@TravMoody
So how good was that #DCFanDome? Sure, there weren’t too many mentions of actual Detective Comics during what would have essentially been the WB/DC Hall H presentation, but they did bring their much-needed video game imprints to the fold! And not only did Rocksteady delve further into their new Suicide Squad game but Warner Bros Montreal unleashed a gang of Gotham knights! Let’s take a look at the tale of the police tape.
GOTHAM KNIGHTS
Publisher: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment
Developer: WB Montreal
Systems: PS5/PS4/Xbox Series X/Xbox One/PC
Release Date: 2021
I’m just gonna let the Catwoman right out of the bag: this could have been an Xbox exclusive. Imagine! Batman: Gotham Knights looks so good. Batgirl, yes, Barbara Gordon, looks soo good. The game slaps, in more ways than one. But, huh? How? Because Microsoft has more money than God but they refuse to use it; they refuse to buy exclusive properties like Sony does. They refuse to compete with eventual return landslide winner Sony on the console end because of their dreaded “ecosystem”.
Rumor has it that WB was looking to unload their video games division, and perhaps WBIE came through in the 11th hour with this wonderful 2-part presentation that saved the company from the sale. I’m sure we’ll find out soon. Xbox certainly needs their own “Spider-Man”; so why not have two exclusives that — apparently — don’t even have a Batman! Agh! Funny, right? Well, pretty sure we’ll see plenty of Bats in both sometime down the road. But, as far Gotham Knights is concerned, Batman is dead (uh-huh..), so leave it up to the Bat-Family to help conquer this fallout of “any certainty, any feeling of safety” left over from Bruce Wayne’s demise…
Both games appear to feature an always team-up (online co-op or with AI) approach to the Arkham Legacy, and it didn’t take long yesterday for Gotham Knights to impress. The visuals were vibrant — despite the fact we do not know what build/console the footage was shown on, the action heavy and fluid, the team-up banter definitely adds a new element to Bruce’s lone bat status and the double-team moves look ultimately satisfying. Those who always craved playing a full game as Nightwing, Red Hood (inspired by the Hush comic, white skunk highlight, scar and all), Batgirl (a recently recovered Oracle), and Tim Drake Robin/Red Robin are in for a treat. Their level of athleticism and weaponry brings a new splash to the traditional, classic Arkham combat dynamic.
Despite the declaration that this game will hone a continuity of its own (away from the rest of the Arkham lore, *sigh*), there is that whole notion of Bats having faked his own death at the end of Arkham Knight, so there’s always that. I wouldn’t count on Gotham Knights being completely without The Dark Knight. This, too, is the heavily rumored (for years now it seems!) “Court of Owls” Batman video game. Their long historical omnipresence is sure to add another layer to Gotham City, so Bat’s “resurrection” might just have something to do with the Rise of Talon. Yeah, don’t sleep…
Gameplay-wise, this is the Arkham style you love. Dangerous puzzle sequences, plenty of stealth and lots of kicking, punching, grapple-hooking, splendid special tactics and fresh, new hop-in/hop-out co-op action. Whew. There is a level-based progression for both our heroes and enemies, and the 7-minute gameplay sequence (just above) details some damage levels, status ailments and a deeper gear system than we’ve ever had in an Arkham game before. Although I’m pretty sure that Batman: Gotham Knights won’t feature local co-op or more than two players cooperatively at the same time (unlike the Marvel’s Avengers game), WB Montreal’s next leap into Gotham City looks to be a vast improvement over Arkham: Origins.
Panel = 4/5
Trailer/Gameplay Reveal = 4.5/5
Overall Presentation = 4.25/5 Bibles.
SUICIDE SQUAD: KILL THE JUSTICE LEAGUE
Publisher: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Rocksteady
Systems: PS5/Xbox Series X/PC
Release Date: 2022
As much as the two WBIE games share in their team-based gameplay inspirations, the differences are even.. flashier. Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League takes place in Metropolis. You play as a motley crew of anti-heroes, with Lex Luthor likely to blame for turning our favorite DC heroes into evil Earth-52 walking gods among us. Yes, we’ve all witnessed an Evil Supes in the two Injustice video games (and the comics that followed, as well as countless other stories such as Superman: The Dark Side, Infinite Crisis, etc.), but having him as an ultra-imposing, unplayable boss in an action-RPG is a dangerous proposition. A dream/nightmare scenario, if you will.
Arguably more important, this Suicide Squad game continues Rocksteady’s Arkham saga. How they tie this drastically different team-up with Batman’s famed trilogy is intriguing AF, and sorta makes up for the fact that Gotham Knights is relegated to being its own thing canonically. Rocksteady Creative Director and Co-Founder Sefton Hill explained to Will Arnett (in a strange presentation that was light on laughs and heavy on awkwardness) that plot threads will continue from the Arkhamverse.
In this four-player co-op, character-swapping title, you play as Task Force-X members Dr. Harleen Quinzel, Nanaue the King Shark, Floyd Lawton’s Deadshot, and Digger Harkness a.k.a. Captain Boomerang. Don’t be surprised if there are additional, unlockable characters to choose from later down the road (aka DLC). You’d pay for more, wouldn’t you? Although fans present in the DC FanDome@Home were only able to peep a teaser for this heavily-anticipated game — unlike the previously unannounced Gotham Knights that showed off nearly 8-minutes of gameplay in addition to a hefty trailer — there was still plenty to take away from how this one will play differently — mostly stylistically — than previous Arkham entries.
- Brainiac is smothered all over Metropolis, but I wouldn’t put it past an intergalactic deal between him and good ol’ Lex to shame Kal-El and his handsome Watch Tower buddies — and the rest of the big city’s law enforcement (a sneaky way to “defund” the video game police if I ever saw one) into becoming the monsters they are in this game.
- Floyd Lawton is more inspired by Will Smith’s portrayal than the Deadshot we’ve seen in previous games and comics. OK, he ain’t white.
- WWE Raw Superstar and Color Commentator Samoa Joe voices King Shark!
- Tara Strong returns as Harley Quinn. No surprise there!
- Rocksteady’s Hill promises a hybrid of “really powerful, awesome gunplay” with Arkham’s previous combat gameplay.
- Rocksteady also plans to treat Metropolis as a “‘fifth character’ — a love letter from them to DC fans.”
In all, it was harder to get as excited for Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League as Batman: Gotham Knights, despite Rocksteady’s impeccable Bat-resume compared to WB Montreal’s. Here we only saw a tease, and a strange presentation by Arnett (will he at least reprise his role as Batman from the LEGO movies/games in.. this one?), but the #DCFanDome reveal is likely enough to keep us interested in the title’s further development for the next.. oh.. 18-24 plus months. Dammit.
Panel = 3.25/5
Trailer = 3.75/5
Overall Presentation = 3.5/5 Bibles.
-Travis Moody