie was amazing i wasnt a big fan of batman till i saw it i hope the game is goin to be as entertaining as the movie was....i dint know mirrors edge runs on UE3 that game looks awesome
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dummycrash
- 12:12am BST - August 14th, 2008
- 12
Testoste Rohne, I hate to burst your bubble. But the fact that the title is, "Arkham Asylum" does not mean that the game is a direct adaptation of Morrison's dire, graphic novel. Instead of Morrison's pretentious, psychoanalytical attempt at deconstructing Batman. We'll get Dini's take. Which is welcome in my opinion. Considering the level of success he's had at adapting Batman over the last two decades. Also, I would suggest that Dini's Detective Comics run took a turn for the worst when forced to supplement Morrison's 'Batman R.I.P.' crossover. Which is ridiculous considering the timing of the run. Right at the moment that new fans and youth are loking into Batman. Thanks to 'The Dark Knight'. They are confronted with, 'Batman R.I.P.'. Nice. -
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LegendaryAim |
LegendaryAim- 3:43am BST - August 14th, 2008
- 14
cant wait but i didnt see wether it was multiplat or not......most likely is isnt it
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TestosteRohne |
TestosteRohne- 3:17pm BST - August 14th, 2008
- 15
Re Dummy Crush.
Good point, it may not be an actual adaptation, but title notwithstanding, the "Game opens with the Joker surrendering himself and subsequently taking over Arkham because of some secret the facility holds" is quite close.
It's almost redundant to accuse Morrision of pretension.
All his works are littered with it, but almost annoyingly he seems to back it up and pull it off (As an editor I never would have allowed his Animal Man ending, but he managed to pull it off nicely).
I would say that his Arkham Asylum is over eager to please, but I find that it is infact Dave Mackeans (I wont draw Robin blah blah) contribution that is pretentious.
Even if it failed, it's far more substantial than The Killing Joke, which Arkham Asylum is very much a deeper response to.
I'm glad you're enjoying Dini's run, I had high hopes of both Detective and Batman runs.
Morrison's Batman & Son into R.I.P has been a failure, but at least an interesting one.
Personally those opening single story issues of Dini's run were fantastic, but the quality dipped very quickly and I actually stopped before his R.I.P crossover.
Thanks for the feedback, and like many things I would be absolutely thrilled to be proven wrong and play a fantastic Batman game, but history is not on it's side.
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