Batman: Arkham City (spoilers!)

I hope the whole Harley subplot from the end of AC isn't resolved here. I think it has a lot of potential for a complete game.
 
Zombipanda said:
I hope the whole Harley subplot from the end of AC isn't resolved here. I think it has a lot of potential for a complete game.
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I agree. There's so much they could do with it. I honestly thought her story would also follow into the next Batman title, along with Scarecrow, etc. Rocksteady had already said there would be a 3rd.
 
Girl Nerd Rage said:
I agree. There's so much they could do with it. I honestly thought her story would also follow into the next Batman title, along with Scarecrow, etc. Rocksteady had already said there would be a 3rd.
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Filling up space so spoilers don't appear on the sidebar. oh, oh, guns of brixton. aaaaahhh, ahhhhh, guns of brixton. Good? Good.

I wouldn't be surprised if the next full release doesn't happen for a while. There were rumors Rocksteady was developing a Superman game, and if this is WB's new go-to studio for DC games, it would be smart to build out the universe by building the template for other franchises so they can pass them off to smaller studios and have more a more robust portfolio.

I'm just hoping the DLC doesn't culminate in the Joker's return. That would be such a waste.

I'm going to have to put together a sequel wishlist some time soon.
 
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Zombipanda said:
I'm just hoping the DLC doesn't culminate in the Joker's return. That would be such a waste.
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Agreed. But I think the developers wouldn't do that to fans, considering they've worked so hard for their sake. They didn't make a game "to make money." They made a game for the fans, which in turn, is what made them money. Mark Hamill came out of "retirement" to do this game as his farewell to fans and his rendition as this character. Rocksteady also intended for it to be just that.
 
Girl Nerd Rage said:
Agreed. But I think the developers wouldn't do that to fans, considering they've worked so hard for their sake. They didn't make a game "to make money." They made a game for the fans, which in turn, is what made them money. Mark Hamill came out of "retirement" to do this game as his farewell to fans and his rendition as this character. Rocksteady also intended for it to be just that.
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I hope so. They're one of the few people in the position to tell a Batman story where he's out of the equation and likely to stay that way, and that fundamentally changes the whole dynamic. They'll have to up their storytelling game if they want to do it justice though.
 
Zombipanda said:
I hope so. They're one of the few people in the position to tell a Batman story where he's out of the equation and likely to stay that way, and that fundamentally changes the whole dynamic. They'll have to up their storytelling game if they want to do it justice though.
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Absolutely! I have faith, though. They may have an ace up their sleeve. Plus, Batman's rogue's gallery is extensive enough, they could go for a while. Hell, the set up for Hush and Scarecrow is one direction they could go in. Plus there's Joker's "kid." They could maybe even incorporate the New 52. The possibilities are endless.........*sigh*
 
Girl Nerd Rage said:
Absolutely! I have faith, though. They may have an ace up their sleeve. Plus, Batman's rogue's gallery is extensive enough, they could go for a while. Hell, the set up for Hush and Scarecrow is one direction they could go in. Plus there's Joker's "kid." They could maybe even incorporate the New 52. The possibilities are endless.........*sigh*
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I never much liked Hush.

I loved both the Arkham games but in a lot of ways, I found the stories lacking. Aside from the sometimes wincingly atrocious writing (Catwoman, I'm looking at you), it frequently felt like an amusement park Batman ride. Villains showed up as one-note antagonists for brief little missions. It was especially egregious in AC, where the incredibly cool possibility of full scale gang wars basically broke down to "Penguin vs. Joker" and Two-Face got pushed almost entirely to the sidelines. Both of the games let Joker hog the spotlight, which is understandable since he's the most well known rogue, but that makes it all the more refreshing that he's pushed out of the equation now. And in this setting, that's a particularly exciting premise. I thought there were seeds for a very interesting comparison between the triumvirate of gangs there. The setting is predicated on the idea that these supervillains have basically pushed "regular" criminals to the sidelines because, well, their presence makes the cost of doing business for conventional mafiosos just completely impractical. Joker's boys dominate the scene because it's hard to combat the complete and ruthless psychopathy of the Joker.but Penguin and Dent have interesting counterpoints: the cut-throat businessman who's appeal as a boss comes from the (relative) stability of raw capitalism and the gang leader who, even under the guise of his psychopathic personality, offers a sense of justice and democracy to his men. How these various psychopaths take advantage of this sudden vacuum could be compelling.

And the Harley twist creates a great hook. Here you have the heir apparent to the clown prince of crime and whoever manages to take that kid out of the equation builds strong credibility as the new seat of power. I'm a little worried about how they handle Harley. Female characters have been universally treated pretty badly in the game and Harley gets the worst of it. Pretty much every line about her is about how stupid she is. And I don't find much appeal in the dumb bimbo jugalette take on the character. I'd love to see a pregnant Harley no longer under the Joker's thumb who now has something to fight for, possibly shacked up with Poison Ivy, ruthlessly consolidating power while the various rogues hunt her down. I'd like to see more villains step up and not see one rogue hog the spotlight so squarely. I'd like to see thugs who do more than just stand around waiting for you to swoop in and punch them, because in the past, it's all been about breaking up a mob of thugs or clearing out a room of guys just standing around. Breaking up a bank heist where you have to pick the best method of picking apart the group would be great. Do you take out the getaway driver thereby leaving the rest of the guys without a means of egress, or do you swoop in and deal with the hostage takers thereby eliminating the threat of collateral damage from the start? I'd like to see cars, less so I can drive the batmobile but more so I can swing around the city, hop atop a speeding car, and punch the driver through the windshield. Mostly, I want to see thugs who are actively doing something, rather than penned in a prison like trapped rats just waiting to be picked off.

Or I'd like to see Batman, Inc. ;) I'd be pretty happy with that.
 
Oh, and re: new 52.

Despite how underwhelming I've found Morrison's Action Comics, I think it would be a perfect inspiration for an open world Superman game.
 
Zombipanda said:
I hope the whole Harley subplot from the end of AC isn't resolved here. I think it has a lot of potential for a complete game.
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I agree with you to a point. I think this should be the end of this chapter. During the game we found out that Harley is pregant. That's a set up for a new game right there. Either have some sort of gang war over the child. Or they could be setting up for a Batman Beyond game where the kid is all grown up and out for Batman's blood. I mean Hamill said he's done with the Joker charater (unless they do a "The Last Laugh" {or was is it call the "final Laugh"?} story.) And getting some else to play the Joker will just seem kind of cheap.

Girl Nerd Rage said:
Hmmm, a possible new cosplay! I like the idea!
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Sound good to me...
 
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Harley's Revenge is availible now on xbox. I'm downloading it now. Will give my review after I play.
 
Ok, finally got around to playing this. It wasn't bad. A little slow at the begining. Kind of dissapointed that the whole
Harley being pregant was a fake out.
And that you don't get to do
free roaming with Robin.
But they finish it up nicely. Here's hoping for a Arkham 3.
 
Huh? I didn't get the impression that spoiler was a fake-out, though I guess it was strange it was never mentioned. Instead, I got the impression that the ending was intended to set up
an explosive attempt on Harley's life and her unborn child while in police custody
.

The expansion was okay, but definitely over-priced. Kind of a disappointment, honestly.
 
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