Batman : The Dark Knight Blog

Warner Bros and Eidos are showing an updated (very near final) build of Batman: Arkham Asylum at E3, and we got a look at just what sort of progress the Dark Knight has been making towards his late summer release.

While we’ve already gone through the stealth and combat mechanics in previous demos, this time brought all of the concepts into a real-game scenario (instead of just being challenge missions). Bats started off in the massive courtyard of Arkham Aslyum (which will act as a sort of Zelda-esque hub for the game), but was soon sent into one of the embattled sections of the island. Apparently Commissioner Gordon’s gone missing and it’s up to Batman to rescue him.

To that end, you’ll be using your investigative abilities (specifically your vision modes) to pick out details in the environment. For example, a small pipe on the ground is revealed to contain Gordon’s preferred type of tobacco, which, in turn, is spread about the environment in a clear trail formation. Batman must follow the trail deeper into the island and discover where the ol’ Commissioner is being held.

A later sequence brought in the concept of the “invisible predator” combat, where Batman is able to use his skills to separate out guards, taking them down one-on-one. The grappling hook is the key here, as you’re able to latch on to gargoyles and swing about the environment silently. Once you’re lined up above an enemy, you can do an inverted takedown, stringing them up in the rafters before cutting them down with a batterang to take them out of commission.

The game continues to look better and better every time we see it and we can’t wait to get hold of the final version in the coming weeks.

Source: (Gameblog)