Batman: Arkham City is almost here, and the anticipation has reached a fever pitch. With all the news, leaks, trailers, screenshots, and the like that have been steadily coming out since the game's initial announcement, you'd think there was nothing else left to cover (so we gathered it up for you in this handy Batman: Arkham City guide!).

While there has been a lot of information given, there's still more to talk about. Arkham City's director, one Sefton Hill, decided to reveal a bit more about some of the new gameplay mechanics added in to the game.

One of the mechanics that the guys at Rocksteady put a lot of thought into was the gliding, which we saw in the first Arkham City gameplay video - it was given a revamp to let Batman ascend and descend, rather than just move from point A to point B. Hill explains that not only could players use the momentum of a dive to keep in the air for longer periods of time, but gliding can also be combined with the grappling hook to traverse the city without even touching the ground.

“What’s really nice is that you have to constantly be evaluating your surroundings like Batman would: where to dive, where to move as you weave through back alleyways and over the tops of buildings. It gives you the feel of being Batman in Gotham City. We wanted to live up to that promise.”

The Bat-Gadgets were also given an update and there are a total of 12 gadgets at your disposal, including electric and ice-themed gadgets. The ones carried over from Batman: Arkham Asylum will be upgradeable. It should be noted however, that the gadgets won't focus on customization, as most games do, because the key skill players are supposed to carry into this is how to use the items during gameplay.

The combat system was also augmented from the previous game, and incorporates many of the gathered gadgets. Whereas in Arkham Asylum players could only use the Batarang and Batclaw in combat, now almost all of the toys can be used, including the Explosive Gel, REC and Freeze Blast. Batman can also counter up to three enemies at once, and can counter projectiles thrown at him too. He can also execute something called a Beatdown - a series of quick blows that can beat an enemy without the use of a takedown. And you'll need all this too, as the enemies were given the ability to execute combos, meaning you'll have to counter multiple strikes this time around.

The challenge and complexity of being the Caped Crusader was increased for Arkham City, and this is just the normal story mode. Imagine what the New Game Plus' difficulty must be like. If Hill and Rocksteady still have things to talk about this close to release date, what other secrets do they have buried away in their game?

Batman: Arkham City arrives October 18, 2011, for the Xbox 360 and PS3. The PC version comes out in November, and the OnLive and Wii U release dates are still unknown.

Source: VG247