Rocksteady has made it clear that Batman: Arkham Knight is the end of the Arkham series. This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re done with Batman, but it means that the work they began with Batman: Arkham Asylum will conclude this year with this title. So this has us wondering what could be next for the super-talented studio.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – A couple years ago, before the Michael Bay‘s and High Moon‘s of the world took TMNT to places not everyone has been super happy with… there were rumors. Rumors that the people who did the impossible (make a GREAT Comic Book Video Game), were working on a new game: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Think about it – New York City done in a Arkham-style game. The combat mechanics alone send chills down the imaginative spine. After their work on Arkham Knight, I wonder what it’d be like to drive the Turtle Van down the streets of a gritty NYC alley to a Foot Clan lair. Imagine driving up, hopping out, and climbing up a fire escape to sneak around in stealth and take out guards. The possibilities are enticing to say the least. The timing is there as well, Arkham Asylum was supported with the hype of Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins”, this game could definitely share the spotlight with the upcoming Turtles movie with the hopes that lightning strikes twice. Also…come on…there NAME is Rocksteady.
Another WB/DC Comics franchise that would be a miracle, if done right, would be a Wonder Woman game. As much of a long-shot as it sounds, remember, Batman games had devolved into a running joke before Rocksteady came along. It’s quite probable that Rocksteady has grown weary of staring at a dark and gritty city with these Arkham games, maybe it’s time to take to the sky and beyond with the Amazonian goddess. Using cool tech like the Invisible Jet, interrogating thugs with the Lasso of Truth, she’s a natural fit into the gameplay style carved out by previous RS titles. Not to mention, the obvious, Wonder Woman will be a new hot focus with the upcoming Justice League movie(s) and inevitable character spinoffs. The timing is on their side here as well. It has already been rumored that there will be a RS Justice League game, why not build up to that by giving other JLA members their own games, as long as it works. Green Lantern, The Flash, Superman (if they dare), heck even Auquaman could have his own game…if done right. I think, if anyone can pull these off, it’d be Rocksteady.
On the other hand, maybe Rocksteady are interested in continuing on in the dark, dank, dirty streets of the city. Maybe they want to get more mature with their content? One can’t get much more mature than The Punisher. Imagine a parkour take on the Arkham City gameplay mechanics mixed with a kickass gunplay mechanic to spice things up a bit. Bullets and blood reminiscent of old school Max Payne games. The Punisher could be a hard core gamer and hard core comic fan’s wet dream. After tackling such a high profile set of heroes and villains, it could be time to scrape up the riff raff from the seedy underbelly of comic book lore. This could be a great gateway drug for casual audiences into the deep, dark, and twisted world of The Punisher.
What is best in life? Not any of the previous attempts at playing as Conan in modern gaming. Rocksteady could change that. After the flop that was the recent “Conan the Barbarian” movie, WB could use a better take on the ancient warrior. Arnie coming onto the upcoming sequel to the classic films from the 80’s is a promising detail, until then, Rocksteady taking the property and doing what they do could be a real boon for Conan fans and would-be fans everywhere. Using their experience with superb combat from the Arkham series and taking a more visceral approach to that mechanic would be interesting to say the least. Playing as Conan from young pup all the way up to king would make sense in the progression of unlocking more moves and skills. This game could be a visual knockout with the settings and stylings of the franchise being a stark contrast to what else is out there currently.
Dick Tracy. How cool would this be!? With the gadgets, the detective work, the wild characters, they could do this game in their sleep! The noir elements, the visuals. Dick Tracy could comeback so hard with a great game from Rocksteady. It could be a refreshing step away from the dead horses mentioned so far on this list. When was the last time you saw a Dick Tracy ANYTHING!? Though it might be a bit on-the-nose coming directly from Batman, but, if marketed smartly, it could really surprise people.
There you have it, our list of what Rocksteady should consider doing next. What do you think they could make for their next series? Let us know!
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