Batman: Arkham City Has New Game + Mode, Still Games For Windows Enabled on PC

Two big pieces of information have surfaced concerning Batman: Arkham City, the new superhero title from Rockteady Studios and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, one confirming that the title will have a 'New Gamer +' mode, while the other saying that the game is still going to support the Games For Windows Live service.

Batman: Arkham City is one of the most anticipated games of the end of 2011, as the huge number of Batman fans are looking forward to a brand new interactive installment from Rocksteady, the studio that brought forth the hugely popular Batman: Arkham Asylum.

After hearing quite a lot about Arkham City, both from official reveals and from hands on or off articles with the title, two other major details have now been revealed.

First off, speaking with Epic Battle Axe, Rocksteady's marketing director, Dax Ginn, confirmed that Arkham City has a New Game + mode, which can be started after finishing a full playthrough of its campaign.

The mode allows players to keep all the gadgets and upgrades they got from their first playthroughs, but without any combat bonuses. What's more, they won't be helped by extra warnings during combat, with players needing to rely just on their observation skills.

Arkham Asylum fans will remember that special warnings are displayed on top of enemies, revealing if they're close to landing an attack, stunned or angry. Without these signals, players need to read the actual animations of their enemies and prove that they're worthy of controlling The Dark Knight.

But while the New Game + mode sounds pretty good, a Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment representative told VG247 that, despite previous rumors, Batman: Arkham City is a Games For Windows Live-enabled title, just like Arkham Asylum.

As such, when played on the PC, the game will require a Live account. Sadly, while similar services, like Steam, have become extremely popular and are embraced by gamers, GFWL hasn't been so successful, largely because of its clunky interface and glitchy systems.

Hopefully, Batman: Arkham City won't force it down the throats of its players when it is released on October 18, for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.