It’s almost that time, it’s almost midnight. What better time to play as Batman and creeping around in the dark. Batman: Arkham City is going to be the game to get and maybe/hopefully the game of the year. I can not wait to explore the beautiful, destroyed, and trashed Arkham City. Fighting a gang of henchmen single handedly, finding all The Riddler trophies, and informants I can. Exploring the buildings and sewer systems. I am looking forward to see what all villains are in the game, beating the crap out of them, and finally getting my hands on The Riddler.

I wonder what kind of tricks The Joker will have up his shelve this time around. I am very anxious to play the storyline and find out what the big picture is. The graphics on this game is going to be unbelievable and the size of Arkham City too. We will get to see who is all on our side and who we fight a long side with. I was not a big fan of the challenge maps in Arkham Asylum, but the Arkham City ones are looking awesome, and I can’t wait to play them.

I know a lot of people are upset about having to play as Catwoman, but I am looking forward to it. It will be a nice change of pace, but it will be familiar at the same time. Just a different fighting style, gadgets, and abilities. I am looking forward to everything about this game and I don’t think I have been more excised about another game, than this one.

I know Batman: Arkham City isn’t even out yet, but I am looking forward to see what kind of DLC is going to come out, and long they can keep this game going. This is going to be one of them games that I will keep playing for a very long time. The more DLC the better, it will never get old.

I am picking up the collector’s edition for the Xbox 360 and LE strategy guide from GameStop (91st & Northern, Glendale AZ). I want Robin so bad, but I am choosing all the GameStop’s preorder bonuses instead. Hopefully, I won’t regret it. I absolutely love that GameStop and won’t go anywhere else.

My Gamer Tag is Nightly Suicide, so maybe I will see some of you online!

One of the teased elements of Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham City is the ability to play as the caped crusader’s frenemy/love interest/ally Selina Kyle, aka the Catwoman. It wasn’t clear what her involvement would be in the main storyline, other than that she would be a part of it.

But last week, when I set up the retail version of the game, I found that I had to enter a second code for a sizable download, which promised to “unlock Catwoman as a playable character in the game.” As was confirmed by WBIE yesterday, codes for the Catwoman content are given out with new copies of the game, but held back from used purchasers until they pay $10 to get it via a “VIP Pass”.

(NOTE: We’re already seeing signs that there are loopholes to getting this Catwoman DLC. Retailer GameStop is giving these codes out for free to people who buy the game used, according to a leaked memo from the retail chain, removing the requirement to get the game new to play as Catwoman. Whether you’re angling for a freebie code that way or simply planning to buy the game new to get your code inside the game box, take heed of what the content actually is. On with the description…)

The Catwoman content is substantial. It includes an entirely different beginning to the game, as well as four large-ish gameplay chapters throughout the story. Each one is about fifteen or twenty minutes, with a mix of exploration, stealth, and combat, all of it unique. There’s a ton more content if you choose to really explore or mess about, especially considering that there are a whole bunch of red riddler trophies that only Catwoman can collect. The content is also not included on the disc—it’s downloadable, so before you play, be ready to enter a code and wait for a 253MB download to complete.

Catwoman is playable through the game’s open map, and has her own unique gadgets and some fun methods for traversing the rooftops of Arkham. I put together a spoiler-free video (it shows the Catwoman, but it does not show any plot points, publisher-teased or otherwise). It’s above.

Combat is fun and fast, a surprisingly different feel from combat as the Dark Knight. Catwoman has her own page of upgrades and her own gadgets, though there are only a few of them. Furthermore, she has a questline involving at least one major Batman character that doesn’t appear in the main Arkham City storyline at all.

Catwoman is also playable in the game’s unlockable Riddler challenge rooms, which adds a new way to play the already deep and enjoyable challenges. She has three different appearances, which I’ve captured and put together in an image.

The best thing about playing Catwoman is setting her sprinting, leaping, and swinging about the open map. At first I wasn’t sure about it, since she isn’t, y’know, Batman. But once I got the hang of it, I found that there is a crazed quality to her that Batman lacks, and it’s really fun. She doesn’t have the Dark Knight’s grappling hook, using her whip to swing from building to building, and as a result players must sprint up to the edges of buildings and swan-dive off, catching purchase with her whip in midair. It’s exhilarating and enjoyable.

It’s all very good stuff, and without it the game would feel incomplete. Considering that you’ll be purchasing a “pass” in place of the content itself, it sounds as though your $10 might get you more than just the one character. I could imagine other playable characters and even mini-storylines released through the pass, possibly even at no extra charge. But that’s just speculation.

Catwoman’s missions are a substantial chunk of gameplay, a welcome change of pace and a fun side story. If you’re buying the game used, you’ll have to take the cost of the online pass into account if you want to play them. And if you’re planning to play Arkham City from somewhere without an internet connection, you’ll miss out entirely.

Rocksteady tweeted that “Dr Strange will be releasing some more prisoner records today, which prisoner interests you most?” giving fans a chance to vote, in the end it was the Riddler’s criminal record that was revealed.

The Nightwing Bundle Pack for Batman: Arkham City will be available November 1. Nightwing comes complete with his own unique gadgets and special moves, and is playable in all challenge maps in the game, as well as two additional challenge maps that are included with the pack: Wayne Manor and Main Hall. The pack also contains a bonus Animated Series Nightwing character skin.

That means you don’t have to worry about pre-ordering or it being exclusive to any counsels or stores. You’ll just have to pay for it, which isn’t too bad. Get it if you want it.

Both download content bundles will be offered on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for 560 Microsoft Points and PlayStation®Network for $6.99.

The pass will also give you four extra in-game missions, including a meeting with Poison Ivy. These four missions will add to the understanding of the main storyline, and will last 3-4 hours collectively.

Catwoman’s playable role in single player is included in the game without the pass, minus the four missions noted above.

It’s presumed that if your purchase the game first hand you’ll be given the pass for free, via a code within the box. If you buy the game second hand (pre-owned) you’ll be asked to purchase the online pass (around 600mb); either from the PSN, or the Xbox LIVE marketplace. A price for this package has yet to be announced.

All information in this post has come from the recent Batman: Arkham City review in German gaming publication Play3. More reveals from this article will be posted today so keep an eye out.