Arkham weekend!
It’s been upgraded from a day to a weekend…
Yes, I have my dirty little mitts on a copy of Batman: Arkham Asylum and it is goooood.
I’ll keep this short and anecdotal as I’m eager to get back to liberating a certain mental institution for the criminally insane from a mental, criminally insane clown.
Tragedy of tragedies, even though I pre-ordered the collector’s edition of Batman: Arkham Asylum from Game, they still were unable to get it to me for its release date of the 28th. I was, let’s say, ‘narked’. Because the problem was, in my infinite wisdom (smell the sarcasm?), I had put down GW as my delivery address, thinking it would come to my desk and I’d have none of the bullshit going to the post office, not being able to get it until Tuesday.
How wrong I was…
The game didn’t arrive (so much for Game’s ‘First to Play’ guarantee – what’s the point of pre-ordering, I ask you, if you can’t even play the game before some schmo who rocks up to the nearest shop and buys it on the day of release – bah, says I!) and I was left with the cold reality that the earliest I could possibly get it would be Tuesday. That meant the entire bank holiday weekend with no Arkham Asylum.
Well, that simply would not do, so do you know what I did? I got in my car and went straight around to Sainsbury’s and purchased that bad boy there and then. No waiting for me, no sir! (I’m usually a much more patient person but Arkham’s been a long time coming and for me the wait was most definitely over.)
What I can say at this point is: Arkham is awesome. I don’t want to sully any potential review with any further comments here, but it’s all I was hoping for and much, much more.
Nick Kyme is an editor and author who originally hails from Grimsby, a small town on the east coast of England.
August 30th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
I think it’s a bit of a hit and miss thing when you pre-order games, unless you’re going to go and physically pick up the game yourself. Sometimes places like Play.com get them out to you just before the release.
Other times not so much.
August 30th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
I had the same thing with Amazon. Had to buy it at the signing in order to get it signed. It turned up on Saturday from Amazon and will have to be returned on Tuesday.
I played it for a couple of hours on Friday, several hours after your signing on Saturday and haven’t been allowed to play it again today, went to sell our stuff at a car boot sale this morning and have been banished to the computer to ebay the rest of it, only reason I’m allowed to post on here is because she’s watching Titanic.
I’m 25% of the way through it now, the game was made for me. I’m a player type (as announced by Edge magazine) Hoarder, and I have to collect and look in everything, it’s amazing. And the Scarecrow scenes are messed up, they proper get inside your head and I found myself constantly checking over Batman’s shoulder.
SB
August 31st, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Hehe, I know the feeling Herr Kyme and that being said, you can always trade in your current Batman: AA copy once the collector’s edition is at your place.
My US collector’s edition (sorry Brits but the European version blows compared to the US, Batarang Storage box way too batkewl) should be arriving on the 11th September (Holy War! Batman anyone?)and finally I’ll start playing the game.
Pity many folks shall finish the game and play several re-runs by the time I start hanging upside down from garygoyle statues…
Enjoy the game Nick
August 31st, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Yup, that’s true ennough Sam. Usually I’m pretty patient but not with Arkham. Nope, no way. Action not patience was required. Can’t say I know the difference between the US collector’s ed and the UK one – what has the US one got that the Uk hasn’t (not that I’ve even seen either due to the fact my copy has yet to arrive… grr).
I reckon you’ll love the game though. It is pretty damn cool (on my way to an encounter with Croc…).
August 31st, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Totally – the Scarecrow sections are amongst my favourite. I’m about 45% through the game so far with a bunch of riddles solved, trophies collected too etc. On my way to find Killer Croc next…
August 31st, 2009 at 7:52 pm
http://www.vgblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/09/BatmanArkhamAsylumCE.jpg << US Collector’s Edition.
Same content as the EU version except the doctor’s journal is leather bound and the game box is vastly different. Batarang Storage Box FTW !!!
August 31st, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Oh joy…
August 31st, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Thinking of cancelling your EU collector’s edition now??
September 1st, 2009 at 7:32 am
Ha, ha – too late. It’s already on its way. I might return it, though, and order a US copy from Amazon.com or something…
September 7th, 2009 at 8:36 am
Picked the game up yesterday and I am already 27% through. I don’t think it *quite* deserves a 9.5, but its still pretty freaking epic.
The free-flow combat engine is something to be gawked at I must say – a thing of technological beauty, especially the slo-mo “final blow” moments.
Mark Hamill gets the Joker bloody perfect as always, I really do prefer his performance(s) over the years to Heath Ledger AND Jack Nicholson’s stellar stabs at the role. No villain is more… well villainous than the Clown Prince of Crime.
It’s like Batman: The Animated Series all over again – aaaaaah, that takes me back…