Batman: Arkham Asylum Drops Into Stores

Of course... some of you lucky folks reading this have it already, thanks to a few game shops slipping copies into your hot little hands this past weekend. While I was being creeped out by the frightening brilliance of Cursed Mountain, baffled by the board gaminess of Hurry Up Hedgehog! (review coming shortly) and going through a few other titles, YOU were being the Caped Crusader, that Dark Knight Detecting and Dishing out Deadly Damage against Denizens of that Dank, Disturbing Domicile known as Arkham. Yeah, I grew up watching that campy Batman TV show, so sue me.

For those who don't, have the game yet... well, this one's for you. Extra awesomeness note: Normally Xbox 360 owners get to puff out their chests 'n chins as they thumb their noses at PS3 owners, so it's really nice to see Sony's console get some cool additional PSN Joker-themed Challenge Maps as well as some cool PlayStation Home content. Anyway - let me let you check out the press release - I'm up to my elbows in previews at the moment:

Game Description:

In Batman: Arkham Asylum, BATMAN finds himself trapped inside the confines of Gotham’s psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane, ARKHAM ASYLUM. THE JOKER has set a trap for the DARK KNIGHT and has conspired with the deranged inmates to eliminate Batman once and for all. Adding to the authenticity of the game are veteran animated Batman voice talents Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy, who reprise their roles as The Joker and Batman respectively.

“This has been an immense collaborative effort and we’re extremely proud of Batman: Arkham Asylum,” said Lee Singleton, General Manager, Eidos Game Studios. “From the reactions we have already received, we truly believe it will not only stand out as one of the games of the year, but establish itself as one of those rare action adventure games you simply cannot forget.”

“Batman is one of the most recognizable and iconic characters around the world and with the high quality launch of Batman: Arkham Asylum we are establishing the brand as a triple-A franchise,” said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “We are extremely proud of Batman: Arkham Asylum and consider it critical in developing and growing our key franchises.”

“The team at Rocksteady has poured an immense amount of love and effort into developing a game that Batman fans and gamers will enjoy,” said Sefton Hill, Game Director at Rocksteady Studios. “We’re very proud of Batman: Arkham Asylum. We are excited about the incredible response from the press and even more excited that everyone will now finally get their chance to play the game."

Batman: Arkham Asylum features an original story by Paul Dini, Batman author and five-time Emmy Award winner whose credits include Lost season one and Batman: The Animated Series. Gamers will move in the shadows, instill fear amongst their enemies and confront The Joker and Gotham City's most notorious villains, including HARLEY QUINN, BANE, KILLER CROC, POISON IVY and SCARECROW, who have taken over the asylum.

Owners of the PLAYSTATION3 version of Batman: Arkham Asylum will be able to take control of The Joker in eight Challenge Maps as he battles wave after wave of enemy do-gooders. The Joker Challenge Maps are available now as free downloadable content through the PlayStation®Network. In addition, the PLAYSTATION3 version of the game unlocks the Batman: Arkham Asylum Batcave Outpost in PlayStation®Home, an exclusive personal space available to those who purchase the game for PLAYSTATION3. The Batcave Outpost comes complete with the BATMOBILE, BATWING, and tons of other great features, allowing fans to call the BATCAVE their own home within Home.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is rated “T” for Teen and is available for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION3 for the suggested retail price of $59.99. It will also be available for Games for Windows at retail outlets for the suggested retail price of $49.99 on September 15, 2009.