New Details for Batman Arkham Asylum 2

A No Man's Land

It's countdown time, there'll be more goodies and news being released to the public on a regular basis from the developers now. Including some answers to questions that have been around since the game's announcement; namely the release date and official title - Fall 2011 is when we will be given this treat, tentatively titled Batman: Arkham City. Nice.

More Casting

Also announced were some more characters to appear in the sequel. We already knew that the same good guys from the original will be in the sequel (although no word yet on if there'll be any more) and that Joker and Harley were to return. Then we got news of Talia Al Ghul, Mr. Freeze, Two-Face and Riddler.

Now there's two more for the list - Catwoman and Professor Hugo Strange. It's unknown what side of the law Catwoman will be in the game at the moment, although probably both just to keep an interesting dynamic in the story. What sort of role Hugo will be playing however is quite interesting, as he is basically running Arkham City (for those who don't know, Hugo is a crafty villain that is mainly known for discovering Batman's identity).

Gadgets and Gear

Also disclosed was that Batman would be starting with all his gadgets this time around. He will also be getting another one of his trademark utility belt items; smoke bombs! Too excellent. What combo and abilities are available is also relatively unknown, although it was announced that Batman will now have a new combo move to counter two simultaneous attacks at once. This move is added because Batman will be taking on more than just a handful of baddies at a time; he will be taking on larger groups, like gangs. Loving it.

The Story

What of the epic story that was told in the first? It shall continue here, where a section of Gotham City (mostly slums) is converted into the new Arkham, dubbed Arkham City. Instead of being locked up, the inmates run free in the city, allowed to war it out amongst themselves if needs be. The only condition is that the inmates stay in their boundaries of Arkham City. Odd, very odd, of course Batman isn't going to let any of their crap go down. Also, apparently the story will commence with Two-Face attempting an execution of a certain feline fatale for favor in the city. Hopefully this is more dramatic than, say, the first run-in we were given with Zsasz.

Other Stuff

Some other goodies given were two covers from Game Informers. Beautifully done and hauntingly artistic these covers definitely show the potential for the Catwoman dynamic in the sequel. Very spiffy. For more interesting stuff be sure to check out the Easter Egg in the original game that has the blueprints of Arkham City plus some concept art behind a hidden wall! That's it for now, and get ready for Batman Arkham City in Fall of 2011!