More Batman: Arkham City Pics and Analysis

Xbox 360, PS3

More Arkham City screenshots today, but this time we're going to take a bit of a deeper look at the clues they give about the game. In the first picture, we see the brand new Harley Quinn and Joker designs. The Joker's health is obviously going to be a big story point, as it was prominent in the first teaser and is being reinforced here. Spoiler alert for the first game: is it merely the remnants of the Titan formula he took at the end of Arkham Asylum, or something else?

There's not much of note in the second image, but the third shows Joker's Fun House. Anyone that's read the classic Batman tale 'The Killing Joke' will recall that comic's climactic fairground finale. The first teaser video also shows the Joker hiding out by a rollercoaster, so we have to wonder if this Fun House is the Joker's base of operations in Arkham City.

Finally, we have a big Sionis industries logo on a deserted factory. What is Sionis? It's the business of Roman Sionis, also known as the Black Mask, one of the most feared gang leaders in Gotham. Sionis' inherited his millionaire parents' empire on their death and drove the company into the ground. Bruce Wayne stepped in and bought out Sionis, but Roman grew to resent him for it. Couple this with the involvement of Hugo Strange, who knows who Batman is, and you have a game with a seemingly big emphasis on the identity of the Dark Knight.

You have to give Rocksteady credit for trickling out these little nods to the Batman universe in seemingly innocuous images. Other images have shown Monarch Theatre, the location of Bruce Wayne's parents' murder and a recurring Joker base; the Iceberg Lounge, home to the Penguin; and Gotham Casino. Keen eyed fans will also spot a Sionis sign in that original teaser. Who knew there was so much to be gleaned in a one minute clip?

Batman: Arkham City is due for release this year.