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With E3 fast approaching, buzz is once again starting to circulate around the newest Batman game; Arkham City.

Developed by Rocksteady, Arkham City is the sequel to the smash-hit that was ‘Batman: Arkham Asylum.’

So what do we know so far?

The Story

The game will pick up one year after the events of AA. Former Asylum warden Quincy Sharp is now Mayor of Gotham, and has turned one part of the city into a maximum security facility, housing the worst criminals Gotham has to offer. The rival super-villains (including Two – Face, The Joker and The Penguin) that inhabit the city have divided it up into sections, with each bad guy commanding their own personal army of jacked up goons with itchy trigger fingers, all who would be more than happy to pump the Dark Knight full of lead. We also know that Catwoman will feature in the game at some point, but to what extent is anyone’s guess.

*Chains and whips excite meeeeeeeee........*

The main villain has been confirmed as Hugo Strange, and it was revealed in the first teaser trailer that he knows Bruce Wayne is Batman. Again, the extent of Strange’s involvement and influence in the game, but I would expect him to appear in cut-scenes throughout the narrative, and then appear for a physical encounter towards the end of the game.

Gameplay

Rocksteady has already confirmed that the action will take place in a sand-box environment, and have promised a world 5x bigger than that of Arkham Island. Whilst the core combat will remain essentially the same, the development team have stated that ‘detective mode’ will be used a lot less fequently than in the first game. This was a main concern with the original title, as players felt that using detective vision decreased the difficulty of the game.

Who stole my washing?!

This time around Batman will have the ability to glide and grapple through the dark and murky skies of Gotham, using both his grappling hook and that trusty cape of his to navigate the massive world Rocksteady has created for us to play with.

One thing is for sure, Arkham City is shaping up to be a real Game of the Year contender. The original was outstanding, and if Rocksteady delivers what they are promising us, it will undoubtedly be a good year to be a bat-fan. For now, here is the first gameplay trailer to help wet your appetite for Autumn of this year.