The more I see of this game, the more me wanty.
Usually the week of a holiday is pretty slow in the news department. Developers typically don’t like releasing news or info regarding upcoming projects, as they assume folk’s minds are likely on other things like traveling, family plans and so forth. However, Rocksteady is the exception to that rule, as they’ve just dropped some new Arkham Knight gameplay footage in our laps. Now that’s the way to start Thanksgiving week of with a real bang! After multiple viewings, here’s our breakdown.
First off, the visual fidelity is quite impressive on the next-gen. Granted that’s just a fancy way of saying the graphics are pretty, but let’s face it, they freakin’ are. Seeing things in motion confirms that what we’ve witnessed in the cut scenes will accurately reflect the in-game experience. The rainy, wet environment perfectly fits the locale’ of this mission (as Batman infiltrates the Ace Chemicals building). And speaking of environments, incorporating objects found in your surroundings to whoop up on the city’s seedy underbelly promises to be all kinds of fun. During one fight sequence, our hero leaps to a light hanging above, cuts it with his bat-a-rang and sends it crashing down on the head of his opponent. Then, in one swift motion, he leaps towards another thug and smashed his face into a nearby console (electrocuting him). Even though we only absorb a few seconds of ground n’ pound action, it’s clear we’re getting a fresh new take on a familiar combat system. Arkham fans should find it quite familiar, still fitting like a well-worn glove.
Right away, the trailer reminds us the Batmobile acts as your sidekick, not an afterthought. Even though Batman is forced to eject and enter the building on foot, he soon brings the car inside for a little vehicle-to-vehicle warfare. As you progress, the car evolves from heavy artillery to practical utility belt gadget. Normally when reaching an impassible area, you’d switch over to detective mode in order to reveal a spot which can be grappled to, hacked with your PDA or blown-up using explosive gel. Here, the Batmobile works in much the same way (taking out an entire wall at one point that allows you to traverse deeper within the level). This is undoubtedly the most destructible iteration of Gotham we’ve seen to date! Beyond that, we do get a slightly closer glimpse at the game’s main baddie who calls himself the Arkham Knight. While it’s obvious he’s working in tandem with Scarecrow’s military siege of fear, what’s not so obvious is the deeper connection he holds to the Dark Knight’s past.
The 2014 Video Game Awards are coming up next month in Vegas and many expect all new details to be revealed at the event. Up ‘till now, we’ve been given only teases highlighting the gameplay itself and very little on the story front. Personally, that’s why I’m hoping we get in December. While I don’t expect them to spill the beans on Arkham Knight’s true identity or roots, I would like filled in on the details pertaining to our heroes and villains activities since the last title’s conclusion (which brought the unexpected death of a very iconic character).
Only time will tell, but I’m keeping the faith larger chunks of info will soon start rolling in besides these piddly morsels we’ve been forced to digest thus far. The suspense is killin’ me here people!