Future-o-Scope: Batman Arkham Asylum 2

In the Future-o-Scope, I talk about games, movies, tv shows, microwaves, oven cleaners, bacon and jam recipes, that I may want in the future. I'll start it off with five things I want from Batman: Arkham Asylum 2.

Batman: Arkham Asylum was great. It was amazingly good, the best Batman game ever and arguably the best game of last year. So, it makes sense for me to do this. Really. It does to me.

1: True Open World-Ness
The trailer for Batman 2 would seem that it is set in Gotham City, the general hub of all misdeeds and bad stuff in the DC Universe. It also seems that the Joker has taken control. Therefore, to me it makes logical sense for the world to be pretty much open world. I'm not talking about complete sandbox on par with GTA or Saint's Row - more along the lines of Brutal Legend, where there are various side quests to do, upgrades available for yourself and your motor and a few challenges along the way. Not so much we are distracted from the main story but enough to warrant replay value.

2: More of Batman's Stuff to use plz
The stuff in the first game is insane. Explosive gel, grappling hooks, batarangs - in Batman II I'd like even more. More stuff to mess around with like the Sonic Batarang - smoke bombs and money piles, in the same vein as AC2 to try and distract attention from yourself? What I'm really trying to say here is that I'd love the Batmobile, Batplane, Batboat and whatever other Bat-shaped vechiles possible. Please. I'm begging you.

3: More Bastards.
By this I mean, more bad guys with different ways to defeat them, rather than just 'hit them a few times, bad guys come through, hit them a few more times'. The main villains I would like to see in Batman 2 are Mr. Freeze, Black Mask, The Penguin, Two-Face and Ra's al Ghul, with the possibility of Scarecrow, Killer Croc and Riddler returning for some more. For varied boss fights: You have to swim to try and find the Penguin, escaping through sewers trying to get to him, whilst he bombs the crap out of you. Two-Face? Burning building, bombs about to go off, enemies being thrown at you all the way. Ra's al Ghul? The closer you get, the weaker you become, leading you to try and take him and his assassin's out from afar. And Mr. Freeze? He's trying to freeze you. Running away stealthily, trying to take him down as he tries to hunt you. I'd also like a boss fight on a rollercoaster but I feel I'm taking it too far now.

4: Co-Op or Multiplayer?
Multiplayer I can take or leave, but co-op seems essential. Think about it. Bigger city, more crimes. A seperate co-op campaign you can do with your friends, or just play the normal game with up to four players. One of you can be Robin, one Catwoman, one Huntress and one Batman, fighting the dark. Superman and Green Lantern could be DLC. How awesome would that be?

5: Leave room for more.
Seriously. This series is nothing but raw potential, and when leaving room for more games, you can have an unstoppable trilogy. I ask you again, picture this. You've just thrown the Joker off the tracks of the oncoming rollercoaster. He's on the floor, wounded, beaten. Everyone's gone. You've won. And then, on a huge screen, appears the true mastermind behind it all: Hush, laughing at you. Indistinctive and possibly unrecognisable, but a true mastermind, bigger and more powerful than the Joker and ready to do whatever it takes?

Coming next time: Batman Arkham Asylum 3, with Man-Bat, Clayface, Mad Hatter, Mr Freeze, Doomsday and Maxie Zeus against you as you fight for the survival of your fellow man.

Bye!