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A would-be hero sleeps peacefully. Suddenly, he springs awake, saunters out of his home and gets swept away on an engaging quest, ultimately saving his world from destruction and a greater evil. This plot descriptor may sound like your typical action RPG setup – Link to the Past anyone? But with gorgeous artwork, levels that build themselves as you go, an exotic world and a grizzled narrator who somehow adds immensely to the experience, developer Supergiant Games is making sure Bastion sets itself apart from the vast horde of typically mediocre action RPGs out there...

The world has fallen apart and The Kid doesn't even know it. He wakes up in his bed and the floor has literally fallen out from under him. The Calamity has occurred. The only thing separating him from the abyss is the ground that mysteriously appears in front of him as he moves. Where is everyone? Why is the world coming back together in front of him? He's got no idea. He's only really sure of one thing: he needs to get to the Bastion so he can meet his family and figure out why the world is completely demolished. Of course, we know just about as much as The Kid does about what's happening. The story picks up right after the end of the world, and it's all about figuring what happened..

Paul Crocker, Lead Narrative Designer at Rocksteady Studios, donned one of our magical interview headsets at E3 last week to give us his thoughts on Batman: Arkham Asylum, which may turn out to be the best Batman game we've ever played. Crocker discusses the reason for the game's short delay, its inspiration, story, gameplay, and more. Have a listen below!

Think of a great superhero game. No, not a good one — there are plenty of those around — but one as essential as, say, Grand Theft Auto IV or BioShock. You’re struggling, right? That’s because there aren’t any. Or rather there weren’t any until Batman: Arkham Asylum came along.

We're about to commit what some geek groups would consider heresy: Maybe the world was better off not having a game based on The Dark Knight, Batman's wildly successful and delightfully dismal summer movie outing from last year. Yes, we saw the movie (four times, thanks, and that's not counting IMAX viewings); yes, we loved it. But what are the chances a rushed-through-development movie tie-in would have actually been good?

The Caped Crusader has had something of a dodgy past both on the silver screen and in games. From the ace 1989 Tim Burton gothic epic that grossed over a quarter of a billion dollars domestically to the franchise-murdering Joel Schumacher colour-saturated camp-fest Batman & Robin that barely limped past the $100 million marker, Bruce Wayne and his crime-fighting alter-ego haven’t had it easy.

Stealth, stalking, and all-out brutality. How Batman is taking back the mantle from the games that stole his schtick. 

A dark, familiar figure slinks through a study lined with books, older paintings and leather furniture. The figure removes a painting and finds a safe, where the object of desire awaits. Suddenly, the figure's surrounded by a half-dozen henchman, each wearing gnarly monster masks that cover half their faces. The camera swoops back revealing Catwoman and then places you in her shoes to steal valuables from other criminals and administer beat-downs of a more graceful nature than you're accustomed to...

We had our doubts about Batman: Arkham City. Would it live up to our 2009 Game of the Year? Could it possibly maintain what was so great about Arkham Asylum while making the transition into the genre of the open world game? What about the relatively short development time? Could they possibly make a game as fleshed out and polished in just about a year and a half? As it turns out, yes. Yes they can...