For better or for worse, the main innovative highlight for Arkham Knight appears to be the introduction of the Batmobile. Rocksteady have demonstrated their capacity for this in the past, having created the widely praised free-flow fighting system in Arkham Asylum and Batmans gliding mechanics in Arkham City, so its safe to say that the team knows how to make a worthwhile sequel. In the gaming industry, it is very easy to simply imitate instead, or even worse create a gimmick. But, as demonstrated by Monoliths excellent Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, innovation and imitation can go hand in hand. The widely-revered game quite unashamedly bases its combat, stealth, and navigation mechanics on the Arkham series, but it does enough new things with it to make it feel fresh and enjoyable. Not only that, but the fantastic Nemesis system was also introduced - a truly unique and fresh gameplay aspect that really cemented the title as Game of the Year in the eyes of many. Developers shouldnt be afraid to borrow certain mechanics from other games, but the desire to improve on them must always be ever-present. Superheroes and their worlds present a wonderful opportunity to developers - to refine and innovate whilst taking advantage of some of the richest source material in history. Is there an element of Arkham you think deserves praise? Or maybe a superhero you feel deserves a game of their own? Sound off in the comments below!
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
