Batman Arkham Asylum Bundle Review

First of all I would like to say this is not my review of the game. When I buy special edition bundles for games, I will review the contents' quality and whether or not it was worth the extra amount.



Today we have the special edition of Batman: Arkham Asylum, which retails for $100 plus tax. I have also taken pictures of the bundle, which you can view by click the link at the beginning of each section.
The whole package comes inside a large, plastic Batarang case, surrounded by a transparent box. The plastic Batarang case is the best part of the whole bundle, other than tha game of course, and is made of a sturdy black plastic with Batman Arkham Asylum Collector's Edition engraved into the front. It isn't paint, so it won't scratch off or anything. The case closes magnetically, and it's strong arnough that you can hold the whole package upsdie down and it will not open. Like I said, this is the best part of the whole thing. I felt pretty cool walking out of the store with this baby, when everyone else had a little plastic case. 8D
http://tinyurl.com/BAAOverall (Case in sleeve)
http://tinyurl.com/BAACase (Case by itself)
http://tinyurl.com/BAAOpen (Case, open)
On top, as you can see in the third picture, is the Batarang with stand that I was so greatly anticipating. One thing I liked about this bundle is the fact everything was in a special fitted foam section. This was kind of a let-down. I figured they wouldn't make it metal or particularly fancy, but I tell you what they seemed to make it as minimal as possible. The Batarang is a very light plastic, and mine had scratches all over it. The edges had scratches and, as you can kinda see in the third picture, the front center of it had scratches. This kind of made me mad, it's like someone tried to use it to defeat a giant sheet of sandpaper. I hope the person lost. Another thing I didn't like is the fact you can't take the Batarang off the stand. (Just thought I might as well add this in, my boyfriend said he thinks the scratches were intentional, but I disagree because they're also on the back of the Batarang, the side which you wouldn't see if you had it on display)
http://tinyurl.com/BAABatarang (Batarang with foam holder)
Another bonus item included with the bundle was the Arkham Asylum patient manifest. It's cloth-bound and the pages are high-quality glossy paper. It has information on a lot of the enemies in the game and, although you can get all the information by playing through the game, it's a neat and interesting little addendum.
http://tinyurl.com/BAABook (Patient manifest)
And, of course, this bundle comes with the game and the bonus DVD. The game case isn't like most special editions, which are metal or just have a cardboard sleeve over the plastic. The whole thing is made of the same stuff the sleeves are made of, and the 2 discs are inside. The way it is designed, the game manual doesn't fit inside, so it's seperate in the case. There are also the 2 free DLC challenge map codes, the backs of which double as stickers. I haven't quite watched the bonus DVD yet (I save those until after I finish the game) but from what I hear it's pretty decent.
http://tinyurl.com/BAADiscs (Game discs, manual and DLC codes)
Overall, this is a very well-put-togther collector's edition, and other than my qualms with the quality of the Batarang, I would say it is one of the best special editions I have seen and it is definitely worth the money, even if just for the cool case.

I will be busy with work the next couple of days, so I won't be done with AA as quickly as I finished Wolfenstein. Just give me a few days and I will try to have a full-fledged review up.

P.S. I pre-ordered RAGE and am considering DJ Hero, but I'm still not sure about that $120 price tag.