Batman: Arkham City will be at the forefront of the Official Playstation Magazine UK’s October issue. The cover feature reveals more details about the game, from new gadgets to the possibility of co-op.
In Batman: Arkham Asylum Quincy Sharp was the warden in charge of running Gotham’s madhouse for the criminally insane. He now founds himself as mayor of the city and has a new plan for taking care of the criminals plaguing Gotham: fence them off in a large section of the city and "throw away the key."
This means Batman will have a much larger environment to explore in Arkham City. The new area is roughly five times the size of Arkham Asylum and will feature side-stories (side missions) to take part in. Rocksteady Studios director Sefton Hill does add that these side missions are optional, and the game doesn’t "force you to do those. It’s your choice." With such a large place to explore don’t rule out the possibility of transportation. When asked about vehicles Warner PR said it is "something we’ll cover at a later date."
The core gameplay will remain largely the same, but there was mention of some new gadgets and moves at Batman’s disposal. He can now use the Grapple Boost, which pulls and launches him into the air. Coupled with his new dive ability it allows him to take a street level flight. Hill also added Batman will have new moves for "running across rooftops, blending in, running while grappling, sliding underneath objects" and "jumping between objects." He can also "slide and smash through vents, slide straight into hanging off an edge. You can dive through windows and over railings as well."
Perhaps the most interesting bit of new information was the possible inclusion of co-op. At this point it’s already known that Catwoman will be in Arkham City, but apparently the demo OPM UK saw hinted at her being a playable co-op character. Hill would not comment on whether this would be a feature in the game though.
Batman: Arkham City is set to hit stores next autumn for the PS3, 360, and PC.
[VG247]
