Batman: Arkham City Gets First Gameplay Trailer, The Riddler as a Villain

After finding out the release date of Batman: Arkham City at the beginning of the week, Rocksteady Studios, its developer, has just revealed the first actual gameplay video of the new title, and even confirmed that The Riddler will be a direct villain in this game.

Batman: Arkham City is set to take the great experience delivered by 2009's Arkham Asylum to a whole new level, with a bigger, more open world, a variety of enemies for the famous comic book character to tackle and an even more menacing narrative.

Now, its developer, Rocksteady, has just released the first gameplay trailer of the new game, showcasing the main changes brought forth by the new title as opposed to its predecessor.

In it, you can see how Batman moves around the new Arkham City containment facility, takes out enemies with his brand new combat maneuvers and meets some of the most important villains in the game, including The Joker, Dr. Hugo Strange, Two-Face or Harley Quinn.

Speaking of villains, Rocksteady also took the chance to reveal a brand new rival for Batman, in the form of The Riddler.

Those that finished the first Arkham Asylum will remember that Batman also faced off against the villain during that game, but only in a non-direct way, speaking to him through communicators and solving his various riddles throughout the game.

In Arkham City, the confrontation is a bit more direct, with Batman actually meeting his rival.

"The Riddler experience is not part of the main story," Rocksteady's Dax Ginn confirmed, "But you can see how much work we put into it. It seems to do them a disservice to call them 'side missions,' because we take them really, really seriously."

Players will still need to comb the world of Arkham City for Riddler trophies, but they'll lead up to a final confrontation with the villain.

Check out the screenshots and artwork with the Riddler in Batman: Arkham City below, as well as the new gameplay video.