Batman: Return to Arkham revealed

Game2k
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 | 2:59 PM
37 comments

Trailer PS4 Xbox One

Warner Bros. has announced Batman: Return to Arkham which bundles Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, both remastered by Virtuos using Unreal Engine 4. The title also contains all DLC and will be out on July 26 for $49.99 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. More details, screens and trailer inside.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Announces Batman: Return to Arkham for PS4 and Xbox One

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced Batman: Return to Arkham. The new title bundles Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, two of the most critically acclaimed videogames on the last generation of gaming consoles. Both are being remastered for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One using Unreal Engine 4, a first for the award winning Batman: Arkham series. Remastered by Virtuos, this set offers fans a chance to play the first two Batman: Arkham titles including all Game of the Year edition bonus and downloadable content from both games, now with improved graphics, as well as upgraded models, environments, lighting, effects and shaders. Batman: Return to Arkham will be available beginning July 26 for a suggested retail price of $49.99/€49.99/£39.99.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is where it all began. Originally developed by Rocksteady Studios and released in 2009, the game pushed the envelope for action, adventure and super hero games and exposed players to a unique, dark and atmospheric adventure taking them to the depths of Arkham Asylum. Featuring an original story, gamers can move in the shadows, instill fear amongst their enemies and confront The Joker and Gotham City's most notorious villains, including Harley Quinn, Bane, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy and Scarecrow, who have taken over the asylum.

Batman: Arkham City is Rocksteady Studios’ 2011 follow-up to Batman: Arkham Asylum. The game builds upon the intense, atmospheric foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum, sending players soaring through the expansive Arkham City – the maximum security “home” for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds. Featuring an incredible Rogues Gallery of Gotham City’s most dangerous criminals including Catwoman, The Joker, The Riddler, Two-Face, Harley Quinn, The Penguin, Mr. Freeze and many others, the game allows players to experience what it feels like to be The Dark Knight and deliver justice to those confined within Arkham City.

Batman: Arkham Asylum Remastered

Batman: Arkham City Remastered

Key Art

Commented on 2016-05-18 15:14:51

What the hell? They actually remade them using Unreal 4 engine? Why isn't this coming to PC? I want this.

In reply to

Loakum

Commented on 2016-05-18 15:25:56

Worst kept secret ever!

Sdarts

Commented on 2016-05-18 15:26:01 In reply to scoobs0688

Same. The game looks much better than even the PC version at max settings.

I'm hoping Rocksteady Studios also announces a PC version soon, since the PC version of these games was developed by them and I can't imagine it would have been much work to remaster them for PC alongside PS4 and XBO.

Hopefully, they will announce something in the near future. And it would be really great if they finally allowed you to use those New Game+ suits - and Wii U's City's armored suits - in the Story campaign.

PS. I'm also waiting for a Batman: Arkham Knight Game of the Year edition announcement.

MinorDespera

Commented on 2016-05-18 15:39:10 In reply to scoobs0688

Posted by scoobs0688

Looks like Warner Bros. won't touch PC even with a 10 feet pole now, after they shat themselves with horrible outsourced ports of Arkham Knight and Mortal Kombat X (they don't even want to release the DLC for the latter). They've got noone but themselves to blame, but they've decided to simply quit PC market instead of self-improving.

KORNdog

Commented on 2016-05-18 15:43:11

City was so shit with it's pointless open world, i'd have honestly preferred origin to that. at least it had the nice christmassy batman returns vibe going for it.

Commented on 2016-05-18 15:45:08

Not the best of comparisons, but I couldn't find a 1080p version of the original version's image, still it gives an idea of the improvements made:

Original:
http://www.pcgameshardware.de/screenshots/original...

Remaster:
http://images.gamersyde.com/image_batman_return_to...

The part that sucks is that it isn't Rocksteady behind the remaster, Chinese studio Virtuos, the same team that remastered FFX/X-2. So the chances of a PC version of the remasters is very unlikely.

Sath

Commented on 2016-05-18 15:48:59

Too bad origins isnt in there.

Commented on 2016-05-18 15:52:01 In reply to Sath

Posted by Sath

Agreed. Best Arkham game until Knight came out

Commented on 2016-05-18 15:59:11 In reply to scoobs0688

I didnt play much of Knight but from what i seen and heard from people who played it, its way too much car sequences that its boring as hell.

Commented on 2016-05-18 16:02:08 In reply to Sath

Probably too much bat mobile stuff but those complaints are exaggerated. It's a very good Arkham game.

Commented on 2016-05-18 16:11:13 In reply to scoobs0688

Well too much car sequence and car combat, forced ones, i understand why people dont like it that much.

alimokrane

Commented on 2016-05-18 16:43:58

They should have bundled all 4 games:

- Arkham Asylum.
- Arkham City
- Arkham Origins
- Arkham Knight

and charged the price of a full game. It makes much more sense that way. Now, 3 games are on current gen while one (Origins) still remains on last gen...

I have both GOTYs of Asylum and City on 360 and no interest in buying this. Had they included Origins and Knight, I would have bought it with eyes closed.

Commented on 2016-05-18 16:49:33 In reply to scoobs0688

this. i only found the car stuff excessive if you went out of your way to use it (ie, side activity chases, bomb defense etc) otherwise it was a nice addition. both for getting around and environmental puzzle solving. easily the best batman. most coherent plot too with far fewer pointless cameo villains showing up for no reason.

knight>asylum>>>>origins>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>city

MrWhite

Commented on 2016-05-18 16:56:00

Wait - these are remakes?

Cause that's what this gen needs: more remakes.

AndreasZ94

Commented on 2016-05-18 17:01:03

It looks awesome but every time a new remaster is being announced that isn't red dead redemption i get disappointed. Btw is the bioshock remaster supposed to come this summer too?

MikeManiac61

Commented on 2016-05-18 17:40:12

Why isn't Origins part of this bundle? I replayed that game more than the other 3, it had the Batcave damn it!

Commented on 2016-05-18 17:41:25 In reply to scoobs0688

Best Arkham game until Knight came out

We definitely played 2 different games. It felt like a poor man's Rocksteady game, that middle of the story twist was predictable and very dumb, the game felt like a rehash of Arkham City - but not in a good way - and I also felt bored at times.

I respect your opinion and this is just my opinion, but the majority of people do disagree with your opinion, since there's a reason why the MetaCritic scores of all 4 games are:

Batman: Arkham Asylum: 91 (PS3) and 92 (X360);
Batman: Arkham City: 96 (PS3) and 94 (X360);
Batman: Arkham Origins: 76 (PS3) and 74 (X360).
Batman: Arkham Knight: 87 (PS4) and 85 (XB1).

The users' scores also reflect the same:

Batman: Arkham Asylum: 8.9 (PS3) and 8.7 (X360);
Batman: Arkham City: 8.6 (PS3) and 8.7 (X360);
Batman: Arkham Origins: 7.7 (PS3) and 7.5 (X360).
Batman: Arkham Knight: 7.5 (PS4) and 6.5 (XB1).

While MetaCritic isn't the best indicator of a game's quality, it is excellent - most of the time - in showing how most people's opinions are regarding it. In this case, Origins is considered the worst of all Batman: Arkham games.

PS. While Batman: Arkham Knight's users' scores are low, I suspect it's because some PC users voted negatively on it to bring it down on all places. Either way, it's the exception to the rule.

[quote=scoobs0688]Best Arkham game until Knight came out[/quote]

I respect your opinion and this is just my opinion, but the majority of people do disagree with your opinion, since there's a reason why the MetaCritic scores of all 4 games are:

Batman: Arkham Asylum: 91 (PS3) and 92 (X360);
Batman: Arkham City: 96 (PS3) and 94 (X360);
Batman: Arkham Origins: 76 (PS3) and 74 (X360).
Batman: Arkham Knight: 87 (PS4) and 85 (XB1).

The users' scores also reflect the same:

Batman: Arkham Asylum: 8.9 (PS3) and 8.7 (X360);
Batman: Arkham City: 8.6 (PS3) and 8.7 (X360);
Batman: Arkham Origins: 7.7 (PS3) and 7.5 (X360).
Batman: Arkham Knight: 7.5 (PS4) and 6.5 (XB1).

While MetaCritic isn't the best indicator of a game's quality, it is excellent - most of the time - in showing how most people's opinions are regarding it. In this case, Origins is considered the worst of all Batman: Arkham games.

PS. While Batman: Arkham Knight's users' scores are low, I suspect it's because some PC users voted negatively on it to bring it down on all places. Either way, it's the exception to the rule.

Commented on 2016-05-18 18:05:13

We are all entitled to our opinions, I do realize mine is not the popular one. It has the best story of all of them, and best art style by a mile. Love the character designs.

Commented on 2016-05-18 20:34:11

Did anyone else actually complete all 342 Riddler missions/puzzles, just to get an chance to fight the Riddler? I did, and it was so satisfying whooping his ass!

Commented on 2016-05-18 21:46:19 In reply to Loakum

Posted by Loakum

Naw, I only did Asylum and that was it for me. Collecting over 300+ trophies isn't fun to me.

Commented on 2016-05-18 21:47:19 In reply to scoobs0688

And the way the cutscenes was made and i like the music the best from Origins.

Melmoth

Commented on 2016-05-18 23:01:33 In reply to MikeManiac61

Posted by MikeManiac61

Rule no.1: if it gets tedious collecting achievements/trophies and it feels more like work than fun, stop doing them and play the game instead :). After i stopped doing it, playing games started to be fun again.

Skynin

Commented on 2016-05-19 01:21:52

WB can kiss my ass.

Commented on 2016-05-19 01:47:32

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2040392...

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2040411...

This upgrade isn't looking as hot as it appeared. Lol.

GunsnSwords

Commented on 2016-05-19 02:17:19

The original batman game had pre-recorded cinemas, they took all of the pre-recorded stuff and processed it in real-time with UE4. Now compared to an average gamer most of them don't know about this sort of stuff and think their magical boxes do everything they see. this practice goes way back to the 128bit generation with RE4 on PS2, which had all of GC's graphics saved as video files. https://forum.beyond3d.com/posts/1063472/