Arkham Asylum 2 "really dark", will feature Two-Face, Freeze, Talia

Voice actor Kevin Conroy (aka "Classic Batman") was happy to discuss the dark knight at this week's Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo, touching on the recent film and also the upcoming Arkham Asylum 2.

Since we haven't really hard anything since the teaser trailer, it's exciting to learn the game will be "really, really dark." The first game wasn't exactly rainbows and sunshine, but for those that wanted more, this should be right up your alley. Conroy says it will be reminiscient of Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker, known for its really dark darkness.

"It involves a lot of the villains and it goes to that area - it's that dark," he stated.

Did we mention it's dark?

Conroy accidentally lets it slip Two-Face will be one of the villains featured. This seemed almost inevitable anyway, as he's a favourite and a perfect fit for Rocksteady's style. Hey, as long it's not Calendar Man, we're happy.

On the subject of voice acting, he acknowledged the huge financial success and fan support for Arkham, but then compared the work to "some kind of homeland security torture." Conroy explained he'd go through several hour stretches of recording the same phrase (like "Get out of here"), with three different inflections and three different takes for each kind.

"When you're alone, it goes on for days and by the end of the week, not only can you barely talk, but you're ready to run [home] screaming," he said.

The actor finished up the panel recalling a story he's told many times, though perhaps you've not yet heard. Following September 11, 2001, Conroy volunteered as a late night cook for ground zero workers (now there's a hero). After an architect recognized his voice, he found himself surrounded by praise and conversation from fellow workers. Conroy later called voice actor and voice director Andrea Romano and said, "You know, we should never ever, ever, ever trivialize what we do. It really makes people happy."

Update: Mr. Freeze and the lesser-known Talia al Ghul have also been revealed as featured characters.