Selflessness, determination, courage and, uh, fearsomeness: That's what it takes to be Batman.
Well, all of that plus a video game controller.
A new TV spot for "Batman: Arkham Knight" hit the Web on Thursday. While it's pretty light on footage from the upcoming PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC game, it shows people in perilous situations -- cornered by muggers in an alley, approaching a burning building, watching a frightened old man get menaced on a subway -- overcoming their problems by displaying Batman-like qualities and looking really intense.
Only about 15 seconds of the trailer feature gameplay footage. But here's what we do get to see: Batman leaping off of a building and onto a car, punching a guy and driving the Batmobile; Catwoman and Scarecrow are onscreen briefly, too.
Trent Reznor, of Nine Inch Nails and "The Social Network" fame, served as "music consultant" for the spot. Fans may note that the music that plays behind the trailer's grime and violence is "The Wretched" from Nine Inch Nails' 1999 album "The Fragile."
The commercial's bona fides don't stop there: It was directed by Tim and Jeff Cronenweth. The latter was the director of photography for "Gone Girl," "The Social Network," and David Fincher's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" remake.
If the trailer seems a bit adult to you -- closer to Netflix's "Daredevil" than Joel Schumacher's "Batman and Robin" movie -- that's no mistake. The latest Batman adventure is rated "M," meaning it's for ages 17 and up. It contains torture and harsh language in addition to the expected fisticuffs, according to the Entertainment Software Rating Board.
It remains to be seen if the tougher rating will affect sales for "Arkham Knight" when it hits shelves June 23. Previous titles in the series, which were rated "T" (recommended for ages 13 and up) have sold millions of copies.
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