It should come as no surprise that Batman, the mere mortal superhero who relies on gadgets to wage his war on crime, should be represented at the forefront of modern gaming and interactive technology.
BAFTA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, recently announced its nominations for the 2017 British Game Awards, and no Batfan should be surprised to learn that Rocksteady Studios‘ Batman: Arkham VR, has received not one, but two nominations: for British Game and Game Innovation. This is familiar territory for Rocksteady, who first brought home a Bat-BAFTA in 2010.
The game, which debuted in October of 2016, coincided perfectly with the release of the Sony Playstation VR (PSVR) in the same month. This one-two punch was enough to catapult the latest Bat-game to the top.
The first game in the series, Batman: Arkham Asylum, premiered in 2009, and set a standard that few others, including the sequels, have been able to live up to. Then came Batman: Arkham City, which raised the bar even higher. While Arkham Knight, which shipped just in time for the PS4 and Xbox One platforms, was seen in many ways as more of the same, there is no denying the impact these games have had on Batman in other media: the new ‘tactical Batsuit’ that Ben Affleck wears in the upcoming Justice League movie is virtually identical to the one seen in Batman: Arkham Origins, and many fans have commented on how similar Batman’s action sequences in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice are to Batman’s fighting style in these games. In addition, the talented voice actors and use of a continuity not unlike that of the hugely influential Batman: the Animated Series have made the Arkham games popular with Batfans of all ages.
Each game has added new technology to Batman’s extremely well-stocked arsenal, usually gadgets familiar to fans of the Dark Knight, but now on the PSVR, players can actually interact with objects and examine clues, making it as close as anyone has ever come to actually walking in the Bat’s armored boots. Check out the trailer!
So it seems as if Batman is poised to become master of a whole new realm: virtual reality.
Did you enjoy Batman: Arkham VR? If you haven’t tried it, are you excited to give it a go? Let us know in the comments below!