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The Penguin May Waddle His Way Into Batman: Arkham City

Rocksteady finally addresses its Batman series' tragic lack of blubbery, monocle-wearing dwarf jerks.

Fun fact: I don't subscribe to the Australian newspaper The Sun Herald. Part of this might have something to with me living in America. I mean, it's not from lack of trying, mind you. It's just sort of impractical to get Aussie newspapers delivered to your home in the USA.

Therefore, I feel thoroughly excused for not having seen a reported interview with Rocksteady developer Dax Ginn featured in the Herald's Sunday edition. However, someone over at the Batman: Arkham City fansite, ArkhamCity.co.uk, did see the interview first-hand, and transcribed Ginn's quotes regarding an as-yet unannounced villain for their upcoming sequel. Thank heaven for the "World-Wide" part of World-Wide Web, right?

According to the transcription, one of Batman's most high-falutin' villains, The Penguin, will be featured prominently in Arkham City's storyline. Some had assumed this would be the case, as early trailers for the game showed the rotund scoundrel's club, the Iceberg Lounge, as a location within the game. But now Ginn has apparently detailed precisely how Oswald Cobblepot will be portrayed within the game, and the newspaper even printed a first image of his in-game visage, which you can see below. == TEASER ==

 It's like he's looking right at me with his dwarf-y eyeball!
 It's like he's looking right at me with his dwarf-y eyeball!

The way that Penguin has always been portrayed is as quite an aristocratic, well-spoken gentleman who's got these twisted delusions of grandeur. So we've made him a really horrible, nasty piece of work--but still with the delusion of grandeur. He dresses well, but in a poor taste, and we've made him this brutish, brutal guy but also key into [a] collection fascination that he's had through out the years.

Though he doesn't have Danny DeVito's weird, mutated, barfy fish-bird-man thing going on, nor is he as preeminently terrifying as Tested's Will Smith in penguin form, at least that image does make him look reasonably gnarled. Plus, he's got that all-important monocle. Take that, monocleless Will Smith.

Elsewhere in the interview, Ginn laid out how Penguin's gang faction will factor into the game's action:

Penguin's faction is much more about the collection that he has within his museum of all sorts of things but one of those things he collects is heavily artillery. So when you come up against his thugs in the street they are all going to have seriously heavy weapons and that develops throughout the game as well.

Sadly, there is no word yet on the different types of weaponized umbrellas he may use over the course of the game, but we'll be sure to keep you posted if anything pops up on the news wire, since that's probably a pretty big deal to Penguin-heads everywhere.

Lastly, the Herald also dropped a few bits of info regarding Catwoman, and her general attitude in the game:

The attitude of this Selena Kyle is closer to that of the late, great Eartha Kitt from the cult '60s TV show: strong, confident, sexy and independent. Comic book nerds will notice Arkham City's Catwoman appears to have been designed in the style of Adam Hughes' covers from the third Catwoman series, a feature Rocksteady hoped people would spot.

Sorry, Julie Newmar fans. Someday, your time will come.
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alex

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Edited By alex

Fun fact: I don't subscribe to the Australian newspaper The Sun Herald. Part of this might have something to with me living in America. I mean, it's not from lack of trying, mind you. It's just sort of impractical to get Aussie newspapers delivered to your home in the USA.

Therefore, I feel thoroughly excused for not having seen a reported interview with Rocksteady developer Dax Ginn featured in the Herald's Sunday edition. However, someone over at the Batman: Arkham City fansite, ArkhamCity.co.uk, did see the interview first-hand, and transcribed Ginn's quotes regarding an as-yet unannounced villain for their upcoming sequel. Thank heaven for the "World-Wide" part of World-Wide Web, right?

According to the transcription, one of Batman's most high-falutin' villains, The Penguin, will be featured prominently in Arkham City's storyline. Some had assumed this would be the case, as early trailers for the game showed the rotund scoundrel's club, the Iceberg Lounge, as a location within the game. But now Ginn has apparently detailed precisely how Oswald Cobblepot will be portrayed within the game, and the newspaper even printed a first image of his in-game visage, which you can see below. == TEASER ==

 It's like he's looking right at me with his dwarf-y eyeball!
 It's like he's looking right at me with his dwarf-y eyeball!

The way that Penguin has always been portrayed is as quite an aristocratic, well-spoken gentleman who's got these twisted delusions of grandeur. So we've made him a really horrible, nasty piece of work--but still with the delusion of grandeur. He dresses well, but in a poor taste, and we've made him this brutish, brutal guy but also key into [a] collection fascination that he's had through out the years.

Though he doesn't have Danny DeVito's weird, mutated, barfy fish-bird-man thing going on, nor is he as preeminently terrifying as Tested's Will Smith in penguin form, at least that image does make him look reasonably gnarled. Plus, he's got that all-important monocle. Take that, monocleless Will Smith.

Elsewhere in the interview, Ginn laid out how Penguin's gang faction will factor into the game's action:

Penguin's faction is much more about the collection that he has within his museum of all sorts of things but one of those things he collects is heavily artillery. So when you come up against his thugs in the street they are all going to have seriously heavy weapons and that develops throughout the game as well.

Sadly, there is no word yet on the different types of weaponized umbrellas he may use over the course of the game, but we'll be sure to keep you posted if anything pops up on the news wire, since that's probably a pretty big deal to Penguin-heads everywhere.

Lastly, the Herald also dropped a few bits of info regarding Catwoman, and her general attitude in the game:

The attitude of this Selena Kyle is closer to that of the late, great Eartha Kitt from the cult '60s TV show: strong, confident, sexy and independent. Comic book nerds will notice Arkham City's Catwoman appears to have been designed in the style of Adam Hughes' covers from the third Catwoman series, a feature Rocksteady hoped people would spot.

Sorry, Julie Newmar fans. Someday, your time will come.
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BrickRoad

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Edited By BrickRoad

Weaponized Umbrellas. Make it so.

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scylo

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Edited By scylo

Even if you did live in Australia you wouldn't subscribe to that paper due to the fact that it's a terrible newspaper.

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phrosnite

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Edited By phrosnite

If what they say is true and this game has 40 hours SP I will buy it day one.

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jorbear

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Edited By jorbear

I wish The Penguin was Will Smith in costume...

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jacdg

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Edited By jacdg
@jorbear said:
I wish The Penguin was Will Smith in costume...
this
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mracoon

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Edited By mracoon

Looks like this East Coast thing is working out. Everybody at the WM office would still be asleep or just getting up.

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ExplodingTuba

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Edited By ExplodingTuba

Does anyone else hope that at one point you can beat up a gang of penguins with rockets on their backs?

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digital_sin

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Edited By digital_sin

WILL SMITH?!

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FLStyle

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Edited By FLStyle

Pretty cool, but it's no Will Smith.
  

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timeshero

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Edited By timeshero

I saw this story early and didn't even clue in to the quest. :'(

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xymox

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Edited By xymox

Tim Burton's Catwoman will always be the true catwoman for me. 

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Edited By ptys

Damn it, I usually read this paper when I get to work on Sunday nights but decided to read a book instead as it's tabloid garbage. There was an encouraging article about L.A. Noire earlier this week in the SMH as well!

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Red Rum

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Edited By Red Rum

Yay the Penguin and all, but, about the one-armed goon with the penguin tattoos? There's also a one-armed goon in Joker makeup in previous screenshots, so are amputees common enemies in this game? Is Batman going to beat up cripples in this game?

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Miketakon

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Edited By Miketakon

 The Penguin ak-ah Tony Soprano. 

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craigbo180

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Edited By craigbo180

I have never seen the penguin portrayed in a cool fashion before, hopefully they can buck the trend. He's always been one of the worst characters in comics for me.

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MmaFanQc

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Edited By MmaFanQc
@FLStyle said:

Pretty cool, but it's no Will Smith.
  

n_n
nice
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sammo21

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Edited By sammo21

I don't see the need to make the Penguin darker.  Just use the Paul Dinni Penguin that he was using in Streets of Gotham and it will be perfect.  Same for Catwoman.  

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Make_Me_Mad

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Edited By Make_Me_Mad
@craigbo180
I liked the Joker's Asylum interpretation.
No Caption Provided
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ht101

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@mracoon
I completely agree.  It's really nice to have people on both coasts now.
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Edited By dvorak

I love The Penguin in the comics, as he's basically the ultimate rich eccentric crime boss. Batman can always press him for info because he's involved in all kinds of shit, and also frequently a cowardly pushover.

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Twiggy199

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Edited By Twiggy199
@FLStyle said:
Pretty cool, but it's no Will Smith.
  
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napalm

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Edited By napalm

The Penguin is fucking creepy.

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Enigma777

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Edited By Enigma777
Love the Pengwill reference!
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crusader8463

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Edited By crusader8463

Will would be one of his evil henchmen that run at Batman and get knocked out in one hit.

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Little_Socrates

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Edited By Little_Socrates
@crusader8463 said:
Will would be one of his evil henchmen that run at Batman and get knocked out in one hit.
I accept this use of Will Smith.
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wolf_blitzer85

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@Make_Me_Mad: Holy crap that was brutal.
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WEKS

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Edited By WEKS

Hell yeah!

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Vexxan

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@FLStyle: Neat.
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Edited By Bengosha

ARCHER REFERENCE!!!!!!!!

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atmosfear

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Edited By atmosfear

Sweet

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RandomInternetUser

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The dude with the blade looks like he is sticking his fingers in his ass.

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deactivated-65f0b21bb6a1a

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He looks alright, but what's with the one armed dude?

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AhmadMetallic

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My personal favorite villain from the Animated Series !

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Nightfang

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Edited By Nightfang
@wolf_blitzer85 said:
@Make_Me_Mad: Holy crap that was brutal.
Thats why Batman has the best villains, you never know what will set them off or how the'll handle it.
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OsvaldoMoreno

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Edited By OsvaldoMoreno
@JacDG said:
@jorbear said:
I wish The Penguin was Will Smith in costume...
this
oh yes please do this  !!!
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ChristianCastillo

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the nose should be larger

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SpartanAmbrose

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Edited By SpartanAmbrose

Will Smith is going to be in Arkham City? Oh, THAT Penguin. Awesome.

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MisterMouse

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hmm it could be kind of cool.

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Arrested_Developer

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Now that I think about it, I'm not sure I've seen Tim Burton's Batman movies since I've been an adult.  I don't think I remember anything that happens in Batman Returns.  That's the one with the penguin and catwoman right?

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This is shaping up to be an awesome Batman game.

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gamebelongtous

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No Caption Provided
the man himself. I know also he appears on the front of the uk official oxm magazine(i thinks), but ive not seen the pictures from that online