Rocksteady Studios' Batman: Arkham City is easily one of the most anticipated games of the Fall. So anticipated, in fact, that some lapsed gamers might just be willing to buy a new console in order to play it. Convenient it is, then, that Microsoft will be bundling Batman: Arkham City with the 250GB Xbox 360 S in Europe. A North American release for the bundle has not been announced.

European gamers can expect to pay 279.99 Euros (roughly $383.87 U.S. dollars) for the Batman: Arkham City Xbox 360 bundle, which is scheduled to hit store shelves the same date as the game, October 21, 2011. North American gamers may not be getting the bundle, but at least they are getting the game three days earlier, on October 18, 2011.

The Arkham City Xbox 360 bundle's existence came to light thanks to amazon.de, which has the package listed for pre-order. This isn't the first time a game has been bundled with the Xbox 360. However, unlike the custom consoles produced for Halo: Reach and Gears of War 3, or the upcoming Modern Warfare 3 and Kinect Star Wars bundles, the system included with Batman: Arkham City is a standard matte black Xbox 360 with matching controller and headset. Sadly, there are no custom graphics on the unit or the controller, and no Batman sound effects at start-up.

Xbox 360 Batman Arkham City Bundle

Still, players aren't bound to care much once they've started in on Batman: Arkham City. Impossibly, the game sounds ever more exciting the closer we get to release. With multiple playable characters including Robin and Catwoman, a challenge mode, and extensive new game plus options, Arkham City is set to deliver a mountain of content. Players who opt for the system bundle will find plenty of room on the hard drive for alternate Batman skins and the four-hour Joker Carnival DLC.

What do you think of the Xbox 360 S 250 GB Batman: Arkham City Bundle? Would you like Microsoft to release it in North America?

The Xbox 360 S 250 GB Batman: Arkham City Bundle releases October 21, 2011 in Europe.

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Source: amazon.de [via examiner.com]