all games are not created equal

Well I beat B:AA this mornin, so it's only fair that I want to talk about it.  I mean c'mon, no one is talking about this game at all, right?

Anywho, in many ways, B:AA reminded me of Assassin's Creed.  You sneak about, you can climb up to most rooftops and observe enemies from overhead, you can stealthily take them out, and you leap from big heights.

Name, the combat system feels very similar.  Just push the analog stick towards your opponent and hit the attack button.  If an enemy is about to attack, push the parry/counter button.  If an enemy is knocked down, you can pounce on them to finish them off.

However, in AC, everyone has swords, so there's TONS of parrying and blocking going on.  But in Batman, you're just punching and kicking guys in the face, and it looks PAINFUL.  The animation looks fantastic and every move segways into the next one very well.  If you're really good at blocking attacks and knowing when to attack, then every fight really makes it look like Batman is barely trying.

The stealth portions are ok in Batman, but they never feel varied.  You generally perch atop gargoyle statues and wait until an enemy is isolated, then you take him out.  Halfway through the game, taking out an enemy will alert all the other guards, which you can use to your advantage by leaving an explosive trap, though you still have to go down and knock out everyone by hand before they get up. 
It works, and it's fun, but it's not nearly as fun as playing as Altair and sneaking through the crowds unnoticed in order to line up that final blow to your target. 

Overall, the level structure and flow in Batman is much better thought out than Assassin's Creed, and therefore makes the game more fun.  There's collectibles and challenges to do once you beat the main game, and there's a promise of DLC in the future.