Just got back from a weekend down in southern California where I totally forgot that Blizzcon was being held. I take it as a compliment to my evident geekiness that I got asked multiple times if that was what I was down there for, though. I woulda looked into it, except that all 20,000+ tickets sold out in under eight minutes. At 125 dollars a pop, we have yet another example of Blizzard raking in cash hand over fist and still leaving money on the table for next time. The next World of Warcraft expansion was announced (Cataclysm), as well as a new class for Diablo III (the Monk), and a few other odds and ends.

In other news, Gamesradar.com is calling The Dark Knight: Arkham Asylum ‘this year’s Bioshock.’ I am skeptical. As I’ve explained before, I was extremely impressed by the demo for the game, but it didn’t strike me anything like Bioshock did. I am now even more intrigued…we shall see what we shall see…

Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) 2009 is shaping up to be pretty epic, and I’m not just saying that cuz my 3-day pass is burning a hole in my pocket. Among the usual assortment of panels and discussions and what have you, the first public demo of Star Wars: The Old Republic will be shown, a game I get more excited about every time a tidbit of info is released. Will keep you all updated.

Jerod Jarvis is an independent gaming journalist and founder of Duality Games. He maintains gaming columns for The Washington Times Communities and for The Outpost. When not blogging madly about games, he freelances for the Spokesman-Review in his hometown of Spokane, Washington and attends school at Whitworth University. Check out his presence on Facebook and Twitter to stay up on Duality Games updates and the inside scoop on the gaming news you care about.

So I just got finished checking out the Batman: Arkham Asylum demo, and I have to say I’m pretty impressed. I’d heard this game had potential, and now I’m seriously excited for its release.

Combat is visceral and smooth, once you get the hang of it. Brawling with baddies is cinematic and simple – most maneuvers are accomplished with a single button. It’s also quite dynamic: in the several fights that I engaged in, I rarely got the feeling I was simple walking through a prescripted fight, using the same moves over and over. Depending on what exactly is happening each moment of the fight, Batman will alter his attacks and respond appropriately. Coupled with cinematic angles and some slo-mo, the end effect is quite impressive.

The other interesting aspect is a detective mode. Whenever you wish, you can switch from a normal view of the world into a planning view. While the perspective doesn’t change, the view changes to a heat sensitive, computer aided planning perspective, allowing you to pinpoint enemy locations and likely ambush spots. It’s rather innovative, and seems to fit in well with the rest of the game

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By far the coolest facet of the game, however, is the freeform stalking of your enemies. The game appears to be quite nonlinear when it comes to how you take down a room full of baddies. You can swing from the rafters, picking them off with your batarang, or swoop down for a brutal knockout punch. Alternatively, you can sneak around vents underneath the floor, popping up behind your victim and reducing them to unconsciousness. And, of course, there’s always the hanging grab, where Batman hangs from the ceiling upside down and snags and thug, yanking him screaming up into the shadows.

All in all, the demo was quite intense and enjoyable, capturing the feel of the two most recent Batman flicks very well. Definitely one to keep your eyes on. Stay tuned for more info as the release date approaches.

Jerod Jarvis is an independent gaming journalist and founder of Duality Games. He maintains gaming columns for The Washington Times Communities and for The Outpost. When not blogging madly about games, he freelances for the Spokesman-Review in his hometown of Spokane, Washington and attends school at Whitworth University. Check out his presence on Facebook and Twitter to stay up on Duality Games updates and the inside scoop on the gaming news you care about.