Finally - Joker's Trailer

Check out this awesome new character trailer for "Batman: Arkham City." It looks like this game is going to be ridiculously awesome. I can't wait.

New Character Trailer

IGN just posted a new character trailer for "Batman: Arkham City," and the featured character is Mr. Freeze. Ever since he was teased in "Batman: Arkham Asylum" I've been eager for him to be in the game. I am glad he is finally going to make is presence known. He is an awesome villain and one that deserves to be portrayed the right way (I'm looking at you, former Governator...)

More Viral Videos

"Batman: Arkham City's" release date is coming closer and closer. But until that exciting day in October comes, the folks that helped create the game have done a really good job in keeping us interested in what is going on with the game. They have started to release a lot of videos during and since the days after Comic Con - the first consisting of the following phone conversation between the warden of Arkham City, Dr. Hugo Strange, and the Mayor of Gotham, former Arkham Asylum head Quincy Sharp:

During the phone conversation, the Mayor is voicing concern about pain that he is feeling to Dr. Strange. In his hypnotic voice, Strange reassures the Mayor that everything is going to be okay and then the good doctor manipulates Sharp to hang up the phone. Apparently this version of Dr. Strange has the power of hypnosis - even over the telephone. As soon as Mayor Sharp gets off the phone, the Riddler reveals that he has been listening in the entire time and he confronts Dr. Strange about what has been going on inside his facility. It sounds like the villains are out to get Strange just as much as Batman is.

This next audio clip is different from the first one. It is a session tape that was recorded while Dr. Strange was interviewing Oswald Cobblepot, AKA The Penguin. In the clips that we can hear we learn that the Cobblepot's and the Wayne's were rich family friends together until the Wayne's were killed all those years ago. Apparently, Penguin resents Bruce Wayne and was incredibly happy when his parents were murdered. Strange implies that the Penguin likes to collect things because he is compensating for the loss of something, or the lack of something. Perhaps that something is that he isn't rich anymore?

This third audio clip is between Dr. Strange and Harvey Dent, AKA Two-Face. Through out the course of the clip, Dr. Strange explores the relationship between Harvey's actions and his dependence on his two-sided coin.

The final audio clip takes place between the Joker and Dr. Strange. After the events of the previous game, the Joker seems to be in pretty bad shape - which is even more emphasized by his wheezing, weak voice. The clip is a short one, but basically Dr. Strange wants to make a deal with the Joker. That can't be good for Batman.

Finally - via "Batman: Arkham City's" Twitter account, they said to keep an eye on Twitter this coming Monday. Stay tuned here as I will post if anything happens. 

New Character Trailer

"Batman: Arkham City" has been pretty active recently. They seem to be releasing character specific trailers every once in a while. We've already seen The Riddler, and before that there was one for Catwoman (the first trailer below). Yesterday at Comic Con they not only announced two new characters (Talia al Ghul and Solomon Grundy), but they released a Penguin specific trailer as well. This is starting to look a lot like the phenomenal "No Man's Land" story line from the comics - one that I have always loved and would love to see adapted into a major motion picture. Maybe someday...

Enigmatic Tweets Hinting at Riddler Trailer?

Remember those mysterious Tweets I posted about a couple of days ago? Well, on Monday (I know I'm a little behind) the following trailer was released for "Batman: Arkham City:"

Could that have been what they were hinting at? Apparently, there are other clues hidden in the trailer as well. I haven't figured out what they are, but I'm sure we will know soon enough.

This is by far the best trailer for the game, in my opinion - and there have been several. Maybe I'll post the other trailers later on. The Riddler was a part of "Batman: Arkham Asylum," but you never saw him and he was more of a side quest. Scattered throughout all of the Asylum were little question mark Riddler trophies that you could collect if you wanted to. This time around, the Riddler has a more sinister presence. And this is the first time that I've ever seen the Riddler portrayed as a real threat. He reminds me a lot of Jigsaw from the Saw series - setting up intricate death traps for helpless victims. The only difference here is that he leaves clues for Batman to save them - if Batman is smart enough to decipher those clues. I can't wait to play this game - it looks legitimately difficult and creepy.

On a side note, I am sad that "The Dark Knight Rises" is Christopher Nolan's last Batman film. I would have LOVED to see his take on the Riddler, especially if it went the route that "Batman: Arkham City" is going. The Riddler is such an under-utilized character, in my opinion, and he is usually portrayed incorrectly. He isn't some Joker wanna be - he is a brilliant villain and a legitimate threat to the Dark Knight. So when the inevitable next Batman movie comes out (directed by who knows whom, but produced by Christopher Nolan), the Riddler should absolutely be the villain. Do you hear me, WB???

Twinteresting

If you have a Twitter account and don't already follow @arkhamcitynews, you definitely should. It's the official Twitter account for "Batman: Arkham City." They haven't done a whole lot of viral marketing for this game, but some strange things are happening on Twitter recently. Take a look at their most recent posts:

Notice anything interesting about some of their more recent posts? If it's difficult to read, I'll reproduce them here. The one all the way at the bottom of the list pictured above says, "LOtss of InSight into the dEv t3am at ROCksteadY thIs w33k. St4y tUneD!" Closer to the top, another tweet reads, "I have another developer q&A waiting in The wiNgs. Do you wAnt to hear from a charaCTer artist or an animator?"

Do you see what I am seeing? Some of the letters, at random it seems, are capitalized while others have been turned into numbers. This all started about 21 hours ago, but so far I can't figure out if they are trying to tell us something or if they just let the monkey type their tweets again. On Arkham City's main website, several followers are discussing what this secret code could mean. Luke, one of the contributors to the forum, broke down a few of their tweets. Here is what he had to say:

Apparently, some Arkham City video is supposed to debut during ComicCon (the end of this month). Maybe this has to do with that? Or maybe it is a character reveal? Who knows. Stay tuned as I find out more.

What is Batman: Arkham City?

In 2009, video game developer Rocksteady released a game called "Batman: Arkham Asylum." In the game, Batman has just captured the Joker and is transporting him to the infamous house for the criminally insane. Shortly after getting to the asylum, the Joker escapes and traps Batman inside, for the longest night of Batman's life. You see, it was Joker's plan all along to get caught and have Batman bring him back 'home.' The entire game takes place inside the asylum as Batman faces his worst enemies - from Joker to Harley Quinn to Bane to Killer Croc.

The game was an instant success and many call it the greatest comic book video game ever created. It was only a matter of time before a sequel was announced. That sequel - "Batman: Arkham City" comes out this October. In the game, Dr. Hugo Strange has taken over Arkham Asylum and has released the inmates into a closed down section of Gotham that functions as a prison. It is one of his radical correctional methods, supposedly, but of course there is more than meets the eye. After Catwoman is taken hostage by Two-Face and the entire 'city' becomes out of control, Batman enters to put a stop to it, once and for all.