It seems that after weeks of new details concerning Batman: Arkham City, there’s even more good news for fans to come. Not only has developer Rocksteady Studios revealed that they are still keeping plenty of secrets from leaking early, but that console owners will be more than happy with the game’s visuals. We’re used to seeing the best graphics on the PC, but according to the game’s developers, it’s getting harder for them to tell the difference.

The fact that there are still aspects of Arkham City that we have yet to hear about is mind boggling, since the recent slew of details confirmed more appearances and characters than we would ever have expected. It makes sense, since the development team seems committed to expanding almost every aspect of the original game.

Surprising fans and critics was easy with Arkham Asylum, since nobody knew what to expect. With almost everyone viewing the project as your typical terrible move tie-in, the fact that the game mixed compelling stories and characters from the comic book universe with well-designed gameplay was a shock in itself. But now the bar has been set, and every task for Rocksteady just got more complicated.

In an interview with RipTen, Arkham City’s lead narrative designer Paul Crocker explained that the relationship between Batman and Catwoman was a major factor in providing a new and fresh experience for their fans. Players will also be getting the chance to play as Robin in certain challenge maps, and in case that isn’t enough Batman characters for you, there’s no fewer than a half a dozen familiar villains set to appear.

Even so, it’s clear that much of Arkham City’s story is a secret, and according to Crocker, that’s by design. While it may seem that Rocksteady has pulled the cover off of all the game’s twists and turns early, Crocker maintains that there are still big surprises in store. Not the least of which will be the level of graphics available to both PC and console owners.

With the relatively unrestricted level of graphics possible with the PC, console fans are somewhat used to experiencing a game that isn’t quite as polished as it could be.  Crocker explained that the issue is one they still struggle with, and while newer consoles would be a solution, they’re more focused on doing the best they can with what they’ve got:

From what we’ve seen of Arkham City gameplay, it’s impossible to miss how smooth and polished the game looks. Still, it’s fantastic news to hear from the developers themselves that the two are comparable at times, even if there is a difference. But remember, it was the gameplay and style of the Arkham Asylum that made it a hit, not its frame rate.

“What’s brilliant for us, and also terrible for us, is that we’ll make this thing look amazing on the PC, and then have to find a way to keep the quality of the visuals on consoles… I would buy a new console if it came out tomorrow, but I don’t know if it really is time.  Arkham City looks great on the current gen, so I can hold onto that money for a bit longer.

“I’ve walked into rooms and gone, ‘Is that the PC version?’  and been amazed that it was the Xbox version”

Batman: Arkham City will hopefully be impressing console and PC owners when it’s released on October 18, for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

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Source: RipTen