So, you like comic books? Do you like DC comics? GET OUT OF HERE, MARVEL FANBOY. No, kidding.

Seriously, if you're interested in Warner Bros. and Eidos' upcoming multiplatform title Batman: Arkham Asylum, then this in-depth / hands-on preview-demo-write-up-thing might warrant a gander. Senior producer Ames Kirshen takes some time to lead us through the first part of Arkham Asylum, and based on what we know, this might actually be an awesome game.

Batman fans might be pleased to hear Paul Dini (Batman: TAS) was hired to write an original story for the game, severely lowering the possibility of non-canonical suckage. Sad news for fangirls like myself, however -- no Nightwing.

During our tour of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment's section at E3, we came across a little gem you might have heard of, called Batman: Arkham Asylum. Senior producer Ames Kirshen was present and gave us a hands-on demo of the upcoming Batman third-person action adventure title, and we finally got a chance to see what the hype is really all about.

Kirshen introduced the game, showing off some of that FreeFlow combat we've been hearing so much about, and the physics look great. This method of hand-to-hand combat visually captures the essence of what it means to be Batman, a superhero who has achieved such notoriety despite having no super powers -- just brains, a killer bod, and more money than God. Bats has always relied on his wits, fists, and wide array of gadgets, all of which the player will have at his / her disposal in Batman: Arkham Asylum. As Kirshen went through the basics, I pestered him with questions.

The demo takes place early on in Batman: Arkham Asylum, so we see various situations designed to ease the player into the game. As Joker runs off cackling, you get to test out the FreeFlow combat on groups of inmates, then encounter prison guards trying to deal with the rampaging villains.

RabidChinaGirl via neoseeker.com »