When Rocksteady Studios blew away fans of comic books and action gaming with the surprise hit Batman: Arkham Asylum, fans were immediately hungry for another chance to embody the Dark Knight. It's hard to believe, but over two years has passed since that game's release, and we're less than one month away from the follow-up Batman: Arkham City's release. While the game may boast a massive campaign it's clear that the developers haven't rushed their work. Fans will need to wait another three weeks for Arkham City, but we now know that the game has been finished, pressed onto discs, and is currently on its way to market.
It's a real concern whenever a developer boasts enough content to keep several teams busy, as delays are becoming all too common these days. And while the PC version of Arkham City's been delayed a month, concerns about the Xbox 360 or PS3 versions not reaching completion by launch day can be laid to rest.
With a campaign lasting 25 hours, numerous challenge modes and more villains and playable characters being revealed daily, Arkham City is shaping up to be one of the largest console releases of the year. While lesser development teams may have broken a sweat with such high expectations and deadlines, Rocksteady's Sefton hill made it clear via the game's official site that the creative team was more than up to the challenge:
"Hi all,
The big news from Rocksteady is that Batman: Arkham City has now gone gold.
Thanks to everyone in the community for your continued support - it made the late nights and weekend work easier knowing you were behind us all the way.
I'm really proud of the work the team has done - I'm sure you're going to enjoy it too.
Now the team are focused on finishing off some really cool DLC but the main news is... Batman is back!
Enjoy!
Sefton"
It's a safe bet that fans will enjoy their time with the game, even if the remaining three weeks will take their patience to the breaking point. With the game officially completed this far ahead of the game, the mystery surrounding the remaining villains and surprises becomes even more irresistible. If the Joker's Carnival DLC is already completed, then what could the next batch of episodic DLC planned for the game be built around?
The latest Joker trailer is proof positive that we still don't know exactly how much drama and intensity Rocksteady has in store, and we can't wait to see what's next. Knowing that all those secrets are locked away on the disc just waiting to be discovered makes the wait that much harder to take, but who are we kidding - this is why we love great video games.
Batman: Arkham City may be ready to ship, but PS3 and Xbox 360 owners will have to wait until October 18 to play it. PC owners can expect a release in early November.
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Source: BatmanArkhamCity.com