Welcome to Batman: Gotham Knights Online, your number #1 resource for all things Batman. Every week, keep up to date with all the current news surrounding the comic books, media, merchandise and listen to our weekly podcast, where we have exclusive interviews with people from the industry and a look at all things Batman past, present and future...

GKO: MADHOUSE

Here you will find our rambalings on all area's of Batman, interviews and speical features!

JL: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS REVIEW

We review Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.

BATMAN OF ZUR-EN-ARRH

We take a look at the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh from Batman #113.

GREG RUCKA INTERVIEW

Gotham Knights Online - Interview with Greg Rucka.

BTS: MUSIC MEISTER

A behind the scenens look at The Music Meister.

REVIEW: SB: PE

We review Superman / Batman: Public Enemies.

J.H. WILLIAMS III INTERVIEW

Gotham Knights Online - Interview with J.H. Wiilams III

REVIEW - BATMAN: AA

We review the most eagarly anticipated game this year!

BATMAN CRIME JAZZ

Composers talk crime jazz for Batman

Batman TBTB Video Game Director Interview

Posted by Cory Thursday 2 September 2010

CBR has a interview with one of the directors of the upcoming Batman: The Brave and The Bold video game, Adam Tierney, and a clip of Batman and Bat-Mite playing the game.


CBR: Batman has seen so many takes and so many iterations, from light-hearted superhero to superficially powerful to dark and tormented. What made you decide on using this particular skew as the basis for the game?


ADAM TIERNEY: The simple answer is that the video game is based on the animated series "Batman: The Brave and the Bold." The video game was created because of how popular and well received the TV show has been. As a huge fan of “dark” Batman, I was initially skeptical about this vibrant, Technicolor take on the Caped Crusader. But the TV show is so charming and smartly written that you can't help but fall in love with it. I never would have expected my favorite Batman series to be a comedy, but somehow it is.


That said, there are elements of our Batman that pull from the prior Batman films, previous cartoon series, and definitely the comics. At one point in the game, Bat-Mite says, "You silly thugs. What are you, stupid? Don't you know who he is?? He's the Gosh Darn Batman!!" So even though the game exists in "The Brave and Bold" animated world, we had some fun pulling from other versions of the character as well.


Working from the context of an established franchise - in this case, the cartoon - must have its good points and its bad points. Among the good is the graphical vision is already established and you don't have to re-imagine the look of the game. The bad would be that the cartoon has legions of fans that will come at your game with certain expectations. What do you take from the cartoon series for the game, and what do you bypass in order to make this truly a game that players can embrace?


Actually, quite a lot carried directly over. The structure of the TV show is already very video game-like in regard to progressing through the environments and battling thugs on the way to a final boss. And since we had decided to emulate the show's format, dialogue, and art style, a good deal of our game flow came from just watching what the TV show did. In areas where we needed to differ, like combat variety and level design, we looked at the classic brawler games we grew up on, such as “Double Dragon” and “Final Fight.” The TV show has a very nostalgic vibe, so it made sense that the gameplay would be a bit of a throwback as well.


In regard to the legion of Batman fans with high expectations, we certainly felt that during development. And to raise expectations even more, this is the Batman game that follows “Batman: Arkham Asylum,” arguably the greatest superhero video game ever made! But like the TV show, it's a completely unique take on the character. Ultimately, we just made the kind of all-ages Batman game we’d want to play ourselves.


Keep in mind that for all the adorable visuals of WayForward games like “Shantae” and “A Boy and His Blob,” WayForward loves developing games with solid, old-school mechanics. And even though this game is aimed at younger audiences, it's no exception to that trend. I'm confident that any skeptical Bat-fans that take time to try the game out and master the combat will really enjoy the game.


What elements do you feel are essential to making a good Batman game?


I'd say maybe above everything else, you have to nail his persona. There's a level of confidence and thoughtfulness to the character that needs to be respected. You can't have a Batman game where the character just charges mindlessly into a group of bad guys. Even in an action game like ours, there needs to be the illusion that Batman is constantly assessing the situation, on his guard, and striking when he knows it's the right moment. And that's something we conveyed through the selection of combat maneuvers, and as well as through the execution of each animation. We needed the player to feel as though they're controlling the World's Greatest Detective, not some typical action hero in a Batman suit.


Check out the entire interview here.




LISTEN TO THIS WEEKS PODCAST ONLINE COVERING NEWS, REVIEWS AND INTERVIEWS WITH GUESTS FROM ALL BATMAN INDUSTRIES!



GKO: PODCAST #43

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. 4th to 17th Oct, including Batman: Knightfall Pt11.
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GKO: PODCAST #42

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. 20th Sept to 3rd Oct, including Batman: Knightfall Pt10.
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GKO: PODCAST #41

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. 13th to Sept 20th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt9.
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GKO: PODCAST #40

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. Aug 30th to Sept 12th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt8.
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GKO: PODCAST #39

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. Aug 23rd to Aug 29th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt7.
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GKO: PODCAST #38

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. Aug 9th to Aug 22nd, including Batman: Knightfall Pt6.
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GKO: PODCAST #37

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. Aug 2nd to Aug 8th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt5.
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GKO: PODCAST #36

This week we have a new host and review Batman: Under the Red Hood along with all the news from the week.
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GKO: PODCAST #35

This is our SDCC '10 coverage special covering all the news from July 19th to July 25th.
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GKO: PODCAST #34

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. July 12th to July 18th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt2.
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GKO: PODCAST #33

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. July 5th to July 11th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt1.
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GKO: PODCAST #32

This week we interview writer Judd Winick about the Red Hood.
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GKO: PODCAST #31

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. June 14th to June 20th.
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GKO: PODCAST #30

This week we cover the amazing release of Batman #700. June 7th to June 13th.
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GKO: PODCAST #29

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. May 31st to June 6th.
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GKO: PODCAST #28

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. May 24th to May 30th.
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GKO: PODCAST #27

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. May 10th to May 23rd.
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GKO: PODCAST #26

We return for a quick April round table episode.
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GKO: PODCAST #25

This week is our 25th Anniversary episode including a new co-host.
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GKO: PODCAST #24

This week we interview with artist Lee Garbett to talk about his current run on Batgirl
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