Best Buy Arkham City preorders get playable Robin

Warner Bros. today announced that it has partnered with national electronics retailer Best Buy to offer Batman sidekick Robin as a playable character in Arkham City's Challenge mode as part of the "Tim Drake Robin pack." The pack is available to those who preorder the game for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Robin boasts his own distinct gadgets and other "special moves," though none were named. Further, gamers who preorder at Best Buy will score two extra challenge maps: Black Mask Hideout and Freight Train Escape. Lastly, gamers who preorder Arkham City at the retailer will score a "Red Robin" skin.

Like its well-received predecessor, Arkham City drops Batman in the confines of an unconventional prison. But where Arkham Asylum stuck players in the halls and courtyards of a mental hospital overrun with the Joker's goons and allies, Arkham City deposits them in a sprawling neighborhood of Gotham City that has been walled off to contain the criminal element.

Under the watchful eye of "warden" Dr. Hugo Strange, who knows Batman's secret identity, inmates of Arkham City are free to do anything they want short of attempting escape. In addition to Strange, the game will feature Batman villains like Two-Face and the Joker.

For more on the title, check out GameSpot's most recent hands-on preview with Batman: Arkham City.