‘Batman: Arkham City’ will have 25 hours of main story, 15 hours of side missions

Tell me this doesn't look like wicked fun.

To say that Batman: Arkham City is one of the most anticipated games of 2011 is fairly obvious. In fact, in a year known for heavy-hitting releases (Gears of War 3, Skyrim, Portal 2 etc.), Arkham City may very well be a shoo-in for Game of the Year. 2009’s Batman: Arkham Asylum was easily one of the best games of that year (I don’t care what Spike said), and was renowned for providing gamers with a wonderfully deep, moody experience. Basically, Rocksteady has set their own bar very high.

The previous game was contained within a relatively small area (Arkham Asylum and its island), which is why gamers were all-a’flutter when Rocksteady announced that Arkham City would allow players to explore Gotham City in a far more reaching manner — indeed, the city is purported to be five times the size of the island. Sefton Hill, game director for the studio, recently sat down with the Guardian to discuss the art of developing such a rich, highly-anticipated game. In this interview he confirmed that the main story of Arkham City will span 25 hours. While this may not sound particularly long for fans eager to return to the caped-crusader’s hijinks, Hill also confirmed that there will be an additional 15 hours of side missions and exploration that should provide gamers with a total 40 hour experience. Considering how many nifty achievements, Easter eggs and all-around “neat” stuff was encased within Arkham Asylum, it’s a safe bet fans may look forward to more of the same awesomeness.

Thus far the confirmed character list for Arkham City includes: The Joker, Two-Face, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Talia al Ghul (daughter to Ra’s al Ghul), Hugo Strange, Mr. Freeze, The Riddler, Zsasz and Calendar Man. Sadly, no mention of Killer Croc on the list.