The Dark Knight Strikes Again
Arkham Asylum and Arkham City were not only masterful examples of video games, but also representations of the Caped Crusader as a whole. Sure, Arkham Knight may have had a couple of issues and Arkham Origins may have been filled to the brim with them, but overall its fair to say that this particular series has managed to capture both the character’s darkness and skills as a detective.
While the final events of Arkham Knight were supposed to serve as the end of Rocksteady’s epic gaming saga, we still have hope that they (or an equally talented developer) will once again pick up the dark reins and make a return to Gotham. This of course begs the question, where could future games go in terms of a narrative direction? To that, we say they need only look at these three awesome Batman stories for inspiration!
Fair warning, there will be SPOILERS AHEAD!
#3: “Zero Year” series
Scott Synder’s reimagining of the Dark Knight’s origins was met with great success, which saw a loner Batman take on the Red Hood Gang while still struggling to find his identity. Things only got crazier from there with the introduction of The Riddler and Dr Death, the former’s insidious scheme eventually resulting in Gotham being turned into a Fallout-style wasteland. The way we look at it, Zero Year – Secret City would make for a rich, invigorating return to the classic Arkham style, while Zero Year – Dark City would be Batman meets The Last of Us. Either way, we are sold!
#2: “The Court of Owls” series
An organisation whose origins are more ingrained to Gotham’s past than even Batman himself, an age old mystery to uncover, a series of powerful assassins under their command, not to mention the blood ties between the characters of Bruce Wayne and Lincoln March. What’s not to love? Should a video game cover the events found of both The Court of Owls and The City of Owls, we would be left with an experience filled with as much thrilling detective work as there is frantic combat. Hurry up and make it happen!
#1: “The Return of Bruce Wayne”
Hey, the last time they adapted a Batman story by Grant Morrison into a video game, we got Arkham Asylum. Why not take another shot and adapt another one of his acclaimed works? With a series that chronicles Bruce Wayne’s return through to the present from the dawn of humanity, in the right hands this game would certainly be unlike any other title that came before, especially if different mechanics are incorporated for each new era. It may sound strange, but we’re actually eager to get a look at the likes of Caveman Batman, Puritan Batman, Pirate Batman, Wild West Batman and Noir Batman, let alone play as them!
Be sure to check out our video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Best Batman Games.Â