Hot Play

Batman’s committed to saving Gotham

Batman: Arkham Asylum

PC, PS3, Xbox 360

Finally, Gotham City can exhale: Batman has captured the Joker and he’s taking him to the city’s fortress-like Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane. Home, in other words.

But that’s the problem. Arkham is not only the very place the Joker knows best, it’s also overflowing with supervillains like Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Bane. Seeking revenge on their captor, they spring a trap on Batman just as he arrives. Suddenly the inmates are running the asylum and only the Dark Knight can stop the chaos from spreading to Gotham itself.

Batman fans haven’t had a new videogame since 2005’s mediocre Batman Begins (Xbox, PS2, GameCube), and many expected another uninspired movie tie-in during 2008’s Year of the Bat. Instead, the developers used the renewed interest in the Caped Crusader to create a game inspired by the comic books, with a nod to the critically acclaimed mid-’90s Batman: The Animated Series. Arkham Asylum boasts an original script by that show’s Emmy-winning writer, and employs the series’ main voice talent, including a demented Mark Hamill as the Joker.

True to Batman’s nature, the game blends hand-to-hand combat, stealth and detective work. For your CSI-ing you’ll have forensic scanning goggles, and you can soar with your cape and Bathook to strike from the darkness. Most importantly, “free flow” fighting lets you chain together balletic action moves to take on multiple enemies simultaneously. And PS3 players get an extra treat: they can play as the Joker in a series of combat challenges.

Release Date: August 25

Wolfenstein

PC, PS3, Xbox 360

Launched when the mountains were young (okay, 1992), id Software’s Wolfenstein 3D was the original first-person shooter, and bane of campus computer labs everywhere. Now id’s back with a souped-up version, and agent B.J. Blazkowicz is still blowing away occult-obsessed Nazis trying to awaken an ancient evil. (And don’t worry — it’s still in 3D.)

Release Date: August 4

Metroid Prime Trilogy

Wii

This exceptional value pack features the near-perfect sci-fi action-shooters Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2 Echoes (originally for GameCube), reworked with full widescreen support, and the Wii-mote/nunchuk control system that made 2007’s Metroid Prime 3 Corruption (also included) such a winner.

Release Date: August 24