The wait is finally over for Batman: Arkham City, and even though Batman is unquestionably the star of the show, his sidekick has become more and more promising in the months leading up to release.  Arkham City is already claiming hour after hour of gamers everywhere, but not everyone will have access to Robin's skins and challenge maps immediately. In case you fall into that group, we've got video of Robin in action, in his standard costumes and alternate skins.

There's a good chance that plenty of fans will always see Robin taking a back seat to Gotham's biggest and baddest crime-fighter, but those who have been keeping up with Arkham City details know that this incarnation of the Boy Wonder is unlike many before. The developers at Rocksteady have taken the time to completely re-imagine Tim Drake for the world in which their game is set, complete with combat and weapons all his own.

To show that the developers know their comic book history, Robin's brand new costume would be supplemented with a few extras pulled from the character's past (and present). For those who scored the Robin pre-order package, Drake comes with a costume taken from Batman: The Animated Series, as well as his current identity as the older and far grimmer Red Robin.

We've already been given a brief look at the standard Robin in combat, but fans of the cartoon and modern day comic books simply must take a look at the newest video. Besides showing that Rocksteady really has come up with a style of combat that is more than a simple re-skinning of Batman or Catwoman, this is the first chance we have of seeing how well the Animated versions of the character look in the actual game (the stunning Batman Beyond skin aside).

So have a look now at Robin (in all his costumes) in Arkham City's Combat Challenge Map 'Blind Justice.' It may be the same level seen in the 1970's Batman Costume video, but it's hard to ignore just how different it is in Tim Drake's hands:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p91NwmqZ3VQ

We'll be the first to say that Robin's cloaked head immediately conjures images of Assassin's Creed's Ezio, but the staff makes a lot more difference to the combat than we had expected. Some hardcore fans may be upset to see Tim Drake's acrobatic abilities completely tossed aside for a Robin who favors his fists and staff over leaping and dropkicking, but that is in keeping with Rocksteady's backstory for this version. Not to mention that it makes Jason Todd's fighting style seem even more possible for later DLC...

And as silly as the Animated version of Robin may have looked in the first images, in practice the choice should be a nice trip down memory lane for long-time fans. Without a doubt though, the Red Robin costume is our favorite, and a long-deserved chance for the current Tim Drake to flex his muscles in video game form.

The standard costume may be Rocksteady's invention, and the Animated skin is a remnant of a different past, the Red Robin skin is unquestionably linked to the present. We may be making a bold claim, but it's hard to think that the third version of the costume won't be the one favored by fans.

What do you think of the new Robin costumes and fighting style? Were you lucky enough to get Robin as a pre-order bonus, or will you be waiting until it's sold as DLC later?

Batman: Arkham City is available now for the Xbox 360 and PS3, with a PC release coming November 18.

-

Follow me on Twitter @andrew_dyce.