Warner Bros announced this morning that much-anticipated Batman Arkham City has been delayed – again – a few weeks until June 23. It had been previously delayed until June 2.
I have to say I was a little miffed about the latest delay as Arkham Knight is probably one of the few games I’m looking forward to this year. The Witcher 3 is the second one. After watching the latest trailer, though, which could be seen as a “Sorry for the delay. Here’s some awesome Batman action to make up for it” apology from developer Rocksteady, I’m prepared to wait until June 23. Oh, God, I’m prepared to wait.
My jaw literally dropped as I was watching the trailer and I heard an audible “Wow” escape from my mouth. I think it was an involuntary “Wow”. I just couldn’t help myself.
I also think I stopped breathing for a split second when the Batmobile arrived on the scene (about the 3:40 mark) after Batman had decided to “Even the odds” after taking out a multitude of bad guys. OK, I didn’t really stop breathing but it was a mightily impressive scene. Watch it and tell me you’re not impressed.
If the latest trailer is indicative of the final game, then Rocksteady can delay it for as long as it likes. Well, not as long as it likes, I’d like it out by June 23 please and I’ve yet to decide whether I’m going to pick it up on PS4, Xbox One or PC (I have to check whether my PC can run it, though).
If the game was out today, I’d be throwing my money to Warner Bros and Rocksteady right now but it’s not so I’ll have to wait. Oh, yes, I’m prepared to wait.
Oh, shit, I also just realised that The Witcher 3 will only have been released the month before Batman Arkham Knight. OK, I’m going to have to start convincing the wife right now that she needs to watch TV in the other room during May and June.
Wish me luck. I’m not sure how successful I’ll be. Perhaps some flowers are in order …
If there was one game that I really looking forward to this year it was Batman Arkham Knight. I was counting down the days until it’s release on [Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC] in October (well, I wasn’t actually counting the days physically, you understand).
I was even getting ready to pre-order a collector’s edition (when one was announced) because a) I don’t own a collector’s edition of any game and b) If the collector’s edition had a replica model of the new Batmobile, well, let’s just say that would be awesome (hint, hint Rocksteady and Warner Bros Interactive).
Well, sadly, I’m going to have to put my dreams about pre-ordering a Batman Arkham Knight collector’s edition until probably later this year: Rocksteady has delayed the game until next year. Yep, 2015.
Talking to The Escapist at an Arkham Knight press event recently, Rocksteady’s Guy Perkins said with such as “super ambitious project” in development, more time is needed.
“We just want to make the best experience we possibly can and we need more time to do that,” said Perkins. “I think what we’ve shown so far is a super ambitious project and we just want to make sure we are giving Batman fans and gamers the best Batman experience that we can possibly deliver and that just takes time.
“I think we would be doing fans a disservice if we didn’t spend the time on the title. We just want it to be really great.”
Personally, I’m all for games being delayed so they’re polished within an inch of their lives. I don’t want a buggy, glitchy mess that launches with a 8GB patch (sorry, “update”) that fixes all the stuff that should have been fixed in the first place.
Really, though, does this delay come as any surprise? The game was only officially announced a couple of months ago so I wonder whether the October release date was made after pressure from the publisher. Who knows but if this delay makes the game better, then I’m all for it. Besides, Arkham Knight will be hyped to high heaven until it’s out so best it’s the best it can be. Right?
So, I guess as a means of appeasing the restless and disappointed fans, Rocksteady has released a new trailer that shows off the Batmobile’s Battle Mode, which apparently is going to be shown in more detail at next week’s E3.
OK, so the above words come from the Adam West version of Batman in the late 1960s (it was so camp but fun to watch: Oh, and let it be noted I watched it much later in life, not during the 1960s) but they’re so fitting for the announcement trailer of WB’s next Batman game, Arkham Knight – and man, am I shaking in my Batcave for this one to come out.
OK, so it’s only a cinematic trailer so we shouldn’t get all excited but damn, it’s hard not too when you get a glimpse of the caped crusader and all that’s going on in the 3 minute-something trailer. And the game’s coming from Arkham Asylum and Arkham City developers, Rocksteady. Yay!
The trailers got explosions, Penguin, Two-Face, Harley Quinn, (I think) a voice over from The Scarecrow telling Gotham City that this is its only warning, and a contemplative Bruce Wayne (oh, there’s also a voice over reading out the last will and testament of Thomas Wayne, Bruce’s father, who hoped that Bruce used his money and legacy to the benefit of Gotham City).
In a nice touch, the trailer has Thomas Wayne hoping that Bruce didn’t waste the money on fast cars, outrageous clothes and a destructive lifestyle – just as we see a glimpse of the Batmobile and a new-look Batsuit. The Batmobile here is a pretty kick-ass Batmobile but it’s very reminiscent of the tumbler one in the Christopher Nolan Batman movies, and that’s not a bad thing. THE BATMOBILE (calm down. Breathe, breathe).
The last Batman game, Origins, was, in my (semi) professional opinion pretty rubbish, if my memory serves me correctly. It just didn’t stack up against Arkham Asylum and City – and not surprising. given that it was made by a new studio created by WB while Rocksteady were secretly working on the next game in the franchise.
Well done, WB, well done, you kept this one quiet.
Back to the trailer, though: Woo-eeee it looks good. And did I mention that the Batmobile is in the game? And you get to drive it? I did? Oh, sorry.
And Batman Arkham Knight is being made for this current-generation only (that’s Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC). There’s not going to be versions for the PS3 or Xbox 360, and I think that’s a good thing. It means that Rocksteady can put all its effort in to creating good current-generation content rather than diluting it by having to make last-generation versions, too. More developers need to do that, actually.
So, Batman Arkham Knight is due out in October sometime. Time to start saving up some money, then.
Update number 1: I can’t believe I forgot to mention that Kevin Conroy, who really is the voice of Batman, makes a return as the Dark Knight in Arkham Knight, after being replaced by another voice actor in Arkham Origins. Yay for the return of Kevin Conroy.
Update number two: Here’s some more information I gleaned from Joystiq today.
Lead AI and combat programmer Tim Hanagan told Game Informer that “at any given time, there are between three and four times the number of thugs active in Gotham City than there were in Arkham City,” and that larger riots in the game will have up to 50 characters wreaking havoc.
Arkham Knight is set one year after Arkham City, in which Batman’s foes have banded together to tear the Dark Knight’s attention away from a crumbling Gotham City. The single player-only game will also include an arch-villain created from scratch by Rocksteady and DC Entertainment CCO Geoff Johns. Rocksteady’s initial announcement focused on another big addition to the Arkham series: Players will get plenty of time in the driver’s seat of the Batmobile, which can be fetched at the press of a button, can handle the jumps and boosts expected of the more reckless drivers among us and will eject Batman out of his seat at times. Also back to voice characters is, Nolan North who will voice Penguin, Wally Wingert who will voice Riddler, Tara Strong will continue as Harley Quinn and Troy Baker will voice Two-Face again.
