Day 1 Studios' Gotham by Gaslight would have pit the world's greatest detective against Jack the Ripper; THQ reportedly passed on pitch.
Gamers could have had a chance to see the world's greatest detective go head-to-head with history's most notorious serial killer. While Day 1 Studios' adaptation of the Batman vs. Jack the Ripper comic Gotham by Gaslight never saw the light of day, an early video of the project on Siliconera gives a glimpse of the game that could have been.
Clocking in at just over 2 minutes, the animation prototype clip shows Batman traipsing around a Victorian-era Gotham shrouded in mist. The video appears to place specific emphasis on the motion of Batman's trenchcoat/cape and the way shadows play off of the environment. The city streets are mostly desolate, save for a handful of placeholder models, including a gun-toting civilian and a second copy of the caped crusader.
Originally published in 1989, Gotham by Gaslight is an alternate reality tale that wonders what would have happened if Jack the Ripper had followed up his London killing spree with a series of murders in a Gotham City under the protection of the dark knight. It was written by Bryan Augustyn and drawn by Mike Mignola, best known as the creator of Hellboy. According to Siliconera, the game adaptation was developed as a pitch for THQ in 2009 and 2010, but it was never picked up.
Brendan Sinclair has been a games journalist since 1999. His tastes are eclectic, though he has a definite affinity for games with arcade roots. He's Canadian, but has also been at home in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco.
@bakagami Oh I am aware it was a graphic novel, but when was the last time you perused that section at B&N or a comic shop? I'm hard pressed not to call 40% of those "piss-poor fan-fiction" Not that I hate graphic novels, most of them are awesome. ...but not crap like this.
This could have been an interesting game....i guess they would have made Jack the ripper to be something of the sort like the joker....
The idea sounds "kinda" neat. But a tough sell the industry wouldn't accept. The design of batman is interesting
Obviously Batman has been enjoying the rather rich diet that was usual in Victorian times judging by the extra pounds he's carrying. :-)
Interesting concept, but this seems a little too different/unknown for a successful game. Not being a comic book reader, I've never even heard of a Victorian style Batman.
@Gelugon_baat It's actually based on a graphic novel from the DC multiverse. This idea has been around for quite a while. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotham_by_Gaslight
It would have either been great or complete s hit depending on how it was handled. considering how most most Batman games turn out (not the Arkhams) it would have likely been crap. still would have liked to have played it tho. @VenkmanPHD this was based on a graphic novel of the same name
@MasterTheHero That is because in this sense, (Mixing the Jack and Bruce) Is flat-out retarded. no wonder they passed this up.
I find this absolutely interesting, you always hear about games that would have been really cool that got cancelled or never made it. I think this is the first time I've heard of one I so truly am glad never saw the light of day. Batman Vs. Jack the ripper? ... Sounds like a piss-poor fan-fiction.
i kinda wished they didn't cancel it,that cape is pretty good physics right there .that would be an idea if rocksteady worked on it and made it into a easter egg for the next batman arkham game or some sort of DLC
@Vlad an impaler Only when someone's talking crap. Thanks for asking. Also, have to say I like how you initially admitted you weren't grown up.
@Vlad an impaler It sounds like you're complaining about the fact Jack The Ripper and the traditional Batman story occur over half a century apart, making a face-off between the two unlikely. This is a 'what if' story, as in what if Batman existed in Victorian times. I don't know whether you don't understand the idea behind the material or you're simply too narrow minded to accept such a notion, but either way it's a thumbs down for you (and I expect soon to be a thumbs down for me). Since you took such offence to disagreeing with you, I'm going to assume you're the one who gave yourself a thumbs up. How grown up of you.
@Vlad_an_impaler It says right in the news article: "Originally published in 1989, Gotham by Gaslight is an alternate reality tale that wonders what would have happened if Jack the Ripper had followed up his London killing spree with a series of murders in a Gotham City under the protection of the dark knight." It's a what-if story.
Wasn't there a comic book series about this once? Ah, whatever, that likely has nothing to do with this.
Sounds like a decent idea, but that animation prototype was , especially the super bouncy rubber cape.
Wow, those cape physics are pretty awesome. Most games can't pull off that level of fluidity with their water. Only complaint would be it makes the cape look very weighted. Perhaps too weighted. Shame, I reckon this would've been a great game but doubt it would have beaten the Arkham games so I'm not surprised it was canned. Seems odd taking a Batman game to THQ.
Cape physics are definitely good. Maybe they can use it for a decent Spawn game.....anyone....no.....?
@dylan417 a GREAT Batman game MIGHT have gotten them out of the deep water they're in. THQ has been slipping for a long time, I don't think one game is going to turn it around. That said, seems like it would have been a cool and unique take on the typical Batman game. Too bad it was canned.
Looks crazy, and I do love me some Mike Mignola, but you could imagine THQ's trepidation with a steampunk Bat Man game. It would have to have been something brilliant to compete on the same level with the Asylum and City. I think a $15 downloadable title, though, would have made this game into something viable.
@Chefjase Yeah, I thought it looked pretty good outside of that huge leap. I think Day 1 Studios confused Batman with Superman! :P
the cape physics are very good and the concept 2 but the arkham series will always be in the lead, too bad it didn't came out
hmm, probably a smart idea to not have a competing batman game with the Arkham City/Asylum series...those games were far to good and would've left competition in the dust. The creators of this Gaslight batman should pitch this again to the publishers of Arkham....they could use much of the same mechanics, physics, abilities, etc, but in a very different setting/time/enemies/overall aesthetic. That would sell like hotcakes!
North London developer supposedly adopting new art style for game that details Batman's first meeting with Joker, arriving in 2014 at earliest.
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