After all of the pre-release hype that the new game Batman: Arkham Asylum received, I was forced to pick this game up on it's launch date, about two weeks ago now. I was apprehensive at first because, let's face it, most superhero games as just not that good.

For some reason, a medium that is primed for the comic book audience, cannot get a game about superheroes right. Sure there are a few standouts, such as Ultimate Alliance, but for the most part these games are closer to Superman 64 than Ultimate Alliance.

Fortunately for comic book fans, and Batman fans, Batman: AA has become the most acclaimed superhero video game of all time, and based on the time I've spent with the game, it's a title that is hard to argue.

It's an easy game to pick up and play, the gameplay is very simple (punch, kick, grapple, throw), but once you start playing you realize how much you can really do with the simple controls. There is nothing like sitting on top of a stone gargoyle only to swoop down on top of an unsuspecting victim, smash his face into the floor and swoop back to said gargoyle in a matter of seconds, without being detected.

There are times when Batman will be attacked by 10 or more characters, and, thanks to a slow-motion-counter technique, you never feel like you can't handle the action. The best part is, there is no hardware slowdown during these fights.

The best part of the game however, is the characters. First there is Batman. Sure, if you are playing this game you probably know all about Batman, but the game does a good job of portraying him as The Dark Night, not as the cheese from the 1960’s.

The Joker is as crazy as every, and he's voiced by Luke Skywalker, from the Animated series (actually all of the main characters use the voices from the animated series), so you can't beat that. If you get the PS3 version you can play as the Joker on challenge maps as well. He flails about like a madman as you attack guards and other characters, it’s great. Harley Quinn is completely nuts, but I'm not sure they needed to make her so, um, mature?

One of the best things they did with the characters however is provide character cards for each character, which, through a series of hidden items, you can add to individual cards throughout the game. Honestly, I have not followed comics in years, so reading these cards has been a great way to catch up with story lines. For example, Commissioner Gordon's daughter, Barbara, was Batgirl, as I recall from my youth. She's now a character called Oracle, she's in a wheelchair, and she talks to Batman using an earpiece while he is on mission.

Now, I have not played through the entire game, but the one thing that has disappointed me is the boss battles. There is this amazing sequence leading up to a fight with the Scarecrow where Batman confronts his dead parents, but then you fight Scarecrow, and at best it's a ho hum experience. Unfortunately, the other two bosses I’ve faced (Bane and Zsasz) fall into this same category.

This is a great game, one that I have trouble putting down, much to the dismay of my wife and kids. If you are a Batman fan, or a video game fan, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this game.