Batman: Arkham Knight Release Date Pushed Back

Joey Sack ‘17 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

It’s been two weeks since the release of the first gameplay trailer for Batman: Arkham Knight, and now we have another trailer, one that shows us the Batmobile in what is being referred to as “Battle Mode.” But this trailer has a catch: along with seeing the Batmobile in all its armed glory, we also learn that the release date for Batman: Arkham Knight has been pushed back to 2015, instead of the October 2014 release date that had been confirmed before, but we’ll get to that last part later. For now, let’s take a look at the weapons that gamers will use when driving Batman’s vehicle of choice, the Batmobile.

When we see the Batmobile first enter Battle Mode, the lights at the front of the car turn from blue to red, and the whole front of the car widens. We see a range of weapons pop out of the car, including a 60mm cannon, a Vulcan gun, missiles, and a Riot Suppressor (which fires rubber bullets, a nod to The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel). The casual onlooker may observe this arsenal and think, “has Batman forgotten his most important rule? No guns!” This ties into the idea of Batman keeping a watchful vigil over Gotham City, knowing that criminals are still out there and still arming themselves more and more heavily. Batman knows that the only way to fight back is with more firepower. Also, these armaments are likely to be used mostly on enemy vehicles, not enemies themselves. The idea of a heavily armed Batmobile is, in general, a reference to storylines like The Dark Knight Returns, which featured an almost tank-like ride for the Caped Crusader. This kind of Batmobile may be indicative of a Batman who is at the peak of his crime fighting capabilities, but who may also be reaching the end of his career, depending on how the story of the game turns out. The inclusion of a “Battle Mode” for the Batmobile indicates that there will be times in the game when Batman alone is not enough to fight off criminals. While this Batmobile seems like an unstoppable force in Gotham, there are sure to be instances, as Rocksteady says, where you have to get out of the car to beat thugs to a pulp.

Now let’s address the glaring issue at hand: at the end of this trailer it reads, “Be the Batman,” just like in the other trailers, but under that it says “Coming 2015,” not 2014. There had been rumors circulating for several weeks that the game would be delayed until 2015, but this is the first confirmation of that fact. There are a number of reasons why the game may be delayed until next year, but the main one may be the right one. The game developers want to properly finish the game. If that’s the reason behind the delay, then more power to Rocksteady Studios for recognizing that they need more time. If they want to deliver on their promise of the ultimate Batman experience, Batmobile and all, they shouldn’t rush the game to market before it’s ready. If anything, this should be reassuring to fans of the Arkham franchise. Remember how glitchy Batman: Arkham Origins was, and still kind of is? Since nobody wants a situation like that to be the concluding chapter of this franchise, the delay is needed, to make sure that Rocksteady is able to deliver an Arkham game that is complete and ready for gamers to play. For Arkham fans attending E3 this year, they’ll be able to see the Batmobile in action on Wednesday, June 11 at 1:20 PM Pacific time.

Batman: Arkham Knight will be released some time in 2015, and people who pre-order the game will be able to play as Harley Quinn.