Batman: Arkham Asylum was the Batman game we all wanted to play. It captured the gritty nature of The Dark Knight seen in DC comics while at the same time giving us compelling stealth combat. With its sequel, Batman: Arkham City, developer Rocksteady Studios is well aware of what goes into making a superhero sequel.

One of the main factors that brings anticipation to a fever pitch are the number of iconic characters that may or may not be seen in the next game. Some new screens posted onto the NeoGAF forums give fans a taste of what Rocksteady is working on.

There are two big reveals contained within these screenshots, not counting Catwoman’s very large cleavage. Harvey “Two-Face” Dent has long been touted as making an appearance in Arkham City and now we finally get a look at his character design. Choosing to go with a more Aaron Eckhart design rather than a Tommy Lee Jones style look was a wise choice. Two-Face looks as if he fits in with all of the villains we have seen from the first game.

[gallery link="file" columns="2" exclude="37955"]

The more interesting of the screens in my opinion is the very last one showing Catwoman attacking Two-Face. Could Catwoman be the playable character in the newly mentioned multiplayer? Catwoman, as a character, has always been a villain that walks the line of good and bad, so an explanation could go either way, but the proposition of playing as her is intriguing.

The remaining screens, for the most part, are meant to reassure fans of the first game that all the features they enjoyed will be returning. Everything from handily dispatching a group of clown thugs to gliding from the rooftops look to make a return. And much to my chagrin detective vision will make a repeat appearance.

Arkham City is still a ways from release making it safe to assume that many more details will be revealed, some of them in a more official capacity. But, if what we have seen so far is any indication of the final product I doubt Arkham City will disappoint. Since the first trailer was released fans have been painstakingly searching frame by frame for any clue possible. With these new screens they can hit their second wind and begin working over time to uncover more secrets. And did I mention Catwoman’s cleavage?

What do you think of these new screens Ranters? How do you feel about Two-Face’s character design? Let us know in the comments below.

Batman: Arkham City is set for a Fall 2011 release on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Source: Joystiq