Gaming Everything managed to get a hold of the latest issue of Game Informer, letting loose all the major details for the recently confirmed "Batman: Arkham Origins."
We already knew, that as an origin story, the game itself takes place years before the previous "Arkham" games, and takes place on Christmas Eve, likewise that a number of top assassins are on the hunt for Batman's head. What we didn't know is that they're not in town for the simple sport of hunting the caped crusader, they're being paid to do so.
The man offering the cash to the various supervillains is none other than mob boss Black Mask, who the team acknowledges isn't the most popular villian, but has hopes for him.
Joining the various assassins are Gotham's usual collection of crooked cops, who are also on Black Mask's payroll. Bats surely won't have any problems bashing the boys in blue, but he'll need to prove that he's a good guy to the few decent cops left on the force, which will probably lead to the relationship between himself and Jim Gordon. Completing various side quests will help the good cops see that Batman isn't entirely a bad guy.
The combat system is the same one that's been seen in the previous games, thankfully, but it will have "new layers, new opportunities, and new tactics." The game's younger Batman isn't as finely honed, so his fighting skills may not be as impressive.
The game will also feature some of Bats' "wonderful toys" that we haven't seen before, including the Batwing. The vehicle will figure into some of the games' story sequences, and will also act as a form of fast travel, which suggests that "Origins" Gotham will be quite expansive. Game Informer writes that Gotham is divided into two different sections, old and new. The old will be the same gothic, creepy, and worn down Gotham we've always seen, whereas an entirely new section of the city, "New Gotham" can be found across the bridge, and is said to be much classier, and features taller skyscrapers. Between these two sections, the game map is said to be almost double than that of "Arkham City."
Batman comes equipped with his usual array of gadgets and gizmos, including a device that is said to be very similar to the grappler in "Just Cause 2." It launches claws at two separate objects, and can be used to slam enemies into each other, string things together, or slam heavier objects into tougher opponents.
Some of the fast travel sounds like it functions similarly to "Far Cry 3," in that before players can fast travel to various areas of the map, or mark different points of interest, they first have to find and dismantle a hacked tower emitting a jamming signal. Dismantling it won't be as simple as Jason Brody had it in "Far Cry." Game Informer writes that doing so will take all of Batman's navigation, puzzle solving, and combat skills. Some will be pretty easy for dismantle, whereas others are quite difficult, and might even require a particular upgrade.
As Batman makes his way through the city, he'll also come across "Crimes in Progress," which have him doing everything from halting a robery, saving a cop, or even stopping someone from being thrown off a roof. Hopefully these won't be as repetitive as they were in the "Spider-Man" games.
Now, don't think that just because Black Mask has hired 8 assassins means there's only 8 classic Batman villains. There will be a "Most Wanted" system in place that will have players go after villains outside of the game's storyline. Whether these are just random hoods or more notable villains remains to be seen, but it does offer up a lot of possibilities.
That's basically the meat of it, but be sure to pick up the issue and read the whole thing for yourselves. In the meantime, here are the latest pictures to see what the game will look like.
