| Batman | |
|---|---|
 Advertisement poster | |
| Developer(s) | Specular Interactive |
| Publisher(s) | Raw Thrills |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Release | December 2013 |
| Genre(s) | Vehicular combat |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Batman is an arcade vehicular combat game based on the DC Comics character Batman, developed by Specular Interactive and released by Raw Thrills in 2013. [1] The game can be single-player or multi-player (if there is a linked cabinet).
In Batman, players control Batman as he drives the Batmobile through Gotham City to recapture supervillain escapees from Arkham Asylum. Players can choose to pursue the Joker, Bane, or Mr. Freeze; each of these gameplay routes, available in "easy" and "hard" variations, features a predetermined set of six vehicular combat missions to complete. Players must use the Batmobile to chase and eliminate specified targets, such as vehicles filled with henchmen. Certain missions feature other Batman villains, such as the Scarecrow, the Penguin and Catwoman, while one mission in each gameplay route sees the player fly The Bat from The Dark Knight Rises . Weapon upgrades such as a Sky Drone, Batarangs and a Battering Ram can be collected to more quickly and effectively destroy targets. A timer is constantly decreasing during gameplay; the remaining time is extended with each mission successfully completed. The game ends when the timer fully depletes or the Batmobile is destroyed, at which point the player is given the choice to insert additional credits to resume play or abandon the game.
The game has a profile system for players to save their game progress and resume at a later time. Ten different Batmobile designs from previous Batman media are available for use in the game. The full list includes the following:
The arcade cabinet for Batman consists of over 500 color shifting LEDs, a Batman-styled seat and steering wheel with force feedback, as well as a large glowing Bat emblem above the cabinet. Different on-screen action will trigger the various lighting effects and patterns of the cabinet. [2] [3]
Development for Batman started in 2011 at Specular Interactive, who worked with Warner Brothers to build all of the Batmobiles and the Gotham City environment. According to Steve Ranck, the Specular Interactive team spent a lot of time building Gotham City, which in this game "is nearly 10 square miles of various suburbs, unique neighborhoods, elevation changes, tunnels, bridges, hills, dirt roads, jumps, secret paths, etc." [4]
Also according to Steve Ranck, the game contains 20 characters "with nearly 1,000 lines of spoken dialog, 3 fully animated boss characters" and 36 missions over 6 stages.
Batman uses licensed visibility software, Umbra 3, to handle the occlusion culling in its game. The system has been developed by Umbra Software. [5]
The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, commonly referred to as Arkham Asylum, is a fictional psychiatric hospital/prison, named after the city of Arkham which appeared first in the stories of H. P. Lovecraft, and later appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in stories featuring the superhero Batman. It first appeared in Batman #258, written by Dennis O'Neil with art by Irv Novick. The asylum serves as a (forensic) psychiatric hospital for the Gotham City area, housing patients who are criminally insane, as well as select prisoners with unusual medical requirements that are beyond a conventional prison's ability to accommodate. Its high-profile patients are often members of Batman's rogues gallery.
The Batmobile is the fictional car driven by the superhero Batman. Housed in the Batcave, which it accesses through a hidden entrance, the Batmobile is both a heavily armored tactical assault vehicle and a personalized custom-built pursuit and capture vehicle that is used by Batman in his fight against crime. Using the latest civilian performance technology, coupled with prototype military-grade hardware—most of which was developed by Wayne Enterprises—Batman creates an imposing hybrid monster car to prowl the streets of Gotham City.
Batman Begins is a stealth action-adventure game based on the film of the same name. It was released on June 15, 2005 for the Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The game was developed by Eurocom and co-published by Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in conjunction with DC Comics. The film's original cast provided a voice-over reprisal in the game, with the exception of Gary Oldman, who portrays James Gordon in the film and was replaced by Gavin Hammon in the game.
Batman: Dark Tomorrow is an action-adventure game developed and published by Kemco for the GameCube and Xbox in 2003. It is based on the DC Comics character Batman and his iteration from the DC Universe source material. Many precedents of the comics are cited, especially as it pertains to Ra's al Ghul, and Batman's relationship with al Ghul's daughter, Talia al Ghul.
Batman: The Dark Knight was a cancelled action-stealth game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 developed by Pandemic Studios from September 2006 until its cancellation in October 2008. It would have been the first open world video game to feature the DC Comics superhero Batman and was based on Christopher Nolan's film The Dark Knight. In Batman: The Dark Knight, the player controlled Batman, who could freely explore Gotham City, drive vehicles, and perform missions. Pandemic was given access to the film's script and other materials, and the film's cast would have reprised their roles for the game.
Batman: Arkham Asylum is a 2009 action-adventure game developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman and written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini, Arkham Asylum was inspired by the long-running comic book mythos. In the game's main storyline, Batman battles his archenemy, the Joker, who instigates an elaborate plot to seize control of Arkham Asylum, trap Batman inside with many of his incarcerated foes, and threaten Gotham City with hidden bombs.
Batman: Arkham City is a 2011 action-adventure game developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the sequel to the 2009 video game Batman: Arkham Asylum and the second installment in the Batman: Arkham series. Written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini with Paul Crocker and Sefton Hill, Arkham City was inspired by the long-running comic book mythos. In the game's main storyline, Batman is incarcerated in Arkham City, a super-prison enclosing the decaying urban slums of fictional Gotham City. He must uncover the secret behind a sinister scheme orchestrated by the facility's warden, Hugo Strange.
Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is a 2012 Lego-themed action-adventure game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The game is a sequel to Lego Batman: The Videogame and the second installment in the Lego Batman series. The game's main storyline follows Batman, Robin and later Superman as they attempt to foil the Joker and Lex Luthor's plans to have the latter become president of the United States, joining forces with the Justice League along the way. As a result, the game's cast is larger than its predecessor and includes characters outside of the Batman series.
Batman: Arkham City Lockdown is a 2011 fighting video game developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is a spin-off to Batman: Arkham City, and the first mobile game in the Batman: Arkham series. Set a few weeks before Arkham City, Arkham City Lockdown follows Batman as he attempts to capture several villains who have escaped from Arkham Asylum and are causing mayhem in the streets of Gotham City. As Batman, players fight enemies using melee combat, and earn points for doing so, which can be used to upgrade Batman's stats or to unlock gadgets and alternate costumes.
H2Overdrive is a powerboat arcade racing game developed by Specular Interactive and released in 2009 by Raw Thrills. It is considered a spiritual successor to Hydro Thunder. The game was also released in the People's Republic of China by UNIS.
Dirty Drivin' is an arcade racing game developed by Specular Interactive and released by Raw Thrills in 2011. The game was also released in the People's Republic of China, which was unveiled at the GTI Asia China Expo. The game's main track played throughout the menu is More Human than Human by White Zombie.
Batman: Arkham Origins is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by WB Games Montréal and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the follow-up to the 2011 video game Batman: Arkham City and is the third main installment in the Batman: Arkham series. Written by Corey May, Ryan Galletta, and Dooma Wendschuh, the game's main storyline is set eight years before 2009's Batman: Arkham Asylum and follows a younger, less-refined Batman. When a bounty is placed on him by crime lord Black Mask, drawing eight of the world's greatest assassins to Gotham City on Christmas Eve, Batman must bring Black Mask to justice, while also being hunted by the police and having to face other villains, such as the Joker and Anarky, who take advantage of the chaos to launch their nefarious schemes.
Batman: Arkham is a series of action-adventure video games based on the DC Comics character Batman, developed by Rocksteady Studios and WB Games Montréal, and published originally by Eidos Interactive and currently by Warner Bros. Games. The franchise consists of four main installments and an upcoming spin-off, along with four smaller titles for mobile devices, a virtual reality game, tie-in comic books, and an animated film. The continuity established by the games is often referred to as the Arkhamverse.
Specular Interactive, Inc. is an arcade game entertainment company based in Foothill Ranch, California. It is best known for developing arcade games H2Overdrive, Dirty Drivin', and Batman.
Batman: Arkham Knight is a 2015 action-adventure game developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the successor to the 2013 video game Batman: Arkham Origins, a direct sequel to Batman: Arkham City (2011) and the fourth main installment in the Batman: Arkham series. Written by Sefton Hill, Ian Ball and Martin Lancaster, Arkham Knight is inspired by the long-running comic book mythos. Set nine months after the events of Arkham City, the game's main storyline follows Batman as he confronts Scarecrow, who has launched an attack on Gotham City and caused a citywide evacuation. Scarecrow, with the help of the mysterious Arkham Knight, plots to unite all of Gotham's criminals in an attempt to finally destroy Batman.
Batman: Arkham Origins was a free-to-play fighting video game developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is a spin-off to the 2013 video game Batman: Arkham Origins, and is part of the Batman: Arkham series. Similarly to Arkham City Lockdown, the game was made to tie-in with its console and PC counterpart, but unlike its predecessor, which featured an original storyline, it follows the same premise as the main versions of Arkham Origins.
Batman: The Telltale Series is a 2016 episodic point-and-click graphic adventure video game developed and published by Telltale Games and distributed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment under its DC Entertainment label. The game is based on the DC Comics character Batman, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, though not tied to any previous adaptation of the work in film or other media. Upon release, it received mixed reviews, which praised the atmosphere, action sequences, and faithfulness to the Batman mythos, but criticized it for technical issues and plot. A second season, titled Batman: The Enemy Within, was released in 2017, and was viewed as an improvement over the original.
Batman: Arkham VR is a virtual reality adventure video game developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4 and Windows. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is part of the Batman: Arkham series and the first installment to use virtual reality headsets, allowing players to experience the game world from Batman's perspective. Arkham VR was released worldwide on October 11, 2016, for PlayStation 4 and on April 25, 2017, for Windows for VR headsets.
The Scarecrow, a supervillain in DC Comics and an adversary of the superhero Batman, has been adapted in various forms of media, including films, television series and video games.
