10 Things All Superhero Games Can Learn From Batman: Arkham
Rocksteady's winning formula is one for the ages.
Prior to 2009, comic-book video games tended to invoke a number of emotions in fans of both comics and video games - primarily worry and dread. Despite the odd occasional success (Treyarchs Spider-Man games, Raven Softwares X-Men Legends series), video games adapting source material from the comic medium tended to struggle both critically and commercially, with perhaps the most susceptible to poor quality licensed titles being the Caped Crusader himself, Batman. Thankfully, the developers at UK-based Rocksteady studios saved Bat-fans from another Dark Tomorrow and gifted them with one of the finest games of the past generation in Batman: Arkham Asylum. Utilising tropes from some of the most renowned series in video-games and combining that with talent of some of the best people to have worked in the comic industry, it enabled Rocksteady to create a story and game worth really caring about. However, despite that titan of a title having redefined the comic-book video game, not every developer has been able to replicate their success. Why is this? Characters like Spider-Man, Hellboy and Captain America all have rich stories and exciting gameplay opportunities to exploit, but their most recent forays into the gaming medium have been all but devoid of the vibrancy that makes them so popular. The Arkham titles have raised the bar for all other licenced games to attain, and it is clear that there are lessons to be learned for developers wishing to tackle any men (or women) in tights - lessons Rocksteady can easily provide.