Grapnel gun? Check.
Batarangs? Check.
Random hardware used only once in a flashy scene for a 1989 movie? Line launcher, check.
Transportation? Kinda...
Of all the wonderful toys that the chiroptera styled vigilante carries, its without a doubt the wheels and wings that get Bats from point A to B that are arguably the most recognizable and iconic. But with all the success the caped crusader has been having in the gaming world lately thanks to he Arkham series, developers have shyed away from showing and/or having players sit in the driver seat of the Dark Knight's fancy flights and wheels.
But why? The Batmobile is the caped crusader's most recognizable toys, surely the developer could've added it in a few games ago, right? What's the problem, Rocksteady or WB Montreal staffers couldn't agree with each other on which ride to go with? While I'm sure that was a hotly debated lunch hour item, (after all, the notion that Lincoln concept car from the Adam West days is the quintessential Bat-vehicle over the tank influenced tumbler from the Nolan flicks remains as a line that divides the fans), the short answer is no, that was far from the reason the Batmobile never had its time to shine.
More simply, it was the improved power of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 that let the developer finally add in Bat's preferred method for cruising the streets. That's according to Rocksteady Game Director Sefton Hill, who told Game Informer, "We're happy to develop the game for the next generation platforms, which enabled us to bring to life some design elements that we had imagined since the very beginning, such as the Batmobile."
Given the car's cred, finally giving gamers the ability to drive it should be celebrated, and it is. As anyone who watched the recent trailer knows, there's a clear focus on the well-known wheeler, cruising through the slick city streets.
Let's be honest for a moment here. Big as the previous Arkham titles environments were, and cool though it would've been to drive around town, the batmobile would've been less than useless. Bats could cover Arkham Island and Arkham City with relative ease just by gliding to and fro. If you're going to drive the Batmobile, you need an infinitely larger cityscape.
Luckily enough, that's another facet of Arkham Knight.
Hill continued, "the Batmobile will finally be available to roam the streets of what is being touted as the biggest representation of Gotham City yet to appear in a videogame," which will be great for anyone looking to play the world's largest game of "Floor is Lava."
The Gotham gamers will see in Knight promises to be roughly five times larger than the one in Origins, which itself was double the map of Arkham City.
"Arkham City was quite claustrophobic," Hill said. "Here we have a lot more negative space between the buildings so it's much easier and more enjoyable to glide around."
"As we've said before with Arkham City, it's not about the scale as much as the detail. We want to make sure the world is rich and full of interesting things to do. We're not trying to create the biggest open-world game ever. We are trying to create a really rich, vibrant, dense open world."
With the new way to get around the city come new means of exploration. The Batmobile's addition led to what Hill described as a "complete rethinking" of Gotham, complete with barriers, added hazards, and even ramps.
It's early, but expect more information on Batman: Arkham Knight to trickle out over the next few months, especially with E3 not too far off. The game is set to release for PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One this year.
