I love Batman. Have I established that? He is my favorite fictional character ever, and that is because he is the best ever. But that’s a tirade for another day. I’m here to report on the first spin-off game for the Dark Knight. Yes, spin-off. I’m sure you all expected it after the awesomeness that was Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. Anyway, so our first spin-off is an FPS. Already worried. How is it?
The concept is simple: two gangs have formed, one inspired by Batman, one by the Joker. They both have the same basic objective as their inspiration, either to wreak havoc or stop it. The difference here is that since both sides are pretty broke, they go to a rougher method…guns. Kill or be killed. Let’s me get one thing out of the way: Any real Batman fan knows this is impossible, Batman would never let any amateur kill in his name, and the Joker is too full of himself to let people kill in his name without his involvement. So let’s get into the game.
All these impressions are based on the beta, which ended a day before the game’s release. The game reminds me of Call of Duty at the beginning. You go on one team, and then pick a class. The difference is that you also have body types, so you can be nimble and delicate, or huge and hard to kill. At the start you can’t modify your load out or appearance, you go with what you have. As you play the game, you gain XP, which allows you to later on switch your load out, appearance, etc. Sounds all familiar right? So what’s different?
The gadgets are one big thing. I have a grappling hook, can get roller skates, and other things. You truly feel like a Batman trainee. Seriously, you are nowhere near as mobile as Batman in Arkham City. You have limits. The gadgets really make the difference here, as well as the funny personalities that all the characters possess. In your initiation, you are told that you are killing people because you are broke. It is fantastic.
If you compare this game to other FPS, it feels more loose. It truly fits the campy feel of the game. You still have standard FPS weapons, so don’t expect much there. The game modes available are what make it different. You have one where you have to activate a demotivational machine, which reduces the opposing team to weapon-less slappy fools for about 15 seconds, and your regular CTF, except here it is deadly gas machine. There are more modes but these are the only ones in the beta.
So far? I definitely recommend giving the game a try. You have to get an account with WB online, but this allows you to check out all your stats online. Besides, this game lets you fulfill a fantasy that I’m sure all of us have: being part of team Batman, or team Joker. That alone is worth trying out the game. If we get the full version, we’ll have something more for you guys.