Kevin Conroy is considered THE voice of Batman. He was also one of the first people to give Bruce and Batman different voices. He debuted in 1992 in "Batman: The Animated Series" and generally always appears as Batman in any media.
In fact, it's a bit of a big deal when he isn't Batman (barring live action like the Dark Knight movies.)
So, when Batman: Arkham Origins came out, people were kind of sad that Kevin Conroy wasn't Batman.
And then, he revealed he was going to be in it, but not as Batman... or he'd be in the next one. More info here
So, if he isn't Batman, who is he? And why is Batman a different VA? Mark Hamill said he wanted to retire his Joker, that's understandable (even if he's grown steadily more amazing) and Kevin Conroy may want to do the same, but why not just say so? And why still be in Batman?
Well, more like deleted game. Very little is known about this game - which was revealed through concept art on Julie Farrell's blog- but was is known is interesting.
The game was created by Day One studios and would have been a game adaptation of a "Elseworlds" comic that consisted of Batman in a Steampunk Gotham. According to Wikipedia, the basic story (of the comic) involves Bruce Wayne being accused of the crimes of Jack the Ripper. Bruce Wayne must escape jail, clear his name, and track down the real culprit.
The game was, obviously, cancelled. So far the buzz for the cancelled game has been positive. It is really curious to see what would have happened if it was allowed to continue.
As I haven't played Arkham City, I'm just covering Arkham Asylum.
Riddler is one of my favorite Batman villains. I find his compulsion interesting, and though it is hard to do, he is very different from the Joker.
There are two rather different, but iconic, portrayals him in media.
Frank Gorshin's amazing laughter from the 60's Batman:
And John Glover's incredibly restrained and intelligent Riddler in Batman: The Animated Series. (BTW, that series is one of THE best TV shows, let alone Batman series, ever. It restructured and refined much of the Batman mythos, gave us Harley Quinn, rewrote Mr. Freeze's backstory, and is incredibly well done. Go and watch it now, it is NOT a waste)
(Okay, NOT the best example. If you can, watch "If you're so smart, why aren't you dead?"
With Batman: Arkham Asylum, they could combine many parts of the earlier incarnations, including the fact that Riddler in the comics is actually a murderous pyscopath.
So, they put that in here. Along with the restraint of John Glover (most of the time. He gets enraged as you solve more of the riddles) a laugh like Frank Gorshin, and together leads to a rather interesting performance.
Hopefully an even better performance in Arkham City... now that we can see him.
I'm sorry for the late/distracted post today. Busy day! Anyway...
Arkham Asylum spoilers.
What is your worst fear? This video is a good answer for what is Batman's worst fear.
The tables being turned. He goes crazy and the inmates are running the asylum. We've seen Scarecrow's fear gas before in Arkham Asylum, but this is the most powerful dose and it's set up in a unique way.
A Gameplay glitch. The fear of a Gamer, a glitch that resets your progress.
Once we get past your fear, we see Batman's. We see him lose control. He's always been scared of that, of being unable to control who he has become.
In a why, that's partly why the game is so good. We really are Batman here. We understand his fears and we are limited by his lack of powers. It's part of the game's power.
And with this scene, we understand his fear. It's partly a fear of death, but the idea of utterly failing too. "Joker" has become the hero. He runs the game, the town.
He beats it though, in a way that's totally Batman. He keeps his cool and simply fights back against the universe. He throws off Scarecrow in order to show something.
