Well at long last the wait is over. Tonight at midnight my local Gamestop has Batman: Arkham Asylum on sale after over a year of waiting. I remember when I first saw the cover of the Game Informer that had the feature on the game. I set about immediately subscribing to the mag. I know that sounds extreme, but a little backstory is in order. 
 
I'm 35 years old & have been gaming since the Atari 2600. Spider Fighter & Pitfall are still all-time classice folks! (IMO) So since the NES I have played Batman games & been somewhere between disappointed or disgusted with the finished product. Batman always seemed to be just a bit weaker than the most average foe in those games. The boss fights were always next to impossible for Batman to use any of his trademark fighting techniques or gadgetry. Now granted hardware limitations of the day kept creativity at bay for the most part. But even as hardware power progressed up to the PS2 (Batman: Dark Tomorrow anyone? Ok I'll never mention that atrocity again!) The soul of Batman has gotten lost in every game since this time.  
 
Anybody out there remember the dismal efferts of Sunsoft's batman games on NES or Gameboy? Please stop now! Those memories are unpleasant at best & can drive one to drinking! 
 
So when I lay my eyes upon Rocksteady Studios version of Batman in GI, I said to myself another pretty face. Then I read the article & said they may be onto something. Why did it take this many years & this many horrible games for someone to finally not try a dismal movie tie-in & use the comic book license? I may never know but after seeing the E3 footage, watching a few videos, & all the previews & reviews that are popping up on the web now, at last I know that this is finally a true Batman game. Not sure what the bomb is waiting on to post their review, but I'm sure they'll get to it due course. 
 
So midnight tonight I'll leave work at the TV station I am gainfully employed by, go a block down the street & get my hands on the Batman Collector's Edition for PS3. Calm down 360 owners. I'm sure that version will be great as well. I just prefer the PS3 platform for my mutiplat games because I like the controller better. No platform warrior here, I own all 3! 
 
So this comic fan from way back has geeked out enough on Batman. Now if only those minutes on the clock would hurry up. Think maybe we can move the clocks forward a few hours & trick everybody? hehehehe

Short answer. No. I'm much too attached to having  the case, manual, pack-in, extras, etc... I'm old fashioned that way.

    I discovered Giant Bomb a short time ago when I was searching  the net to find some of my favorite Gamespot alums & what happened to them. Imagine my surprise when I find most of them holed up here @ Giant Bomb! So I looked around the site & did not understand it at first. Admittedly I'm used to being spoon fed information so I had to use the trusty FAQ to get my bearings. Now I get it! Sweet! 
    By opening the site up not just with forums but user created content, Giant Bomb has given us gamers the option of growing the database & information available if we wish or just enjoy the fruits of others' labor. The choice is ours & that is totally refreshing. I've recently started a few edits myself in the TurboGrafx-16 pages. I highly encourage you to check them out! I was at first using my memory alone & was surprised just how much I did remember about the system. It was one of my all-time favorite platforms by the way. I found myself challenged as I dove deeper into editing to make sure I was putting out the right info. This will be a new addiction for me! Shame on you Giant Bomb for making me that much more inaccessible to my wife & kids! 
    Now I must comment on the reviews section. This was a major shock to the system to say the least. I expected a huge library of games reviewed & previewed for me to peruse. Not so. Then thinking back to the trusty FAQ I mentioned earlier I remembered that these guys are lazy, or so they say. They do not review every game that comes out. And let's be honest, who wants to know about the latest Barbie or Petz game! Reviews approached from the standpoint of the typical gamer & what we play? BRILLIANT! No need to clutter up the site with worthless drivel. Again totally refreshing for a gaming website.  
    Now on to the Giant Bombcast. This is the only appointment listening that is in my podcast library. I listen to each weeks episode like a sitcom. I laugh, I get angry, I'm upset at the end of the show, and I learn about games. I also look forward to trying what's on the drink menu! I'm currently going through the past episodes on iTunes to hear what I missed. I missed alot too! Nice to hear the guys who made Gamespot what it once was at it again!  
    As I mentioned earlier, I'm still finding my way around here and have made it my current mission to make the TurboGrafx section a thorough & comprehensive read. So check it often. As I pull out old magazines & strategy guides to remember those glory days, I hope to impress alot of you & help you remember that game system that really got you hooked years back! Cheers!