The Sacking of Gotham City

If there is one thing I am anticipating this year above all see, it is The Dark Knight Rises. Despite my better judgement I can’t stop watching the endless trailers– we’re up to number four now– and TV ads that are giving away more and more of the film. Which opens one month from now.

To bide the time the marketing team for the movie has unleashed a tactical strategy game for free online, playable in the browser, called The Fire Rises. The game encourages you to loot key points in Gotham City, leveling up your mercenary army before the police shut you down.

I spent about a half hour with this little diversion yesterday and can report that it is almost a good game. A bit more ambitious than a browser based game really has any business being these days as it tries to create some of the combat tension of a game of Starcraft without all the resource gathering and long view strategy. Some buggy camera controls and a lack of keyboard hotkeys hamstring what could be a really fun game.

I’ll say this much: it’s worth a few minutes to hear some of the beautiful Hans Zimmer score in context (DESHAY! BASARA!) and I’d rather have a game like this then a full budget faux AAA title coming out to support the movie.