I’m not that big of a gamer. Every so often, I may play a game or so simply to satisfy a craving for some sort of interactive entertainment, but otherwise my consoles sit unperturbed, collecting dust for months on end. However, certain fandoms test loyalties and therefore require a look into games belonging to said fandoms. Batman elicited that at least a look into Arkham Asylum, notwithstanding the fact that by this time Arkham City was out for a full year. Better late than never, right? Regardless, I loved them, just like any human being would.
Considering the popularity of those games, it’s understandable any follow-up would be hotly anticipated and closely followed. Unfortunately, since Arkham City was released, we haven’t really gotten anything other than the Harley Quinn’s Revenge DLC and the Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition for the WiiU… and although both are very fun, neither of them are nothing to write home about.
It doesn’t help that WB teased fans mercilessly at the Spike Video Game Awards on December 2011, when they had the Joker “accidentally” reveal the script to “Arkham World,” while accepting his award for Best Villain. For those unaware, it was just the Joker playing yet another one of his infamous pranks.
The news out of the last couple weeks involves some quiet changes made to the Facebook pages of both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. Apparently, the page for Arkham Asylum was deleted, while Arkham City‘s paged was slightly modified, dropping the “City,” thereby dubbing the page “Batman: Arkham.” Following that change, the Internet went rampant with speculation that an announcement for the next Arkham game would be follow soon enough. Or… could it simply be fans making mountains out of molehills?
Then again, this coincides with the announcement made last month by John Martin, Warner Bros. CFO, about there being a new Arkham game by the end of this year.
Also, last Monday, it was discovered that next Arkham game would be developed with Unreal Engine 3. If that went way over your head, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Thankfully, the source article provided some needed explanation. Unreal Engine 3 is a video game development software. What’s the big deal? Well, it tells us that Arkham 3 will probably be a crossover game available for the current generation of consoles (Xbox 360, PS3) and the next generation (Xbox 720, PS4), as games for the next generation of consoles are being developed exclusively on Unreal Engine 4.
It’s difficult for me to say whether or not you can even consider this an Arkham game without Mark Hamill playing the Joker, Paul Dini writing the script, and RockSteady Studios developing the game. And then there’s that rumor that it will be set in the Silver Age, where Batman has his first encounter with the Joker? It really seems like a shameful attempt to ensure the big bucks come in by resurrecting a beloved character. Then again, large companies aren’t always known for their integrity.
I guess I should just be rejoicing for another Batman game, right?
Do you believe that these recent changes foreshadow any forthcoming announcements? Do you think Arkham 3 will suffer from being developed on a soon-to-be obsolete software? Let me know.
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Source – ArkhamCity.co.uk, Videogamer