Batman: Arkham City features a new voice for Harley Quinn

Even before we played Batman: Arkham Asylum, the developer had us on its good side just by filling the game%26rsquo;s voice cast with regulars from Batman: The Animated Series. Mark Hamill was the Joker, Kevin Conroy played Batman, and Arleen Sorkin reprised the role she created, Harley Quinn. We had assumed Arleen would be returning in Arkham City along with the confirmed Conroy and Hamill, but developer Rosksteady has revealed the part has been recast, with the role going tovoiceover vet Tara Strong,

From the clip above it seems like Strong is sticking pretty close to Sorkin%26rsquo;s version, so much so that we didn%26rsquo;t even notice it was a different actress in that trailer until today. And Strong is a very accomplished actress, appearing in piles of cartoons and games, including Rikku in Final Fantasy X/X-2, Talwyn in the Ratchet series, and Rachel in Ninja Gaiden. This marks the first time Sorkin has been replaced, with Arleen supplying Harley%26rsquo;s voice most recently in January%26rsquo;s DC Universe Online.

We%26rsquo;re sad to see Arleen Sorkin leave the role, as writer Paul Dini even created the part with Arleen in mind. Harley was a breakout star on The Animated Series, quickly going from the relatively small part of Joker%26rsquo;s henchgirl to starring in multiple episodes. Ultimately she became so popular that she joined the official comic book universe, a rare feat for animated characters. Watch the below vid with some of her best moments in case you doubt Arleen%26rsquo;s chops:

May 20, 2011