The release date of Batman: Arkham Asylum has come and gone and after another pre-order issue with Amazon, I got my collector’s edition, late but better than never. Of course, this was a week ago and since then I’ve been enjoying the hell out of the game, beating it yesterday.

First off, the collector’s edition is pretty snazzy, though a bit cheap up close. Pictured above is the 14″ batarang, but instead of being metal, it’s plastic. Okay, I can forgive that considering the issue that would come up with parents and children. But unfortunately it’s not painted in a realistic fashion, and it’s scratched to hell in what I’m assuming is an attempt to make the batarang looked used. It seemed they spent more money on the casing than the actual content, which is a shame. The bat-shaped case is awesome and sturdy, but isn’t something I’d put on display.

But enough of that, the actual game is more than enough to make me forget about the cheap extras. It’s an amazing Batman game. I say Batman game because even though I think it could stand up without the Batman title, without characters like the Joker, Bane, or Poison Ivy, there’s no way a game could have existed. And the use of Scarecrow was amazing and his levels were perhaps my favorite. There’s even a moment where he pulls a Psycho Mantis (and Eternal Darkness apparently which I’ve never played) by breaking that 4th wall. Genius!

I don’t normally like stealth games all too much because it’s nerve racking to hide all the time (Metal Gear being an exception for story), yet I always feel in control as Batman. Granted, one has to question why are there conveniently placed gargoyles everywhere and why the bad guys refuse to look up, but the ease is what helps it be a fun game rather than a frustrating one. The stealth modes are easily my favorite because nothing is more satisfying than dropping down on an enemy from a statue, grabbing him back up and hanging him by his ankles.

My only complaint is that most of the game is spent in the bat-vision. Arkham Asylum is a beautiful game but you have to see it through a sort of night vision/inferred style filter. It didn’t hinder the experience too much since with fights and boss battles you don’t need use it.

Overall, great game. I was afraid to be disappointed but it didn’t let me down. And there’s plenty of room for a sequel, so I hope someday we’ll move beyond Arkham Asylum and be able to traverse the city of Gotham.