At this past weekend's Spike Video Game Awards it was revealed Batman: Arkham Asylum will be getting a sequel, sooner rather than later. This news is not really suprising considering the original title did very well in sales and under the scrutinous eye of critics and Batman fans. Want to see the trailer that made the big reveal? Go ahead...
Ok, now that you've seen the teaser you're probably in some sort of catatonic state of excitement. Just breathe. Ready? Ok it's now time to do what the internet does best: speculate. Even though it's kind of asinine to guess what the plot of the game is going to be based around a brief 1:15 minute trailer, there are still some tasty nuggets to be found, pointing us in a good direction. So let's dig in.
The Locale
It's safe to assume Arkham Asylum 2 (working title) will not take place on Arkham Island, at least not in its entirety. Retreading that locale would be suicide on Rocksteady and Eidos' part. But if this trailer is any indication, the brains behind the project know this and have smartly moved on, this time to Gotham. Arkham Asylum 2 could be the open-world Batman game set in Gotham we've all been dreaming of. It's a Christmas/ Hanukkah miracle!
The Villains
Well the Joker is a lock, although it looks like the Titan serum has gotten the better of him. This could make for a fun, new dynamic confrontation between Mr. J. and Batman, so bring it on. Also, if you check out the website posted at the end of the trailer (www.arkhamhasmoved.com) you'll find an image of an Uncle Sam looking gentleman with his face ripped off and wearing a suit that is half clean, half dirty and disgusting. You'll also notice the "rotten" side is holding a gun. Two-face anyone? Not to mention the very end of the first Arkham Asylum had Batman whisking away to stop Dent from performing a bank robbery. Basically, there are a lot of signs that Two-Face will be a part of Arkham Asylum 2, considering he was the only major missing villain in the first title.
Also, at the 23 second mark you'll see the camera focus on a sign that says "Iceberg." This is an indication that the Penguin could come into play in Arkham Asylum 2, seeing as how he's the owner of the Iceberg Lounge, a hot spot amongst the Gotham Elite. Then at the 0:36 mark you'll see that the Joker's hideout has a "Sionis" sign hanging up in it. This tips us off that the Black Mask could also play a hand in the sequel. Roman Sionis, aka Black Mask, is a massive mob boss in Gotham and it would be interesting to see a gang war bust out in the midst of a Joker uprising. Maybe a power struggle between Mask and Penguin perhaps, as they have been known to let the feathers fly in the comics.
And while the Titan serum isn't a villain in the traditional sense, the junk is still out there, as shown in the after-credits cinematic of the first Arkham Asylum. Although who actually has control of it is anyone's guess (the cinematic randomly shows either Killer Croc, Bane or Scarecrow coming away with the Titan formula).
Closing Comments
This is all we know for the time being, because like we said, it's a 1:15 teaser trailer whose purpose is to wet the appetite. And wet it it does. The one final thing worth mentioning is that this trailer's premiere this past weekend means that we should definitely expect Arkham Asylum 2 in 2010. While that date is displayed nowhere during the trailer, advertising the title this early if Rocksteady and Eidos didn't have intentions of pumping it out this coming year would be foolish. And since the graphics engine and gameplay mechanics are already in place, and already awesome, all Rocksteady really has to do draft up a creative new story. Hopefully Paul Dini is involved again as well.
