I purchased both Batman games during a Steam sale last year, but I haven't played either game yet. I did try the demo for AA back when the game was released, but to be honest I don't remember it that well. I recall not liking the UI though - too many icons on the screen.
Hmm, not sure what you're talking about here. The UI is pretty clean if you ask me.
I'm curious though because I do plan on playing them eventually. What is awkward about the controls? Is it because it seems like they would be better with a gamepad, or is it more about the responsiveness in general? Also, how long is AA approximately?
I switched back and forth between gamepad and mouse/kb - and I think both work fine. Gamepad is better simply because you can be laid back about it - and that's always comfortable. But, frankly, the mouse/kb controls are perfectly alright - and I wouldn't strictly recommend one over the other.
The controls are not that bad overall - but the boss/harder fights have certain mechanics that require you to move and jump about in specific ways. The game uses a "smart targeting" system when you hit enemies - and it tries to predict which enemy you want to hit or jump over.
Many of the boss fights (or harder fights) involve a lot of enemies on the screen - and you will end up jumping in the wrong direction quite a bit. This is fatal when a "big enemy" is part of the fight - because you need to jump out of the way of his attacks.
The camera issue is typical of these 3rd person over the shoulder games - where you want to dodge an attack by jumping to the side, and instead you end up jumping right into a wall instead.
But it should be noted that I have a very low tolerance for constant samey fights - and people who enjoy them will likely not be so frustrated.
About length - it depends on how much of a completionist you are.
If I had to guess - the main story takes up around 40-50% of the game. So, if you completely ignore every single Riddler question mark and what not - you'll experience roughly half the game. I estimate that will take between 8-12 hours - depending on your pace.
I was at ~65% when I reached the last boss fight - and I had about half the Riddler question marks found. I never timed it - but I think I've spent 12 hours or so with the game.
If you do absolutely everything and take your time - you can probably squeeze 25 hours out of it - or something like that.