Gaymer Alert: Arkam City Lets You Play with Robin

Easily named “the most anticipated video game of 2011,” Arkham City has some big boots to fill if it intends to stand up with its mega-popular predecessor Arkham Asylum. After all, the original entry into the this video game franchise—based on DC Comics’ Batman—holds the Guinness World Record for Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever.

However, game developer Rocksteady Studios seems to be un-phased by the pressure and is meeting the challenge of raising the bar for the sequel head-on with the announcement that Batman’s favorite twink, Robin, will be a fully playable character in the challenge mode of Arkham City.

Robin will be based on the Tim Drake version of the character—known to comic book fans as the 3rd young man to pick up the mantle of Robin after the well-known original boy wonder Dick Grayson, and the lesser-known 2nd sidekick Jason Todd.

Early reports state that Arkham City’s Robin will initially be available as an exclusive character for those who pre-order the game through Best Buy stores. Complete with his own moves and bat-gadgets, the exclusive Robin pack will also include two additional challenge maps titled “Freight Train Escape” and “Black Mask Hideout.” As an added bonus, comic fans might be pleased to hear that Tim Drake’s current superhero ID, Red Robin, will also be available as an additional skin.

This news comes as a welcome addition to the earlier announcement that Gotham City’s sexy siren, Catwoman, will also be a fully playable character in the upcoming game.

While Robin’s role in Arkham City will not be as prominent as Catwoman’s—her character is featured in the game almost as much as the Dark Knight himself—his inclusion will surely make fans of the super-heroic twink very happy.

Arkham City will be available for both Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 home systems on October 18, 2011.

Check out the trailer for Arkham City featuring Catwoman below.