Interesting news items on Rocksteady's upcoming Batman sequel today: Catwoman isn't the Dark Knight's only ally in Arkham City. The studio has confirmed that Batman will partner with Bane, aka, The Man Who Broke Batman's Back, in a series of sub-missions. And as a New Zealand retailer inadvertently revealed, gamers will have some interesting choices when it comes to the version of Batman they will play as.

Bane, the former pumped-up Venom addict, will go back-to-back with Batman in Arkham City, as mentioned by publisher Warner Bros. Interactive at Comic-Con and confirmed today with a new screenshot from the game. According to Rocksteady, Bane and Batman will team up to take down a gang distributing a "chemical contraband."


And Rocksteady's take on Batman won't be the only version of the Dark Knight gamers will play as. As leaked by retailer Mighty Ape, pre-orders from particular retailers will include different Batman skins, ranging from the 1970s version of Batman to Frank Miller's memorable take on the Dark Knight. See all the options below:

Batman Beyond, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman Earth One, 1970s Batman, Batman The Animated Series, and Rocksteady's Batman.

No specifics were provided as to which retailers will be providing which Batman skins, though it's highly likely all will be available at some point in the form of DLC.

Batman: Arkham City is in development for Windows PCs, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. The game is scheduled for launch on October 18.


Spy Guy says: My Batman fanboyism caused me to jump up and shout when I saw Frank Miller's Dark Knight. Excuse the profanity, but FUCK YEAH! That's what I'm talkin' about, Rocksteady. You already made the best superhero game ever with Arkham Asylum, and it looks like things are only going to get better in Arkham City. So, if given the option, which version of Batman will you play as?