Will Robin or the Batmobile Make Appearances in BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY?

Hear what the game’s director has to say about the highly anticipated sequel to 2009’s Batman: Arkham Asylum, which is currently set for a Q3 release in 2011.

Screenshots and gameplay footage have already confirmed a handful of baddies; Joker, Two-Face, Catwoman, and Harley Quinn are all set to make appearances in the game. Unfortunately of those fans who were hoping for the chance to tear around Gotham City in the Batmobile (or any vehicle for that matter), they’ll have to continue waiting.

The games’ director, Sefton Hill, explains why the iconic vehicles were left out of the game:

This is a funny one. There aren’t any playable vehicles in the game because what we’ve really focused on is Batman himself. We see him as the ultimate vehicles, if you like. Our drive has been to focus on Batman’s ability to get around. Obviously, you’re now in a much more expansive play area than you were in the first game, so a part of our development has been expanding Batman’s navigational abilities, adding different ways to glide around, new ways to use the grapple-boost from the top of buildings. That’s been a massive part of development, to give wish-fulfillment of feeling what it’s like to be Batman inside the district of Gotham City. Our focus was to expand Batman as a character rather than give you lots of different vehicles to go in.

Mr. Hill also went on to say that the fighting style that was so popular in the first game is being “built upon” but not recreated entirely for the second go around. Players will have many more options available to them in AC such as dual attacks, aerial attacks, environmental counters and the ability to combo in weapons.

When asked about the very touchy subject of Robin being included into the game, Sefton said:

There’s a checkered past for him, but I really feel that some of the latest iterations of the character in the comic book universe are really interesting and exciting. I don’t really want to say much more than that, but I definitely feel that, if ind right, he can be a fascinating character.

You can see more of Batman: Arkham City on the 2010 Spike VGA’s on December 11th.