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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
Interview: Paul Crocker of Rocksteady on Batman: Arkham Asylum
Not pictured: Paul Crocker Paul Crocker is the lead narrative designer at Rocksteady Studios, where he's been hard at work on Batman: Arkham Asylum for the past two years. Thankfully, he hasn't taken on any of the Dark Knight's unfriendly tendencies in that time and gladly opened up to us about the game, explaining key omissions like Robin and Batmobile driving, and offering up his (not-so-creative) pick for the DC character he'd most like to create a game around. Continue past the break for the full interview.%Gallery-64370%
Poison Ivy, Batman's green-thumbed nemesis, revealed
It ain't Uma Thurman (thank goodness), but Batman's plant-loving adversary, Poison Ivy, has been revealed as a baddie in the upcoming action title, Batman: Arkham Asylum. A new trailer (posted after the break) for Rocksteady and Eidos' impressive Arkham features the green thumb merging with a giant piranha plant with the intention of killing The Batman. Kill Batman, huh? Why hasn't anyone ever thought of that before?
You must CQC this new Batman: Arkham Asylum footage
What do you do when the most promising Batman game in, oh, years gets delayed to "the end of summer?" You get angry. Well, that and you watch every bit of gameplay footage you can leading up to when it's finally in stores ... and hopefully doesn't disappoint. It's with the intent of helping you through this time of Batman: Arkham Asylum-focused longing that we bring you what you need: video of the Dark Knight smashing goons' faces with man's earliest weapons, his fists and feet. Walking you through the on-screen beatings is Shefton Hill, designer of the game and a rather pleasant-sounding fellow given how dark and violent what he's making is. It's almost like getting a hands-on demonstration, only without ... your hands ... on -- oh, who are we kidding? Eidos, can we at least have a demo?
Batman: Arkham Asylum delayed until 'summer 2009'
Like a bat signal against a cloudy Gotham skyline, Eidos and Warner Bros. have sent official word to Joystiq regarding the alleged delay of Batman: Arkham Asylum: It appears we'll be waiting a little while longer for the Dark Knight to rescue us from the summer release schedule.While the Bat's' upcoming jaunt through the famed comic prison won't take quite as long to get to store shelves as previously rumored, the game is likely to miss its already announced June 23 release. According to an official statement, Batman: Arkham Asylum will ship sometime during the noticeably vague "summer 2009" window. No reason was given for the delay, with parties saying only that the extra time will let devs ensure that the game "is of the highest quality for gamers." We're following up for some more details and will update if we hear anything.Update: Joystiq has received a slightly more specific ship date for the game, with a representative saying that Batman: Arkham Asylum will ship sometime at the "end of summer." [Image]
Rumor: Batman: Arkham Asylum delayed until holidays
It may take a bit longer for the Caped Crusader to round up his rogues gallery in Batman: Arkham Asylum, as "sources close to the game" tell Game Informer the title has been pushed back from its expected June release until sometime later this year.Despite impressing us earlier this year, the unspecified sources tell Game Informer than the game will now ship in 2009's fourth quarter. If true, and while disappointing, the delay will give us more time to work on work on our Batarang hurling technique. Neither Eidos nor Warner Bros. have offered a comment on the cause behind the delay, though we have reached out to both ourselves for more.[Thanks, Christian]
Peruse, weigh in on extended Batman: Arkham Asylum footage
"Alfred, have you seen this?""Your impossibly enormous supercomputer and one of the only sources of light in this cave? Yes, I do believe I glimpsed it while dusting once.""No, I mean this article on Joystiq. Computer, enhance RSS feed item, number 16. There. They claim to have new footage of an upcoming game based on me, Batman.""Good heavens, Master Bruce! Do you mean to tell me you're Gotham city's masked protector?""Very funny, Alfred. This new Arkham Asylum game is supposedly very promising.""You mean it's not just you prowling dark alleys and beating the snot out of some generic thugs?""Apparently not. It has elements of action and stealth, not to mention classic villains and iconic imagery. The blog authors say that Arkham Asylum is where I belong.""Well, your propensity for manic vigilantism and outlandish costumes would --""In the game, I mean.""Yes, of course, sir. In the game."%Gallery-31781%
GDC09: Actual Batman: Arkham Asylum gameplay footage, no joke
There's only so much we can say about Rocksteady's upcoming Batman: Arkham Asylum. There's only so much screenshots can convey. So it's pretty nice to finally be able to show you what we've been jabbering on about via the magic of video -- and not just any kind, this is (at last) actual gameplay.Specifically, this freshly released footage is of the "Silent Knight" challenge stage we wrote about in our earlier GDC hands-on. Marvel (er, DC?) as Bats blows up walls, glide kicks and sneaks around all Sam Fisher-like. So, after reading about it and seeing it in action, what do you think?
GDC09: Batman Arkham Asylum hands-on
click to Unreal Engine anatomy-size We've been going batty really looking forward to getting our hands on the Dark Knight's latest video game ever since we saw a very impressive -- but hands-off -- demonstration of Arkham Asylum in early February. Today we finally got that chance, but it was over before you could say, "I'm Batman."Rather than opening up the game and letting us explore the infamous Arkham ourselves, Eidos limited the experience to two challenge rooms -- both of which were areas we'd seen when the game was first unveiled. The first was, well, the very first playable scene in the game, the entrance to the asylum immediately following the Joker's escape. This brief (less than three minute) brawl with a gaggle of goons was just long enough for us to get a feel for the close-quarters fighting controls -- and we liked what we played.%Gallery-48701%
Rumor: Batman: Arkham Asylum CE only affordable for Bruce Wayne
Batman: Arkham Asylum's collector's edition could be a bittersweet proposition, if a GameStop listing is any indication. Bitter in its ridiculous $100 price of admission, sweet in the fact that it includes a 12" batarang. Sure, there are other items in this supposed collector's edition version of the game, such as a DC custom encyclopedia, DLC Pack 1, soundtrack, and behind-the-scenes DVD, but all of that pales in comparison to being able to literally fight crime. Just rent a costume from your local shop, paint your car black, and you, dear friend, are a superhero. Then it's only a matter of finding Falcone ...[Via Kotaku; thanks, TheDarkWayne!]%Gallery-31781%
Batman becomes the fear in latest Arkham Asylum trailer
We don't know what it is about Mark Hamill's brilliant portrayal of the Joker that does it, but we're shaken to our core each and every time we hear him. And this latest trailer for Batman: Arkham Asylum starts off with a great Joker narration, but it doesn't stop there. Adding to Joker's dialogue is plenty of Batman-kicking-ass action. Watch the world's greatest detective employ his powers of stealth, as well as his powers of wealth through the use of his high-tech gadgetry. This trailer is set to air tonight on MTV, but thankfully Totilo posted it early for everyone to drool over, so check it out after the break while we run out to the store for a new keyboard.%Gallery-31781%
Joker brings the funnies in latest Arkham Asylum trailer
It's time for another trip into the out-of-kilter crazy house that is Batman: Arkham Asylum. Though the first teaser and most recent screenshots highlighted the game's moody lighting and dour atmosphere, the latest Breakout Trailer (embedded after the fold) finally gives us a glimpse at the gameplay. Sailing through the air, sneaking through enemy territory and punching goons in the stomach -- yup, that sounds like the Batman we know. Download Batman: Arkham Asylum Trailer #3 HD (24 MB) %Gallery-39919%[Thanks, Carl V.]
New Batman: Arkham Asylum trailer is deceptively good
Being able to tell if a game is going to be good or not from an exquisitely edited trailer is a tough skill to hone, like picking out the faint hints of chestnut in a fine wine. That said, we like to think we're fairly good at it, and this new trailer for Batman: Arkham Asylum actually has us a little concerned about the game. There's no one single thing we can point to; heck, we might just be sad this isn't The Dark Knight. It's possible we're completely wrong, in fact, we hope we are. But, all things considered, it's tough to blame us for being cautious. Help us out guys. Let us know what you think, so we can rip off your opinions and sound really smart the next time we post about it.
First Batman: Arkham Asylum trailer
You know, given the apparent state of Arkham Asylum, it's no wonder that Gotham City's criminals are complete wack-jobs. Honestly, considering the utter disrepair of Gotham's premiere mental health facility, is it any wonder that its patients are never properly rehabilitated? Just look at it. It looks like something out of Silent Hill. Hardly the kind of place that promotes a sense of mental well-being. Oh, and the asylum also serves as the setting for Eidos' upcoming Batman: Arkham Asylum, in which the criminally insane trap the caped crusader inside Arkham's hellish walls. Or something like that. Gallery: Batman: Arkham Asylum
