The newest Batman game is something a lot of fans—myself included—have been waiting a long time for. Now that it’s been out a while, we decided to take your questions over Periscope. And, yes, the the merits of Batmobile was discussed, because how can you not talk about it?
You’ll need to forgive a bit of experimentation and set-up in the video above, which we shot last week. It’s a chat of all things Arkham Knight or, at least, most of what Periscope viewers wanted us to answer. One of the topics was the Batmobile, which was definitely the riskiest addition to Arkham Knight. As I say in the video, I think it pays off big time but here’s a basic rundown of my thoughts:
- Car combat feels like human combat. The same dodge/strike/special attack rhythm that made Rocksteady’s Bat-game design so winning is there in the cockpit of the Batmobile, too.
- Driving the Batmobile like you don’t give a damn is great. Batman’s car destroys huge chunks of the environment. It kind of defies logic how so many buildings remain standing when the Batmobile’s demolishing corners and support beams willy-nilly.
- The puzzles designed around the Batmobile makes Gotham City feel unique. In some ways, Arkham Knight feels like it’s home to an under-realized open world. Its streets aren’t teeming with life like, say, GTA V or Assassin’s Creed Unity. But it does have areas—in the main story and in side missions—that require you to use the vehicle’s tools and weapons for problem-solving. These sections make the Dark Knight’s ride feel like less a way to get around and more of a giant gadget.
- Some of the Batmobile-centric boss fights will annoy you. Two big showdowns in the final third of Arkham Knight revolve around stealthily tracking and goading bigger, more powerful vehicles into combat. They’re more frustrating than the game’s standard vehicular battles. One tip to make them easier? Get the 60 MM cannon upgrade that makes drones investigate points of impact. It’ll be easier to isolate them from other enemies and take them down.
You can see me talk about Arkham Knight’s predecessors, the game’s villains, and more in the full video above.
Contact the author at evan@kotaku.com.