The Amazing Spider-Man:The Video Game Review Xbox360/PS3

 The Amazing Spider-Man:The Video Game review Xbox360/PS3   

I am totally not going to lie. I am a sucker for these games. I mean open world Spider-man games not crappy movie tie ins. I have dreamed of this kind of experience since my first pair of spider-man underroos. That has never gone away. While this game gets tons right it does some wrong. But hopefully Beenox builds upon this foundation for a better game in the future.

Story: 

 The game picks up after the events of the 2012 reboot. Oscorp being the evil corporation they are starts experimenting with poor Dr. Conner’s research. Resulting in many cross species being created. This explains many old villains being re-imagined. It also helps establish the creation of the Alistar Smythe’s spider slayers. A group of mechanized baddies designed for more than just offing old webhead. It might not appease purists (I stand with you brothers). But it does help make the story workable within the movie’s canon. I am just happy that they made the story take place after the movie. I hate when they rehash the same thing we just shelled out money to see on the big screen. I will warn you though. The game will spoil main plot points of the movie. So play at your own risk.

Gameplay: 

Should I dare utter the words Spider-man 2 the game? Or such comments like “Where are my webs going?” Yes, I know SM2’s swing mechanics ruled. It helped cement how Spider-Man travels in a real city setting. Where you would have to anchor your webs to buildings. But this system is not bad. In fact it rules on it’s own. Especially during the air combat segments with the spider slayers. That would have been brutal with Spider-Man 2’s mechanics. I love the new web rush mode. Hold the button to slow down time and pick a location to traverse to. Let go and watch Spider-man bounce, zip, and flip to this location. I know it does seem to put the game on auto pilot somewhat. You can however interrupt it to either start a new rush or start swinging. Combo these two together and you can do some really cool looking moves. I also recommend that you never just hold down the swing button. Holding it is a form of simplified swing from previous games. Let go of it at the top of the swing and dive to build speed. Start to time this right and you will be clearing buildings and speeding through traffic on a strand of web in no time!

The combat is lifted right out of Arkham Asylum. One button to attack, one to counter, and one to shoot web. When racking up the combos you start pulling off signature moves. Get those combos rolling and when you finish the fight you should have bad guys stuck to walls, floors, and even the ceiling. Instead of squiggly lines going off the enemies head for counters they just go off Spiderman’s. This makes spider sense pun intended. The system works and is better than any combat we have had yet in the franchise. Also the stealth options are more expansive. By that I mean we at least have a stealth option. Only Shattered Dimensions ever gave us something of that nature. With web head you don’t need a gargoyle to cling to like Mr. Batman. You can use any wall and any ceiling. Just sneak up like a spider and cocoon your victim. It feels great, makes you really feel like a Spider-man and you won’t miss the caped crusader.

You level up with experience points by doing various things. It can be earned by engaging in combat, stopping crimes, doing challenges, taking photos, finding magazines or tech in the indoor sections, or collecting the 700 comic book pages that are hidden about the city. That last one is the selling point for me. I am totally about collecting this stuff in sandbox games. I have been hooked since GTA3’s bags of contraband. And when you have a travel system like the one Spider-man can offer well I am way in. On top of that collecting the pages gives you full comic books to read. We are talking about some great issues from past and present. There’s also hidden suits to be found. These are interesting since they are similar to talking to Calendar Man in Arkham City. You have to find the spider icon in the city on a specific date and take a photo of it to unlock the costume. Yes, it’s tedious but I applaud them for trying something new.

I only wish that the crimes were random and infinite. More types of crimes would have also been appreciated. It really kills playability after you see the credits roll. I just can’t believe that Spidey would be so good at his job that there’s nothing going on in the NYC.  Also, please stop with the quick time events. Not just this game but industry wide. Is there really no other way I can defeat my enemy other than pressing “B” at the right time? It’s started to feel like a cop out way back in 2005 and even today it feels that way.

Graphics:  

Personally they look good. Good enough for a game that gives you this much real estate without compromising frame-rates or lack of npc population. Yes, there is a bit of screen tearing but it’s not game breaking in the least. It always seems a bit blurry in the distance of Manhattan as well. The frame-rate for me was rock solid. It even held up nicely during the epic boss battles. I love how they put the camera right on top of you. It really gives some vertigo when swinging around the city. The indoor levels can get a little jumpy with the camera. I never once however thought it was a deal breaker.

Spider-man himself looks great. I love how his suit disintegrates with the more damage you take. He is also very fluid. Tons of animation during combat and while traveling throughout the city. The enemies also look good. Especially the larger ones. I don’t mind how they portrayed Black Cat either. It seemed more realistic with just enough comic book influence. I can’t say the same for the Scorpion. I just didn’t like the choice of going with some kind of mindless H.G. Giger designed knock off. And he never talks. Sorry Mac maybe next time they will get some voice acting for ya!

The game does not work off a day/night cycle like some sandbox games do. It’s all story based. Each segment does look great with a wide variety of effects and lighting. Especially when you get later in the game and city is having shall I say major issues.  After completion you can select any time of the day or night to gallivant around the city and finish anything you hadn’t completed before the final level. I still wished they would have implemented a day/night cycle. There’s nothing better than to sit back on the Empire State building during sunset thinking about all the great deeds you did for New York that day.

Verdict: 

 With it’s faults I still enjoyed it greatly. It took me roughly 18 hours on the superhero difficulty to do everything. I was milking it though because I didn’t want it to end. I can only hope that Beenox is given another chance to right their wrongs and come back strong in a future title. Activision please let them branch out on their own. Maybe they can do something more along the lines of Spidey’s comic book universe instead of trying to link it to another movie blockbuster? That would boggle the mind. Then we might have some serious competition against the Bat for the crown of comic book games. In conclusion I had no issues spending full price. But if you are on the fence, wait till it drops in price and it’s a definite pickup. I feel it’s an excellent summer drought game.

Written by Guest Reviewer: Truper