I saw the Dark Knight movie a few days ago, and yes, everything you hear (and read) about it is true. It’s an amazing film, and Heath Ledger’s performance is one for the ages. However, as Harvey Dent (Two Face) would tell you himself, there is a flip side to everything, and the flip side here is that few movie based games ever amount to much.

Having had several chats with developer friends of mine who have worked on these types of projects, it is easy to understand why they are often considered failures in the gaming circle — lack of time for proper production. The two are worked on in tandem for the most part, and there’s almost always a rush to get the game out before the movie.

With the Dark Knight movie already in theaters, and no game in sight just yet, we may actually be in store for a “dynamic duo” deserving of the Batman brand.

So how do we know that a movie based game is in the works? It was recently leaked by Gary Oldman, the actor who plays Commissioner Gordon in the film, that a game adaptation is well underway. In his interview with G4TV (shown below) Oldman states:

The video game — I saw a tiny little piece of it. They’re trying to get it, so that when he’s gliding — that it’s a sort of — there’s a feeling in it that you’ve never really felt before. That the game doesn’t stop and start. They’re trying to build it in — to the system. Almost like watching the fim. That it’s a continuous thing.

But, I mean I’m on the roof top. I mean my figure just stands there with the back light. I don’t do anything. I’m really boring. I go “Batman we got to get over there” you know? And he goes “woosh” and dives off the building. I’m Jim Gordon, boring Jim Gordon on the roof.

Well now, “boring Jim Gordon” is not so boring if you put a beautiful dark haired female interviewer in front of him now is he? See for yourself, and read the notes from my call with Pandemic Studios after the jump.

With the Dark Knight game now confirmed, many rumors began to circulate regarding which developer was in fact behind it. The consensus seems to point to Pandemic Studios, so I decided to put a call in to the guys (and girls) over at Pandemic to find out.

In speaking with a member of their visual team (who I will not name), I knew that they would not be able to confirm or deny their role in a Dark Knight film, so instead I asked, if Pandemic were to be given the keys to a high profile film adaptation such as The Dark Knight, what strengths do you believe you would bring to the table to help make the game a success?

The response I got was “Wow, that’s a loaded question! [laughter] I’m not sure I can answer that [laughter].”

As our conversation continued, I politely pressed for a few specific characteristics that they felt defined the studio, and would make a Pandemic developed Dark Knight game worth buying for gamers and fans of the character/film.

Generally speaking, they stated that their goal is to always deliver the “best quality possible”. They went on to list “ambitious nature”, “large scale worlds”, and “bringing fantasy to life” as just a few of their strengths — adding that they feel each of these attributes are exhibited in games such as Battle Front and most recently Mercenaries 2.

I ended the call by saying that I truly hope Pandemic is behind the game, to which I was told “Hey, who knows [laughter].”

Pandemic is a high quality studio, and if the rumor regarding their involvement in the Dark Knight ends up being true, we may all be in store for a gaming experience that Gotham itself would be proud of — my fingers are crossed.

Tags: EA, Pandemic-Studios, The Dark Knight Game

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