Neal Ronaghan, Director: The Batman game that we all knew was coming was finally officially revealed. Batman: Arkham Origins is a prequel to the other two Arkham games, but instead of series creator Rocksteady Studios, the Arkham City Wii U port team of WB Montreal is handling Arkham Origins.

The surprise was that our old pals at Armature Studio, a company formed by ex-Metroid Prime leads, are making a 2.5D Metroidvania game called Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate that is a sequel to the prequel.

So gang, are we psyched or disappointed?

Tyler Ohlew, Features Editor: I'm very interested in both titles, They're both coming from relatively untested studios, and oddly enough, their prior work is ports of highly acclaimed titles (Batman Arkham City for WB Montreal, Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection for Armature Studio).

As disappointing it is to not have Rocksteady at the helm, they too were an unknown studio when handed the reigns of Batman Arkham Asylum. And personally, I had no anticipation for that title considering how absolutely beefy they made Commissioner Gordon. It's only fair for us to give WB Montreal a chance. These aren't the SNES days, I don't have to by Arkham Origins sight unseen, hoping it turns out to be a good title. There will be plenty of coverage, and many reviews, so I'll hardly be at a loss if this turns out poorly.

As for Arkham Origins Blackgate, I'm interested to see what Armature Studio can put out there. I'm well aware of their talent, but a team makes a game. But, I have to admit that a Metroid-esque title in their hands is probably the most hopeful I've been for the "genre" in a long time. Metroidvania is a terrible term that's bandied about far too often, an generally I end up disappointed. But these guys may actually understand what it takes.

Nate Andrews, Managing Editor: I'm certainly more interested in Blackgate, if only by virtue of us already getting two quality, large-scale Batman games this generation. Honestly, I felt diminishing returns from that structure in Arkham City, so if Armature can do something with the 3DS that's wholly unique, it'll at least have my attention.

Neal: I plainly love Batman, so I'll be there with bells on for both games. I've heard a lot negativity around WB Montreal being at the reins. I think you look no further than Rocksteady being a total unknown before Arkham Asylum and, hey, guess what? Rocksteady's working on something probably more original! Our own Trick Barnett was high on the Wii U port of Arkham City by WB Montreal, so I'll give them a chance to prove to me this game could be cool. Also, the creative director at WB Montreal worked on Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, which is such a bad-ass game.

After seeing some of screens in the Game Informer story on Blackgate, I'm a little wary despite being so damn curious about what Armature can do with it. I'm just not a fan of 3D models in a 2D world. Also, it seems like it's another Metroidvania focused on combat. Dammit, those Spider-Man DS games were just a whole bunch of kill rooms! I don't want heavy combat in my exploration games; I want exploration! But that's more me expecting the worst, because when I first heard that some of the dudes who worked on Metroid Prime are making a 2.5D Metroid-style game starring Batman, I was light-headed and giddy. I hope they can pull it off, but I'll be damn skeptical until the thing is in my hands.

Dave Mellert, Contributing Editor: I love Batman, I love Batman video games, and I love "Metroidvania" games. You bet your batarang I'm excited for Blackgate. I honestly could not come up with a more seductive comic book license game concept. There also seems to be some good people behind the game, so I am very hopeful.

Kim Keller, Staff Writer: I'm still not 100% sure about Blackgate yet, but you better believe I am beyond psyched for Orgins. The Arkham duo is seriously up there in my top games. I'm just hoping they really push the interactiveness of their world like the past games have played with. It's Christmas Eve, and concept art has shown an insane amount of snow, so that should hopefully factor in, especially as in element we can toy with throughout the story. I'm also interested in how they are going to deal with average people. The interview/preview video on Game Informer mentioned that this is a lively city and that people exist, though they may be home for the evening. In the past two game, civilians were only factored in for a specific reason (police, doctors, etc), but now you could have anyone running around last minute either because they are buying gifts, traveling, or because they don't celebrate Christmas!

The younger Batman concept is also intriguing... definitely allows for different gadgets stuff, hmmm...

Andrew Brown, Australian Correspondent: What sold me on the previous Arkham titles was the sheer amount of detail put into capturing the Batman world and, in particular, Gotham's gallery of rogues in a gritty, realistic and believable way. I'm curious to see which villains will make an appearance in the next game. I'm also intrigued by the concept of a younger Batman and a more in-depth look on how the whole thing started. Of course, I think the biggest question on everyone's mind is "Will Mark Hamill perform a hat trick and reprise his Joker role one last time?"

J.P. Corbran, Community Manager: I've never been a real fan of Batman or superheroes in general, so I never played or was interested in the previous Arkham games. Despite that, though, the thought of ex-Metroid Prime staffers making a 2D Metroid-style game is very exciting to me, regardless of what universe it takes place in.

Danny Bivens, Japanese Correspondent: I just recently finished up Arkham City literally a few days ago and was really curious about what would happen with the next game. Perfect timing! With Origins being set before the first two Arkham games, I'm really excited to see what the development team will do with villains from the Batman universe. For me, the coolest part about playing these games was running into characters that I never even heard about before. Deathstroke is on that list for me!

As for Blackgate, I'm kind of on the fence. It has been quite awhile since I gave a Metroidvania title a try and as long as I can easily procure a copy of this (WB did say worldwide release, but I don't know if they meant Japan as part of that), I might check it out. I've always liked Batman, and if there is any character that could bring me back to this genre, a well crafted title with him just might do the trick.

How do you feel about the new games? Sound off in the forums!