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Given how sprawling the open worlds of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City were, few could fault fans for heading into the imminent release of Batman: Arkham Knight with high expectations. As the first title on current-gen platforms, and the last Arkham game for developer Rocksteady Studios, most expect Batman: Arkham Knight will pull out all the stops.
Coincidentally, though, there won’t be any stops in gameplay, as Batman: Arkham Knight will not have a single loading screen throughout the game. This according to the game’s director Sefton Hill, who shared the small detail during this week’s latest Arkham Insider video (seen above).
While the bulk of the video is dedicated to Batman: Arkham Knight’s Batmobile Riddler challenge, Hill was not averse to answering questions at the same time. One of those questions happened to be with regards to the game’s scope, to which the director replied:
"You can play from the start of the game to the end of the game and you won't see any loading screens. That's all a really big important thing for us."
Gamers have heard claims of no loading screens before, most recently with The Witcher 3, but so far that detail has come with a qualifier. For example, The Witcher 3 has no loading screens while traversing the open world, but there are loading screens when fast traveling and when transitioning between cutscene and gampeplay. No doubt, it’s impressive to see a game world rendered without any loads, but Rocksteady’s claim with Batman: Arkham Knight is much bolder. And thankfully fans won’t have to wait very long to find out if that claim is true, as Batman: Arkham Knight is set to release on June 23rd.
Alongside the juicy tidbit about loading screens, Sefton Hill also confirmed that Batman: Arkham Knight will have a New Game+ mode for all those Batman die-hards out there. Upon completing the game, players will have the option of starting up a new single player campaign, only with their upgrades and gadgets available right from the start.
The most important part, though, is that Riddler challenge progress will carry over to New Game+ so players won’t have to worry about missing out on those elusive achievements/trophies. Oh, and did we mention that the Batman: Arkham Knight achievement list leaked? Check it out here or continue on to page 2, but be wary of spoilers.
With a handful of delays in the run up to release, Batman: Arkham Knight has remained surprisingly steady in terms of gamer anticipation. There was a slight downward tick after Warner Bros announced the Season Pass with no talk of content, but they have since clarified what gamers’ $40 will be going towards.
Now all that’s left is counting down the days until the game actually releases, and tempering expectation despite some pretty exciting trailers and gameplay videos. But talk of a game without loading screens surely makes that challenging.
Batman: Arkham Knight releases June 23, 2015 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Arkham Insider, Xbox Achievements
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Page 2: Batman: Arkham Knight Achievements/Trophies
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Batman: Arkham Knight Achievements
- Fight for your sanity. (Secret)
- Secure the secret base. (Secret)
- Achieve 69 Stars in AR Challenges. (Secret)
- Complete the trials and prove you are a worthy successor. (Secret)
- Escape from ACE Chemicals. (Secret)
- Win the war for Gotham. (Secret)
- Destroy the second weapons cache in Gotham City. (Secret)
- Complete 8 different jumps over 100 meters. (Secret)
- Destroy the third weapons cache in Gotham City. (Secret)
- Perform every type of predator takedown. (Secret)
- Return of the Dynamic Duo. (Secret)
- Defend the assault on your ally's fortress. (Secret)
- Destroy the first weapons cache in Gotham City. (Secret)
- Freedom of the city. (Secret)
- Use 100 Quick Gadgets while in free flow combat. (Secret)
- Apprehend Scarecrow's senior commander. (Secret)
- What is the Cloudburst? (Secret)
- Extinguish the fires in Gotham City. (Secret)
- Perform 15 different combat moves in one FreeFlow. (Secret)
- Take out 20 thugs with fear takedowns. (Secret)
- Obtain a key by completing the seventh Riddler trial. (Secret)
- Rescue station 17 fire crew. (Secret)
- Face off with an old friend. (Secret)
- Smash 10 militia transport vehicles off the road without using the immobilizer. (Secret)
- Rescue the ACE Chemical workers. (Secret)
- Survive Scarecrow's ambush. (Secret)
- Achieve 46 Stars in AR Challenges. (Secret)
- Destroy all of the militia watchtowers. (Secret)
- Glide for 200 meters while less than 10 meters from the ground. (Secret)
- Defuse all of the militia explosive ordinance in Gotham City. (Secret)
- Stop the bank heist on Miagani Island and lock up the master mind in GCPD. (Secret)
- Even The Odds. (Secret)
- Win the rumble down under. (Secret)
- Initiate Knightfall Protocol. (Secret)
- Obtain a key by completing the ninth Riddler trial. (Secret)
- Interrogate the Militia APC Driver. (Secret)
- Track down and apprehend the serial killer. (Secret)
- Wayne vs Crane. (Secret)
- Obtain a key by completing the last Riddler trial. (Secret)
- Restore power to the bridges of Gotham City. (Secret)
- Obtain a key by completing the second Riddler trial. (Secret)
- Destroy the fourth weapons cache in Gotham City. (Secret)
- Lock up the Riddler in GCPD. (Secret)
- Obtain a key by completing the fourth Riddler trial. (Secret)
- Obtain a key by completing the third Riddler trial. (Secret)
- Achieve 3 minutes of drifting time in the Batmobile. (Secret)
- Cure the doctor. (Secret)
- Achieve 50 critical shots on light tanks. (Secret)
- Achieve 23 Stars in AR Challenges. (Secret)
- Deploy the Cloudburst countermeasures. (Secret)
- Destroy all of the militia checkpoints. (Secret)
- Obtain a key by completing the fifth Riddler trial. (Secret)
- Save the sacrificial victim and lock up the executioner in GCPD. (Secret)
- Scan Gotham City to pinpoint Scarecrow's location. (Secret)
- Wayne vs Crane in New Story + (Secret)
- Obtain a key by completing the sixth Riddler trial. (Secret)
- Takedown 20 moving cars without using the Batmobile. (Secret)
- Obtain a key by completing the eighth Riddler trial. (Secret)
- Perform 5 perfect shots in a row with the Vulcan Gun without taking damage. (Secret)
- Destroy all of the militia APC's. (Secret)
- Successfully complete the first Riddler trial. (Secret)
- Fly under 3 main bridges between the islands in one continuous glide. (Secret)
- Apprehend the weapons dealer and lock him up in GCPD. (Secret)
- Lock up your first Supervillain in GCPD. (Secret)
- Stop the bank heist on Bleake Island. (Secret)
- Stop the bank heist on Founders' Island. (Secret)
- Use all five Batmobile weapons successfully in one tank battle. (Secret)
- Batman vs the Arkham Knight. (Secret)
- Take on the heavy artillery reinforcements. (Secret)