Batman: Arkham Asylum Collector's Edition? 100 Bucks.

One of the things we'll cover in the upcoming episodes of GameTrailers' Bonus Round--which I taped during GDC--is game prices and how the recession will affect them. Wedbush Morgan's SuperAnalyst, Michael Pachter, stated that he thinks game prices are going to go up in the future... but he isn't necessarily talking about the base price of a game. He's mostly referring to the notion of collector's edition releases, which have only been on the rise lately, and appear to be getting crazier and crazier, both in price and in content. The sale of these bonus packs is what Pachter thinks will keep the average sale price on the rise. After thinking about the $79.99 I paid for the Street Fighter IV box and wincing a little bit, I think he's probably right.

So I winced again when I spotted a quick update on Joystiq today concerning the collector's edition for Eidos' upcoming Batman game, Batman: Arkham Asylum. GameStop is currently taking orders for this June 9 release's collector's bundle for a smooth price of $99.99. That's $40 over the standard list price for you math minors out there. But, from the look of what you'll get for that extra cash, it might actually be worth it.

Here's what will be included in the CE:

Yes, you read it here first... the collector's edition WILL come with the game... and the manual. Whew!

I'm not really a huge Batman fan, and I'm not a huge fan of spending $100 on a game... but I have to admit, the batarang looks totally choice.