Tag: arkham asylum

Batman: Arkham City Trailer Swoops in with Gameplay

Oh man. My love for Batman: Arkham Asylum has been well documented on this site. It combined the best parts of Metal Gear Solid, Metroidvania structure and just feeling like a badass and churned out perhaps one of the best licensed games to ever grace our screens. For months, anticipation has been building about the follow-up, Arkham City, and I’ve been waiting anxiously to see some kind of gameplay after all of those tantalizing yet empty pre-rendered trailers.

Fortunately, the first Arkham City gameplay trailer has arrived, and it’s something to behold. If Arkham Asylum was the Batman game I’ve always wanted, Arkham City looks like the one I’ve always dreamed of. Check it out.

Thoughts? Drool? Go.

Batman: Arkham City Swooping From the Shadows in 2011

BATMANBatman: Arkham Asylum was probably the biggest surprise of 2009 next to Wolverine. A big-budget super-hero game that actually captured the feeling of being Batman and was a blast to play? Almost unheard of in the video game industry, but developers Rocksteady pulled it off. Of course, a big success means sequels, and Arkham Asylum is no exception. Originally teased last year at Spike’s Video Game Awards show, the follow-up to AA will take place in Arkham City, a “heavily fortified” district in the heart of Gotham. Presumably this means more gargoyles to hang on.

Besides being in a different locale, Arkham City will feature a new cast of villains like Mr. Freeze, Two-Face, and Catwoman. Nothing much has been announced for the upcoming title, but Rocksteady promises this game will “deliver the ultimate experience as the Dark Knight.”

I think we can all agree that Arkham Asylum was fun, but there were things that needed to be improved about it, most notably the poorly designed boss fights. Almost every single boss encounter in that game was gimmicky or totally out of context (Scarecrow being the notable exception). What do you guys want to see from this bat-sequel? The game is dropping on PC, PS3 and the 360 in Autumn of 2011.

Source: CVG

Signs of the Apocalypse : Sega Making More Marvel Games

SEGA
I never played the Iron Man game that corresponded with the movie from a year ago, but apparently it was so awful that every game journalist that had to review it quit the industry to become a hermit because their faith in mankind had been sundered.

Just to prove that the video game gods have a twisted sense of humor, Sega has again purchased the rights to two more Marvel properties: Captain America and Thor, the Norse god of Thunder. These games are set to tie in with the two movies starring these characters which will hit in 2011.

I really hate to speak ill of games right after they’ve been announced, but these two do seem destined for failure. Obviously, adopting a wait-and-see attitude is the best course of action, but the only thing Sega proved with Iron Man is that they really know how to bungle a movie tie-in.

Of course, not all Marvel movie games have been terrible (Spider-Man 2 and Wolverine come to mind) but I don’t know what kind of game you could do with the star-spangled Avenger or Thor. My guess would be a pair of pallet-swapped brawlers, but maybe I’m just being pessimistic.

My vote is that Rocksteady, developers of Batman: Arkham Asylum, should handle all super hero games forever. Alas, it’s no fun just reading my own thoughts on games that haven’t even come out yet; I want to know what you guys think! Should we condemn these games immediately to the nine hells of gaming, or do we give them a chance?

Source: 1up

Oops: Your Pixels are Showing

sc-chaos-theoryAs nostalgic as it is to pick up an old game and go retro for a bit, often times it’s a bit risky. While we do love those old games and the kinds of flavors they bring to us, games have progressed so much in terms of gameplay, design and more obviously, graphics. That’s why you never know what you’re going to get when you pick up an old game. Will you find a title that has gotten better with age like a fine wine, or pick up a clunky mess that was only good because it was the first of its kind, and has since been passed by much better endeavors?

Just the other night I finally caved in and re-downloaded one of my favorite titles from last generation – Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. I’m not sure what made me do it, but it was probably the combo of playing a new sneaking game such as Batman: Arkham Asylum, as well as JJ buying it, so I knew I’d have a buddy to do some co-op with. Speaking of co-op, the two player missions in that game were mind-numbingly good for their time.

So how did they (and the rest of the game) stack up?
Continue reading Oops: Your Pixels are Showing