The Amazing Spider-Man Review

Posted By Austin Yorski about 10 months, 2 weeks ago

The Amazing Spider-Man Review

In my review of Spider-Man: Edge of Time I lamented that developer Beenox had failed to capture the essence of the titular hero. Peter Parker (or Miguel O’Hara) is at his best when he’s swinging through New York City, breaking up the occasional mugging and stopping every once in a while to fight off Electro. With a worryingly short development cycle and a movie licensed attached, I wasn’t confident that The Amazing Spider-Man would be able to do justice to the character either. My fears were unfounded.

Right off the bat, you need to know that this is a sequel to the Marc Webb film reboot of the same name. That means plot elements and character fates revealed in the movie will be openly discussed from the very beginning of the video game. Needless to say, that constitutes spoilers. What does not include spoilers however, is my review, so feel free to keep reading.

After the events of said film, Peter Parker is touring the infamous Oscorp Industries when he accidentally incites a breakout of various mutated monsters. Vermin, Scorpion, Iguana, and more all break loose in the opening, which is pretty effective, despite being in first-person. The game then lets you take control of Spider-Man, as he sets off to undo the damage he’s done (now in third-person) by swinging through the city, crawling through the sewers, and investigating more than a few secret laboratories.

In the grand tradition of Spider-Man 2, the whole city of Manhattan is open for your web-slinging perusal, although side quests unlock after specific story missions are completed. You can assist in police car chases, throw down with bank robbers, or even take pictures of suspicious activity going on around the city. All of these activities are more or less mindless busy work, but they do make you feel like Spider-Man; it’s the small acts of kindness that separate him from other Marvel names like Hulk and Thor. More importantly, side missions reward you with experience points and the occasional showdown with a minor villain, which is always worth it.

Guess how you beat this guy.

Unfortunately, the actual execution of boss fights is one of the low points of the experience. Most of the plotline brawls are very impressive visually, but rely too heavily on quick-time events. The throwdowns with Spidey’s villains are much more disappointing however. Instead of weaving the B-listers into the story or giving them memorable set-pieces, most of these bouts are simple fistfights. Rhino gets a unique twist on his encounters, but the solution to his defeat should be obvious from his name. It’s a shame that the opportunity to showcase these characters was squandered, because Spider-Man has one of the best rogue galleries this side of Gotham.

Speaking of the Caped Crusader, it becomes quickly apparent that the combat and stealth portions of Amazing are cribbed from Rocksteady’s playbook. Armed foes are very dangerous for Parker, so you’ll need to be quick and efficient with your punches to set your enemies up for non-lethal web takedowns. Once you’ve bought a few upgrades though, you’ll becoming a whirling dervish of sticky death, racking up 40-hit combos and forcing all who oppose you to adhere to a nearby surface. It’s not the deepest combat system, but it’s satisfying.

I know that feel, spider-bro.

Perhaps more importantly, stealth is an integral part of gameplay, especially on higher difficulties. Just like Arkham City and Asylum, you need to stick to the shadows and take down guards when the opportunity presents itself, although enemy AI seems to be a little more forgetful here. Failure can be averted by simply returning to a previous room until everyone forgets they saw you, or by webbing an environmental object and battering your way through the people now shooting at you. The indoor sections of the game are heavily reliant on these mechanics though, so if the thought of playing one of Batman’s recent games with Bruce Wayne hanging from the ceiling sounds appealing to you, then you shouldn’t mind the similarities.

If there can be said to be any big innovation in the game, it’s “Web Rush.” While it is ostensibly his Spidey Senses allowing him to slow down time and pick his next destination, it’s undeniably a combination of the Dark Knight’s Detective Vision and Grappling Hook. Once again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Spider-Man can leap tall buildings in a single bound, but he’s not so good at more subtle movements. Combining that with the camera that sometimes doesn’t act in your best interest, and the Web Rush becomes not only useful, but necessary to the game. More impressively, the ability to stop time on a whim and pick your next target doesn’t actually break the combat system.

The Amazing Spider-Man Review

By Austin Yorski

Can Beenox bounce back from Edge of Time with a movie licensed game?