The Dark Knight returns to the wonderful world of video games with Batman: Arkham Asylum. Since 1986, the better half of the dynamic duo has appeared in a variety of games. Unfortunately, none of them were very good. The devs at Rocksteady Studios hope to break the chain and finally bring us something worth playing in the Gotham universe. But with only one other, fairly unknown, title under their belts, can they deliver?

If the demo is any indication of what can be expected in the final product, then yes, they have delivered and quite dashingly if I do say so myself.

Gameplay relies heavily on CQC (close quarters combat) and detectiveness…detectiviosity…detective skillz! The “free flow” combat system is actually really cool and feels very smooth in action. It’s also the little touches like sound effects when punching or kicking enemies and the slo-mo action shots that add a great deal of quality to the gameplay. The detective side of things aren’t as stale or boring as you’d think. Most of which involve puzzle-like elements. I could go into greater detail but I’ll save that for a future review.

If you’ve ever watched Batman: The Animated Series you’ll be happy to know that writer Paul Dini is involved with Arkham Asylum’s story. Also reprising their roles from the animated series are Kevin Conroy as Batman and Luke Skywalker as the Joker. As well as the chick that does the voice for Harley Quinn…whom by the way is HOT! in Arkham Asylum.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is set to release on August 25th, 2009. Mark your calendars! PS3 folk will get the Joker as an exclusive “challenge room” character (for the game) as well as an unlockable “Batcave Outpost” for Home. For a taste of what’s to come, you can go hands-on with demo downloadable now on PSN, XBL, and for PC.

From PS.blog

We know that you Home-dwellers just love your rewards, so we’ve worked with the fine folk over at Eidos to ensure that their next release integrates tightly with our platform. Those of you who scoop up the highly-anticipated Batman: Arkham Asylum for your PLAYSTATION 3s next week will be pleased to see that the game unlocks a special Batcave Outpost personal space. It’s safe to say that hardcore Batman fans are going to seriously spazz out when they unlock Bruce Wayne’s secondary lair under Arkham, so if you count yourself a disciple of the Dark Knight, you’d better rush to get your hands on this title when it is released on August 25th.

Special thanks to Batmania for providing the onomatopoeic signs from the original ’60s live action Batman show.