Opinion: The Highs and Lows of Batman: Arkham Knight's Full Season Pass

A few weeks ago, Rocksteady and Warner Bros laid out a road map detailing the remaining DLC releases for Batman: Arkham Knight, starting at the end of October and extending all the way into December. The planned offerings include more of what fans have come to expect (additional AR challenges, character skins, etc.) as well as a few unexpected yet welcome surprises (new movie-inspired content, character select for AR challenges, etc.), ensuring there's something for everyone to enjoy. Now that we know just what exactly Rocksteady has on deck, we can analyze the potential bright spots and pitfalls of the upcoming content and get a better sense on whether the season pass's was worth the $40 investment.

Pro: Arkham Episodes For Everyone

There are already several DLC “Arkham Episode” side adventures that feature playable versions of characters like Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood and Harley Quinn, and November will see the release of the final two episodes, one starring Catwoman and the other Robin. These episodes, while short in length, offer a fun way for players to gain additional story context for events that occur both before and after the main game's campaign, while also letting them witness characters other than Batman step into the starring role. From the brief descriptions Rocksteady has given, it sounds like the final two episodes will also let players go up against iconic villains Riddler and Two-Face one last time. 

Con: No Guarantee Of A Satisfying Conclusion

As fun as the Catwoman and Robin Arkham Episodes will likely be, it's hard to imagine they'll also be able to resolve all of the cliffhangers which were left during the main campaign's “true” ending. Sure, they will both be set after the main campaign's conclusion, but the Nightwing episode was as well, and all we really learned from Nightwing's solo outing was that two prominent characters got married (something that viewers of the main game's true ending basically already knew) and went on a honeymoon. I'm sure that Rocksteady does indeed have a plan for unveiling the true ending's mysteries, but the current DLC release outline still has me a little worried.   

Pro: Plenty Of Additional AR Challenges

If there's one thing about Arkham Knight's post launch DLC we can count on, it's that there will be plenty of optional AR challenges to keep players busy once all of the content is released to the public. We've already seen the release of three different Crime Fighter Challenge Packs, each of which comes with six additional AR challenges, with another two still on the way. Plus, those AR challenges don't even take into account the bonus Batmobile racetrack challenges included in the DLC movie packs and the upcoming AR challenges which are based off of locales from the Arkham Episodes. To say the final list of available AR challenges will be robust is putting it mildly.

Con: More AR Content Should Have Been In The Base Game

While the final tally of available AR challenges will indeed be generous, let's not forget that the number of challenges which were available in the base game sans any DLC was woefully underwhelming. Past Arkham games like Arkham City and Arkham Origins offered a sizable selection of different challenges right out of the gate, which made Arkham Knight's paltry challenge list even more disappointing. Plus, the ability to select our character for the game's challenges, a feature that came standard in the above Arkham games, had to be patched in at fan request, yet another gross oversight on Rocksteady's part.    

Pro: Movie Fans Will Be Very Happy

Arkham Knight fans who enjoyed the previous 1989 and 2008 movie-themed DLC Batmobile/skin packs still have a few treats to look forward to. A very surprising, yet certainly not unwanted, upcoming DLC pack will add in new Batmobile/Batman skins and racetracks based off of next year's highly anticipated film Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, allowing Arkham Knight players to experience a small portion of the film's unique take on the DC universe months ahead of its release. 

If you were disappointed by the 2008 pack's lack of a Christian Bale Batman skin to go along with the Tumbler Batmobile skin from Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, you'll also be happy to hear that Rocksteady will be releasing just such a skin in December, allowing you to experience several different generations of the Batman film legacy in their complete glory.    

Con: The Season Of Infamy Expansion Might Suck

The Season of Infamy expansion, an upcoming DLC release which will add several new villains into the story campaign via additional Most Wanted missions, is likely the main reason why many excited fans bought Arkham Knight's season pass in the first place. The idea behind the Season of Infamy is certainly a revolutionary concept, having these new villains “invade” Gotham by inserting their respective missions into the core game instead of walling them off behind an entirely separate campaign (and implying said missions are set after the main story's conclusion), but it's also a risky one. 

Many of the Most Wanted missions in the base game, while novel, quickly grew repetitive, making them less of a fun side-venture and more of a droll barrier players had to suffer through in order to earn 100% game completion. Hopefully, Rocksteady is working hard to ensure each of the Season of Infamy missions is a blast to play through, but past story-based DLC content doesn't exactly elicit confidence.

Does the remaining Arkham Knight DLC make you feel more worried or hopeful? Be sure to join in via the comments below!