Batman: Arkham Asylum will be the gold standard game that both game players and comic fans deserve from the Bat-franchise, if the gameplay footage holds up.  Some new gameplay footage was recently leaked on YouTube, showing stealth kills and hand-to-hand combat. The footage was released by gry-online.pl and shows the ass-kicking combos the Dark Knight can use to  assault enemies. Another feature is the stealth-kills, which sees Batman at his finest, using  his ability to take out enemies with a surprise attack. The footage is taken from the beta, but still offers a glimpse of the finished game. The look of the game is consistent with the style of the comic book, offering dark visuals combined with smooth animation, with Batman moving from one beatdown to another when surrounded by enemies. A full-length shot of Batman is also in ten-minute preview, revealing a character design worthy of Jim Lee’s Hush, a Batman in his prime. The game takes place as Batman attempts to establish order in an Arkham Asylum overrun by its tenants including The Riddler, Killer Croc, and the ever-present Joker. It almost mirrors the characters and situations in 1989 series Arkham Asylum, written by Grant Morrison with art by Dave McKean, with Batman traversing the inside of Arkham Asylum, and encountering Batman’s Rogue Gallery along the way. The game is set to release in late August, after several delays on the Batman: Arkham Asylum project.

Here at ESG, Batman: Arkham Asylum is the most anticipated title of the fall. Of course, this is the PS3 edition of the game we’re talking about, with all the goodies that are absent from the Xbox 360 edition, including the much-anticipated playable Joker. With a new Assassin’s Creed, Dark Void, and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, it’s going to be difficult to tear ourselves away from our consoles.