Batman: Arkham Asylum

I think I'd be amiss if I didn't say something about the new Batman: Arkham Asylum. Besides being a spelling test, the game by all accounts is a fantastic third-person brawler. It seems to leverage the beloved franchise well while providing excellent atmosphere. The characters and voice work are top notch, with everyone mentioning Mark Hamill's excellent reprise of the Joker from the Batman: The Animated Series.

Along with the audio, the visuals look great. Not only are the graphics some of the best around, the visual design carries on the look and feel of the recent movies, the dark, gritty, and sinister feel of Gotham City, especially deep within this forsaken facility.

As for the gameplay, it plays like a Splinter Cell without gun. But you get to substitute fists, feet, and batarangs for guns! You can pull off punch-out style combos, stun attacks, and the classic inverted drop-from-the-ceiling stealth take-downs. Visual queues allow you to respond to your enemies' actions, and counter their attacks on you.

Overall, reviews are nearly universally positive. Three major outfits, Gamespot, IGN, and Kotaku all give glowing scores. The Metacritic score is a 91, pretty amazing.

While it's not really my thing, the game has a lot to offer for anyone who is a fan of the series, but also just a fan of good third-person action adventure games. The game is out this week for PS3 and Xbox 360, and will be out for PC in mid-September.