Rocksteady conceived ideas for a sequel while developing Arkham Asylum, commencing serious development of Arkham City's story in February 2009. The layout of Arkham City has a virtual footprint five times that of Arkham Asylum, and the city design was modified to accommodate Batman's ability to swoop and glide. Over a year and $10 million were spent on the game's marketing campaign, and its release was accompanied by two music albums; one containing the game's score, and the other featuring 11 original songs inspired by the game from various mainstream artists.
Arkham City Windows 10
Batman: Arkham City is an open-world[13] action-adventure game that incorporates tactics from stealth games.[14] It is presented from the third-person perspective, showing the playable character on screen and allowing the camera to be freely rotated around it.[15][16] The game is set within Arkham City, which is open to the player from the beginning of the game, allowing them to travel freely anywhere within its boundaries.[13] The player can move silently throughout the game, using a combination of gadgets and stealth moves to sneak up on enemies and incapacitate them. Batman can use his cape to glide around the city, diving downwards and swooping upwards to extend his flight, and he can use the grapnel gun's retracting rope to attach to out-of-reach ledges.[17] As Batman, the player is able to use "Detective Vision", a visual mode that highlights elements of interest on-screen, such as character status, collectables, and clues; the mode is also used to perform forensic activities such as tracking the source of a sniper rifle round.[18][19] The player has access to an in-game criminal database which includes forensic puzzles, as well as a network for hacking communication frequencies.[17]
The game has approximately 40 hours of gameplay, with the main campaign lasting 25 hours and side missions lasting 15 hours. The side missions, which can be attempted at any time,[29] feature prominent characters from the Batman universe.[30] One such character, the Riddler, provides 440 optional "Riddler challenges"[31] to solve. Most of these challenges consist of collecting trophies hidden in the city through the use of gadgets to disable traps and barriers.[30][32] The player can mark Riddler trophies on the in-game map once found if they do not initially have the necessary equipment to complete the puzzle.[26][30][31] The player can also reveal the locations of Riddler trophies on the map by identifying the Riddler's henchmen with "Detective Vision" and interrogating them, which requires the player to save the henchmen for last when engaging in combat with a wave of enemies.[30][32] There are also environmental challenges which require the player to solve riddles by locating a specific item or location (which are rewarded with stories relating to the answer), and to locate question marks painted around the city, some of which can only be viewed in whole from certain vantage points.[23] After completing a select number of challenges, Batman must rescue a civilian hostage held in one of the Riddler's death traps.[26][33]
The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Arkham City include a stereoscopic 3D (S3D) mode for 3D HDTVs and for 2D HDTVs via Inficolor 3D glasses, while the PC version supports Nvidia 3D Vision on compatible monitors.[47] It uses TriOviz for Games Technology, which is integrated with Unreal Engine 3.[47][48] The Wii U version uses the Wii U's touch screen controller to let the player manage Batman's equipment and upgrades, selectively detonate Explosive Gel placements, and view a map of the city. The Wii U version adds a Sonar mode which highlights points of interest nearby, and the Battle Armored Tech Mode (BAT Mode) that allows Batman to accrue energy during combat and, when activated, inflict increased damage.[9]
With the open game world, Rocksteady included more villains to create challenges for Batman. Hugo Strange was selected as a primary antagonist, as his power and controlling manner help maintain the lockdown on Arkham City once Batman enters. Strange is aware of Batman's true identity, making Batman "vulnerable and exposed in a way that he has never been before", according to Hill. He noted that Strange is a character new to many players but that his backstory and character are detailed throughout the game.[89] Catwoman was also included based on her long history with Batman, though she was given her own agenda running parallel to the events within Arkham City.[93] Catwoman's missions initially ended with her coming to Batman's aide, but late in development, the developers decided to give the player an alternate choice, allowing them to have the morally grey Catwoman leave the city with her loot; the addition was implemented in two days.[94] Batman's sidekick Robin also appears, featuring a shaved head and contemporary costume design that were intended to move away from his traditional "Boy Wonder" image. Senior concept artist Kan Muftic explained: "Our vision of Robin is the one of a troubled young individual that is calm and introverted at times, but very dangerous and aggressive if provoked. The shaved head is inspired by cage fighters, because we thought that Robin might be doing that in his spare time to keep him on his toes. Still, we kept all the classic trademarks of Robin's appearance, such as the red and yellow colors of his outfit, the cape and the mask."[95] Rocksteady originally did not plan to include Robin in the main story but later decided to as an authentic means of delivering new gadgets to Batman, as well as to introduce their version of the character and his relationship with Batman.[31]
I restarted my PC so windows could reinstall the driver, and it booted back up, normally. However, the resolution was capped to 1024x768 so everything was back to normal, except my resolution was completely screwed.
The player also has access to a criminal database that tracks several investigations across the city and the forensic puzzles much like the first game, as well as an extensive communications interception and tracing network. However, Rocksteady's art director David Hego described the new detective mode as an "augmented reality mode", and game director Sefton Hill has also stated that although enemies and evidence can be seen more clearly, the navigational part is toned down as they found that some players completed Arkham Asylum using detective mode almost throughout the entire game. Optional challenges from the Riddler to collect hidden trophies placed around the city are also present, but require additional effort to locate, such as interrogation of men loyal to the Riddler, and the use of nearly all of Batman's gadgets to disable "traps" and barriers placed around them. After a certain number of trophies are found, Batman must go rescue a hostage that the Riddler has captured, which requires him to disable death traps set by the Riddler.
The player controls Batman, making his way around Arkham City to complete mission objectives. In addition to the primary mission, the game introduces various secondary missions, which are not required, featuring a number of key characters and their stories. The player can opt to move silently, avoiding inmates and other enemies using a combination of gadgets to sneak up on enemies to incapacitate them. Batman's gliding ability has also been upgraded, allowing players to dive downward and pull themselves back up, making it much faster to move through the air. At other times, the player may be forced to fight inmates using an improved version of the Freeflow combat system from Arkham Asylum, allowing for multiple simultaneous counters, the ability to counter thrown objects, jump attacks, powerful multi-strike beat-downs, upgraded Batarang and Batclaw attacks, and the ability to use gadgets such as the Explosive Gel and line launcher in freeflow. Movement about the city is made difficult due to the formation of gangs and territory between rival villains, such as Two-Face, The Penguin, and the Joker, that causes in-fighting that Batman has the option of avoiding.
New Arkham City inmate and rising warlord, Two-Face devises a plan to publicly execute fellow prisoner Catwoman after she tries to steal back some of her ill-gotten gains from his hideout. Meanwhile, Gotham City itself has degenerated into a police state managed by Mayor Sharp, where citizens with the slightest trace of a criminal record find themselves shipped to the prison district. Those who dare to challenge Sharp's policies are the target of arranged disappearances, becoming political prisoners trapped behind Arkham's walls. Among these is Bruce Wayne, who holds a rally attacking the proposal of turning half his city into a walled-off reserve for criminally inclined persons. Segregated from society, he argues, they have become responsible for their own survival in an anarchic urban hell which is characterized by bloody gang wars.
Hacking TYGER communications, Batman overhears a report indicating that Catwoman is being held in the old city courthouse. Making his way there, the Dark Knight comes upon her standing trial before a kangaroo court, with Two-Face as judge and executioner. The mock courtroom is promptly crashed and the villain's gang defeated.
The concurrent plot with Batman's role in Arkham involves Catwoman performing heists across the city, the first being an attempt to crack Two-Face's personal safe. After being rescued by Batman, she enlists the reluctant aid of Poison Ivy in retrieving numerous valuables seized upon her arrest (being stored inside Hugo Strange's heavily-guarded vault). Catwoman successfully infiltrates the vault and attempts to escape with the ill-gotten gains, but abandons this plan when she stops to help save Batman from the Joker. Intending to return for her belongings, she goes on to fight a rematch with Two-Face and his henchmen.
Serious development of the game's story and concept started in February 2009, as teams were brought in from Arkham Asylum to Arkham City's development as they completed the work on that game. The concept of expanding the game from the asylum into the city came early on in Arkham Asylum's development; once the team had programmed the Batman to dive and glide between buildings of the asylum, the adaption of this gameplay to the city was considered natural.Arkham Asylum was completed with the sequel in mind in both story and gameplay; as found by several players, a secret room in Arkham Asylum shows plans for Arkham City, purposely included to help link the story between the two games. 2ff7e9595c
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