Batman: Arkham City’s Catwoman fully exposed

Two very seismic shifts have shaken the very core of the DC Universe this week.

The first is confirmed reports of reboot spanning the length, breath and depth of the DC Comics cannon, again. Thought you knew Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman? Think again!

Announced by USA Today, DC’s blog, The Source, revealed the revamp will start with Justice League #1 sending ripples through Wonder Woman #1, Aquaman #1 and The Flash #1 among others.

The second event, maybe not as quaking for comic fans but certainly seductive for gamers, is the inclusion of Catwoman as a playable character in Batman: Arkham City.

Revealed by Rocksteady’s Marketing Game Manager Dax Ginn on Gamespot as part ofArkham City‘s pre-E3 coverage, the news was ushered with a stealthy, sultry gameplay video and a bunch bendy screenshots that have caused quite a stir, not least at Kapow HQ.

In amongst all the purr-fectly formed pictures and foxy footage was a whole heap of information that may just have slipped your attention while you were under Selina Kyle’s spell. Luckily for you though we’ve reduced all the details Catwoman’s appearance in Arkham City into an easily manageable list of bullets.

Taken from interviews, previews and sharped eyed spots in the Catwoman trailer we’re confident that this is the most comprehensive bank of information you’ll find on The Feline Fatale anywhere on the internet. So sit down with a nice glass of milk and indulge yourself in the curiosity of The Cat:

Kotaku let the cat out of the bag with these details:

• Catwoman will be wrecking havoc in Arkham City with her arsenal of whip, bola and caltrop
• Selina will be able to climb walls, buildings and traverse ceilings with her claws
• While some missions are optional, Miss Kyle’s story is so intertwined with Batman’s the player will have to done her catsuit at very specific times during the game
• In the trailer Catwoman breaks into a vault containing items taken from Arkham City’s inmates. In this museum of menace (harking back to the display cases in Arkham Asylum) the player can see Bane’s  (think of it as a museum of mat’s safe to assume to teddy bear is Bane’s)

When Gamespot got their paws on Catwoman and spoke to Dax Ginn, Rocksteady’s Marketing Game Manager, they managed to gleam some purr-tty interesting information about her playable level:

• Catwoman will not have the same rigid moral compass that Batman works to so anally resulting in some darker motives and actions
• Catwoman has been “designed as an integral part of the complete Batman: Arkham City experience”. Though Ginn corrects himself after saying: “Arkham series”. Will she be showing her whiskers again? Perhaps in a multiplayer mode?
• Players able to increase Miss Kyle’s armour and abilities as Batman levels up
• Though Batman and Catwoman’s stories are intertwined ‘Catwoman is using Batman and the chaos within Arkham City to her own ends.’ Anyone with a goal in Arkham needs some muscle behind them in order to achieve it.
• Batman grapples to a rooftop heaving with cats prompting a context sensitive command putting the player in Catwoman’s spandex
• Selina’s combat has been built  separately to Batman’s control system giving her a differently different feel to The Dark Knight
• The Feline Fatale features a point system rewarding the player for innovative navigation around the environment. For example: picking up speed on rooftops before jumping and going into an air to ground takedown
• Catwoman’s sub-story will be approximately 10%  of the entire game
• The Feline of Thievery will use her whip to move about the environment quickly as well as being able to jump and climb obstacles
• Selina Kyle has her own version of Detective Mode dubbed Thief Mode that will highlight objects of value
• Dotted throughout Arkham City are several Riddler trophies only obtainable using The Vixen of Villainy’s acrobatic skills
• During the vault mission Catwoman engages guards standing over a manhole, climbs vines and pickpockets in a stealth section
• It is also revealed that Catwoman is allied with that other Femme Fatale of Gotham, Poison Ivy
• Poison Ivy’s vines will act as both indicators of where Catwoman has to go and aids for getting her there. This must mean whatever Catwoman is after in the vault is of mutual benefit to both ladies

The community moderators and contributors over at the number one official fansite of Rocksteady’s Batman, ArkhamCity.co.uk, also clocked a handful of details in Catwoman’s trailer you might’ve missed:

• Bane’s Teddy – Batman’s most muscle bound bad guy has had his cuddly friend taken from him and placed inside the Tyger vault. That’s why he’s so grumpy. The soft toy was part of a riddle in the first game and kept Bane company as he sat out his prison sentence in Pena Dura. Whether Catwoman is in the safe to get the bear back for Bane (we know Poison Ivy and Bane share a special relationship) is another story
• A Frozen Head – A glitch or a purposefully placed artifact from Batman’s mythology. All indicators point to this belonging to Mr. Freeze. Is it the chilled remains of his estranged wife Nora? Could this mean Freeze is going to make a frosty entrance in the sequel?
• Catsuit Damage – Just as Batman’s threads were run through the mill in the first game, Catwoman’s figure hugging outfit is going to bare the war wounds of a night on the town in Arkham City. If it’s going to be a tough night for Bats as Rocksteady have been keen to stress, why shouldn’t the Cat feel the full fury of Arkham also?
• GCPD – Commissioner Gordon is rumoured to be missing from the Arkham City roster and the heavy arms being deployed from outside his HQ could well be the reason. Does Gordon die in the superhero sequel? Surely not!
• Gotham Industry – Gotham City Radio, Gotham City Bank, Gotham Hardware all make fleeting appearances in Catwoman’s trailer. It’s unlikely we’ll actually get to go to these buildings but it’s nice that Rocksteady have put some though into the featuring such significant locales.
• Tyger Taskforce – Hugo Strange’s Tyger Team take a second beating an Arkham City trailer. The first time we saw them they were flattened by Batman in Strange’s dedicated video and now Catwoman gets to stick her claws into them. They’re hardly coming across as the elite squad Strange would like in place.
• Explosive Arms – Bringing the curtain down in the trailer we see Catwoman elegantly cartwheeling over a trio of RPGs being fired by a Two Face thug. ArkhamCity.co.uk takes a guess at this being a Catwoman boss battle and we’re inclined to side with them.
• Joker in The Monarch Theater? – If you need to be told about the Monarch Theateryou need to go back to Batschool. If not, you’ll understand the significance of The Clown Prince of Crime standing within the building’s four walls. Though it’s unclear that this is actually where Joker is pointing the gun, the projector behind him certainly suggests that it is.
• Pest Control – Otis Flannegan, aka The Ratcatcher, gets a little publicity for his services part way through the Catwoman trailer as a poster advertising his services pop into view. Will The Dark Knight be stamping out this filthy pest while tailing The Joker and Hugo Strange?