Batman: Arkham Asylum is an action-adventure stealth video
game based on DC Comics' Batman for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. It was developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game were released on August 25, 2009 in North America and August 28, 2009 in Europe, and the PC version was released on September 15, 2009 in North America and on September 18, 2009 in Europe.
Arkham Asylum, written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini, is based on the long-running comic book mythos, as opposed to most other Batman games which are adaptations of the character in other media besides the source material. The Joker, Batman's arch enemy, has instigated an elaborate plot from within Arkham Asylum where many of Batman's other villains have been incarcerated. Batman investigates and comes to learn that the Joker is trying to create an army of Bane-like creatures to threaten Gotham City, and is forced to put a stop to the Joker's plans. The game's main characters are voiced by the actors from the DC Animated Universe, namely Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin reprising their roles as Batman, the Joker, and Harley Quinn, respectively. The game is played as a third-person perspective action-adventure game with a primary focus on Batman's combat abilities, his stealth and detective skills, and an arsenal of gadgets that can be used in both combat and exploration.
The game received high praise from critics, earning a 92% average on GameRankings, a game aggregator.
The game also holds a Guinness World Record for 'Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever', with an average score of 91.67 from reviewers. Several awards were given to Arkham Asylum, including a Spike Video Game Award and the coveted Best Game BAFTA Award. A sequel, titled "Batman: Arkham City", was announced at the 2009 Spike Video
Game Awards. On May 11, 2010, a Game of the Year version of Batman: Arkham Asylum was released in the United States. This edition includes four new challenge maps and is packaged with two pairs of glasses which may be used to play the game in 3D on any regular 2D television, using TriOviz, a new kind of anaglyph image technique.