At this year's Comic-Con International, Neoseeker got a chance to speak with Batman: Arkham Asylum director Sefton Hill, of Rocksteady Studios in London.

We've already seen / heard a lot in terms of gameplay, but what's Batman without a psychological mind-*bleep*? Hill teases at some story-driven twists throughout the game, and explains Rocksteady's mentality behind creating a true Batman experience.

Lydia Sung (Neo): Obviously journalists keep updated on the game and all these trailers are coming out talking about the combat and what not. Why don't we start off with what you'd like to say to those who might not know as much about Arkham Asylum and are approaching it for the first time?

Sefton Hill: Well I think the main thing for us was creating a Batman game, rather than any particular genre of game, so not focus just on the fighting or just on the stealth or predator. We really wanted to encompass all the different elements of Batman so when you play the game, you get to really feel what it's like to be Batman.

That was kind of the key thing for us, so I really hope that when people really get to play it, you know, that's the main thing they come away with, to get that kind of experience with what it's like to be Batman, to be this ultimate superhero.

Neo: Can you detail a few ways the game stays true to the whole Batman experience? Fans are really into that.

SH: Yeah, I mean one of the great things were the license that we have. It's the comic book license, so it's 70 years of Batman history to draw on. So you know we have all the great characters in there; Joker is obviously the main antagonist in the game. We also have Harley Quinn in the game, for the first time, with her relationship with the Joker.

And I think one of the big things for the game that fans are really gonna enjoy is -- for us -- the main important thing is Batman's relationship with these villains you know. I think what defines Batman, and what makes him really interesting is he has this great array of supervillains. And that's so different to a lot other comic characters where the hero is so good, but they don't have this great array of villains who could all have their own games.

And it's that relationship which drives all of them, so the game essentially is about Batman's relationship with Joker, Batman's relationship with Harley, Harley's relationship with Joker -- how he treats her, mistreats her, abuses her, you know. I think what fans are really gonna enjoy is that it's not dumbed down. It's about what you like when you read the comics, what I like when I read the comics. It's about the characters; it's not just flat out buildings just for the sake of it! It's about these characters and how they interact. And I think that's what fans are going to enjoy most.

RabidChinaGirl via neoseeker.com »