The Actors Behind Batman: Arkham City Speak Out

Rocksteady Studios' Batman: Arkham City is already a blockbuster hit. The critically acclaimed game has become a global smash, in part, due to the depth of voice acting that brings the story to life. Some of the Hollywood actors who bring the complex cast of characters to life discuss the new game.

"In Arkham Asylum, it was pretty much a claustrophobic scenario where the asylum shut down and Batman's trapped inside and I was an MC, if you will, of each level and each villain that he faced," explained Mark Hamill, who reprises his role as the Joker. "Now in Arkham City, it's much wider in scope. All bets are off here. It's not giving away the secret to say that he's stricken with some unknown malady. He's not a well man. He was sick in the head before, but now his body is sick as well, and I think this game really explores the symbiotic relationship between Joker and Batman. One of the lines I'll never forget is from the animated series when Joker thought the Batman was dead; he became completely listless and had no motivation to get up every morning. At one point, he said, 'Without Batman, crime has no punch line.'"

Batman: Arkham City Video Review

"The Batman/Joker relationship is always a very complicated one and there's such a history there," said Kevin Conroy, who plays Bruce Wayne and Batman in both Rocksteady games. "There's a mutual animosity but also a mutual respect and Batman doesn't kill people. He just doesn't do it. It's kind of what makes him cool, but the Joker would kill Batman in a second if he could get the chance and tries to constantly."

Conroy believes what makes Arkham City unique is the number of adversaries that the Dark Knight faces.

"Every lunatic from Gotham City is in Arkham City, so as he's working his way through and he's encountering one villain after another whether it's Cat Woman or the Joker or whoever," said Conroy. "It's everybody, and he's got to fight for his survival. So it's fascinating. That's what I think the fans will really enjoy. This game is a bigger challenge just because of the scale of the game. It's huge. It's massive. The characters involved are multiple."


Some of those characters are brought to life by the likes of Hollywood scream queen Adrienne Barbeau, who voices Dr. Gretchen Whistler. Others include: Tom Kane as Commissioner Gordon, Tara Strong as Harley Quinn, Chris Cox as Eddie Burlow, Dino Andrade as the Scarecrow, Steve Blum as Killer Croc, Wally Wingert as The Riddler, Fred Tatasciore as Bane, Tasia Valenza as Poison Ivy, Nolan North as the Penguin, and "Castle" star Stana Katic as Talia Al Ghul.

"I think Talia's really interesting because she skirts the line between good and bad," said Katic. "I love her being this wonderful wildcard, where you're not sure if she's completely aligned with the bad guys or the good guys. It's really neat to play a character who is a super strong woman, not just physically but mentally as well. She's the daughter of the biggest mafia overlord on the planet, so she has to be ballsy. But at the same time she has this dichotomy in that she's sexy and she's vulnerable, and there are some things that can pull at her heart strings that she will fight for that suggest that she's more than just a cold assassin."

Gamers will explore a much richer universe in Arkham City, thanks to the additional time and technological advances that the game studio has had to build an interactive open world.


"Now in Arkham Asylum, it looks like a graphic novel with almost this gothic-like decay in the art direction," said Hamill. "It's so dark and brutal really, but with all bets are off with the video games. The fans want it to be as dark as you can possibly make it."

While Batman gets top billing in the game's titles, it's really the Joker who steals the show once again in this sequel, just as he has in the Hollywood films he's been featured in.

"What's so great about Joker in any of his incarnations is he's so unpredictable," said Hamill. "What would make you or I laugh, makes him angry. He's just a wonderful sort of unpredictable character. I can't help but admire the Joker's tenacity. He never gives up. From the minute he's captured and incarcerated, the wheels are turning on how he is going to plan the next caper or the next crime that will finally get people to understand how brilliant he is."

In addition to playing these characters in Rocksteady Studios' games, some of the actors also dive into these virtual worlds on their own. Nolan North, who can also be heard as Nathan Drake in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, voiced the Penguin in the new Batman game. He's an active gamer who's from the original gaming generation.

"Atari was the first one we had and I played Breakout, Asteroids, all those games," said North. "Back then it was just the old joystick and the red button, but at least it was easy. I mean the games today with the controllers can be challenging. I can remember vividly just going through those Atari cartridges. I remember nighttime battles with my brother where we would go at it, but boy they've gotten a lot more sophisticated now, haven't they?"


Hamill is also from that Pong era, but like North, he does try out the newer games, usually with his kids.

"We had Atari and Odyssey, we're from the Pong era," said Hamill. "I went through that phase when I played everything. I loved all the Zelda games and Kid Icarus. The joke in my house with my boys is that they'll catch me playing something like The Little Mermaid, which is a girly game. But I'm too filled with anxiety to play a game where if I stand still things attack you. So I'd play some of these games at night, when they were in bed, so I could get good at them."

Gamers will likely be getting good at Arkham City through replays. The open world format allows players to revisit the living, breathing city and check out the crime that's always happening on the street. And it's a good bet that some of these same Hollywood actors who brought these characters so vividly to life will also spend hours, maybe late at night, checking out these amazing environments.

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