Where's the free-roaming game?

[Spider-Vader]

Does anyone think we should of seen a free-roaming BM game by now. I'd kill to have a roam around Gotham.

 

[Nathan Petrelli]

I was thinking about it the other day. They should make it where you can use your grapple gun to go up buildings, then you can jump off them and use your cape to glide around, kind of like the parachute on San Andreas.

 

[tigerknight]

Nothing will happen like that yet, why because Batman is in MK vs DC and that MMO DC Universe for PC and PS3. That's why we won't see anything yet/ Don't forget the Lego Batman too. If anything maybe next year or when the next movie comes out.

 

[Possibility]

I just had a few insights into a good Batman videogame:

Model on Assassin’s Creed – I’ve only played Assassin’s Creed once, and very briefly. But during that time, I appreciated the game’s open-ended, Z-axis intensive cityscapes, the fluid, graceful character movement and emphasis on stealth tactics, and the terrific graphical detail. Immediately I said, “This game is cool… wouldn’t it be cool if this were a Batman game?”

It’s easy to picture Assassin’s Creed as an engine and game approach updated to represent Gotham city, to include Batman instead of a white Mid-East assassin, with a range of technologies to assist the character in negotiating the environments, but keeping the same up-close quality versus the graphical “panoramic mediocrity” of games like GTA or Saints Row.

Flexible Suiting – As a gameplay element, I would love to see Batman’s suit engage the player in a range of choices that impact attributes and abilities (like armor and speed) and lend to various play styles (heavy versus blend versus a light Batman).

The history of Batman’s suits is one of the most fan-loved aspects of the character. I’d be thrilled to see a game utilize this variety not just as a nod to fandom, but as a gameplay mechanic to boot. As you begin the game, much like Batman Begins, there are obvious gear and aesthetic choices to make. Early on, choices are limited by available technologies and perhaps contacts in-game. Then, as the game progresses, Batman and his allies have the ability to innovate and open new possibilities for suiting that have implications on how Batman operates. In this way, the suit enables a progressive element in-game, and also allows the player to tailor his equipment to preferred play style.

Some areas where Batman’s suit could be customized with gameplay implications include body armor material (weight = Batman’s speed/agility, material = durability/resistance to various types of damage), coloring (black, gray, blue style options dictate camouflage efficacy in different environments like city/rural, day/night), cape (small = increased agility, medium = useful cover, large = good flight surface for gliding), cowl (flexible = better peripheral vision/head turn rate, rigid = armored but reduced head mobility), imbedded sensors (big ears = amplified hearing, white eyes = always-on night vision/infrared). I’m sure there’s a lot more to customize, as well!

I think it would be a lot of fun if the suit was also a modular design that allowed the player to swap components to customize operational attributes. Expecting a big fight against armed opponents? Best use the heavy-armor. Need to infiltrate an enemy hideout and escape from high atop a building? Light armor with dark coloring and the flight-capable cape. I’m sure most people would find their go-to styles for both suits and gameplay, but I always like options, and in a game where You Are Batman, this sort of customizability would enhance immersion for an otherwise static (but awesome) character.

Evolving Characters – I’m a huge proponent of evolving relationships in video games, where like in Fable your character’s actions have a lasting impact on the game world. One of the interesting themes in Batman is the character’s ambiguous relationships with his world and the characters who populate it. Because of what Batman does, he is sometimes seen as a hero, a villain, an inspiration, or a nut. And it depends on which character you ask, right?

The opportunity here is to allow the player to impact who Batman is in the world of Gotham based on player choices. If Batman insists on brutalizing Gothamites left and right, he’s going to earn a reputation with the police as a thug and raise the ire of the police. If Batman is effective in working with the police to reduce drug shipments into Gotham, perhaps with the help of Lieutenant Gordon, then the police will look leniently on his activities. Same goes for relationships with the press, civilians, organized crime and petty crooks… all should be malleable in their impressions of Batman. Do something particularly ridiculous and maybe even Superman will fly to Metropolis to “have a word” with Batman at the behest of the President…

Gotham as Sandbox – I see an open-ended Batman game as being much like an RPG in these respects, giving the player the latitude to explore an interesting Gotham while customizing his experience and utilizing all of Batman’s tools (including reputation) to execute his war on crime. Envisioning here a very open-ended and adaptable player experience, I think Batman fans would get a kick out of this.

Any thoughts to go with these ideas?

 

[Da Joker]

its a possibility (no pun intended) but i doubt we'll see a licensed game like that anytime soon. IF we do get a free roaming batman game, it will probably have the same flaws as superman returns, too little to do in a huge city

 

[The Shadow]

I'd love to see one.

 

[Possibility]

its a possibility (no pun intended) but i doubt we'll see a licensed game like that anytime soon. IF we do get a free roaming batman game, it will probably have the same flaws as superman returns, too little to do in a huge city

Shortcomings in superhero games have paralleled shortcomings in superhero movies until the last five years or so. Once the themes were taken seriously (character movies instead of pure actioneers), we started to see excellent superhero movies like Spider-Man and Batman.

Same holds true for videogames. Traditionally, you see superhero games that are pure actioneers that trade on license and sometimes visual glitz without backing it up with proper gameplay. The opportunity is there, however, to create a great game for all great heroes. The task is to identify what makes the hero resonate to begin with, and then deliver on his intrinsic value with gameplay that supports the broader ideas.

Put another way, Superman Returns actually got Superman's abilities pretty right as a video game. I have fun flying around Metropolis, but to your point Da Joker, the mission system is boring. To me, that's because the game's designers didn't capture what makes Superman a great hero. In fact, Superman is a difficult hero to capture correctly, which is why most Superman games suck. If a Superman game got made that incorporated his wonderful powers as well as a strong moral and sci-fi story that compelled the player, the game could rock.

As for Batman, game designers started to capitalize on the heart of the character with the adaptation of Batman Begins. In fact, they probably owe more to Chris Nolan's filmmaking than to anything the game company did right. Fear meters, stealth action, and interesting Gotham environments hinted at the promise of the title, but the execution resulted in a mediocre game. Ces la vie.

The impact is that we come to expect mediocre games that don't fulfill on the promise of their material. It takes someone like Chris Nolan with a powerful vision working in the video game space to really capture an idea like Batman. Some day, that will happen. My hope is that it may be underway currently. Pandemic Studios is creating something called "Project B" which is allegedly The Dark Knight the videogame. However, being this close to the movie's launch with no marketing for the game would suggest 1) it's not The Dark Knight the videogame, or 2) it is but the launch isn't coinciding with the movie's marketing cycle. The latter could be interesting; perhaps suggesting a take on Batman that's broader than The Dark Knight videogame traditional movie tie-in. Definitely, Pandemic is a good studio who could do it.

A great Batman video game is waiting to be liberated from inside all that source material!

 

[Da Joker]

I get your point, it certainly is possible if the game creators WANT to make a good batman game instead of riding the dark knight cashcow.

 

[Spider-Vader]

You think whoever does the DC games would of made a couple free-roaming BM games after the success of the Spidey games.

 

[Grinning-smile]

Probably gonna turn up around the time the dvd comes out, that's when the superman returns game came out, when the dvd did, at least over here in the uk. And hey, it is pandemic we're talking about here, mercenaries 2 has only been delayed about half a year, the release keeps getting put back on that, and we've seen trailers for that, so who knows when dark knight would turn up.

 

[batpawn]

am i the only one that doesn't like the idea? free roaming around the city, jumping on rooftops and walking down the streets of batmans goddamn neighborhood would kill the urban myth that is batman. fine, maybe you will have the possibility to hide in the darkness, but c'mon, only the idea that you are able to nump on the streets and still be able to play through the game would kill it all for me.

i would love to see a game like metal gear solid or splinter cell, basically what batman begins was, just wih better mechanics, a much much better stryline to follow and perfect drections in the cutscenes. that would fit much much better to the batman. mybe add something like max payne's bullet time for more intense fightingsequenzes.

 

[Possibility]

Probably gonna turn up around the time the dvd comes out, that's when the superman returns game came out, when the dvd did, at least over here in the uk. And hey, it is pandemic we're talking about here, mercenaries 2 has only been delayed about half a year, the release keeps getting put back on that, and we've seen trailers for that, so who knows when dark knight would turn up.

Superman Returns the videogame was originally scheduled for release with the movie, and briefly aligned with the movie's marketing roadmap.

It was delayed six months due to development issues.

If there is a Batman game underway at someplace like Pandemic, it probably won't be a 1/1 The Dark Knight tie-in product. Likely, it would be a broader Batman title, and that might be cool too.

$.02

 

[Cunning Stunts]

If anyone makes it, it'd better be Rockstar.

 

[batpawn]

If anyone makes it, it'd better be Rockstar.

yeah, because we all know that batman is a social satire making fun of the crime and gangproblems, american media just like radio and television and the laws for owning a gun in the usa.

 

[Cunning Stunts]

yeah, because we all know that batman is a social satire making fun of the crime and gangproblems, american media just like radio and television and the laws for owning a gun in the usa.

You know what's funny? You must not have done your research:

For starters, with GTA IV out, they've taken a much more serious tone to the GTA series. Sure, they have plenty of cracks on America and satire in their "media," but the game is damned good and a lot less of a joke than 3, Vice City, and San Andreas were.

Second, Rockstar put free-roaming video games on the map. Three was revolutionary, and they totally outdid themselves yet again with Vice City. San Andreas brought little more to the table other than a larger map, but then IV came, and Rockstar re-revolutionized free-roaming video games.

Third, just because Rockstar made two series of related satirical and humorous games (the other being Bully), and they were each Rockstar's own creations. Take a look at some of their other major games:

-The Manhunt series
-The Midnight club series
-Smuggler's Run
-Probably the most notable next to GTA, Max Payne.

And this is just to name a few. So not only do they put out hits, they have diversity as well

So, you're going to tell me you don't think a gaming company that revolutionized massive-scale action (with the addition of free-roaming) games couldn't do a free roaming Batman?

 

[Da Joker]

Rockstar also did the warriors videogame, the best movie game ever IMO.

 

[Majik1387]

I know that Batman & Robin's movie adaptation into a game for the PS1 was the first to try the free roaming thing, does anyone have any links to gameplay videos though?

 

[Cunning Stunts]

http://www.g4tv.com/

Under "Featured Videos" toward the bottom of the page, click the second video (the one titled "MMO Report").

Fast forward to about 4.20 and you'll get a little gift.