Final Fantasy XIII, like the past few predecessors, is not a jump-in-and-play game. It requires a lot of time and either attention or a willingness to skip hours of amazing cut scenes.

There’s also quite a learning curve and a long, long while before the action becomes interesting yet never quite comes close to outweighing the story.

But is it worth the $60 price tag and leap from exclusivity to a second system?

Title: Batman: Arkham AsylumPrice: $59.99System(s): Xbox 360, PS3, PCRelease Date: August 25, 2009Publisher (Developer): Rocksteady (Warner Bros. Interactive/DC Comics)ESRB Rating: TeenPros: Amazing atmosphere, great gameplay flow, awesome Batman trappings.Cons: Combat is arguably too simplisticOverall Score: Two thumbs up; 92/100; A; * * * * 1/2

Batman: Arkham Asylum came out of left field (at least, for me) and completely blew me away. It’s the very best game to feature The Dark Knight himself, with gameplay that fully captures all of the B-man’s best abilities and throws the player into one of the coolest, creepiest and most story-rich environments this side of BioShock.