Batman on Wii U: Nintendo has finally entered B.A.T. mode - Preview
by Daniel Share-Strom , posted on 07 June 2012 / 4,013 Views
When I reviewed Batman: Arkham City last year, you may recall that I kind of liked it. Now that the game is coming to the Wii U so much later, however, Rocksteady’s going to have to do a lot to convince me (and, I imagine, many others) why they should buy another copy of a game they likely already own. With this in mind, Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition focuses on how the unique new GamePad tablet controller can improve our experience of playing the game. I had a chance to check the game out at Warner Bros’ E3 booth today, and it is certainly shaping up to be the definitive version of the game. Whether it’s definitive enough to drop full price on a second time, however, remains to be seen.
The demo began in a nondescript hallway similar to many from the original game. Controls felt instantly familiar thanks to the similarities between Wii U button placement and those of the 360 and PS3, so there was little learning curve. What has changed here is that you no longer have to pause the game to access inventory, upgrade gadgets, or check the map. A few simple taps of the touch-screen let you equip an item, buy a new move, or get your bearings without necessitating a pause in the game. In a neat little touch, Batman starts fiddling with the batcomputer on his arm when you do this, furthering the illusion that you are the Dark Knight.
Moving through a door and running into some enemies, the basic combat remains unchanged. Apparently my skill with the game was obvious, as the rep guiding me through the demo reacted with a ‘Well, you’ve obviously played this before!’ So you shouldn’t have any problem handling Batman in a fight if you’ve already played Arkham City. That’s not to say there aren’t new elements to deal with, though, as dishing out enough pain lets you put Batman in BAT Mode, which briefly makes enemies glow bright orange and makes you twice as strong.
Another room tasked me with using the remote-control Batarang to hit an out-of-reach switch on the other side of a gate. This item was present in the original game, but its implementation in the Wii U edition makes it more fun to use. After firing it through a small hole in the gate, I was directed to look at the touch screen in my hands, which directly followed the batarang. By tilting and turning the controller, I was able to seamlessly navigate it toward the button, and the motions really made it feel like I was handling a remote control. Well, ‘seamlessly’ meaning it took me three tries to hit the button, but hey, I apparently took the day’s record!
Yet another area tasked me with setting up a crime scene and following some evidence. This is handled in much the same way as before, so you go into Detective Mode and look around for out-of-place objects. In this build, however, activating Detective Mode here gives you a first-person view on the touch-screen, and you can then turn Batman either using the sticks or by physically looking around your environment by moving the controller. Once I found the evidence, holding my finger on it momentarily analyzed it, creating a trail I could follow to the next destination.
The next room had me in the series’ trademark Predator Mode, stalking the three enemies who didn’t know I was there. Luckily, each happened to be standing by a destructible wall that was just waiting to get sprayed with explosive gel. Once all three were sprayed, I was shown another new feature—the ability to select what order the explosive gels are detonated in by tapping their position on the touchscreen. Taking them out in order, starting with the one farthest from me, I cleared the room quickly. The only problem arose when one of them decided he wasn’t quite finished, but a quick reversal to the face changed his mind.
The final challenge presented me with using the cryptographic sequencer to hack a device. This minigame is significantly different than in previous versions of the game. Whereas before you were tilting the analog sticks just so in order to decipher codes, this time you’re moving your finger around the touch-screen to find the sweet spot that accomplishes the same thing. The closer you get to it, the more letters are visible, but you have to remove your finger briefly to avoid the lasers that constantly assail you. After a couple of singed virtual fingers, I deciphered the code—‘Armored Edition.’ Smart.
That’s about the size of my demo of the Wii U version of Batman: Arkham City. The Armored Edition is not a radical reinvention of the game, but it certainly seems to be adding enough to make it an improvement from before. The game will also come packed with all previously-released DLC, as well as stronger ‘armored’ suits for both Batman and Catwoman. With all these extras in mind, I still don’t know if I’m sold on buying the game a second time when it launches with the Wii U, but it has certainly piqued my interest.
