While fans of genre fiction and technology like to talk about the benefits of progress, reinvention, and radical change, there is something to be said for the idea of more of the glorious same -- especially when the topic is Batman: Arkham City. The sequel to the superlative Arkham Asylum, the in-development game based on the legendary DC Comics superhero Batman will not seek to reinvent the wheel when it goes on sale later this year, but rather double-down on what players loved about their experience as the Dark Knight the first time around. A new interview with Gamespot UK, Rocksteady Studios director Sefton Hill discusses his team's approach to Arkham City and what innovations fans can expect, and shares some new images from the hotly anticipated Batman game.

As part of Gamespot UK's feature on the most anticipated games of 2011, the site debuted some new images from Batman: Arkham City and spoke with game director Sefton Hill, specifically about the expanded environment of Gotham City itself, as opposed to the claustrophobic Arkham Asylum. Here are some excerpts we thought you'd find interesting.

Taking the game onto the Gotham streets has given us the opportunity to significantly increase Batman's repertoire. Our primary goal is to deliver the "Batman in Gotham" feeling, and this meant completely overhauling the traversal and navigation system. We wanted the player to experience the freedom and exhilaration of gliding down alleyways and soaring above the skyline, and this has meant [adding] nearly twice as many moves and animations as in the original game.

The footprint of Arkham City is about five times bigger than Arkham Island...

Players will be able to go anywhere at any time, but we have made sure that players will always have a very clear idea of where they are needed most if they want to just stick to the core narrative path of the game. Explore the streets of Arkham City, and you will find many side missions, secrets, and street brawls, so players won't find it difficult to get into some trouble if that's what they are looking for.

it is important to us that gamers get a very real sense of the narrative connection between the two games, and so, the plans in Warden Sharp's secret room are just one example of the way in which the two stories link together. Gamers who have played and completed Batman: Arkham Asylum will definitely see a lot of interesting hooks in Arkham City that connect to the events that happened in Arkham Asylum 18 months earlier.



it has been updated with lots of new features, including multiple simultaneous counters, aerial attacks, projectile counters, environment counters, beatdowns, the ability to combo in gadgets, new special moves, and more.

[Via Gamespot UK]