Batman-Arkham-Asylum
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Swagwatch: Batman: Arkham Asylum review packaging
click for swagallery We'll admit that we were smitten with the oversized Arkham Asylum Safety Restraint System (with adhesive strips on the back for decorative wall placement), Joker-themed playing cards and personalized straitjacket that Warner Bros. and Eidos sent along with Batman: Arkham Asylum. But it was the freshly-minted game within that was truly the hazelnut at the center of this particular Ferrero Rocher.We'll give the whole production away soon enough, to be sure, but for now you'll have to be content with ogling the gallery below.%Gallery-70072%
Free PlayStation Home Batcave comes on Batman: Arkham Asylum disc
After pounding macho men to a pulp in the recent Batman: Arkham Asylum demo, we're definitely excited for additional bat-goodies. That's why we're happy to pass along some info from the PlayStation Blog, which says Home users will get the sweet Batcave space you see above. It's called the "Batman Arkham Asylum Batcave Outpost Apartment" and comes chock full of stuff, including a "Batsuit, Batmobile, and Batwing, along with various Bat-gadgets." The space will be unlocked for gamers when they pop in the disc and allow them to walk about Bruce Wayne's (spoiler!) underground lair. Sounds all well and good, but where's the virtual Alfred to boss around?
Actor's resume lists Rocksteady-developed 'Hitman5'
According to the resume of actor Mark Sloan, Rocksteady Studios – the London-based developer behind Batman: Arkham Asylum – is bringing its British sensibilities to the next Hitman game, titled, well, Hitman5. Sloan's resume indicates that he performed motion capture work for the game. Both of Rocksteady's other games, Urban Chaos: Riot Response and Batman: Arkham Asylum, have been for publisher (and partial owner) Eidos, so it isn't much of a stretch to believe that the developer would get a crack at a major Eidos property like Hitman. Presumably, series developer IO Interactive has its hands full with the Kane & Lynch sequel and Mini Ninjas. What's harder to believe is that the same Mark Sloan is responsible for the "Soft Mark," "Pushy Mark," "Chatty Mark," and "Menacing Mark" audio performances in the resume. Such range! [Thanks, Garret!]
BAM! Batman: Arkham Asylum demo punching faces online
Hello, loyal readers. We should have mentioned this a few hours ago but a demo for Batman: Arkham Asylum is now available for Xbox Live Gold users. Why are we late on the tip? Well, we've been busy playing the demo ... and time flew by. Translation: The demo is good. Yeah, that's right. Soak it in for a moment, a superhero game that doesn't immediately make you want to punch yourself in the face. Feels nice, doesn't it? Of course, the demo's vertical slice could be a mischievous ruse, and only when we play the full version will we realize that half the game is played by a boyish Robin ... or worse, The Arbiter (we're kidding, you're always The Bats). Will the final game live up? According to our other experiences in Arkham, Rocksteady has actually done Batman some justice. It's about time. Do the Bat-Dance, Queue up the Batman: Arkham Asylum demo
Batman: Arkham Asylum movie-splosion!
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Batman_Arkham_Asylum_movie_splosion'; The Batman: Arkham Asylum hype train is really picking up steam now. Today, we've got three different videos dropping at three different outlets. GameDaily has a behind-the-scenes look, including comments from Batman scribe Paul Dini, and some mo-cap footage; MTV has the first 10 minutes of the title (split into two videos); while IGN has some plain ol' gameplay footage, wrapped in their trademark, industry-worst video player. The fun starts just after the break!
Batman PC release bumped to September, Nvidia PhysX supported
Bad news for those hoping to answer the Bat-Signal's call by way of a computer -- the PC version of Batman: Arkham Asylum will not be arriving at the "same Bat-time" (or "same Bat-channel," if you think about it) as its console iterations. Eidos and Nvidia today dated the PC release for September 15 in North American and September 18 in Europe and Australia. That's a bit of a bump from the console versions' August 25 launch.Speaking of Nvidia, today's news also revealed that the game will support the manufacturer's "PhysX" technology, provided you've got a beefy enough GeForce card. We suppose the game's newfound prettiness makes up for its marginal tardiness. Hey, at least it wasn't pushed to the ever-popular Q1 2010, right guys?[Via Big Download]
European PSN releases for August 6
Our trusty European liaison has absconded into the night, but we've still managed to drum up Europe's PSN release list for today. Highlights this week include TV Show King, Savage Moon's "Waldgeist" expansion, the third map pack for Call of Duty: World at War and, most notably, a demo for Batman: Arkham Asylum. Don't miss out on the Spinal Tap DLC for Rock Band, though. Nothing gets a party started like a rousing rendition of "Cups and Cakes." Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
New Games This Month: August 2009
If the New Games This Month feature were a car it would have already broken down on the side of the road, its tank depleted of the steady stream of exciting new releases it needs to function. Now, after months of this abuse, we're just sort of leaning against it as cars zoom by, our thumbs half extended, hoping -- but never really expecting -- for some kind motorist to pick us up and give us a ride to mid-September.But hey, at least there's Madden and Batman!%Gallery-69370%
No joke: Batman Arkham Asylum for $48 on consoles, $40 on PC
It's true, you can snag Batman: Arkham Asylum from Amazon for only $47.99. There's no need to pull out your handy Bat-Price-Reducer either. You need only place a pre-order for the Xbox 360 or PS3 version. Then, at checkout, simply enter the code 5OFFARKM for five smackers off Amazon's asking price of $52.99. Using free shipping, that's a brand new copy for $48. Even better, using the same coupon, the PC version can be had for only $40.That's a deal only the Joker could refuse. After all, saving money is no laughing matter.[Via Slickdeals.net]
Batman: Arkham Asylum demo emerges from shadows Aug. 7
Eidos has announced that a demo for Batman: Arkham Asylum will release this week on Friday, August 7. The demo will be available on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. It's set to feature the introduction of the game, in which Batman and Commissioner Gordon attempt to return the Joker to Arkham Asylum, only to have the villain turn Batman into an unwilling new inmate. The demo will also allow players to unlock character bios and "get a sneak peak at some of the infamous foes that Batman will encounter within the cavernous and macabre confines of Arkham Asylum."Batman: Arkham Asylum is set to hit North America and Europe on August 25 and August 28, respectively.
Batman: Arkham Asylum dev diary showcases beating up lots of dudes
Alright, Warner Bros. -- enough is enough! Can we please just get to the inevitable sneaking and not-quite-murdering of so many goons inside Arkham Asylum's grisly walls? Tease after tease of Batman: Arkham Asylum has left us supersaturated with media that entices us so! Worse? This one's full of some of the best stuff we saw when we got our grubby mitts on the game during E3 -- engaging multiple enemies in interesting ways, sneaking around the rafters, and of course, stealth-killing unsuspecting goons. Enough with the teasing though -- August 25th is still so far away!%Gallery-31781%
Square Enix and Eidos announce joint lineup for Gamescom 2009
Though it's been quite some time since Square Enix and Eidos shacked up, the first time the two share booth space will be at the upcoming European trade show, Gamescom 2009. Aside from bringing the first publicly playable Supreme Commander 2, some highlights include Dissidia Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and ... Nier. Alright, maybe not Nier. The event announcement says that both Final Fantasy XIII (as a franchise unto itself, not just the eponymous iteration) and Final Fantasy XIV will be at the show, though it doesn't detail if hands-on time with either will be available, or how much new info to expect, unfortunately. Finally, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Mini Ninjas will be descending from Eidos' camp. Gamescom 2009 kicks off on August 19 - 23 in Cologne, Germany. (Also, Pony Friends 2 ... finally!)
Batman: Arkham Asylum pre-order nets exclusive Challenge Map
We're not much for pre-ordering stuff (honestly, if you're a store, shouldn't you have things to buy?) but when we saw that the Collector's Edition of Batman: Arkham Asylum included a batarang, it was, frankly, out of our hands. But the pot just got even sweeter with GameStop's announcement that those who pre-order the game will get an exclusive Challenge Map.The map, "Dem Bones," will see Batman face off against an army of Scarecrow's minions. But frankly, the above image contains all the information you need to make a purchasing decision: Batman. Versus. Skeletons.
Batman: Arkham Asylum baddies profiled, illustrated
"vines on her body make a type of organic 'henna tattoo'" Not a Batman fanatic? We suppose that's entirely possible, you tasteless, soulless fool. Fortunately for you, Eidos and Warner Bros. just sent us a comprehensive biography and art for each of the classic Batman villains featured in its upcoming stealth/action title, Batman: Arkham Asylum. They're all listed in the gallery below -- keep in mind, we've got a month and a half before the game comes out, so there's plenty of time for other nefarious additions. We probably won't see any Meeester Freeeeze, however -- no modern console could possibly handle all those puns.%Gallery-67855%
Totally batty new trailer for Batman: Arkham Asylum's villains
(click to Killer Croc-size) Get it? "Batty?" 'Cause it's a trailer for Batman: Arkham Asylum, the Rocksteady-developed, Warner Bros./Eidos-published Bat-brawler? Why aren't you laughing? Hey -- where ya going?! Come back! We just want to tell you about the latest video for the game, showcasing the game's many gruesome villains! Is that too much to ask? Alright, fine, if you must go, at least hit the break and check out the trailer for yourself -- totally pun-free, we promise you. It is not, however, free of Bat-brutalizing villain introductions. No, we can't believe we just typed that either. But seriously, the game looks to be mixing the right amounts of grit and lore together, enticing us all the more for the game's release later this summer. Hopefully we'll be able to contain all our chiroptera excitement until then! (You can go now, we understand.)%Gallery-31781%
New Batman: Arkham Asylum dev diary gives Batman a terrible evening
As Rocksteady's Sefton Hill and Paul Dini eagerly explain in the video above, Batman: Arkham Asylum is a game about torturing Batman. Okay, okay, maybe not directly, but by way of Joker setting up a nasty ruse for Gotham's greatest hero at Arkham Asylum itself. Trapping Mr. Wayne inside with all of his most fearsome enemies, when he thought he was just stopping by to deposit a criminal, leaves him at the mercy of the now-in-control Joker.From what we played of the game's campaign back at E3, we're not sure exactly how Eidos/Warner Bros. plan to keep the game's T-rating, as evidenced by the few gameplay snippets you see in the developer diary above. We are, however, surprisingly excited for the game's release in late August -- and glad we don't have to bring along Mom to buy us the game.%Gallery-31781%
Here are your Batman: Arkham Asylum cheevos
The Batman: Arkham Asylum Achievements (a full list of which is available right here) are already pretty pedestrian. (Complete a combo of 5 moves? Snore.) But the problem is compacted by the complete absence of: 1. Do A Really Soulful Batusi 2. Fight Off A Shark with Shark Repellent Bat Spray3. Reconstitute All World Leaders from Colorful Piles of Dust4. Spot Three Different Girls Playing CatwomanHonestly, we're not even sure how the thing is calling itself a Batman game.[Thanks, TheDarkWayne]
E3 2009 highlights: The Xbox roundup
E3 was brütal! If you blinked, for a split/second, you missed something. Even if you were trine to keep up, it was a blur -- staying a.wake like that, you only pushed yourself to the brink of your own dark void. That's where Joystiq comes in; to crackdown on the madness; to reach out ... with conviction -- phew! Crysis averted. We've scoured the dark corners and survived the inferno to piece together this roundup of all things Xbox at E3. Why? Just 'cause we love you. So, draw nier and shift your eyes past the break.
Hands-on: Batman: Arkham Asylum
After we got to get an eyes-on with Batman: Arkham Asylum's single-player campaign last week, we were hankering for our first hands-on with the game. Luckily, Eidos brought the title to E3 this year, offering more than just the challenge rooms (available for play on kiosks at your local big box store) but also a slice of gameplay from the single-player campaign. Twenty minutes later, we had silently "not murdered" a slew of baddies employing the game's Detective Mode, and found ourselves smiling ear to ear. A cinematic guided us through the intro to the game -- essentially dropping off Joker at Arkham Asylum and witnessing the subsequent takeover of the facility. And that's when we started sluggin' dudes. Lots of dudes -- with big veins popping out of their arms. Each punch felt surprisingly satisfying and various on-screen commands helped to fluidly guide Batman's blows from one enemies' face to another. %Gallery-31781%
Batman: Arkham Asylum Joker DLC will be free
What's with the goofy grin? Did you dip into the jar of Smilex, or are you just giddy that playing as the Joker in Batman: Arkham Asylum won't cost you a dime?Eidos has confirmed that the PS3-exclusive DLC will be free, allowing players to frolic about in the game's challenge maps as the Clown Prince of Crime when Batman: Arkham Asylum swoops onto store shelves this August.
