With the release date drawing, it was only proper for Eidos to bring a fully playable version of Batman: Arkham Asylum to the E3 show floor. The modes available were both the Batman and Joker Challenge Maps, as well as the beginning of the actual game itself. The first thing that needs to be addressed is that yes, the game looks just as good as the screenshots. Rocksteady has done a fantastic job with both the visuals and the game mechanics.



The mechanics are a clever blend of action and stealth. It is essentially how you would want to control Batman himself. If you want to be a stealthy Batman who uses the shadows, then you can. If you want to rush in there and take everyone out, that’s equally encouraged. The amount of gameplay freedom is refreshing, and always kept things interesting.

The challenge maps place the gamer within a room and put a certain number of characters within the room to be defeated by either Batman or the Joker. And the best part is that both characters provide completely different fighting mechanics. That was actually my main concern, that the developers would simply take the easy route and make Joker play exactly like Batman. But this was far from the truth. When the Joker is selected for the challenge maps, you actually feel as if you are fighting as the Joker. All his subtle animation details really sell the character. Oh, and by the way, the limited edition itself looks phenomenal as well. Photos of the booth and the badass special edition packaging are included below, as well as footage of yours truly playing through the demo. Enjoy!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zCg1grkZGc[/youtube]

