Gotham Knights Lack Of Couch Co-Op Is A Sad Sign For Gaming

thegamer.com:

Gotham Knights has always made me slightly apprehensive. It feels like the kind of thing that's better on paper than it is in practice. We've had a lot of great Batman games in the past 15 years, so while I understand the temptation to move on from the Bat to the wider Bat Family... we've had a lot of great Batman games in the past 15 years. We have not had a load of great Red Hood games - in fact his only appearance came as a flat and awkward DLC pre-order bonus in Batman: Arkham Knight. Batman isn't really dead of course (it's the Court of Owls storyline, which sees Batman fake his death), but we won't get to play as him. Instead, we'll choose between Red Hood, Nightwing, Batgirl, and Robin. Despite seeming made for it though, couch co-op won't exist, and that feels like further proof of the ways gaming is turning its back on the past.

The missions can all be played through online co-op, and can be played by every character in turn. You'll make your choice at the start of the mission (and if you're playing online, so will the other person), and you'll then kick, punch, and kapow your way to glory. Each character has a different approach, so assuming missions are replayable, it's kind of like four missions in one, every time. That's a neat gimmick, but probably not enough to make up for the fact that you're Robin and not Batman. Nobody wants to be Robin.

Related: Remembering Gotham City Impostors Ten Years On

I'm not saying we shouldn't try new ideas, especially in the superhero space which is often allergic to risks, but I can't shake the feeling that the sum of Gotham Knights' parts is less than one Batman. Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League is very different. Captain Boomerang probably needs an ensemble around