It probably won't surprise anyone that I absolutely loved last year's Batman: Arkham Asylum video game, and one of the things I really liked about it was the simplicity of the combat that perfectly encapsulated how the Caped Crusader deals with thugs. It was great -- you just press a button and a direction and Batman straight up wrecks a dude. Even so, with its sequel, Arkham City on the horizon, I've been worried that the mandatory "improvements" that are sure to come will complicate what was already a fluid system and make it less fun to play.

And then I saw the new screenshots released by ArkhamCity.co.uk, wherein Batman appears to beat a thug into unconsciousness with a steel chair, pro wrestling style.


There's a good chance that this might be the single best thing of all time, if only because it finally gives us the answer to the age-old question of whatcha gonna do, brother, when Batamania runs wild on you?! And even if it's actually a car door or the side of a mailbox, the idea of using foreign objects -- er, "destructible elements of the environment" is still pretty awesome.

And there's more new Arkham City goodness after the jumpThe new screenshots also seem to indicate that the game will be incorporating some new aerial attacks as well, although whether or not the top rope is involved remains to be seen:


As revealed in the trailer that aired during the video game awards, the main villain of the game is set to be Hugo Strange, and just like in the comics, he'll know the secret of Batman's identity. I'm not sure what sort of impact this will have on the game's storyline or gameplay, but I can't imagine it not leading to scenes where Strange attempts to publicly unmask Batman, thus destroying his honor as a luchador -- er, his effectiveness as a crimefighter:


From appearances, it looks like Arkham City's going to preserve its predecessor's emphasis on stealth as a means to effective combat, which will come in handy as Batman attempts to stop a four-on-one beatdown by the nWo Nexus 4 Horsemen Joker's henchmen:


Okay, okay, I know I'm letting the pro wrestling metaphors get out of hand here, but seriously, you guys: I am pretty sure that guy on the left is Sting:


Or at the very least, Vampiro.

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