 "Time Warner confirms new Batman Arkham game for 2013")
One of the most highly acclaimed superhero game series ever—the Batman Arkham series—is getting a sequel. According to VG247, plans for a new Batman Arkham game were revealed through Time Warner’s recent investor call. A full transcript of the investor call can be found via Yahoo! Finance.
Time Warner’s CFO and Chief Administrative Officer John K Martin stated during the call: “And we also have a strong games release this year, which will include the next release in the Batman Arkham franchise. So all in all, we expect Warners to post another very strong year in 2013. And with a little luck, the year should be as good or maybe even a little bit better than 2012.”
According to VG247, this time around, the Batman Arkham game will not be developed by the developer of the last two games in the series—Rocksteady Studios. As of now, it is unclear which studio will be developing the next game. This could be the ‘Silver Age’ based prequel to Batman that was rumoured to be in the works last year.
This ain’t no place for a hero
It also seems like the Arkham series is falling victim to annualisation, albeit not strictly. It will be two years since the release of Arkham City when the next game gets released, and thanks to the success of the series so far, this could point to the possibility that Time Warner is looking to make a new Batman game every other year.
Batman: Arkham Asylum was released in 2009 and more-or-less changed the way we think about superhero games. With the quality of other games in the genre ranging from mediocre to downright unplayable, Arkham Asylum showed us what a Batman game could be. The game follows the exploits of the caped crusader has he tries to stop the Joker from completing his plan after having taken over the titular Arkham Asylum. The game has action sequences that play out like a timed rhythm game that lets you unleash devastating combos. The stealth sequences of the game are referred to as Predator mode. While stealth sequences in other games have you hiding because you are being hunted. In Arkham Asylum, stealth sequences are where you are the hunter in the shadows. The game was also praised for its writing, as it delivered a solid storyline. This could be attributed to the fact that the writer of the game was Paul Dini—the same writer as that of the 90s Batman animated series.
The second game—Arkham City—was released in 2011, and improved on the first game in every single way. The scale was bigger as it gave you a section of Gotham City to explore, and the stakes are higher, with the entirety of the city’s life and Batman’s secret identity at stake. The gameplay remained more-or-less unchanged, but the combat was improved upon by inclusion of quick gadget attacks. The gliding was also improved to let you dive and glide back up to travel longer distances. Arkham City was also praised for cramming in a larger portion of Batman’s rogue’s gallery into the game, and Mark Hamill’s final performance as the Joker in any Batman fiction.
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