Batman: Arkham Asylum was one of my favorite games of last year. It broke a string of really bad Bat-games by boiling down the core elements of Batman into really enjoyable gameplay mechanics and delivering top shelf visuals and vocal performances. The great story by Paul Dini didn’t hurt either.
So what would make all that better? The same thing that makes anything better nowadays: 3D.
Shipping later this spring, the Game of the Year Edition of Arkham Asylum will include redone graphics and 3D glasses. From the press release:
Batman: Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Edition adds a new dimension to the multi award-winning gameplay experience, with support for TriOviz 3D on both PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system from Sony Computer Entertainment and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. TriOviz 3D is a patented 3D process which adds depth to the game, visible to players wearing the included 3D glasses. By leveraging the depth-of-field while maintaining the original gameplay and color integrity, TriOviz 3D creates a far more immersive gaming experience, allowing console players to dive deeper into the gothic world of Arkham Asylum.
Now, the question here will be how this process looks on a game that wasn’t built from the ground up to be viewed in 3D. Arkham’s environments are mostly dark with little contrast. Still, the game-over villain taunts and the game’s signature Scarecrow sequences would look amazing if they could effectively pop out of the screen. We’ll be watching closely when the Batman: Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Edition comes out next month.