[HTML2]

Since the final chapter in Rocksteady Studio's Batman franchise was announced a few months ago, the Batmobile has been taking center stage in nearly every trailer, screen grab, or interview about the game. The iconic vehicle will be added to the long list of tools at Batman's disposal in Batman: Arkham Knight (which is now delayed to 2015) and the team developing the title is excited to show fans just how powerful the ride will be when it switches into Battle Mode.

A new teaser trailer released by WB Interactive and Rocksteady gives fans the first peek at what kind of firepower is under the hood of the Batmobile. We've seen the vehicle in action driving through the sewers of Gotham in the most recent trailer, but up until now we haven't learned too much about how combat will work from behind the wheel.

The teaser gives a quick breakdown of the arsenal attached to the Batmobile, but fans will have to wait until E3 2014 kicks off next week before they see the firepower in action. As the headlights on the car switch from blue to red (presumably signifying that Battle Mode has been engaged) the following series of weapons are revealed...

60mm Canon - Equipped with kinetic energy penetrator ammo

Vulcan Gun - Equipped with Armor-piercing  incendiary ammo for anti-tank and surface to air combat

Missile Barrage - Equipped with blast fragmentation for simultaneous targeting of up to six hostiles

Riot Suppressor - Equipped with non-lethal slam rounds for immobilization of combatants with minimum long-term trauma

To help hold fans over until we get to see Battle Mode unleashed at E3, the following screen shots of what Batman will be up against were also revealed...

[gallery columns="2" ids="227188,227189,227190,227191"]

The previously released gameplay footage make weaving through the roads and alleys of Gotham in the Batmobile look like a ton of fun, but the vehicle will need to be more than a shuttle around the giant next-gen Gotham map to take the game to the next level. The variety of weapon types revealed in the teaser seem to hint that there will be a lot more to using the vehicle then a simple trigger pull. The tanks showcased in the screenshots also confirm that Batman will likely run into plenty of trouble on the streets and will need to put all four weapon types to good use.

The end of the teaser also reminds consumers that pre-ordering the title now locks in fan-favorite villain Harley Quinn as a playable character.

Do you look forward to the Batmobile being a crucial part of gameplay in Arkham Knight or do you think the franchise should stick mostly to the small-scale combat system that helped secure its success? Let us know in the comments.

____

Batman: Arkham Knight will be arriving in 2015 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Follow Denny on Twitter @The_DFC.