Batman has redefined superhero video games with each new entry in the Arkham series, dropping players deep into the role of Gotham's protector. Yet, for all The Dark Knight's impressive skills and gadgets, he's been missing one key element until the newest game, Batman: Arkham Knight. Now the Caped Crusader finally has his iconic Batmobile to assist in saving Gotham, and the rough and tumble vehicle may be the most destructive (and helpful) Batmobile ever seen.
Batman fans might notice some similarities to the Batmobiles seen in the Batman films and animated series, but this one has abilities all its own to get around the largest open world Bruce Wayne has ever explored. The car is as fast as any roadster, and built like a tank, breaking through just about any obstacle on the streets of Gotham. Trees, gates, roadblocks, even other cars can't stop the Bat's ride in its pursuit of justice.
The magnitude of the debris the Batmobile can kick up is very easy to appreciate as you can see every spark and piece of shrapnel fly off whatever environmental item is unlucky enough to be in Batman's path.
However, the Batmobile isn't merely a bat-tering ram. Much like Batman's utility belt, the car is outfitted with tons of useful gadgets, from car-launching hydraulics to non-lethal machine guns to heat seeking missiles. These are definitely useful when The Bat is in pursuit of a henchman's getaway car. One blast to the back tire and the car is in pieces.
The Batmobile's offensive arsenal is especially helpful when taking on the Arkham Knight's army of drone tanks. Since they're unmanned, Bruce doesn't have to worry about his strict "no killing" policy, as he blasts away at the remotely controlled vehicles. The enemies explode in amazing flashes of fire and smoke, which look even more spectacular when NVIDIA GameWorks smoke and fog effects are enabled. Seeing the difference side-by-side gives you insight into just how much the GeForce GPU can add to an already gorgeous game.
Those more realistic smoke and fog effects are everywhere in the game, but are subtle enough to not be noticeable until you see the comparison shots. The exhaust and smoke from the Batmobile doing donuts is so much more engaging when boosted by GameWorks, and the same goes for the little extra details in the debris from the Batmobile's grapple cable pulling down a wall. Batman will need all those tools and more to save Gotham, and effects like GameWorks can pull you even deeper into the game.
Like finding a long lost friend, Batman finally feels complete now that he can continually call upon the Batmobile for help in his trilogy-ending quest to save Gotham. With a set of wheels that are dynamic as the Caped Crusader himself, Arkham Knight looks to raise the bar for superhero games once again. And, thanks to NVIDIA GamesWorks tech, I dare say he's never looked better doing it.
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