A missing Police Commissioner, a locked down asylum, and turf warfare on the streets of Gotham. What's a Dark Knight to do?
Kemco will be bringing the world of Gotham's Dark Knight Detective to life with the release of Batman:Dark Tomorrow on GameCube, Xbox, and PS2. The game looks to revive the dark action and intensity (with a dash of cerebral execution) that was present in the Batman comics during the 1970's.
Batman: Dark Tomorrow will be played in the third-person perspective (an "over the shoulder" style) with action-adventure elements combining hand-to-hand combat, stealth, and trap evasion. Batman is one of superherodom's most beloved characters, but there hasn't been a good representation in videogame form that truly captures the essence of who the Dark Knight is.
As a full moon rises, the Batman begins his nightly patrol to take back the streets of Gotham City from crime. Chaos fills the streets as Black Mask and his gang, the False Facers, battle for control of the city against Scarface and The Ventriloquist. Explosions echo throughout the tough streets of Gotham City as these rival gangs battle for control of the city.
After defeating the rival gangs, Batman learns that Commissioner Gordon has been mysteriously kidnapped from police headquarters, ensuring that Batman has not won the upper hand. Arkham Asylum, home for the criminally insane goes into lockdown. Does this have a bearing on the disappearance of Commisoner Gordon? Could it be possible that the gang war, disappearance and Arkham lockdown are three unrelated events?
By using all of his skills, as well as a variety of high-tech gadgets, Batman must stop the gang war, infiltrate Arkham Asylum and rescue the Commissioner. Plus, Batman must also piece together clues to discover the mastermind behind these seemingly unrelated events and stop an evil plan that threatens the fate of the entire world!
With all clues pointing to Arkham Asylum, home for the criminally insane, Batman enters the depths of the Gotham City Sewer System to sneak into the asylum. Once inside, Batman must defeat some of his most dangerous foes -including Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and the Joker - in order to rescue Commissioner Gordon.
Batman:Dark Tomorrow is based upon an original story by Batman writer Scott Peterson. The game itself was written by Peterson with Kenji Terada, famous for his work on Final Fantasy I + II, as well as Kamurai. With a high writing pedigree, the story should also keep in line with the top-notch storytelling that permeated the comics during the 70's.
Batman (not having any superhuman abilities of his own) frequently uses high-tech gadgets and devices stored in his legendary utility belt. Players will be able to choose from such Bat-staples as: the Batarang, Batgrapple, Batcuffs, minicomputer, the "universal tool", smoke pellets, and more. Within his cowl, Batman is equipped with night-vision lenses, which, when activated, will allow him to see in complete darkness. This might come in handy in those dark Arkham corridors.
Facing action on the streets of Gotham City, players take on the role of the Dark Knight. The action will move from various locations around the city, including Gazette Square, the Gotham Docks, an abandoned steel factory, the Gotham City Sewer System, Arkham Asylum, and others. Players will have to call on all of The Batman's hand-to-hand combat skills, his high-tech gadgets and devices, and his keen detective abilities.
There is no multiplayer option (no, you won't be able to play as Robin in co-op mode), but Batman is a character best savored in long stretches by himself - a solitary figure. No word on how the sound will play out, either with music or voice acting has been announced, but we do know that the voices are recorded in English. Hopefully, the voice acting will live up to the potential of the script.
Daniel "monk" Pelfrey
This is looking more like the Batman I grew up with.
