Batman Hits the Web, Offers Swanky Collector’s Edition
Bats and all his wonderful Arkham Asylum toys are headed to a store near you.
Published: April 9, 2009
There’s a good reason why you’re noticing a lot more games appearing with Collector’s Editions these days: they generate a decent chunk of extra cash for the publisher (and to a degree, the developer), plus, well, it works. Throwing in a bunch of goofy extras is a great way to appeal to the target audience that was going to get the game anyway, but throw in a figurine or a soundtrack and suddenly you can rope in even more sales.
That’s the tack that developer Rocksteady Studios and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (under their deal with Eidos Interactive -- yes, that’s a lot of publisher involvement) is taking with Batman: Arkham Asylum, the concentrated dose of awesome we recently got some hands-on time with. The trio has concocted a little bonus for those willing to shell out a few bucks that includes:
[14" Batarang with Stand]
-Matches the Batarang’s in-game design
[Arkham Doctor’s Journal]
-48 pages of notes on Arkham’s inmates
-Embossed leather dust jacket
[2 Sleeve Digi-Pack, Including:]
-Game disc
-Behind-the-scenes DVD
[Code for Downloadable Challenge Map]
-Exclusive “Crime Alley” map, available immediately
[Full-color Manual]
It’s sadly a sign of the times when a “full-color manual” is offered as some kind of bonus, but then we are in the middle of a pretty gnarly recession right now, which means corners are being cut and flourishes like color in a manual are, sadly, considered a premium. Let’s hope that it’s only temporary.
If our amazing preview that we can’t stop linking to wasn’t enough to win you over, you can always follow the official Facebook dev profile or the official MySpace dev profile if you're into that whole social networking... thing (us, we're terrified by new technology and stay far, far away -- to the detriment of our traffic, we're sure). All their updates will appear there, but of course you can always check back with us, since we're all ga-ga for the game anyway and will certainly be making updates of our own. Batman: Arkham Asylum will be in stores on June 9th, and we'll be on top of any updates that hit between now and then. Check back often!
That’s the tack that developer Rocksteady Studios and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (under their deal with Eidos Interactive -- yes, that’s a lot of publisher involvement) is taking with Batman: Arkham Asylum, the concentrated dose of awesome we recently got some hands-on time with. The trio has concocted a little bonus for those willing to shell out a few bucks that includes:
[14" Batarang with Stand]
-Matches the Batarang’s in-game design
[Arkham Doctor’s Journal]
-48 pages of notes on Arkham’s inmates
-Embossed leather dust jacket
[2 Sleeve Digi-Pack, Including:]
-Game disc
-Behind-the-scenes DVD
[Code for Downloadable Challenge Map]
-Exclusive “Crime Alley” map, available immediately
[Full-color Manual]
It’s sadly a sign of the times when a “full-color manual” is offered as some kind of bonus, but then we are in the middle of a pretty gnarly recession right now, which means corners are being cut and flourishes like color in a manual are, sadly, considered a premium. Let’s hope that it’s only temporary.
If our amazing preview that we can’t stop linking to wasn’t enough to win you over, you can always follow the official Facebook dev profile or the official MySpace dev profile if you're into that whole social networking... thing (us, we're terrified by new technology and stay far, far away -- to the detriment of our traffic, we're sure). All their updates will appear there, but of course you can always check back with us, since we're all ga-ga for the game anyway and will certainly be making updates of our own. Batman: Arkham Asylum will be in stores on June 9th, and we'll be on top of any updates that hit between now and then. Check back often!
