Critical Review
"The game is good but not great in my opinion. I can certainly see why people would like it because it offers a very unique Batman experience. However, people claiming it offers the same environment and feel of Bioshock are giving the game to much credit in my opinion. The combat itself is as clunky as the demo was tedious. Punch, counter rinse and repeat. The invisible predator mode is the best thing about the game and is the only thing that keeps it from an even lower score in my book. Another thing is that game is really easy as the puzzles are moronically simple to solve. Seriously, if you can't beat this game in under 8 hours then you are doing something wrong. It's short but doesn't offer much replay aside from the little fighting room mini game with the Joker. The musical score is amazing, voice acting is amazing, story is good, graphics are top notch but that can't save the core game from being extremely shallow and generic. The RPG system where you level up techniques using XP is as simple as it comes. Why even have it if there is no depth? Why not just automatically upgrade attributes. At the end of the day I would say Infamous offers more value for the money and a better experience. This game is really only for Batman fanboys. I can't see myself playing this after I get the platinum trophy which I'm only few trophies away from doing right now. Gameplay - 5 Story - 8 Audio - 10 replay - 7 graphics - 9 Controls - 4 Total score = 43/60 or 7.0 overall Suggestion: Only buy it if you are a hardcore Batman fanboy. Otherwise, it's a solid rental or value buy if you can get it under $39.99. This is just my opinion and I would suggest anyone interested in the game should just try it for themselves"
http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/batman-arkham-asylum/user-reviews

Biased Review
"It's quite simple for me...the only disappointment I experienced while playing this game was the fact that I have never read comic books of any kind before, so considering how the characters of Batman: AA were based off the comic versions, I really didn't know much about the characters that weren't in the movies (I have, nonetheless, seen all the movies, so I do know of the ones featured in them). But at the same time, this was halfway a good thing for me, b/c I found myself excited to unlock the next of many character bio's through the Riddler puzzles. Despite my ignorance of 90% of the characters who were mentioned in the bio's, I have to say that in my opinion, this was one of the most fun games I have ever played. First, everyone must understand the intentions of this game. Those who say the puzzles are too easy or the fighting is too easy or how easily it is for Batman to evade attackers by shooting up to the gargoyles, you have to understand that if you look at who Batman is, these things SHOULD be somewhat easy. He's Batman, for crying out loud. Would Batman ever have a tough time disposing of low level thugs like the many thugs you have to fight in the game?? No, b/c he's knowledgeable in many forms of martial arts, so the fighting should be fairly easy. Would Batman ever have a tough time trying to solve puzzles and riddles like the ones left behind by the Riddler in the game?? No, b/c he is a master detective and an all around genius in every aspect of the word, so the puzzles should be fairly easy. Would Batman have any trouble in losing moronic henchmen like the ones in the game?? No, b/c he is a true master of stealth tactics, so it should be fairly easy to elude the moronic henchmen in the game. That's what needs to be understood about this game...they wanted you to feel like you are Batman. What it's like to "Eat chumps like them everyday for breakfast" (hahaha that was so cheesy it was actually funny), being able to easily get out of a tight spot by shooting into and flying through the rafters, and solving the Riddler's puzzles in a decent amount of time. For those who haven't played it yet, don't let anyone fool you...the combat and puzzle solving isn't as easy as some may say. You will find yourself running through the different possibilities of an answer to a puzzle or the best strategy to use to take down a room full of armed henchmen many times throughout playing. Oh, for those wondering why Batman is so big...this game was made in homage to the comics, not the movies, and in the comics, Batman is pretty big...with the Joker being as thin as Gumby. That's why they are portrayed that way. Yes, there are some minor variations to the characters that do appear in the game compared to their comic book counterparts, but nothing too dramatic. In closing, I will say that if you are a fan of The Bat, you will not be disappointed with this game whether you buy or rent. The same can probably be said about the casual fans, like myself, also. I don't really care if anyone thinks I'm out of my mind for saying this, but based on the fact at how extremely fun and engaging as this game was for me and how I was enjoying the game when I completed everything just as much as I was when I first started the game (which is rare for me), I can honestly say that, to ME, this is in the top 5 greatest games I have ever played. Period."
http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/batman-arkham-asylum/user-reviews?page=1

The first review shows an understanding of both sides and opinions of the game, which to me makes it a critical review. It starts off with an overall opinion, then going on to show understanding of both sides of the debate. Encountering other opinions and then relating/comparing that to their opinion. They explain their dislikes within the combat of the game and the lack of skill needed  for the game- claiming it's perhaps too easy as well as too short as a game length. They then move on to the positives of the game which is the voice acting, music, story and graphics, however then clashes with this by saying the core of the game is "shallow" and "generic". Throughout the review, they roughly even out the negatives and positives, giving a structured critique. They then conclude their review which numbered ratings for each criteria of the game. Overall, recommending the game specifically for "Batman fans" but basically saying the game is not particularly worth it other wise - unless you are interesting in the game for other reasons then to go ahead and try it out. This review encounters and gives an opinion on the majority, if not all of the criteria's of the game. Trying to include and understand other perceptions but overall giving out an honest opinion. They don't put the negatives out in a harsh way, yet they make it clear they are questioning the flaws of the game. I think this review has a critique perception rather than biased, because they aren't a big fan of Batman, themselves. I think if they were a fan it would make their opinion much stronger and personal- perhaps sticking up for the game a lot more rather than pointing out factual aspects of the gameplay.

The next review bases their experience and opinion on the game on their personal views of Batman. Such as stating the only disappointment with the game was that they did not previously know much about the characters involved, which isn't the games fault/deal at all. However, they then add that this could be a positive feature as it made them much more intrigued on finding more out about the characters. The review then goes on to talk about how the game is and should be easy as Batman basically knows all, there fore it would be easy for Batman so should be for his role in the game. I'd say this is a biased opinion as they are a Batman fan themselves and would typically stand up to his greatness, rather then thinking about the gameplay for whoever chooses to play, they might want a personal, realistic challenge for themselves..In other words it shouldn't depend on Batman's skill if he's not actually the one behind the controls. The skill should be likewise to his but I think that would make it pointless if there was no challenge for those personally. However they then add that the game is actually quite challenging. The review then concludes also by saying how this game is mostly suitable for batman fans aswell as casual fans. This review doesn't talk no where near as much about the actual game play as the first review did. They didn't give specific ratings for different aspects of the game unlike the other review and didn't give as many negatives, probably as they were more biased, being a bigger fan. Neither reviews really covered the purpose of the game or background information.