I don’t think that there is a game being released this year, that I have anticipated more than Batman: Arkham Asylum.

From very early on in the development of the game, it was apparent that the game was holding in its hands, the fragile hopes of all the gamers that had been wronged by most licensed titles. Anyone following the frequently released preview videos, which showed the games “detective mode” and “challenge levels”, your reaction after viewing the videos would have been similar to mine, “holy shit, we could actually have a good Batman game here”.

After spending quite a lot of time with the game, how has Batman: Arkham Asylum turned out? Is it The Dark Knight game that we, as Batman fans, have waited for so long?

Goddamn right - it is.

From the very opening scene, it’s apparent how much work has gone into making Arkham Asylum, the ultimate Batman game. The mood, the tone and the colours are like a Batman comic coming to life in front of your eyes. …read more

One of the things that I miss about PC gaming is the fantastic community that gets together to “mod” games. Be it editing configuration files to enable certain features or to enhance performance, or to customise character skins - as is the case for some members of the official Batman: Arkham Asylum community.

If you are playing the game on PC head over to the thread here and follow the instructions to customise the appearance of The Dark Knight himself.

They are really well done, so take the time to have a look at all of them.

For those among us that hold on to their childhood comics due to their classic nature you may want to check out a blog that has been named on a few comic forums on the internet.

Covered Blog, is a collection of people that have redrawn classic and current covers for some of the worlds most famous comic book characters. From Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and Action Comics. It’s really interesting to see what changes people have made when they were given the chance to draw their own covers.

While some look really good, there a few there that obviously wouldn’t make the cut in a published scenario, all in all though, it’s great fun!

Check out Covered here.

Kevin Smith’s Batman: Cacophony mini-series ran from November 2008, to March 2009. In the three issue mini-series Batman: Cacophony saw a failed assassination attempt on The Joker all part of an attempt to draw a venerable Batman, out into a mayhem filled Gotham City. In most cases - Batman: Cacophony received high acclaim, with people noting Kevin Smiths ability to ink his unique sense of humor, into Gotham City.

Kevin Smith has just announced that he will be writing a new twelve-part series titled Batman: The Widening Gyre.

“The Widening Gyre is a 12-issue Batman mini-series split into two volumes, with a half year break between each. Issues one through six (Book I) will ship monthly. Then, the story goes on hold for six months. Then, issues seven through 12 (Book II) will once again ship monthly. Yes, I built in the break to insure we don’t run into my usual problems with lateness. But I’m trying to improve, folks: first six scripts and first issue’s art — by Cacophony artist Walt Flanagan — were already done before we took this public.” …read more

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In what could possibly be the most annoying game delay ever. It has been confirmed that Batman: Arkham Asylum is officially delayed, and is now not due for release until late 2009.

Two main theories are being thrown around on the internet after the delay was announced.

1: The game is yet to reach the high standards that have previously been mentioned. 2: The game will be released in December, in order to get caught in the Christmas rush.

Either way - we will no longer be playing the game in June and that, sir, is balls.

You maybe remember that a little while ago Trev previewed the Batman comic Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader. If not, you can read it here. Written by Neil Gaiman, this mini-arc was to be the a last hurrah for Batman (one of many over the years) before after a short period Batman comics reboot and begin again. Both issues of the comic will be published as a whole in trade paperback form in July and I suggest that if you haven’t read the monthlies before then that you pick up a copy as it is a thrilling read that will challenge everything you thought you knew about Batman & his friends and foes alike (the Joker storyline will have you flicking back to re-read each speech bubble to make sure you weren’t hallucinating during the first read through!) …read more

Batman: Arkham Asylum will be release in June. Having already caught the attention of gamers and media alike. A lot is expected from the upcoming Batman game. It’s not much of a surprise seeing as people responsible for PR for the game are already hyping the title months before its release.

Anyone, with a remote interest in Batman lore is heavily anticipating the game that is expected to finally produce a quality product that is worthy of The Dark Knight that it features.

A while back, we had a look at the lack of a decent Batman video game. Now, we look at what one can do to prepare for Batman: Arkham Asylum. …read more

Batman: Streets of Gotham is described as “An all-new Batman series by the DETECTIVE COMICS creative team of Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen! As a new Batman rises on the streets of Gotham City, the heroes, villains and citizens take notice. How will the police feel about this new Batman, and can he control the crime in Gotham the way the old Batman did?”

Even though it’s not coming out until June. DC’s blog has posted a look at the creation of the cover for issue #2.

Article and Images here.

MCV have posted an interview with Jon Brooke, head of UK marketing for Eidos.

“Batman Arkham Asylum will be one of the biggest titles of the year and set a new benchmark for licensed video games, says Eidos.

The claim follows similar bold comments by Activision Blizzard, who last week told MCV that Modern Warfare 2 had the potential to be the ‘No. 1 entertainment property of the year.’

“We expect Batman Arkham Asylum to not only be the biggest game of the summer but one of the stand-out games of the year,” Eidos’ head of UK marketing Jon Brooke told MCV. …read more

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MySpace Comics have posted a blog with a four page preview of the new 2 part Batman series “Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader”.

It’s hard to make a summary of a comic with just four pages. But the tone to this comic seems quite dark, through both art and story.

Described below:

“Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?” part 1 of 2! Best-selling author Neil Gaiman (THE SANDMAN) and superstar artist Andy Kubert (BATMAN, Marvel 1602) join forces for a special 2-part BATMAN event! “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader” is a captivating and mysterious tale the likes of which Batman and friends have never experienced before. Delving into the realms of life, death and the afterlife, Gaiman leaves no stone unturned as he explores every facet and era of Bruce Wayne’s life.”

Issue #1 can be pre-ordered through Minotaur here.

Full MySpace Comics story here.

…read more