Batman: Arkham Origins Reveals ‘Invisible Predator’ Asymmetrical Multiplayer Mode

Today Warner Bros. Montreal revealed their new multiplayer mode for Batman: Arkham Origins, ‘Invisible Predator’. A brand new addition to the series which until now has been a single-player only affair.

Competitive multiplayer sounds like a bad fit for a franchise like Batman, who may be the world’s most famous solitarian. But keep in mind that more recent games like Assassin’s Creed and The Last of Us have, with varying success, managed to tweak the typical online experience with gameplay mechanics unique to their respective series. Check out the trailer below:

Origins is trying something a little more ambitious than team deathmatch; in the new ‘Invisible Predator’ mode, players are divided into two teams of opposing thugs – three working for Joker, and three working for Bane – who will fight over territory in what is more or less a conventional King of the Hill type of match. However at the same time two players will take the role of Batman and Robin and silently try to pick off members of both teams.

This 3-v-3-v-2 style competition should change things up nicely. It sounds like the result will be something like a mash-up of conventional CoD style run-and-gun fare and The Last of Us‘s constant, on-your-toes tension. That is, only if it works of course, and Destructoid‘s Casey Baker has played a few minutes of ‘Invisible Predator’ and says it works quite well:

[box_dark]”…it only took a short matter of time before I was leaping from ledge to ledge, observing rival gangs at war, and swooping down to pick off members before their buddies were alerted. Even though I didn’t get nearly as much time with the multiplayer in general as I would have liked, the time I did have with it was thoroughly enthralling and I could already imagine the intense matches with players who have had enough practice playing both sides […] My overall impressions of the Invisible Predator mode for Batman: Arkham Origins are quite high after only a couple hours of hands-on time, and it’s something I’m looking forward to now.”[/box_dark]

I’m not much of a multiplayer guy. I prefer to play video games the way Batman does everything: Alone and in the dark. But this may be an interesting spin on things to try for a week or two. Hopefully it’s replacing the Challenge Mode from the previous Arkham games, which I found incredibly frustrating and monotonous. I only have two concerns about this new feature:

1. Dying as Batman has got to be the worst: The World’s Greatest Detective was taken out by a nameless grunt with a shotgun? What a n00b!

2. Voice chat: The only way this will work is if player mics get muted as soon as Bats or Robin takes down an enemy. Otherwise the downed player will just immediately reveal their position. But it wouldn’t just even out the playing field – It would also be one of the most immersive ways to feel like Batman. Imagine a squad of teammates talking over chat and all of a sudden mid-sentence a guy gets cut off – OH NO. THE BATMAN. Makes me giddy just thinking about it.

How do you feel about multiplayer in a Batman game? Sound off in the comments section below!

Batman: Arkham Origins – Who are the 8 Mystery Assassins?

So I don’t know if it’s bothering anyone else besides me, but I’m really, really, really, really, really, really wondering who the remaining assassins in Batman: Arkham Origins are! We’ve already had it confirmed in the recent trailer that two of them are Deathstroke and Deadshot, so that leaves six more foes for Batman that Black Mask has hired. So I guess it’s time to make a list of who I think should be included in this plethora of killers. Now it’s unclear as to whether or not some of the villains not typically specializing in assassin work have been hired by Black Mask because there are definitely villains appearing who don’t necessarily go for that type of thing, for example Penguin and the Joker. My list will be a mix of villains who are primarily assassins but also some villains we have already seen in the other two Arkham games:

1.) Firefly

So there isn’t much to Garfield Lynns, AKA Firefly. But what else do you need from an assassin than the ability to fly, a fireproof gun and a torch gun? Sounds like a match made in heaven to me… err hell maybe? Lynns was hinted at in Arkham Asylum and it would be great to see him HEATING up the city in Origins. That was a terrible play on words by the way.

2.) Caine

David Caine is one of the world’s premiere assassins, being hired to kill an abundance of rich and powerful people. Not to mention he actually trained young Bruce Wayne in the ways of the assassin, though Bats  never utilizes the knowledge to kill. It would be a pretty juicy tidbit to see someone who Bruce trained with trying to kill him, whether Caine knows that it is Bruce or not.

3.) Lady Shiva

Shiva is the top assassin in Ra’s Al’Ghul’s League of Assassins which didn’t figure prominently into the series until the second installment. Ra’s may have let the Black Mask hire Shiva in an effort to test the “detective” until such a time when Ra’s chooses to confront him. Not to mention Shiva is the mother of Cassandra Cain who was Batgirl for a time, and in the comics Cassandra was also the daughter of none other than David Caine. Perhaps this could figure into the next Arkham game that is a sequel to Arkham City?

 4.) Calendar Man

If Julian Day wasn’t born to figure prominently into this game, then I don’t know who is. The game takes place on Christmas Eve of all nights and that is perfect for this calendar obsessed sicko to take a shot at the Batman. We’ve seen hints of him in Arkham Asylum and in the flesh in Arkham City. Maybe we can see what landed him in his much deserved cell during this installment of the Arkham series.

5.) Bane

It was stated recently that Origins would have a toned down version of Bane in it. I could definitely see him as someone hired to come in and take down Batman, ala the Animated Series episode titled after the Venom induced breaker of the Batman. I could see him as being juiced to the point of having the frame of The Dark Knight Rises Bane, because if they want him toned down then they can’t have his overgrown, Titan fueled appearance from the other two games.

6.) Killer Croc

Waylon Jones is shown most times in the comics these days as a simple muscle for hire type of guy. His predatory instincts make him a very good choice for an assassin and based on all of the animosity he shows Batman in the other two Arkham games it would be interesting to see them interacting before Croc was imprisoned. It would also be fun to have an actual boss fight with Croc given that his appearance in the first game just had you running away from him and the second game only had a short cameo.

I have also listed a couple runner ups that I don’t expect to see, but wouldn’t mind if they filled the spots…

Clayface

I really can’t get enough Clayface. The boss fight in Arkham City against him was probably the best part of the game for me. I think Clayface having the ability to shapeshift into almost any weapon would definitely make him a very potent killer to take down Bats. The guy is basically a living weapon, just made of clay. And since this is dealing with Batman in his younger years, he could be having a showdown with a Clayface just beginning to utilize his new powers.

Maxie Zeus

Ok this guy is pretty ridiculous any way that you look at it, but I really liked his portrayal in the 1990’s Batman the Animated Series. While that is still a bit too cheesy, I think that in the Arkham Batman universe that he could really be turned into a legitimate threat. Maybe he could cool down the Greek mythology a tad bit and be an assassin who’s main weapon is that awesome lightning bolt scepter he uses. Like I said, it sounds terrible, but I think Maxie is scheduled for an appearance sometime, given that his night club Olympus was spotted in Arkham City.

 

So there you have my list! What are some of your picks for Arkham Origins? I know there are more out there! Doodlebug? KGBeast? Cheshire? Sound off below in the comments section!

The Dark Knight Rises: Bane Costume Revealed!

Alright Nolan Bat-fanatics, here’s a great picture for ya! Tom Hardy as Bane! These were snapped in Pittsburgh during shooting in recent days and it finally gives us a full glimpse of the “Man Who Broke the Bat”!

Not too shabby. There were plenty of ways they could have messed up his look: By hiring Joel Schumaker to direct. I for one like the costume and just can’t effin’ wait for this movie, it’s gonna be epic!

“Bane will break this script! Oh wait it’s a picture of Harvey Dent.”

Stay tuned for a more detailed look in SupaScoot’s next Hero Express piece! Hopefully we’ll be getting a glimpse of Anne Hathaway in her Catwoman costume very soon.

Top Ten Comic Book Villain Beatdowns

Sometimes there’s nothing quite like a good old-fashioned villain beat down. They get to have their fun destroying all sorts of shit and beating up on the heroes for a multi-issue story arc, or plague a hero in a certain title for years. So it’s only natural that they finally get their comeuppance or a royal ass-kicking.

I should add that this list is my own personal opinion, and I’m sure there are plenty of other examples out there, not on this list that everyone thinks should be, especially since the majority are Marvel villains.

Gotham’s 20 Best Villains: 10-6

10. Bane – Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 (January 1993)

According to his creators, Bane was originally intended as a “dark mirror” of the highly disciplined and multi-skilled pulp hero Doc Savage. Savage was an early influence in the creation of the Dark Knight himself.