Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment has confirmed that Splash Damage is developing an online mutliplayer mode for Batman: Arkham Origins that will be available at launch. Invisible Predator Online will put eight players on the field against each in other in a 3 v 3 v 2 match. Three Elite Joker thugs, three Elite Bane thugs, and then of course, the dynamic duo: Batman and Robin.
The thugs will be fighting each other in a third person, cover based shooter style for territory control all while watching over their shoulders for the caped crusaders. Batman and Robin. The caped crusaders will be using all the typical tricks used in single player predator missions and using those skills to get intimidation points. To get more points they must change-up their takedown tactics and not just use the same one over and over. If they are spotted during a takedown attack by the potential victim, it then turns into a melee battle and either one could come out victorious. If Batman or Robin are killed, they lose intimidation points and the gangs team that took them out will all get to respawn from it. So stay stealthy, heroes.
Will everyone be scrambling to play as Batman and Robin? Probably. But in an attempt to balance out the playing field, thugs will have their own special weapons and plenty of their own gadgets to help them be the best villains they can be, such as their own type of detective mode to keep tabs on everyone else. There will also be unlockables and upgrades they can get as they level up. Each thug team has a number of lives (respawns) and their goal is to take out the other teams and gain control of certain points on the map. At some point in the match things will get even more interesting as the leader of the gang will decide he wants to join the fight. A beacon will go off and the first player to get there will get to play as either Joker or Bane. They won’t be invincible, but they will have their own tricks to keep everyone on their toes.
I am usually completely against adding multiplayer to games that just don’t need it, but in this case I am a little excited to give this a try. There are some interesting ideas in this and it could be something original and be a hit with the fans, or it could fail horrible and end up being something like BioShock 2‘s multiplayer, buggy and vacant. Only time will tell.It is comforting to know that this isn’t something WB Montreal is doing themselves and sacrificing story for it. Let’s just hope that Splash Damage makes this another reason for me to love this game. Invisible Predator Online will be available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC but it will not be coming to Wii U.
Batman: Arkham Origins will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and Wii U on October 25, 2013. And don’t forget that Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate will be available on Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita on October 25, 2013 as well.
