5 Wacky Things About Batman: Arkham Knight

No one should turn to video games or comic books for any sort of grounding in reality, but it seems like the Batman Arkham series takes more than its share of liberties than most. Here are some of the craziest aspects of Batman: Arkham Knight, and we're not just talking about the villains.

Warning: Some spoilers ahead.

How is this Non-Lethal?

Batman has both a "no guns" and a "no kill" rule in place, but he gives them both a lot of flexibility when he's behind the controls of a vehicle. The Batmobile is, in essence, a heavily armored tank that transforms into a high-speed roadster. It's also apparently powered by magic, because its high-caliber gun and 60mm cannon automatically knows when to switch over to "non-lethal" riot control bullets when a human runs into its sights (not to mention how the missile system is charged by destroying things). But even if you could explain that away with an extremely sophisticated target recognition system, you can't do the same with how you can run criminals over without killing them (that electric stun system might as well be shocking corpses as they fly over your hood), fire missiles at unarmored cars like taxi cabs, or perform a super ram that causes their cars to explode. Let's just admit that Batman has been playing far too much GTA and get on with things.

The Subtlety and Nuance of a Napalm Enema

It's safe to say that most people in Gotham prefer to look the other way while Batman does his business. Having a costumed vigilante break arms to get information is a great way to bypass those pesky police brutality rules. However, there's a fine line between looking the other direction and outright sticking your head in the sand.

In Arkham Knight, Batman communicates with his allies using a holographic projector that creates an image that looks like it's about 10-inches in diameter. This shouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that it's a major security risk. What if one of his enemies happened to be spying on him during one of his chats? What if Commissioner Gordon happened to turn around or overhear a conversation and wonder why Batman is talking to his daughter Barbara, Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred, or Lucius Fox from Wayne Enterprises? It wouldn't take a genius detective to put all the pieces together.

The thing is, Batman has the sophisticated display system built into his helmet, so the big hologram is really unnecessary.

The Winching Hour

Remember the days when all Batman needed to defeat his worst enemies were martial arts, a talent for stealth, and a suit full of gadgets? Well, those days are gone, because now he has a Batmobile, and all of Gotham seems to be custom made to be pulled apart. The use of tools like the winch go beyond tasks like creating a ramp, pulling up an elevator, or any other straightforward task where a tow might be needed. You need to use the cable to disarm bombs, power up generators, and open up giant drawers built into the sides of buildings. How exactly does one disarm a bomb by exposing its core and detonating it with a power surge? Because the Batmobile is powered by magic, that's how. And why can't we upload a few of those viruses to the systems controlling the drone tanks?

Speaking of things run by magic, Batman's crime analyzing computer can see through time, but couldn't track a huge shipment of automated tanks and weaponry entering the city.

There's a period of relative peace after the events of Arkham City, and the Riddler used that time to construct a series of complex obstacle courses that require a vehicle with the exact specifications of the Batmobile to solve. Except, the Riddler didn't even know much about the vehicle until Batman enters the first challenge. Looks like the Dark Knight isn't the only one who can see through time.

Nobody Takes the End of the World Seriously

Every criminal wandering the streets knows Scarecrow's plan to flood the city with fear toxin, but they don't think anything of it. Most are reveling in the fact that they won the city and chaos reigns. Some even want to get back into the employ of Two-Face or Penguin, even though there's not much left to loot, rob or scheme over. They just go back to working for different crime bosses until it comes time to get gassed with fear toxin or get run over by the Batmobile.

But that's just the start. Scarecrow is looking to destroy civilization using a potent fear toxin, and nobody calls the National Guard or other authorities to deal with the terrorist threat. Not even Superman gets a phone call. Instead, the police hope Batman can single-handedly save the day.

Not to mention all the other goings-on in the city, including a fearsome creature that was created using a DIY gene splicing kit, which players can choose to investigate instead of chasing after a fear-bombing terrorist.

This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Let's get this straight. Gotham, a city that is under the threat of a chemical attack, has the time to evacuate the city but doesn't lock down Ace Chemicals, the building with a giant stockpile of lethal chemicals? It's not like this is the first time Gotham has come under attack, as both previous games featured a deadly chemical agent called Titan, but somehow the Ace Chemicals building ended up inside the Arkham City project limits.

Not to mention the fact that the Arkham Knight was able to sneak in an entire army into the city, outfitted with heavy weapons, autonomous tanks, and attack choppers, without anyone noticing. We knew that Gotham suffered from a corrupt bureaucracy, but this really takes things to an all-new level.