Arkham Collection

[Vannessa Rataj]

Batman: Arkham is a superhero action-adventure video game series based on the DC Comics character Batman, developed by Rocksteady Studios[1][2] and WB Games Montral, and published originally by Eidos Interactive and currently by Warner Bros. Games. The franchise consists of four main installments and a spin-off, along with four smaller titles for mobile devices, two virtual reality games, tie-in comic books, and an animated film. The continuity established by the games is often referred to as the Arkhamverse.

The main games in the Batman: Arkham series have been met with commercial success and critical acclaim, with praise for their narratives, voice acting, characters, world design, graphics, and gameplay. The games have collectively sold more than 31 million copies worldwide.

Batman: Arkham Asylum, the first game in the series, was written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini and developed by Rocksteady.[1] The game takes place entirely on Arkham Island, which houses the eponymous Arkham Asylum, home of some of Batman's most notorious foes. In the main storyline, Batman must once again stop his archenemy, the Joker, who has instigated an elaborate plot to seize control of Arkham and trap Batman on the island, while threatening Gotham City with hidden bombs. While fighting through the Asylum's inmates and attempting to restore order, Batman learns that the Joker has gained possession of a large quantity of Titan, an experimental chemical based on Venom, the drug used by Bane to enhance his powers, and must destroy it before the Joker can use it for his nefarious schemes. Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin respectively voice Batman, Joker, and Harley Quinn in the game, reprising their roles from the DC Animated Universe.

After its initial release, Arkham Asylum received downloadable content (DLC) that added new maps to the game's challenge mode, as well as the Joker as a playable character (albeit only on the PlayStation 3 and Return to Arkham versions).

Batman: Arkham City is the sequel to Arkham Asylum and features a bigger cast of characters and a story again written by Paul Dini, along with Paul Crocker and Sefton Hill. Set 18 months after Arkham Asylum, the game sees Bruce Wayne incarcerated within Arkham City, a new super-prison based in the decaying urban slums of Gotham City, established by former Arkham Asylum warden and current Gotham mayor Quincy Sharp. While contending with various inmates taking advantage of Arkham City's lawlessness, Batman must uncover the secret behind a sinister scheme, code-named "Protocol 10", orchestrated by the facility's warden, Hugo Strange. At the same time, the Joker is slowly dying due to the unstable properties of the Titan formula in his blood, and infects Batman with the same disease to force him to find a cure. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their respective roles as Batman and the Joker.

Arkham City introduces side missions to the series, each focusing on different villains whose schemes Batman must thwart. It also features DLC that adds Catwoman as a playable character, along with her own campaign that runs parallel with the main story. In addition to Batman and Catwoman, the game's challenge mode also features Nightwing and Robin as playable characters. Another DLC, titled Harley Quinn's Revenge, adds a second campaign, set after the main story, in which Robin must rescue Batman after he is captured by a vengeful Harley Quinn in Arkham City.

Like its predecessors, the game features DLC that adds new challenge maps and costumes for Batman, as well as Bruce Wayne and Deathstroke as playable characters in the challenge mode. The Cold, Cold Heart DLC adds a new story-driven campaign, set a week after the events of the main story, on New Year's Eve; it depicts Batman's first encounter with Mr. Freeze, borrowing heavy inspiration from the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Heart of Ice".

Batman: Arkham Knight is the sequel to Arkham City, the only one to receive an 'M' rating, and the biggest installment in the series. Intended to be the final Batman: Arkham game,[5] it was developed once again by Rocksteady, and released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on June 23, 2015.[6] Set nine months after the events of Arkham City, the game sees the return of the villain Scarecrow, who forces a citywide evacuation in Gotham and unites several of Batman's greatest villains in an attempt to destroy the Dark Knight once and for all. Scarecrow is aided by the mysterious Arkham Knight, who has a personal vendetta against Batman and seems to know all of his secrets. Although aided by several allies, Batman's quest to stop the villains is hindered by the Joker, who, despite his death in Arkham City, lives on as a hallucination in Batman's mind and is slowly taking over his body.[7][8] Arkham Knight is set in Uptown Gotham, which is located west of City and Origins' Old and New Gotham, and comprises three main islands: Bleake Island, Miagani Island, and Founders' Island. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their roles as Batman and the Joker, respectively.[9]

DLC released for the game includes four side missions centered around the villains Killer Croc, Ra's al Ghul, Mr. Freeze, and Mad Hatter; short story-driven missions set both before and after the main story, focusing on characters other than Batman, such as Batgirl, Red Hood, Harley Quinn, Nightwing, Robin, and Catwoman; additional challenge maps; and skins for both the playable characters and the Batmobile (which makes its debut in the series as a driveable vehicle).

Batman: Arkham Origins is an iOS and Android fighting game developed by NetherRealm Studios.[10] It plays similarly to Arkham City Lockdown, and follows the same storyline as the console and PC versions of the game.

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate is a side-scrolling game developed for the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS by Armature Studio. Set three months after the events of Arkham Origins, the story sees Batman investigating a mysterious explosion at Blackgate Prison that set the inmates free and allowed notorious crime bosses Joker, Black Mask, and Penguin to take over the prison. With the help of Catwoman, whom he encounters for the first time, Batman attempts to bring all three crime bosses to justice, in the process uncovering a dark secret about his newfound ally. A deluxe edition of the game, featuring new maps, enemy encounters, difficulty levels, batsuits and enhanced visuals, was released on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and Microsoft Windows in April 2014.[11]

In June 2016 at E3 2016, it was announced that Rocksteady was developing a Batman: Arkham game for the PlayStation VR, which released in October 2016. The game is set a few weeks prior to the events of Arkham Knight, and has players "utilize [Batman's] legendary gadgets to unravel a plot that threatens the lives of his closest allies."[15] It was released for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive on April 25, 2017.[16]

A Suicide Squad game was first considered a possibility following the end of Batman: Arkham Origins, which featured a post-credits scene in which Deathstroke is asked by Amanda Waller to join the Suicide Squad. In the years after Batman: Arkham Knight released, there were rumors suggesting the studio was working on a Suicide Squad game, but no official announcement was made from the development team or publisher.[17] In December 2016, Jason Schreier from Kotaku revealed that the title had been cancelled, and WB Games Montreal shifted their focus to a new Batman game starring Damian Wayne as the new Dark Knight, but as confirmed in January 2024 by voice actor Josh Keaton who worked on the game, not set in the Arkhamverse.[18][19] In April 2017, Schreier reported that even the Damian title was canned and turned into a different Batman game which was revealed to be Gotham Knights at the 2020 DC FanDome (which is not related to the Arkhamverse as well).[20][21] As a result, Rocksteady Studios took over the Suicide Squad IP and started the development of a different game based on the faction and set after the events of Batman: Arkham Knight. Rocksteady was initially rumored to be working on a Superman-themed game, which they later debunked.[22] The game's official artwork was revealed by Rocksteady on August 7, 2020.[23] The first trailer for the game premiered at DC FanDome. On March 23, 2022, Rocksteady announced that the game had been delayed from its intended 2022 launch window to Spring 2023.[24] The game marked one of Kevin Conroy's final performances as Batman and his final performance as the Arkhamverse Batman, following his death in November 2022.[25]

On May 1, 2024 a reveal trailer was released for Batman: Arkham Shadow.[28] It was announced the game would be exclusive to the Meta Quest 3.[29] It is set to be released in late 2024. The game serves as a direct sequel to Batman: Arkham Origins, with Roger Craig Smith returning as Batman for the first time in 4 years.[30]

On September 23, 2013, the Batman: Arkham Bundle was released in North America for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, as a Greatest Hits and Platinum Hits collection, respectively. It features the Game of the Year edition of Arkham Asylum, which includes the "Totally Insane", "Nocturnal Hunter", "Crime Alley", and "Scarecrow Nightmare" challenge maps, and the Game of the Year edition of Arkham City, which includes all additional content, including multiple skin DLC packs, as well as the extended story Harley Quinn's Revenge.[31]

Batman: Return to Arkham, developed by Virtuos, features remastered versions of Arkham Asylum and Arkham City using Unreal Engine 4 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Additionally, both games include all previously released downloadable content, and feature improved graphics, upgraded models and environments, as well as improvements in the lighting, effects and shaders.[33][34] The collection was released on October 18, 2016,[35] to mixed to positive reviews.[36][37] Reviewers noted improvements to the textures and shading, but had split opinions on the visual design and lighting effects. The collection was also criticized for issues with its frame rate, having been capped at 30 frames per second, with Arkham City running uncapped at up to 60 frames per second at launch.[38][39][40]

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