BatManhunt: Arkham Asylum
 

I was surprised to see that a thread hadn't been made about this game. Anyway, Gamestop says June 23rd is the release date but others say it's June 9th. Here are some links to those awesome trailers, by the way.

Some of these trailers might contain spoilers, such as the villain revealed trailers. Don't click on them if you don't want to know who else is going to be in the game.

Breakout Trailer - Really freaking awesome. I love the music on this one.

Breakout Trailer HD


Invisible Predator Trailer

Invisible Predator Trailer HD





Also if you want some gameplay action, check this out.
It looks like Batman meets Metal Gear gameplay with some elements and twists that I've yet to see in a game (of course, I haven't played much compared to the rest of you).

Silent Knight Challenge Mode Extended Cut

Silent Knight Challenge Mode Extended Cut HD

There will be a collector's edition that totals about $100 and comes in a batarang shaped tin case. Here's the specs of the collector's edition from Gamestop:

I don't know if I'd be willing to spend another 40 bucks for all of that, but it's tempting.

All in all it looks like this could be a very epic game and this will definitely be a day one purchase for me. I'm pretty excited for it.

A huge selling point for me, is that there are at least 3 voice actors from Batman the Animated series who are reprising their roles.

Kevin Conroy as Batman, Mark Hamill as Joker, and

Gameplay also looks solid to me, using stealth and not just some brawling beat em' up, cause that's not who Batman is. I will very likely pick this up.

I never was a fan of video games based on something , since i prefer more original content but ill be sure to try this game out ,since it looks awesome.

THIS IS THE ONE BATMAN GAME I'M GOING TO DEFIANTLY BUY, NOT ONLY FOR THE FACT ITS THE FIRST ON NEXT GEN SYSTEM, BUT MARK HAMILL RETURNS HIS VOICE TALENT TO THE VILLAINOUS JOKER, SWEEET!

A playable demo (one or two of the combat-oriented challenge rooms) should be in the wild at any self-respecting GameStop; I took it for a spin and came away pleased with how the combat is handled. My one complaint about the demo is that it would've been nice to offer one of the stealth challenges as well.
Sonic-Dude, a minor point of order: given that the Wii, 360, and PS3 are in the retail space (and have been for a while now), it is no longer appropriate to refer to them as 'next-gen'. There's another point I'm tempted to raise, but I suspect others have done so in a more discreet fashion.

I often buy games in a defiant fashion, don't you?

Defiantly making purchases (in the face of common sense) is a common and necessary trait in your garden-variety Sonic enthusiast.

Sure, the cashier at Gamestop may try to tell you that Sega hasn't put out a decent game since the Dreamcast but by god you just have to push past that!

Looks interesting, I loved the comic itself. Curious how they will work the story aspect since the comic was a lot what Batman felt and experianced and not that much of batman fighting bad guys.. maybe they'll release a demo on live/psn.

I agree , I don't like it when video games are based on things , I like amorphous ideas badly implemented

Spore is the best game ever

I remember reading something where someone involved with the game mentioned combat being rather focused on using stealth to your advantage and not flat-out brawls. He cited that Batman is the 'World's greatest detective' not 'World's greatest fighter' which kind of made me wonder if they even have read Batman from like the last twenty years at all.

Who knows? Could be good.

Stealth doesn't necessarily mean MGS-style "hide all the time" mechanics. Lurking unseen until enemies let down their guard and then diving through a skylight is also a form of stealth. And that's kind of Batman's thing, isn't it? I mean I'm not 100% up to date (since as a rule I don't pay for Alan Moore's drug habit) but I don't think he's ever been a kick-in-the-front-door kind of guy.

That's why the developers have gone to such pains to refer to the mechanics as "predator mode" instead of "stealth"; because dozens of crappy I AM SUPERSPY games have made "stealth" a synonym for "HIDE FROM EVERYBODY OR GET KILLED IN ONE HIT".

I wish I could find the link for an exact quote. I get what you mean (and possibly how it was intended in the article), but the way it came off to me from that guy was that Batman wasn't able to handle fighting more than one or two people at once. While I wouldn't want a Batman game that IS straight-on beat-em-up style, it was more of a nerdrage thing than it was me being concerned for the potential gameplay.

Generally stealth either means simply attaching a silencer on your gun for mere visual effect, or arbitrary stealth sections, completely at odds with the rest of the game.

Exceptions abound of course, like that kleptomania one.

I like how Arkham is doing it, I felt it's closer to how Batman goes about than the usual games he's been in. It's not like he dresses in the suit because it's handy. Though I suspect I might tire of the mechanics a few rooms on if it merely repeats the pattern.

Jessy, if you watch some of the videos that show of what they mean by 'stealth' you might get an idea of what they're trying to do. Generally they seem to be saying that Batman is an excellent fighter, but he's still human and so if he gets riddled with bullets then he's pretty much fucked (which would be true), so he has to use his intelligence and gadgets to lure people into situations that put him at an advantage. I've seen clips of them having Batman swoop down and put explosives on a wall, and then detonate it when an enemy is walking past, taking that dude out, then when another runs over to see what's going on Batman swooped down and kicked him in the face before grappling back up into the rafters to go for another guard.

All in all this looks like it has the potential to be really good. Naturally it could still turn out to be absolute pap, but I've got my fingers crossed for this one.

Trailers, since not many seem to have watched them.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/46638

Challenge room demonstration shows some gameplay:
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/47317

Exactly. What there's a glut of is stealth mini-games, which are sort of half-assed by definition. There really aren't too many pure sneakers--most people just can't get excited over a game about hiding, I suppose.

That trailer looks better than anything in recent memory, though it's quite comical how Batman's firing a grapple gun and breaking chunks of rock, yet the guards don't raise their eyes above head level, even after they know he's around. I also hope there's more emphasis on shadows in the other levels; this room is awfully well-lit. It would add to the atmosphere, even if it doesn't affect the stealth mechanics.

I just realized I linked to the SD trailers and not the HD ones. Thanks, Qwarky. I'll have to update them.

Well about a day ago, there were some new videos showing off the gameplay in Arkham Asylum. Strangely enough, the videos were gone this morning from Gametrailers. Luckily, someone downloaded them and put them up on youtube.

Swarm Gameplay

Roundhouse Kick Gameplay

Gamestop had the demo set up and I was pretty much sold from what I played of it. It seemed to play more fluid than other games I've messed around with lately. I really enjoyed the feel the game had.

Also watched the Harley Quinn trailer for the game and I have to say I'm liking more and more that the game seems to be taking that darker "Tim Burton" style approach to it. Although I'll probably stick with getting a normal copy of the game than shelling out $100 for the CE.

Arkham Asylum has been delayed until the end of summer 2009.

Source: Batman: Arkham Asylum delayed - Confirmed - GameSpot Rumor Control

Sorry for the bump, but I figured Canadian gamers might wanna know that AA will be selling for $38.83 at Wal-mart, Best Buy, and Futureshop on Aug 25th! The price is only good from the 25th to the 27th at BB and FS, not sure about how long it's supposed to go on for at WM.

Can't wait, I'll be picking up the PS3 version for the Joker exclusive content. Hopefully there'll still be copies available, as I won't be back in town till the evening of the 26th.

I wish that was the price in America, shit. Then I'd HAVE to get it.

Americans have the Toys R Us sale. You get a $20 gift card with Arkham Asylum this week, or a $30 gift card if you buy it on Tuesday between 10am-2pm. It's arguably better than the Canadian deal, though I'd be picking it up myself if it was instant savings.

At Best Buy you get a free "Mask of the Phantasm & Mr. Freeze DVD." Still a pretty neat deal, since Mask of the Phantasm was a cool movie.

Amazon fucked up and my order got blocked from shipping. Got to the UPS joint too late :mad: Ass-hats. Now I hafta wait until tomorrow. Originally, after seeing this, I thought I'd swing by Stafford and pick it up at the UPS office, but it seems that it's STILL in fucking Delaware. Ugh.

Gotta thank Hantei for this.

I got mine for yeah, 38 bucks. Will play later though after a run from Wolfenstein.

I've been playing this for the last several hours and it hasn't disappointed yet. Half of the time I don't even notice the music playing, but there are some good tracks in there. The boss battles are intense and Mark Hamill is friggin hilarious. The detective puzzles are neat and there were a few times where I scratched my head trying to figure out certain things. One small thing I noticed is the intro began to stutter and skip at certain points for the first minute, but after that I haven't had any problems since.

There are some really freaky parts in this game that made me go "WTF". I'm sure if any of you play it, you'll see eventually.

This game is fucking awesome. That's all.

Game is fancy as hell. Almost looks like I'm watching very detailed action figures move around and the voices just feel like I'm watching a darker version of the animated series.
In the back of the ps3 cover it says that it has trailers and behind the scenes but I have yet to see that in the menu. Not sure if it means after beating the game or only the limited edition although I wouldn't know why it would say that when it doesn't specify I'm just assuming it's in the disc.
Haven't tried the challenges or joker challenge, dont plan to untill I beat or feel more accustomed to the game.

On your PS3 main menu where you usually go to Game for Arkham Asylum, go to Video. The movies were there for me.

That's a new one. It's like each ps3 game has a different requirement for certain things. I'll check it out later, thanks.

For those who have played the game:
Does the game music have any Dark Knight/Batman Begins elements in it or is it completely different music style? And have anybody ripped the game music?

The music is very Dark Knight-ish. Sometimes it feels like the movie trailer music is going to start.

Holy fucking shit, those mother fuckers.

It's a darker version of the animated series (which is saying a lot). Those silly movies aren't involved in this at all, thank god :3:

Behave, the music from the first movie was the best thing about Lego Batman.

I finished the game last night and I must say that was one of the better games I've played this year. The last boss was a little disappointing, but Arkham Asylum is a damn good game. Now I'm going to go back and collect stuff for it because it is that awesome. :3:

I just beat the game and I loved every second of it. Well maybe the last fight could have been more epic but overall it was pretty much the only single player game this year where I actually felt the need to play it.
I got over 75% of the Riddler trophies in the first playthrough and now that I can roam free in arkahm the rest shouldn't be too hard. I also heard the challanges were forgettable but I'll still try them for the sake of a few trophies here and there.

Also after the ending credits.

Exactly. This is the 90's animated Batman put into a game. It's awesome as fuck beyond words. Atmosphere's darker as well and I want it that way. Props to Scarecrow sequences too; well done.

I swear I never hated those stun baton guys more than I do during the combat challenges. THEY FUCKING RUIN EVERYTHING.

Nominating Shock and Awe (Extreme) for most infuriating, controller-breakingest level of forever.

I just got 100% on this game and that level's medals were the only thing keeping it from me for about an hour and a half. Thank God for triple batarangs.

oh gawd I hardly got one medal on that level, I thought getting 100% would be pretty easy for the challenges but it is indeed frustrating with those fucking stun things.
Also just heard there will be some DLC for the game on the 17th, not sure what it might be. Probably the joker for the xbox or the scarecrow pack in the stores. I'm hoping it's something completely new since I already have those.

Actually, the stun baton guys weren't the bad part. The restricting timer is what will mess you up the most on that level if you don't make sure to do lots of takedowns or throwing them off the edge. The triple batarang and extended batarang daze upgrades are pretty much essential to get enough of them on the ground while you focus on taking out the others. Even with those, though, I still finished with only a few seconds to spare on each round, often times relying on the last couple of seconds that it takes for the floor to actually kill you. Definitely the hardest challenge room in the game. Rumble in the Jungle (Extreme) only took me a couple of tries, but you do get lots of extra points for beating Titans and smacking thugs while riding on their backs.

Still can't get the combo system down very well. Any suggestions?

What are you having trouble with? Countering? Just finding something to hit? If it's countering, all I can say is to be aware of everyone around you. If you see someone running at you, expect him to attack. Even on hard mode, which takes away the Spider-Sense lines, it's pretty easy to anticipate when someone's about to attack you. Also, try to avoid Ground Pounding someone with enemies really close, as you can't counter until the animation is finished, and they'll likely kick you in the face and ruin your combo.

Another thing to keep in mind is that no matter how far away an enemy is, as long as you aim the left stick at them, you'll always fly across the screen to attack them. Very useful for takedowns and throws.

You may also want to practice jumping over enemies. Your combo stays active while you jump or throw batarangs or use the batclaw. For the challenge rooms, I've found that it helps a lot to batclaw the last guy, jump over him and then finish him with a Ground Pound, as you get lots of extra points for those. Tremendously useful for going after medals.

EDIT: One more thing about batarangs/batclaw. When you use either one, you have to do something else before you use it again. Using it twice in a row will end your combo.

Get a good idea of how the rhythm of a fight goes, as well. You'll begin to realize it's not just about going in and pressing buttons but knowing who to press them on and when. Keep in mind that combos will continue despite using the stun or dodging around/over people, so long as you keep up a good rhythm and know who you want your next target to be.

If someone seems close enough to hit you, they probably are going to. If you're in a quick takedown animation and there's some dude standing right next to you, be prepared to counter when the animation finishes. Don't just get up swinging.

Sometimes when you hit the counter button the meter disappears or starts again at 1. In that case, try jumping around enemies.

I actually found that batman has some major range. I got the 40 combo trophy by going all around a room. When I hit one guy on the left, I immediately go to the farthest enemy on the right so that all the enemies will keep moving and not crowd up on me.
When you're in the middle of a combo, don't be afraid to aim a punch to an enemy all the way across a room. Batman leaps at them like a mad man. Doesn't work all the time, you actually need to get your rhythm down to perfect this certain technique.

I wish they used the L3 or R3 buttons for throw or instant take-down. Hitting those two buttons feels clumsy to me, since I always need to mind the counter button, just in case :(

Also, how the hell do you get high points on the challenge modes involving fights? I got perfect dark knight on a couple and still only got 6-7k. Do I need to chain throws and shit? I avoid those because they leave you open like nobody's business :x

This is basically my problem.

I'll be doing a combo and the next thing you know Batman bitch-kicks some dude from across the map in the face... but it only happens when I don't want it to and it always kills the combo I'm trying to achieve. I can't seem to get higher than 10x.

You have to use lots of different moves in your combos, and try to go for the Flawless Freeflow Bonus every time. Basically if you use every move Batman has in a single combo, at the end of the round you get a Variation Bonus of around 8 or 9, giving you an extra 3500 or 5000 respectively per round. Make sure to Ground Pound whenever you get a chance to do so safely. It's a x100 multiplier. Flawless Freeflow isn't an absolute necessity, but if you can at least get around a 20 to 30 hit combo incorporating as many of the different moves as you can, the Variation Bonus will definitely help.

When that happens, just try to aim towards the crowd with your next attack. You should almost always do another crazy leap across the map.

Well that's the thing. You gotta pay attention to where and who you're aiming at in a fight, as well as who is up still and who is the biggest threat. If you see a guy across the room ready to toss a tv at you or going for a gun, shit yeah, go knock his ass down, but you can just as easily aim back to the other guys and fly over to start pummeling again.

The one with weapons too. Like Jess said, anyone with a knife, a gun or something to toss is first priority. The pipe is okay though.

Just finished the game. It was unbelievably awesome! I just don't know how they're gonna top this one (if they do actually make a sequel). Including all those easter eggs was a great idea, and I had fun searching for every one.

Are the endings random? I got...

Also, I've read online that there was supposedly something interesting in Arkham Mansion after completing the game, regarding the body.....

Mark Hamill will always be my favorite Joker. Some of the lines he had were funny as hell! One of my favorites: Come on, boys, he's just one man! One man dressed like a lunatic and armed to the teeth. (giggles) Go get him!

There are three endings, all random.
I finally got 100% in challenges, the last extreme combat challenge was surprisingly a bitch. Every time I went through it I ended up with 48k points and only increased by a mere 100 points every time. Pretty much had to pull off 40x hit combos in the first and third round to finally get sixty thousand. Practicing these changes makes story mode much easier, you can pull off perfect combos all the time.
The predator challenges were pretty easy once you knew what to do and they were more fun than the combats.
Theres new DLC on the way this thursday. It's only going to be two new challenges but I have nothing else to do with this game so I may as well try em out.
The combat style of this game looks like it would be good for a co-op side scroll brawler so I was hoping some feature like that.

The three secret endings are:



I beat it. Love the level of difficulty on Normal. Love the voice acting. Love pretty much everything about it. I doubt I'll bother with all the challenge things, because I largely don't care about that stuff. However, an absolute blast to play. Two thumbs way, WAY up.

Understandable not necessarily caring about the challenge rooms, but I'd say give them a look as they're actually a lot of fun and do provide a nice set of challenges based on two of the core gameplay elements. There is a lot of satisfaction to be had from pulling of some mammoth combos and clearing a room whilst dealing with knife or stun-baton wielding bastards.

It's good to see a whole bunch of people here have been playing the game, but it still feels like too few. This is a great game and far too many people for my liking on GFF seem to be overlooking it.

Not everyone is a fan of Batman, or maybe they are playing but they just don't want to talk about it. I started the game on Hard difficulty at the beginning of the week and completed it today. Playing through the challenge maps really prepared me for it. I probably would have died much more than I did.

I might play through it a third time down the road so I can get the rest of the trophies I missed. I also like that little scrolling update at the bottom of the title screen saying how many days are left until the free DLC comes out.

I played the PC demo and I enjoyed it thoroughly! I really wish I could afford to buy it, and pirating this particular game has some funny consequences.

(My computer could also stand to be a little more powerful, but that leads us back to the money issue.)

I had problems doing combos for a while until I settled down and tried not to button mash. Batman flew across the room and destroyed my combos when I button mashed at random enemies (I kept getting low 30s, but then Batman would punch air randomly, or he would kick someone instead of countering and do the counter pose to break the combo).

Slowing it down to about a button press a second instead of four a second made it easier to think out a strategy as I was going from one enemy to the next. Still working on the fighting challenge rooms, but I thought the predator challenge rooms were a blast.


I also need to try Freeflow Perfection (doing one of each move in a single combo). Not really looking forward to it honestly, though I hear it isn't as bad as it seems.



As for the story itself, I thought it was great.


Anyway, working on plowing through the game on hard this weekend.

No being funny, but I don't see how you were making it to low 30s of a combo by mashing buttons 4 times a second. This is certainly a game that has no place for any kind of button mashing in its fighting stuff and any sort of mashing lead to a very quick combo-breaker in my early experience with the game.

I was able to get 20s pretty easy early on, even with button mashing, but the first instance of making low 30s and actually trying for the Freeflow 40x was pretty much near end game.




Ended up getting the x40 in one of the challenges after I figured out how to critical hit people at will.

Though it only applies to PS3 owners, I got the 40 hit combo in one of Joker's Combat Challenge Rooms. The guards seem to be easier to deal with because none of them carry those bullshit knives and stun batons. It's wholly possible to get it in the part Ryuu mentioned, but it's harder because of the cramped area.

Freeflow Perfection isn't that hard to get. I suggest trying it on the first Extreme level. You can do it in the first round.

I actually got the 40x combo on my second playthrough on hard mode when batman first enters the mansion and the thugs are looking for the notes. There were plenty of them across the room, it took some trial and error but I got it.
As WolfDemon said, the first extreme challenge is ideal for freeflow perfection. They don't have guns, or knives or anything so it's pretty simple. I always start off with the batclaw since that leave you the most vulnerable in the middle of a fight so it's safest to use it right away. I also have the habit of double tapping for a quick batarang and that destroys the combo so just make sure to give one quick tap. I usually only use it after a counter or a takedown because the action slows down enough that I can rotate the camera and plan out where to throw it and then attack the next enemy and possibly get a ground takedown this way.
It sounds complicated at first but once you get the flow of batmans gadgets and combat style it becomes easier to know when to use them.

My problem is that I've had issues executing the throw and take down moves. I don't know if it's my friend's controller or I'm just doing it wrong, but I can't seem to execute them well when I'm given the prompt to.

Please impart your wisdom upon me, sir.

Has anyone been able to download the new maps today? I keep checking the PS Store and the only DLC available is the Joker Challenge Maps, but nothing about Insane Knight.

PSN updates are screwy, usually updates at 6 eastern time.
I tried the new maps, I like the freeflow challenge. It's like the scarecrow challenge except you keep going until you drain your life instead of a one hit knockout. Those little grabbing bastards are actually in the challenge and this time they are actually annoying as fuck. You can't get an instant takedown on them, you have to get a ground takedown but good luck with that because 10 other enemies will stop you.
The predator one is pretty hard too, not sure how to get the 3 medals yet.

"At will" is an exaggeration, of course, but all you need is the "Critical Combo Strikes" upgrade (didn't check to see if you've beaten the game yet, but you can get it anytime), and that's pretty much it.

After a x3 in a combo, just time your presses, one per enemy, instead of mashing them, and they'll land as critical hits (giving you the +2 instead of the +1 for any other hit). Simple enough.

Just practice in the challenge rooms if you're having trouble, but it's pretty straight forward and make getting x40 really, really easy.

Isn't it x5 and then CCS kicks into gear?

My highest was 27.. on normal gameplay. Will do challenges soon.

No, it's a minimum of x3. I think it's easier for the critical strikes to kick in the closer it is to a x5, but I usually get it after I get to x4. And, yes, I just tried it, and it triggered after x3 in one of the challenge modes, but it was only after my initial combo was broken, and I was trying to build another one up, so I don't know.

Usually for me, it's x3 punches to one enemy, which knocks him down. Countering a second enemy, which brings me up to x4, and then critical striking everyone after that with regular attacks.

To my knowledge, doing other moves (throws, takedowns, ground & pounds, etc.) shouldn't have an effect on your ability to get critical strikes, but they won't register as one. So, if you're trying for x40, it may be easier just punching and countering (with maybe some jumping or stunning if you really want).

Also, Sewer Bat Challenge (Extreme) - 1st Round was where I got my x40 trophy (PS3).

The new challenge maps dlc were pretty intense. That combat one where you keep fighting until you collapse was fun. Heck, I could play that over and over! :D

The predator map was cool too, though I'm not sure how to do the one task of doing an inverted takedown while smashing through the glass floors? Are you supposed to blow up the glass first or something? Or do you just go through? And is it through both floors or just one? Either way, it just doesn't seem to work....

It would only work for me through the top glass floor. What you want to try to do is start off by going through the vents. You'll come up behind a wall you can blow up with the explosive gel on the floor that's between the two glass floors. Spray the gel on that wall, then make your way out of the vents and up to the gargoyles. Swing over to the gargoyle that is above the glass floors.

Now at this point, I got lucky and the guard was underneath me so I was able to do the inverted takedown through the glass without having to blow up the wall. However if you're not that lucky, go ahead and blow up the wall and the inmates will go to inspect. That's your best chance to get at least one inmate directly underneath you for the inverted takedown and just hope it's not the guy in red because you want to take him out last as per the objectives.

It took me a bit to figure out. I was unable to go through both glass floors for the inverted takedown, nor was i able to blow the top glass floor and do the inverted takedown on an inmate through the bottom glass floor.

I hope that helps. And yes, the new DLC maps are great. It was a pain in the ass though on the endless one since they included the crazies.

God, you people suck.

"This game is so great."
"This game is so awesome."

Just bought another game I don't know when to squeeze in.
Should arrive in a week or so for my PS3 :orange:

I'm the other way around, I played Ys I & II on the weekend, waiting for the game to arrive in the mail. Didn't arrive on Monday, so I started Oath in Felghana, thinking it would still take a while to get here. Arrived yesterday to minirage. Luckily finished Oath last night so it's Batman tiem tonight~

You know, I always wondered about that bit where the Riddler says he's hacked into Batman's primitive communications so he can mock him with his riddles and whatnot...
Wouldn't the Riddler have wondered about all that?

Rumble in the Jungle on Extreme sucks :(
I got so close to 50,000 but I just can't keep a good combo going even while using the Titans. It's the last medal I need for Combat Challenges/100%, too.

Try to concentrate mostly on the fights without the titans and try to rack up a huge combo without getting hit if possible but on the third round try to get a combo of 40x or more. I found the third round to be more crucial for the score and the first round is easy enough to get flawless bonus.
For the titan rounds you just have to worry about hitting as many enemies while you're on the titan's back and jumping across the screen to avoid them at close range.


EDIT:
Oh yeah almost forgot, they added another addon pack for free. Predator is hard as shit, and the freeflow is pretty fun.

Finished it yesterday. Grea great game! Very polished and wellmade, only thing that disappointed me was the last fight, I expected something a bit more special but the overall quality was great!
Will be a very hard to thing to top with a sequel.

Yarrr I ended up watching some video to see what someone else tried and managed to get the score late last night...pretty much all depended on my Freeflow/Dark Knight bonuses in the first round. I think I got 23,000 there, another 10,000 in Round 2. Round 3 I got hit a few times but still managed to come away with 41,000 and I just barely squeaked out the 50,000 in the end.

Just gotta beat on Hard and I'll have completed the game for achievements. Game is so good, though. I don't invest much time in Batman but I love all the little things they put in and the Joker makes me laugh every time he chimes in with a new message.

This is the first game I've actually finished in a long time. It's pretty much everything I'd want in a Batman game. And for once, I actually do want to go back and beat it on the harder modes just for kicks.

I also agree that it'll be hard for any kind of sequel to top it. Everything in this just kind of flowed and made sense. To expand it to a whole city or anything like that would kind of ruin the feel of it.

I would love to see a sequel with this level of polish and thought, and with more batvillains to fight. And I do mean actually fight this time around instead of having them just send minions at you. I don't see it being that hard to do even outside Arkham.

Finished the game last night, it was very, very good. I wouldn't name it GOTY material, it had a lot of niggles that prevent it from being anything above a solid 8/10. The last third was also slightly flat, just ambush gang fight after ambush gang fight and then two disappointing boss fights almost back to back. It was still entertaining and the atmosphere truly is something else.

Man, if there is a sequel, I would love to see Two-Face and whatever he's got to throw at Batman. But if they do throw Joker back at us as the main villain, I'd love Games Radar's idea to see a tussle in an abandoned Amusement Park a la The Killing Joke.

Read Games Radar's article on who they think might be in the next game and where it could take place, if there is one:

Games Radar: Which Villains will Appear in Batman Arkham Asylum 2?

Verrry interesting....

If there will be a second installment, I would like to see Hush make an appearance.

Only if that appearance is him walking across a street, and then he is immediately struck by a bus.

Yeah, i liked the Hush story arc and all but it wouldnt work in a game. Actually it would be like this one since Hush got all the bad guys to do dirty work like Joker did..

It's a pretty fair guess that Two-face will be the bad guy since they namedropped him in the end..

I like how they announce Two-Face is on a rampage, has killed two police officers and escaping a bank heist and Batman is all "Well, good night, suckers! Hope you do ok!" and c-fly's off.

Well, really. What's Two-Face gonna do that the regular Gotham PD can't handle? Last I checked he wasn't exactly rockin' superpowers or even themed gadgetry. He's not especially strong or unusually clever. He's just a crazy violent guy who's only really remarkable because his face is so fucked up. Plug him with a tranq dart and call it a night. He's important to the canon, such as it is, but a serious threat he's not.

You know, on this note of being slightly critical of the Dark Knight's universe, I've been reading his comics a long time. It wasn't until I read all the entries of the characters in this game I realised just how many fucking people there are who have had lives parallel to Batman except they're villains. Like every second guy has the phrase "parallel to the dark knight's." Does anyone in Gotham not have murdered parents?

As much as I like this game, I'm really sour toward the whole "Batman is stuck on a fucking Gears Of War island" thing. Its a pretty retarded game and story mechanic. I'm not saying the sequel should be a sandbox game - Spider-Man 3 attempted that and succeeded and failed for various reasons - but Jesus Christ, so much of the game is just goddamned MacFarlane Toys design.

I'm going to be honest. After the first five minutes I was just gleefully clapping and giggling whenever Conroy or Luke read a line. I couldn't tell you the story at all, really. I wouldn't care what happened in a sequel as long as they brought them back. I will play Batman II: Batman vs the Calculator, Ten-Eyed Man, Crazy Quilt and Kite Man if they bring back Conroy and Skywalker.

Batgirl.

While its nice to have them back, something about it feels half-assed. Why did they invite them back and... get a cast of entirely different voice actors for everyone else? Its only Conroy, Hamill and Sorkin that are carryovers from the cartoon series.

I'm all for them getting work and more than all for more good Batman games, but if you're going to hire voiceactors from the series, you should make the game more like that.

I see your point, but you have to see mine where I'd deal with Mr. Mxyzptlk voiced by Andy Dick to hear Conroy play Batman.

Yeah, well. Brock Peters never got to play Ghost Rider like I wanted, so I guess we can't get everything in life.

But didn't anyone hear Hamill's recent interview regarding Arkham and Darksiders, about how this is his last role as the Joker so he went all out. Either he didn't think there'd be a sequel or he already knows there won't be one with the Joker in it. Or he just doesn't want to play The Joker any more. It's amusing how his role in Darksiders is the exact same voice.

Gametrailers TV with Geoff Keighley

around 19:55 or so

Are you insinuating this...

http://www.maniacworld.com/beethoven...wicker-man.jpg

...actor, no. Artist, did a sub-par job?

He's such a huge fan too, has a tattoo and everything. How could he do poorly on something he so obviously admires?

Well, it is what it is with Nic Cage. He has done some excellent work in the past - its just that no one here has seen Lord Of War.

Brock Peters played Darth Vader in a way that made Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet look timid and restrained. Thats exactly what old Flamehead should be about.

Have too. I don't think the funny thing about Nic Cage is that he makes shitty movies. It's that he's made some great movies and then turns around and makes some of the worst ever. He's like a Pixies song. Lound and then quiet and by the end you're all addled.

Yeah, I've heard the NPR reading. It's pretty badass.

Finally got Freeflow Gold.

Had to get the 3 medals on Sewer Bat (Extreme), Shock & Awe (Extreme), and Rumble in the Jungle (Extreme). Sewer Bat (Extreme) took me longer than I thought it would, but Shock & Awe was the most frustrating until everything just worked out for me on my last go. Rumble in the Jungle Extreme was fun, I thought.


Just got to beat it on Hard like kupomog.

Arkham Asylum 2 announced on Spike VGAs.

Link

Oh did I miss VGAs? Forgot it was that time of year for that travesty.

Good news on AA2 though. I really enjoyed the first game a ton.

VGA's are definitely a piece of crap. I can't stand watching it but I saw the teaser for batman at the repeat.
Looks like it picks up right after the first arkahm since joker somehow broke loose, missing a tooth, and beat up.
It's enough to keep me anxiously waiting, the first one was just such a surprise and I loved every second of it.

Oh man, it happened. I voted for this when Spike opened up their voting page thing last month.

http://i45.tinypic.com/6fqnmp.png

FUCK YEAH ARKHAM ASYLUM 2 I JUST CAME.

Yay great news, i wonder if they will set it in the city? Batman Swooping from building to building :O!? Cant wait for more footage.

I'm glad to see Joker making a return in this one. I was worried about if they did do a sequel that they'd leave Joker out. Good to see Harley make a return as well. Arkham Asylum is one of the best games I've played this year, so it's going to be tough to even match that greatness, let alone surpass it.

Yeah. It sure would suck if they used other characters from such an expansive universe.

I figure they'll put in more villains this time around, or at least some that didn't make a physical appearance in Arkham Asylum.

Mark Hamill also said in an interview that Arkham Asylum would be his last time voicing The Joker, so unless he changed his mind the voice actor is going to be different for the sequel.

If it isn't Mark Hamill, I'm-a be so pissed. Hearing him do the Joker is the only reason I'd accept using the same main villain for the sequel without trepidation.

Mark Hamill was at the VGAs and mentioned the fact that he had voiced Joker in a trailer for the sequel to Arkham Asylum (in an interview or something) before the trailer was shown to the world at the start of the show.

So, unless he really doesn't want to, it seems like he'll reprise his role.

I hope one day they make a cartoon show where Mark Hamill voices EVERY character - characters of your wildest dreams and even some very plain ones. It would last only one season and at the end of it Mark Hamill would announce that he'd never voice these characters ever again, take a bow, throw a microphone into a giant speaker, and then walk away dramatically as the giant speaker explodes violently in the background while putting on some very rad shades.

just wanted to share this:

Spike TV Video Game Awards 2009 Video Game, Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 Exclusive Debut Trailer HD | Game Trailers & Videos | GameTrailers.com

I still haven't played the first one, but I asked it for Christmas and I'm definitely happy that there's a sequel ;)

Did I hear someone say they wanted Hush as the main villain? I think I did. Hush lover.

Hush sucks. But I really dig the storyline possibilities of his current comics appearance. Bruce's plunder of Wayne Enterprises resources, a publicly-listed company, would be considered rather fraudulent these days.

I'd be disappointed if Joker was the main villain again. I'd rather have Two-Face or Ra's al Ghul this time around.

Whoa whoa whoa. Hush is great, especially for new comic book readers who want to familiarize themself to the Batman universe. When my friends want to start reading Batman but feel lost with all the new characters and stuff, I suggest Hush and Long Halloween as my go-tos.

Setting the sequel in Arkham again could be really restrictive. There is so much to work with, I would love to see the game branch out. Gotham is fucking huge, not to mention there are other members of the Bat family.

Hush as a character is kinda lame, the story arc was quite nice though. I wouldnt mind seeing Ras Al team up with the Joker :). TwoFace is pretty given to be in it too, Penguin too since we see his club in the trailer.

I think we can assume there'll be other villians than the Joker. First of all, he didn't seem like he was in shape to put up any kind of fight. Probably still weak from Titan, he's got a IV drop and coughs. What a threat.
But we do get to see both a poster of Two Face (almost the same as on ARKHAM HAS MOVED ) and the Pinguin's club.

And please let Mark Hamill be the Joker again.

Actually if you notice the trailer you'll see the arkham asylum entrance, which is an entire city instead of just an island. I guess that's what they meant that it moved.
Not sure why they would give an entire portion of a city to all the baddies though.

They might be taking a cue from Batman Begins, which has it located in a densely populated slum, called "The Narrows" in the movie. (The slum area, not the Asylum).

Or, if your meaning was to ask 'why villains now control a portion of the city' (As opposed to just increasing the space of the Asylum), well that was somewhat covered in one of the comic book story-lines called "Cataclysm" where an earthquake struck the city, which afterwards segued into No Man's Land, depicting a chaotic, abandoned of most of the population, decayed city.

I still need to play through the first game :eagletear:, but nice to know there's a sequel coming.

Some good spots by people analysing the teaser trailer give some strong hints as to some of the villians we'll be seeing in the sequel: Arkham Asylum 2 trailer teases new villains | SCRAWL

Bumping this thread.

Finished the game today. I originally didn't care for this game at all (I blame my intense love of DCAU) so I put it down and came back to it and actually got to liking it. I think the fact that you have to "earn" certain things that should be "basic Batman" stuff is what hurt it at the start. But then - crashing through skylights and ruining people's shit in slow-mo by landing on them wouldn't get old either.

The end of this game was pure dick though. Fucking Secret Of The Ooze ending, Joker turns into Super Shredder. Fuck you Paul Dini, thats some lame writing. Also: the ending is the same as Batman Begins. (Also: got Bane at the end)

So apparently, Arkham Asylum 2 has been renamed "Arkham City".

Also, agreed on the lame ending, it felt like it was building up to something better.

I would LOVE to see Hush brought in as the lead villain for the next game... Or possibly Joker remains the lead villain and then a plot twist halfway through that Hush masterminded everything since the first game. And Ra's could be a tentative ally!

Oh, it's fun to pretend! :3

Again, I feel the need to point out Hush is a fucking awful villain and a terrible comic.

Created by Jeph Loeb.

'nuff said, True Believers.

Again, agree to disagree?
What're your thoughts on Clayface? He's my favorite villain, so don't hurt my feelings.

Ahh, what the hell, have a ball, my feelings haven't been hurt in a long time.

I agree to disagree, but really. HE'S BATMAN BUT NOT BATMAN SINCE THEY WERE KIDS. I'M JEPH LOEB AND I WIN EISNERS.

:mad:

And I like Clayface. I also like the Joker. And Catwoman, and Ivy, and the Penguin and Two-Face and Killer Croc and even Calendar Man and Doctor Tzin-Tzin.

I just really hate Hush.

Isn't that the appeal, though? A villain who's hatred runs deeper than any other because he knows Bruce more intimately than any other? A villain who was devoted long before any other?

It's just so hackneyed. Same person. Divergent lives after they were together. Two sides of the same coin.

We've seen it. Many, many times. It's been done better. Hush is just boring as a concept. "What if Bruce Wayne's life had been slightly different and he was a villain?"

Well, he's already damn near a villain. He's pretty much the worst DC hero at being a hero outside Lobo. We've seen tortured Bruce, and frankly it was always more believable and moving when Joker was on the other end of it. Hush was just really, really dull.

Hmm. Maybe I was wrong to disagree. I can't lie that I did feel the comics that were suggested to me (featuring Hush) felt a little lackluster and bland compared to other, more compelling characters. But those are the only actual comics I've read from the Batman series, and I thought they were good. Maybe you can suggest something better? Anything in particular?

Literally any Joker story ever. Even the goofy ones about poisonous joker fish are better than Hush because the Joker/Batman relationship has a history and a... rapport, for lack of a better word, that you can't just duplicate by saying "oh, and these guys have known each other since childhood, I just forgot to mention it until a couple issues back". You can't fabricate something like that out of thin air and expect readers to just blindly accept it.

Just read... let's say The Killing Joke. That is how you present a compelling villain.

Hush is... unexciting, to say the least, but I think it maybe gets more venom than it really deserves purely because it was a big marquee Comics Event and so it was inescapable for a few months there if you follow comics at all, and if you already disliked it, well, by the end you were hating it purely on the basis of its omnipresence.

Apart from the obvious annoyance of all the fanboys at having to change character halfway through, wouldn't Knightfall make an obvious choice of basis story for a future game? It's an excuse to chuck in a ton of villains as boss fights if nothing else.

Not necessarily. KnightFall can be a complete game in its own right, complete with downer ending. Then the next game can incorporate KnightQuest and KnightsEnd, alternating between the Batmen!

It's not having to change character, it's having to change to an annoying, unlikeable character. A Batman game where you controlled, say, Nightwing or Robin or even Catwoman maybe would be fine, but nobody wants to be Azrael. Nobody.

People would get over it eventually, Metal Gear Solid 2 still shifted a bunch of copies and as Azrael you'd actually get to kill people.

I imagine they'll write an original story for the sequel though, rather than shoe-horning in an old one from a comic.

Lobo is just a comedic, broadly written biker dude.

Batman is basically a self-perpetuating narcicistic serial abuser with an inflated sense of purpose.



If thats tl;dr then this

YouTube Video

Now THAT looks like an arc I'd love to read... What's the name of that arc? or issue number or whatever you comic guys use to identify these books.

åhhhhmmmggeeeeee new ingame pix!

Nya bilder på Arkham City - Gamereactor Sverige - Batman: Arkham City (swe site just click the pix). explosions, cats, boobs, clowns!
Dunno if there is anything new in the pics, the hacking thing is still there (looks different though), goons can use more tools to beat you, Catwoman looks like Selina from the Hush arc but with a popped collar and visable cleavage, twoface looks like the classic one. There is also a pic of batman flying over the city with the batlight in the background (maybe showing the next goal?) also in two pics he's diving towards the ground, dont remember if you could do that in the first game. The gargoyles can be seen in some pics, they got kinda silly in the first game by the end hopefully there are other ways of getting around this time.
Just a year to go yay.

New villain revealed: Batman: Arkham City Video Game, VGA 10: Exclusive