Batman: Arkham Knight Cinematic Trailer Features Batmobile

One of the biggest things gamers didn't complain about in the Batman: Arkham games that Rocksteady and Warner Bros., have produced since 2009, is the fact that the Batman games never provided players with a form of vehicular transportation. Well, that's all changed.

The upcoming Batman: Arkham Knight is the complete Batman title that aims to compete with Grand Theft Auto, insofar that gamers will no longer be limited to gliding around the city with Batman's memory fabric.

Instead, as outlined in the article announcing Batman: Arkham Knight, players will have complete control over Batman's wheel-based arsenal at their fingertips. I also get that itching feeling that they wouldn't just re-design the ground game of Arkham City just for one Batmobile. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if either by launch or via DLC, the Batcycle and Batwing also make an appearance. But we'll see just how far along that possibility might come true after we get our hands on some real gameplay footage.

Nevertheless, the cinematic – as well done as it was – limited a lot of what players could do or what would be at their fingertips. I noticed that they didn't show the Batmobile do anything other than ram into stuff. Will it still have machine guns at its disposal? EMP blasters, perhaps? Harpoons or grappling hooks like in the Tim Burton and Schumacher films? How about stealth cloaking like in the Nolan flicks?

One thing that the video does give away is remote access. We get to see Batman taking down baddies and getting the dirt cleaned up before the Batmobile comes back his way, remotely. So I imagine if players find themselves in a bind, they might be able to call over the vehicle to help out clear some baddies.

Another thing I noticed is that even though the description of the game labels it as the “final” game in the Arkham series, there's something absolutely pressing about the video that has me disturbed/relieved/confused: … what did Batman do with all his steroids?

He looks... normal.

I guess after people complained about Arkham Origins having a Batman more roided up than the Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan into a manly mass of hulking muscle, Rocksteady decided to take a step back and kind of Nolanize this Batman so he looks more like a guy in a suit rather than a bodybuilder going out on a roid rage at night in a tight spandex outfit. That's kind of scary when you think about it.

Anyway, Batman: Arkham Knight – which is already sounding and shaping up to seem like the best in the series – is due out this year for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Sorry, no Wii U release. Don't worry, though, we're getting Monolith Soft's X, so that will still have to do for now. And mechs in that game can also turn into flying planes and motorcycles, so it's all good.

You can learn more about Batman: Arkham Knight by visiting the official website.