Well, E3 has drawn to a close for another year.
We’ve seen some great stuff from the industry’s biggest names and smaller teams alike, with major titles like Mass Effect: Andromeda, The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild, and more. One of the most intriguing games to be showcased at E3, though, is Telltale Games’ Batman series.
This is a company known for its adaptations of The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Back to the Future, Fables, Borderlands, and more. Known for their focus on character and making moral choices, they seem the perfect team to develop a Batman game with a difference.
Taking a different approach to Rocksteady’s outstanding Arkham trilogy (and WB Montreal’s Origins tie-in) is, Telltale Games’ Batman series will be a unique experience for fans of the Dark Knight.
Here’s what we know about it …
Batman: Telling Tales with Telltale Games
In the past thirty years, there have been more Batman video games than you can shake a batarang at, but not all of them have done the Caped Crusader justice. For all of the lame movie- tie-ins and baffling misfires like Dark Tomorrow, though, there have been some great efforts. As a character, Batman provides plenty of solid material for games developers, with his detective skills, flawless combat-training, arsenal of weapons, gadgets, and vehicles.
While most games take a more action-oriented approach to Batman’s work, Telltale Games’ five-episode series is set to be a deeper exploration of the character and his world. The game will launch over the summer and conclude before the year’s end, but lucky visitors at E3 got to see the first half hour of the first episode.
To start with, we see Batman fighting off a gang of criminals, before getting into a set-to with Catwoman. As often happens in the best meetings between these two, the scene oozes sexuality, as the two fight, though the tone shifts when we see Bruce being bandaged by Alfred. From here, gameplay switches to Bruce himself as he engages with the likes of Jim Gordon, Harvey Dent, and others at a glitzy party.
Telltale are keen to put as much emphasis on Bruce as Batman, showing that the billionaire is more than an empty shell waiting for the next chance to suit-up. This leads to interesting blends of gameplay familiar to other Telltale Games titles: conversations force players to choose responses and direct the way in which relationships and situations unfold; action, on the other hand, is the usual fast-paced QTE’s.
There’s plenty to be excited about with this series, and we can’t wait to see how it ends up.
Meanwhile, Batman was present in another game presented at E3: Injustice 2.
Injustice 2: Bats, Capes, and Costumes
Released in 2013, Injustice: Gods Among Us was a terrific game that tossed DC’s heroes and villains into a fast-paced brawler. NetherRealm Studios, the genius team behind the Mortal Kombat series, brought their own visceral spin on beloved characters like Batman, the Joker, and Wonder Woman, and they seem to have upped the ante in the sequel.
A has been said about Injustice 2’s new gear feature, and the reveal trailer caused some concern among fans who feared characters would now be sporting knock-off Iron Man costumes. However, it appears that the armour each character can wear doesn’t ‘activate’ during battles, as the trailer implied. Instead, players can equip different pieces of gear to the arm, leg, chest, cape, and other pieces.
These help to enhance different aspects of the hero or villain (strength, agility, health etc.), and ensure players battling online will find they can choose the same character but will have customised theirs to perform differently. There are said to be more than 1000 customisation options for each character with these gear choices, providing plenty of room for experimentation and diversity.
New characters are also joining the roster, with Gorilla Grodd and Supergirl just two, while new stages in familiar locations (Metropolis, Gotham City, Atlantis etc.) will obviously feature.
Hopefully, Injustice 2 will have the same hearty helping of unlockable content and modes as the first game, with plenty to keep players occupied once the story mode is over.
Batman VR
Batman showed up yet again at E3 in Arkham VR, a first-person game that puts players into the Dark Knight’s boots. Developed by Rocksteady, Arkham VR gives players the chance to solve crimes and experience Batman’s world from a new perspective.
The demo released at E3 was pretty slim, much like the entire game – it’s believed this is set to be more an interactive experience than a full adventure, able to be finished in an hour or two depending on the amount of unlockables the player wants to find.
Rocksteady have definitely got a great history with Batman, and fans will no doubt love getting deeper into a virtual Gotham than ever before.
What did you think of this year’s E3? Let us know!
