In Batman: Arkham Asylum, the Dark Knight takes on his greatest challenge yet when he becomes trapped with all of his most dangerous villains inside the insane asylum of Gotham City - Arkham Asylum!

Batman: Arkham Asylum exposes players to a unique, dark and atmospheric adventure that takes them to the depths of Arkham Asylum –Gotham’s psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane. Gamers will move in the shadows, instigate fear amongst their enemies and confront The Joker and Gotham City’s most notorious villains who have taken over the asylum. Using a wide range of Batman’s gadgets and abilities, players will become the invisible predator and attempt to foil The Joker’s demented scheme. Batman: Arkham Asylum features an original story penned exclusively for the game by famous Batman author and five-time Emmy award winner, Paul Dini, whose credits include Lost season one and Batman: The Animated Series.

With amazing graphics and a moody, immersive setting, Batman: Arkham Asylum offers diverse gameplay options that push the envelope for all action, adventure and superhero games.

Batman: Arkham Asylum will feature NVIDIA PhysX technology, which allows for the creation of incredibly realistic worlds full of interactive materials and objects. As a result, PC gamers will get to experience intense realism and fully immerse themselves in Batman’s journey into Gotham City’s asylum for the criminally insane.

With PhysX technology enabled, players can explore darkened corridors packed with volumetric fog which reacts to Batman’s movement and cobwebs which tear with his passing. Combat becomes a maelstrom of motion as office papers are thrown into the air alongside soda cans and litter as Batman lands each punch upon The Joker’s henchmen. Throughout the game, the decaying gothic architecture is realized to an incredible detail with wall tiles chipping and breaking, stone pillars crumbling upon impact, and particles from breaking glass and debris shattering and falling down around Batman’s feet.

Pre-order Batman: Arkham Asylum (Gamestop or Game.co.uk)and you’ll have access to an exclusive Challenge Map where Batman’s darkest fears come to life, playable within the game where Batman must descend into the depths of his own nightmares and come face-to-face with The Scarecrow and his army of skeletons.

The Batman: Arkham Asylum demo opens as the Dark Knight and Commisioner Gordon return The Joker back into confinement at Arkham Asylum. But things soon fall apart as Thre Joker gains the upper hand and springs a trap, setting Arkham Asylum’s occupants upon Batman. The demo offers gamers a taste of the fierce FreeFlow combat system, the cunning stealth of the Invisible Predator mechanic, and the feeling of becoming the world's greatest detective as they navigate Arkham Asylum’s imposing Intensive Treatment facility. Players can unlock character bios, as well as get a sneak peak at some of the infamous foes that BATMAN will encounter within the cavernous and macabre confines of Arkham Asylum.

Key Features:

• Utilize the unique FreeFlow combat system to chain together unlimited combos seamlessly and battle with huge groups of The Joker’s henchmen in brutal melee brawls
• Investigate as Batman, the world's greatest detective, by solving intricate puzzles with the help of cutting edge forensic tools including x-ray scanning, fingerprint scans, ‘Amido Black’ spray and a pheromone tracker
• Face off against Gotham’s greatest villains including The Joker, Harley Quinn, Victor Zsasz, and Killer Croc.
• Become the Invisible Predator with Batman’s fear takedowns and unique vantage point system to move without being seen and hunt enemies
• Choose multiple takedown methods, including swooping from the sky and smashing through walls.
• Explore every inch of Arkham Asylum and roam freely on the infamous island, presented for the first time ever in its gritty and realistic entirety
• Experience what it’s like to be Batman using batarangs, explosive gel aerosol, The Batclaw, sonar resonator and the line launcher
• Unlock more secrets by completing hidden challenges in the world and develop and customize equipment by earning experience points
• Enjoy freedom in the environment with the use of Batman’s grapple to get to high perches, and jump from any height and glide in any direction
• Sony content available in North America to owners of the PS3 version of the game:
  • Play as The Joker exclusively on PS3 – The Joker is available to play in eight Challenge Maps that will be available for download free of charge through PlayStation®Network to owners of the PS3 game
  • The Batman Arkham Asylum Batcave Outpost Apartment will include experiential items such as The Batsuit, The Batmobile, The Batwing and selected Batman’s gadgets and will be available free of charge to owners of the PS3 game
  • Behind-the-scenes videos featuring interviews with the development team, Paul Dini, scriptwriter for the game, Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman, and more
  • Digital comic “The Road to Arkham” for viewing exclusively on the PlayStation®Portable - The digital comic will be available to owners of the PS3 game as a free download through PlayStationNetwork
  • Exclusive Challenge Maps to be available 30 days after release

Eidos/WBIE's Batman: Arkham Asylum, developed by Rocksteady Studios, is scheduled for release on Aug. 25, 2009 (Aug. 28 in Europe), with the PC version scheduled for Sept. 15, 2009 in North America, and Sept. 18, 2009 in Europe and Australia.