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We would never call you out on your love for whatever crappy thing it is that you love but, guys, you're using Google wrong. Its recent Zeitgeist 2009 report shows what the most popular gaming term searches of this year have been and the results are pretty surprising.

At the top spot is Ghostbusters, which is fine by us -- it was a pretty big deal when it was announced and it sold a lot of copies, so naturally folks were interested. But, as we delve deeper into the top 10, the search terms become a bit more interesting. The next three terms -- "ufc" "saw" and "bakugan" -- really threw us for a loop. Saw? Really? Bakugan? What is that, a gun that uses evil Japanese spirits for ammo? Actually, that sounds pretty cool.

Further into the list, we see that Batman: Arkham Asylum managed to put a batarang in the fifth spot, much lower than we'd like, but we can live with that -- however, coming in at the sixth spot is Twilight. Guys! Vampires. Do. Not. Sparkle. Seventh was FIFA 2010, followed by Modern Warfare in eighth. The ninth spot belonged to Transformers 2, which we must admit has one of this year's best performances by a human male, so that seems okay. Finally, Resident Evil 5 rounded out the list in last place.

In a lengthy post-mortem with Gamasutra this week, Rocksteady Studios creative director Sefton Hill spoke his mind on a mess of topics regarding this summer's surprise hit, Batman: Arkham Asylum. "There are too many games out there that deliver lots of average content," Hill said when asked about the relative "tightness" of Batman in comparison with other games. Personal inspiration for the game's design came from places like Zelda and Metroid, two game series he's been a fan of "for years," as well as Silicon Knights' Eternal Darkness. And though Arkham's audio logs and "environment as a character" motif hearken back to 2007's BioShock, Hill claimed he's never played it. "It's on my list of games to get back into ... I can't say for me that was a big direct influence."

Truth be told, we're just scratching the surface of Gamasutra's thorough dissection of Batman -- a game we loved with all of our jaded, rancorous hearts -- so do yourself a favor and stroll through the entire five pages. Call it an afternoon treat! You deserve it, dearest Joystiq reader.

Well, whaddya know? It's not just an Unreal license, painstaking design and dynamic gameplay that make for a Game of the Year candidate. It also takes three cans of whipped cream, 14 nationalities, 44,674 polygons (in one plant!), 314 breakable TVs, and six babies. That's right. If you're looking to crack Rocksteady Studio's formula for success, GameInformer has squeezed out a few of Batman: Arkham Asylum's most intimate secrets.

No, we're not talking solutions to Riddler's challenges or tips for combating fear toxin (hint: just breathe), but rather insight into key development ingredients; like what sports team had the most support from the staff? (Answer: Arsenal Football Club.) And did you know? The game's combat morphed from a rhythm-action game to a 2D prototype that "involved colored circles bashing into each other" before it was revised into its final design.

To think: We were this close to another horrendous Batman game ...

Late summer blockbuster Batman: Arkham Asylum receives another dose of free DLC with the "Prey in the Darkness" map pack tomorrow on Xbox 360 and PS3. The "Heart of Darkness" map will have Bats battling baddies at the Arkham Pumping Station, while "Hothouse Prey" has the detective using his predator skills to silently dispose of henchmen in the conservatory (i.e., the Abandoned Glasshouse).

Remember to check out the free "Insane Night" map pack if you somehow missed it last week ... oh yeah, and don't forget to check out the game if you've somehow missed out on that, too.

Update: Seems worth mentioning that the UK allegedly (and accidentally) has this up on the Xbox Marketplace already.

Update 2: It appears that Europe will receive the DLC on both consoles, while North America will only have it on PS3. There is no word about when the pack will arrive on the North American Xbox Marketplace. Yeah ... we don't understand it either.

One of the incentives to play Batman: Arkham Asylum on PC (outside of a lower price and PhysX graffix) is the ability to create custom skins. The community has quickly gotten to work and flooded the official forums with screen grabs of the various outfits modders have designed. Aside from the obvious The Dark Knight and classic Bats skins, there's a neat Green Lantern variation and, pictured above, a recession-conscious Batman opting for Old Navy–esque cargos instead of the usual rubbery expensive stuff. Hey, they breathe better, right?

Hit up the thread to check 'em all out.

Though the name still sounds like an utterly abysmal gallery on a frat boy's Facebook page, we thought you'd like to know a bit more about the upcoming Batman: Arkham Asylum DLC pack, "Insane Night."

On September 17th (on PS3, PC and 360), you'll be able to download the "Totally Insane" combat challenge, which pits the Dark Knight against escaped lunatics in Arkham's records facility, as well as the "Nocturnal Hunter" predator challenge, where you and Bats will rely on the shadows of the Arkham watchtowers to remain hidden.

Best of all, they'll both be available for the bargain price of nothing.

Well, this is just hysterical. Posting on the Batman: Arkham Asylum PC forums, user "Cheshirec_the_cat" complained that Batman's glide wasn't working in a certain section of the game, leading to his death by poisonous gas. Before long, Eidos moderator Keir informed him that he had actually stumbled on an intentional glitch in the game that only affects those who pirated their copy. "It's not a bug in the game's code, it's a bug in your moral code," quipped Keir.

Sure, more unscrupulous members of the gaming community will discover a workaround eventually, but let's just savor the moment, shall we?

[Via MaxConsole]

Hope you haven't gotten your fill of Batman: Arkham Asylum, because Eidos is planning not one -- but at least two DLC packs for release in the next two weeks. According to SCEE's Mike Kebby, next week's free DLC will be entitled "Insane Night." "Prey in the Darkness" will follow one week later, on September 24.

It appears the upcoming expansions will be brand new, and won't be re-releases of pre-order exclusive DLC, such as "Dem Bones" and "Crime Alley." We don't know any other details on the two upcoming releases, but we do know this: we want them. Now.

That free Batman: Arkham Asylum DLC you've been anxiously awaiting won't be exclusive to any one console. An Eidos employee popped onto the official forums to confirm that the free DLC would also be available for the PC at the same time as the Xbox 360 and PS3 console versions.

As nice as all that is, what we'd really like to know is: what is it? We're crossing our fingers for a Challenge room that lets us take on Alfred. Someone needs to put that smug jerk in his place for messing with the Batmobile.

[Via CVG]

Presenting Branching Dialogue, a weekly, wordy and often worryingly pedantic discussion of video game genres, trends and err ... stuff I didn't think to put in this introductory line. One of the most irritating outcomes of role playing, often exhibited in games far removed from that genre, is when you're forced to play dumb. You'll recognize the phenomenon as the shimmering, insultingly obvious trapdoor that must be trampled in order to trigger the next cutscene or event. You may have outsmarted the game by spotting a literal hole in the plot, but the inflexible narrative can only reward those who blindly play the role -- the role usually being that of a flustered Admiral Ackbar.

It's even worse when you're supposed to be Batman. After using one of Arkham Asylum's most integral tools to spot a gang of goons lying in ambush, I was thoroughly annoyed when there seemed to be no alternative route toward the next objective and no acknowledgment of my foresight. I had to knowingly steer the world's greatest detective into a trap -- and he didn't even flinch. Only moments later did I realize that Batman was the one setting the trap, his calm demeanor hiding more intelligence than inattentiveness. In fact, had I not thought to use the all-seeing detective vision, Batman would have likely outsmarted me. And I'm the player, dammit.

Though applying a simple label to a complex work such as Batman: Arkham Asylum is unnecessary, it's useful in exploring why the developers at Rocksteady Studios are not only the first to make a genuinely good Batman game, but the first to actually ... make a Batman game. If I have to call it something (outside of "awesome," which I'm sure you're all sick of hearing), I'd call it a role-playing game. And not just because of the turn-based combat and unskippable summon animations!

We haven't spent much time at the main menu of Batman: Arkham Asylum, largely because those are precious seconds we could spend actually playing. But if you can hold out for just a few moments and watch the news ticker at the bottom of the screen, you'll see the totally exciting news that free DLC for the game is coming in 9 days (or Sept. 17 by our count).

We're trying to find out what, exactly, this content infusion entails, but in the meantime we'd like to know what you're hoping for. Will you be satisfied if it's just another challenge room?

[Thanks, Dysc]

You come to Joystiq for the lulz about video games, but we've got something a little extra today: Proof of a higher power. Not just that, but a higher power that loves you and rewards awesome games. According to Chart-Track, Batman: Arkham Asylum has taken the top spot in the UK sales charts for the week, beating out Wii Sports Resort, which seems nothing short of miraculous from where we're sitting.

The console split was pretty close to even, with 55 percent on Xbox and 45 on PS3, so it would seem that the Joker exclusivity thing panned out. We're so pleased that Arkham's performing well that we can't find anything to be snarky about. Imagine that!

In short, being Batman's roommate is kind of a sucky gig.

That's the feeling we came away with after watching GameTrailers' video preview (posted after the jump) of the Batcave Home space that's bundled with the PS3 version of Batman: Arkham Asylum. Seriously, he keeps all of his sweet toys in inaccessible display cases, he hangs all his vehicles precariously over the kitchen, and makes it so all the TVs in the place run footage of him beating up insane people.

We don't know how Robin put up with it for as long as he did.

Visually, there could not be a more stark contrast between the Joystiq staff and the Joystiq Biomass. While we're all impressively fit, tanned skin stretched across the sinew of our typing fingers, the Biomass is an amorphous, million-faced blob whose opinions are forged from the unmitigated madness of our community.

But occasionally, when its wailing gurgles become too overpowering, we must unlock its hermetically-sealed cage and let it have its say. Today, when the Biomass reviews Batman: Arkham Asylum, is such a day.