14 DAY TRIAL // For an event meant to take a look at the games that were released this year and pit them against each other for the sake of constructive criticism, this year's edition of the Video Game Awards made more unveilings regarding new titles than a press conference. A lot of big ones have received sequels and, while some were not that big of a surprise, some came as rather unexpected, mostly concerning their content. Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham Asylum proved to be one of the best title launches this year, and probably the best superhero video game ever made. So, while a sequel doesn't really count as a shock, the fact that almost nothing changed does.
Batman will strike fear in the corrupted and vile deviants of Gotham once again, but Arkham Asylum is once again present, and so is the Joker. Rocksteady seems to be really abusing the whole “unstoppable force meeting and irremovable obstacle,” and, if it plans to keep this up, we could see Batman Arkham Asylum 26, where the Joker once again tries to take over the city. The trailer shows Joker's gang of misfits tearing the city apart, on a complete and unopposed rampage, as the camera travels through the city, showing off a lot of famous elements of the Batman universe.
Close to the debut trailer's end, Harley's silhouette is at first guessed and then fully recognized, as she leans over the Joker. It seems like Batman's policy of “don't kill” came back and kicked him in the sheen once again, as his eternal foe is once again loose on the streets of Gotham. And, from what we can tell, he didn't really spend any time behind bars after finally being defeated by “Bats” at the end of Batman: AA. As a total wreck, the Joker is battered and bruised from his fight with the Dark Knight, face cut and scarred, with at least one tooth missing and an IV drip of what's most likely red wine, since we all know that the Joker doesn't function like the rest of us.
While just as the official site, arkhamhasmoved.com, would indicate, the situation is now somewhat reversed, with the asylum no longer a small part of Gotham, but the city a part of the madness, the fact that it's still the Joker and still basically the same setting is a bit disappointing. A new Batman game from the same team that made Arkham Asylum is more than welcome, but it could have changed a few things, like the reason behind the conflict, the villain and the nameless henchmen. It's like the studio is so overwhelmed with the success of its previous release, that it's afraid to change even the smallest thing.
Here's the official trailer.