By Alec Meer on July 4th, 2011 at 12:50 pm.
Batman: Arkham City gets closer and closer, and we get exciteder and excitider, and in the heat of our anticipation become less gramatickly accurate. After what feels like years of teasing, concept art and pre-order incentives, finally we get to take a long, lingering look at what it’s really like in action. Below: 12 minutes of the game, including playable funtimes from both Batman and Catwoman, good acting, awful acting, Two-Face’s disgusting head and many many many goons and hi-tech shenanigans.
Let’s start with the moaning, eh? Catwoman’s vocal performance makes me wince like I’m watching one of those awful Channel 4 programs that show someone having plastic surgery in excruciating detail. I know lousy puns and softcore innuendo have been that character’s shtick since the dawn of DC time, but c’mon: “”you certainly know how to keep a girl hanging, Harv” and “and I thought it was cats who have nine lives” are straight-up clunkers that really don’t sit with the game’s glowering grimness. Light relief is welcome, especially in broody, hyper-earnest superheroics, but Kittylady really needs some irony in her leaden bon-mots.
Fortunately, the rest of the game’s looking pretty amayayayayayazing. You’ve got bona fide talky bits, you’ve got a pleasingly huge city with tons of freedom of movement, you’ve got something peppered with goons apparently talking and plotting rather than just lurking around being mad, you’ve got fights against a good couple of dozen guys simultaneously and you’ve got high-tech gadgetry straight out of the Nolan films. That there stuff is some pretty spectacular stuff indeed.
Also: Batman appears to have moobs and a long cutscene appears to prevent you from doing the logical thing, which is thumping Two-Face, but it appears to be early-game exposition, so that’s probably ok, right?
04/07/2011 at 13:00 Vexing Vision says:
I love Catwoman’s combat style. I can see myself playing her Challenge levels over and over again. Until GFWL corrupts my saved game profile again, that is.
04/07/2011 at 13:00 Inigo says:
I can only hope Mr. Nice makes an appearance.
04/07/2011 at 13:03 Outright Villainy says:
It looks pleasingly open ended, yet still polished, which is what’s hyping me up most; very few games manage a good level of detail in open world games, but if this is indicative of what the full game is like I’ll be a happy camper indeed.
Plus Arkham Asylum was awesome, so there’s that. Waaaaaaaaaant.
04/07/2011 at 13:06 Burning Man says:
You guys are a tad late with a lot of today’s updates. This vid in particular has been out for at least 2 days now.
That said, Catwoman’s VA and character design trump any lack of ironical dialogue. I will listen to ANYTHING she has to say. Anything.
Reminds me of this dubstep track I like where the woman threatens to ‘seek me out and flay me alive’, all in rather lovely dulcet tones. Ahh. I could listen to that all day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUGzY-ihqWc
04/07/2011 at 13:09 Alec Meer says:
When games news is SLIGHTLY OLD the world ENDS.
04/07/2011 at 13:21 Burning Man says:
*nods* Precisely so. Try not to do it again, will you?
04/07/2011 at 13:38 ReV_VAdAUL says:
This late news coming after several days of nice weather…
The RPS crew haven’t been outside have they?
HAVE THEY??
04/07/2011 at 14:08 Ian says:
If only RPS would stop branding themselves as an up to date news site. Oh, wait.
04/07/2011 at 15:01 Tams80 says:
And you’re a tad obnoxious. Swings and roundabouts, swings and roundabouts.
04/07/2011 at 16:32 crushanator says:
Ugh. Incorrect, the VA is terrible. Why couldn’t they get the animated series actress who played her like they did for everyone else? They got Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill and Tara Strong to all reprise their roles, why no Adrienne Barbeau?
06/07/2011 at 00:43 DigitalSignalX says:
The VA is pretty much what we’ve come to expect from games? It’s mediocre. Thankfully, games are not strictly an auditory experience, and the graphics, punchy biff bammery, and other game elements of it all makes up for it.
Also, awesome song link.
04/07/2011 at 13:15 Bhazor says:
8:15
Man that’s got to sting.
10:55
The hell?
04/07/2011 at 13:22 rareh says:
Bad things i noticed:
hook cannot be shot anywhere u want
cannot pick weapons
other then that looks decent
04/07/2011 at 16:04 ShineDog says:
It’s batman. These characters have signature abilities that do the job just fine, and it’s entirely out of character for batman or Catwoman to bludgeon someone with a piece of pipe.
Edit – ok, this site doesn’t use tags like that.
05/07/2011 at 06:32 MrPants says:
Bit sloppy on the rules, but a nice haiku nonetheless.
04/07/2011 at 13:23 kael13 says:
I hear.. STEVE BLUM! BLUM BLUM BLUM
04/07/2011 at 13:48 ChaosSmurf says:
I recognise the VA of one of the goons in the first bit, the guy who’s all LOL, BATMAN WOULD NEVER COME HERE. Has he been in every video game ever?
04/07/2011 at 13:49 TheLordHimself says:
“Are you a fan?”
“No.”
:D
04/07/2011 at 14:02 Brutal Deluxe says:
Is the guy at the beginning from bulletstorm?
04/07/2011 at 14:05 Teddy Leach says:
B-but Steve Blum was in the last game too!
04/07/2011 at 14:12 Scatterbrainpaul says:
28 hit combo
Could do that with my eyes closed
04/07/2011 at 14:27 Gundrea says:
There is no game Stephen Blum has not been a VA in. Those which he was not are being redubbed to include him as we speak.
04/07/2011 at 14:29 Nallen says:
She looks like a cross between Batman and the joker, combat wise.
04/07/2011 at 14:36 fallingmagpie says:
Nice to see they’ve differentiated Cat and Bat’s combat. Bat looks very solid still, and Cat is more quick and bouncy. Also excellent gliding around the city.
Am disappoint: press A to crack safe. Where is my safecracking minigame? Also sad that Bat didn’t fight all 47 unarmed goons, cos 41 of them ran away.
04/07/2011 at 14:39 Anton says:
Whoa! One of the goons has the same voice actor as Cyrus from DoW 2 =P
04/07/2011 at 15:09 EOT says:
Yes, as has already been mentioned more than once. It’s Steve Blum, a man who’s been in more games than Nolan North (that might not actually be true…but who fact checks on the internet? Not I.)
04/07/2011 at 19:44 Tacroy says:
On the Internet, facts are for making, not checking!
04/07/2011 at 14:40 misterk says:
mm, bats and catwoman’s fighting style look different, but I wonder how different they will be in mechanics terms. Certainly seemed to be the same button combos. I’m really quite bad at asylum, but enjoyed it nonetheless.
04/07/2011 at 15:04 Sepulchrave76 says:
The City itself looks really impressive. Have they changed Batman’s chin? He looks almost comically square jawed now. Not pleased with the new chin rendering.
04/07/2011 at 15:20 MuscleHorse says:
I’m just into my first playthrough of AA and very much enjoying it, so I do realise that completion of the game may answer my question, but what exactly is Arkham City in the context of the comics? Is it a particularly crime ridden part of Gotham?
04/07/2011 at 16:09 ShineDog says:
Plot things!
In the continuity of this game, Arkham asylum is ruined, and so a rundown section of Gotham is purchased by the city, the tenants and owners evicted, and a huge wall is built around it. Prisoners are sent in and so long as they don’t try to escape, pretty much left to their own devices.
For whatever reason, all the prisoners from Blackgate are sent there too. Don’t know why.
So it’s kind of escape from NY in Gotham, in terms of plot.
05/07/2011 at 05:09 Thants says:
Was Batman created as a critique of the prison system? Because I’m starting to see a theme here.
04/07/2011 at 15:22 Alaric says:
Tied up in chains and suspended upside-down. BDSM FTW! =)
04/07/2011 at 18:42 LionsPhil says:
The only reason on this thread is to agree with the mouseover text on the opening image. Subtlety, they don’t has it.
04/07/2011 at 16:14 Evil Otto says:
Mister Dent proves an excellent punforger. He could easily apply at RPS, if he wanted.
04/07/2011 at 17:03 wintermute says:
Am I the only one bothered by the dialogue being:
BATMAN: Growl.
CATWOMAN: Pun
TWO-FACE: Pun
BATMAN: Cliche
CATWOMAN: SexyPun
Or the fact that Catwoman shows 75% boob for no reason?
I am, aren’t I.
04/07/2011 at 17:47 Sepulchrave76 says:
well, no, the dialogue hardly sparkles
04/07/2011 at 17:56 gwathdring says:
Were you not present for the discussion/argument about this particular Catwoman when the “Get Some” trailer came out?
A lot of people think the permanently unzipped suit is at least silly (there’s no way it would stop there with all of that acrobatic wriggling) ranging out to indecent over-sexualized pandering. I don’t like it either. :\
As for the dialog, I’m hoping it’s an unusually mediocre sampling. I’m very unhappy with Catwoman’s character from the spacey feel of her animation (love the combat style, not the inertia-less feel of the animation), to her reaction while hanging over a pit of acid (I expected her to feign nonchalance … but something was WAY off about the way she did and not just the dialog), to her terrible lines.
Other than the incredibly “off” performance of Catwoman … it’s not brilliant dialog, but up to the court house scene it felt a hell of a lot like the first game which felt a hell of a lot like the animated series which was about as Batman as it gets, good or bad. The court house wasn’t unprecedented, but it also wasn’t quite up to par with the feel of the dialog in the first game. At the same time … I sort of expect bad lines and crappy puns from Two Face. I expect lame innuendo from Catwoman, Captain Obvious comments from Batman, and forced, stereotyped posh-ness from Alfred. It’s unsurprising to the point that, bad or not, I don’t mind.
It would be NICE if it were better though. Again, here’s hoping it’s a particularly mediocre sampling.
04/07/2011 at 22:18 wintermute says:
It’s just that, she’s hanging over that pit, but she obviously doesn’t care. You save her from a certain death snipe – “do you want a kiss?”. Last I checked Catwoman wasn’t some nihilist who throws herself about so she can die. Why be a thief if you can’t spend the profit?
Sure the mechanics look good, and the game will probably rock, but is it so much to ask for some writing and character design that doesn’t pander to the 15 year old LOL BOOBS crowd?
04/07/2011 at 17:36 DOLBYdigital says:
Gameplay and combat look really good!
Do not like Catwoman’s character design/style. Either way looking forward to this game, even with the cheesy dialogue/cutscenes.
Steven Blum, I believe he’s a popular voice for anime VAs as well.
04/07/2011 at 23:13 BunnyPuncher says:
Catwomans in-game depiction always makes me sad. See the new style Lara for a sexy character done right. I’d be perfectly with catwomans % of boob and outfit even but not in that overt, plastic “this is a sexy woman, we told you so” style.
…. but the actual game elements of the game look excellent. Reminds me of thief 2. Gosh I wish this was more like thief. It looks good and all but, well, awwwwwww :(
04/07/2011 at 23:54 gummybearsliveonthemoon says:
Hot damn. Hot merciful damn. This cannot be in my grubby paws soon enough. I loved playing Arkham Asylum, my wife loved watching it, as she loves a) watching fun cinematic games she can’t play, b) Batman the Animated Series, and c), d) , and e) Harley Quinn.
I want this so bad.
05/07/2011 at 06:15 Batman64 says:
What I want to know is this:-
In the video posted above, how did Harvey get his ankles and wrists bound so quickly?
Someone mentioned BDSM earlier; did you mean:-
Batman Does Something Magical?
It’s the only way I can think of to explain his BatBinding skils.
06/07/2011 at 02:52 WJonathan says:
I’m looking forward to the future. Where you excitedness will get bigger always, and it’s making your grammar getting worse. and worse.
08/07/2011 at 00:27 ethicks says:
The fighting is missing impact. In the first batman when you hit you felt like you really fucking hit. This looks like it is missing something very crucial and core to the game. I can’t exactly put my finger on it but the fighting looks bad. Everything else looks awesome.