The Joker thinks so.

In case you missed it, Batman: Arkham Asylum should be available in stores today. If you had planned on entering your local gaming emporium with your hard earned dollars hoping that you'd pick up the game for the usual "I'm a next-gen new release" price point of AU$109.95, prepare to feel a little shafted.

The RRP of blockbuster title is escalating a little bit, with you now expected to part with AU$119.95 if you were to buy the game at the RRP. While we all know that gamers who are savvy enough won't part with such frivolous amounts of money (a quick Google search is likely to save you around $20-30 on the title) let's consider for a moment the uneducated masses that are the gaming public, and just how much more money this is going to inject into Eidos and Rocksteady Studios.

While AU$119.95 isn't a very odd price point for new release PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 titles, it has become increasingly less common as the install base of the consoles has grown. It's also interesting to note that Eidos did not price the latest Tomb Raider instalment so excessively.

Let's also hold a moments silence for another interested party - Warner Bros. Interactive who obviously have a great big gaping hole in their pocket thanks to the elaborate failure that was Terminator Salvation.

Just how high are game prices going to be pushed? Fairly recent remarks from Activision CEO Bobby Kotick are especially pertinent - his recent plans to raise the price (in the UK) of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for absolutely no reason seem to have fallen on deaf ears, with the Kotick then stating that "you know if it was left to me, I would raise the prices even further."

In any case, if you had planned to pick up Batman: Arkham Asylum today, make sure that you try and get the best value for money, especially if you're in Adelaide, and are keen to have a few drinks with the guys this evening... If you really wanted to save money though, you could always just wait for the PC version, which will only be AU$89.95