Batman to Return to Arkham in October, For Real This Time

Earlier this year Warner Bros. Interactive announced a two-pack of remastered Batman classics in the form of Batman: Return to Arkham. The game combines Rocksteady Studios' first two Batman games --- Arkham Asylum and Arkham City --- into a new package remade entirely in Unreal Engine 4 by Virtuous. Originally, this remaster was set to arrive in July, but Warners decided the game needed a few more months of polish before it could be released.

Now, Batman: Return to Arkham has an officially official new drop date in October, and with it comes a comparison trailer showing off the differences and improvements from the PlayStation 3 version to the PlayStation 4 version.

As you can see in the footage above, there are a lot of foundational differences between the previous releases and the upcoming Return to Arkham. Though the original two titles both used Unreal Engine 3, Epic's latest game engine brings a lot more power to the table. From city streets to building walls, the surfaces have much more detail, and the dynamic lighting is much more realistic across the board, giving Gotham a much more authentic look, even if it alters the mood compared to the original games.

Characters have also gotten an upgrade, and with Return to Arkham moving to in-game cinematics versus rendered scenes in Arkham City and Asylum, that should be an improvement for the storytelling elements. That said, some of the characters still look a tad better in their previous incarnations. Catwoman and Harley Quinn have some issues in their facial renders, and almost everyone's hair looks awkward. Bruce looks like he's been using aerosol instant-hair, and Gordon... well, you can see that for yourself in the footage above.

Most of the other issues fans took to complaining about when the first trailer arrived appear to have been dealt with, but until we see the full game in action and not just select snippets, we're reserving final judgment. WB Interactive hasn't had the best of luck with its Batman ports, so we don't want to be heartbroken getting too excited about Return to Arkham.

Batman: Return to Arkham will be available for $49.99 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on Oct. 18.