The Amazing Spider-Man Review

[Mike Kayatta]

The Amazing Spider-Man Review

The Amazing Spider-Man is a lot a summer action movie: great stunts, bad writing.

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[Zer0Saber]

so the webs just grab on to air. i liked the spiderman 2 game, you needed buildings around in order to swing. every spiderman game i play i compare to 2 and it never seems as good.

 

[SnakeoilSage]

I like how this game plays. Spider-Man has always been to me a kind of improv-ninja using those heightened senses and nimbleness to fight. The web slinging looks great even if you are more or less just swinging off the helicopter your camera seems to be mounted on, but so what? It's one of the most unique ways to travel for super heroes: even Batman had to steal from it 'cause a guy with a bat-cape/glider thing can only get you so far.

Now if they could just stop screwing around with his story. Sony, I know you want money, but just give Marvel back the license already. We need Spider-Man to not suck anymore.

 

[Realitycrash]

What the hell, the game is ALREADY out? Shovelware much?

Combat looks borrow from the recent Batman games.
Then again, that combat was awesome, so maybe the game got a chance afterall.

 

[PhunkyPhazon]

What the hell, the game is ALREADY out? Shovelware much?

Combat looks borrow from the recent Batman games.
Then again, that combat was awesome, so maybe the game got a chance afterall.

This is, essentially, Spider-Man: Arkham City. If you like the Batman games, then this is well worth checking out.

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

This game makes you feel like Spider-man? Cause it made me feel like I had training wheels on my controller. The "Do cool stuff" button (Web Rush) removes the need for skill and the fact that you can jump from the highest heights and land like a feather removes any sense of tension from swinging making it a simple mode of conveyance rather than a thrilling movement system.

When I go for a car ride in GTA or Saints Row I can get hit by other cars, I can piss off the police, anger rival gangs; there is tension and therefore thrill/fun. When I hold one button down to swing and can take no damage, plus hit my "flip crazily to point A" button, I don't feel like a crime fighting vigilante. I feel like the game is on auto-pilot and hogging all the fun.

This game isn't awful. But it's not a gamers game by any stretch of the imagination. It's a product to be marketed and sold to the under 10s. Which is fine if that's all you want, just don't go in expecting Spider-man 2 levels of gameplay and don't go in expecting AMAZING regardless of what the title would have you believe.

 

[Mike Kayatta]

so the webs just grab on to air. i liked the spiderman 2 game, you needed buildings around in order to swing. every spiderman game i play i compare to 2 and it never seems as good.

Yeah, you notice that pretty early on, but this is one of those cases of fun versus "realism". There are more than enough reasons to find fault with the game's believability, so Spidey clinging to thin air (and not getting interrupted from a fluid motion) while swinging around actually helps the experience more than hurts it, especially since the camera never shows that you aren't attached to anything.

 

[Sonicron]

so the webs just grab on to air. i liked the spiderman 2 game, you needed buildings around in order to swing. every spiderman game i play i compare to 2 and it never seems as good.

While I never actually checked to see what the webbing attaches to, I don't think it's thin air; if you fall from great heights and there are only small buildings beneath you, you can hold that webswing button as long as you want, you won't actually start swinging until you're a fraction below the buildings' upper edges.
Amazing Spider-Man sadly doesn't have the fun acrobatic challenges of Spider-Man 2, effectively killing the post-credits open world game, but other than that it certainly doesn't need to hide its face in shame, especially considering the excellent combat system.

What the hell, the game is ALREADY out? Shovelware much?

Combat looks borrow from the recent Batman games.
Then again, that combat was awesome, so maybe the game got a chance afterall.

Not shovelware. Believe me, I'm as wary of tie-in games as a person can be, but I'm telling you the honest truth when I say I don't feel ripped off after buying this game.
The combat system is copied wholesale from the Arkham games, but here's the thing: It's actually more fun. The fluid melee action and crazy acrobatics fit Spidey much better than Batman, and once you rack up the combo meter and start chaining regular attacks, webshots and the insanely entertaining finishing moves like a pro, you just might start literally whooping with joy. I know I did.

 

[PhunkyPhazon]

so the webs just grab on to air. i liked the spiderman 2 game, you needed buildings around in order to swing. every spiderman game i play i compare to 2 and it never seems as good.

While I never actually checked to see what the webbing attaches to, I don't think it's thin air; if you fall from great heights and there are only small buildings beneath you, you can hold that webswing button as long as you want, you won't actually start swinging until you're a fraction below the buildings' upper edges.
Amazing Spider-Man sadly doesn't have the fun acrobatic challenges of Spider-Man 2, effectively killing the post-credits open world game, but other than that it certainly doesn't need to hide its face in shame, especially considering the excellent combat system.

It *is* attaching to thin air, but the game doesn't usually let you swing where you wouldn't otherwise be able to ("Usually" being the operative word here). However people, don't let that deter you completely. The way webswinging is presented still makes for a very entertaining experience. The biggest fault I see with the game by far is that random crimes are finite, which downright murders the post-game replayability. However, you can still replay levels for collectibles and restart the game on a harder difficulty, so it's not like there isn't any staying power whatsoever.

Overall, I think this is the best Spider-Man game to come out in the last 7 years. Just don't go in expecting Spider-Man 2 levels of awesomeness.

 

[bobmus]

Just wanted to point out 'spastically free-aim'. I've said it myself in the past casually, but c'mon Mike, be a bit more professional!

Also that web-swing into free air just looks wrong.

 

[idodo35]

well fitting that the game will have good action and lame story just like the movie its based on...
but im genuinly suprised it got that good of a review! maybie ill pick it up when its on sale or something...

 

[Swyftstar]

I don't know, it looked kind of bad to me. I also don't remember Spidey being all that big on stealth attacks in the comics or movies.

 

[antipunt]

well fitting that the game will have good action and lame story just like the movie its based on...

lol, I was waiting for someone to finally come out and say this

 

[jFr[e]ak93]

"The story doesn't work." Sooooooo it's true to the movie then?

OT, looks interesting. The whole "webs just attach to the air" thing get's to me though. Yes, it's a video game, but it breaks immersion in a hurry.

 

[BrotherRool]

This sounds like a worthy successor to Spiderman 2... wait webs attach to the air? How can they get this right half a decade ago and then not once since?

EDIT

so the webs just grab on to air. i liked the spiderman 2 game, you needed buildings around in order to swing. every spiderman game i play i compare to 2 and it never seems as good.

Yeah, you notice that pretty early on, but this is one of those cases of fun versus "realism". There are more than enough reasons to find fault with the game's believability, so Spidey clinging to thin air (and not getting interrupted from a fluid motion) while swinging around actually helps the experience more than hurts it, especially since the camera never shows that you aren't attached to anything.

But it was always fun in 2, in fact webs being attached to buildings is pretty much unanimously agreed as the best part of the game. If it didn't interrupt fluid motion then, or get in the way of fun versus realism (it was actually very fun specifically because it was much more variable than otherwise and let a lot of strategy come into play. Trying to webswing up the Empire State Building was a fun way to spend time and it kept your brain active whilst swinging. It meant that every area had it's own quirks and swinging around one place was a different experience from swinging around another).

I can buy that it doesn't kill the game, afterall Spiderman 1 for the PS1 didn;t have the complexity for webs being attached to stuff and that was an okay game, but I find it hard to buy that it's an improvement and not less fun than 2's system

 

[Diegolomac]

Hummm, I know that the webs not attaching to buildings is pretty bad, especially considering that every spiderman game in the last 7 years did that right, but the close camera makes it feel a lot more intense to me than the far away cameras from the game tie-ins of the second and third movies.

 

[neoontime]

Glad this turned out somewhat good. Really, it just suffered from being a movie-tie in. Not to say most of the non-tie in games are any better.

 

[Mike Kayatta]

This sounds like a worthy successor to Spiderman 2... wait webs attach to the air? How can they get this right half a decade ago and then not once since?

EDIT

so the webs just grab on to air. i liked the spiderman 2 game, you needed buildings around in order to swing. every spiderman game i play i compare to 2 and it never seems as good.

Yeah, you notice that pretty early on, but this is one of those cases of fun versus "realism". There are more than enough reasons to find fault with the game's believability, so Spidey clinging to thin air (and not getting interrupted from a fluid motion) while swinging around actually helps the experience more than hurts it, especially since the camera never shows that you aren't attached to anything.

But it was always fun in 2, in fact webs being attached to buildings is pretty much unanimously agreed as the best part of the game. If it didn't interrupt fluid motion then, or get in the way of fun versus realism (it was actually very fun specifically because it was much more variable than otherwise and let a lot of strategy come into play. Trying to webswing up the Empire State Building was a fun way to spend time and it kept your brain active whilst swinging. It meant that every area had it's own quirks and swinging around one place was a different experience from swinging around another).

I can buy that it doesn't kill the game, afterall Spiderman 1 for the PS1 didn;t have the complexity for webs being attached to stuff and that was an okay game, but I find it hard to buy that it's an improvement and not less fun than 2's system

So, just to be clear: 99% of the time, your webs are attached to buildings. The only time they attach to "thin air" is when you are swinging extremely high, and even then it often lets you falter just a little to try and get you sticking to the closest wall again. If you still have issue with that, cool, but I didn't want to make it sound like you were just hovering about all willy nilly most of the time.

 

[Mrsoupcup]

The web sticks to the sky?

So close, so very close. But no dice.

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

This sounds like a worthy successor to Spiderman 2... wait webs attach to the air? How can they get this right half a decade ago and then not once since?

EDIT

so the webs just grab on to air. i liked the spiderman 2 game, you needed buildings around in order to swing. every spiderman game i play i compare to 2 and it never seems as good.

Yeah, you notice that pretty early on, but this is one of those cases of fun versus "realism". There are more than enough reasons to find fault with the game's believability, so Spidey clinging to thin air (and not getting interrupted from a fluid motion) while swinging around actually helps the experience more than hurts it, especially since the camera never shows that you aren't attached to anything.

But it was always fun in 2, in fact webs being attached to buildings is pretty much unanimously agreed as the best part of the game. If it didn't interrupt fluid motion then, or get in the way of fun versus realism (it was actually very fun specifically because it was much more variable than otherwise and let a lot of strategy come into play. Trying to webswing up the Empire State Building was a fun way to spend time and it kept your brain active whilst swinging. It meant that every area had it's own quirks and swinging around one place was a different experience from swinging around another).

I can buy that it doesn't kill the game, afterall Spiderman 1 for the PS1 didn;t have the complexity for webs being attached to stuff and that was an okay game, but I find it hard to buy that it's an improvement and not less fun than 2's system

So, just to be clear: 99% of the time, your webs are attached to buildings. The only time they attach to "thin air" is when you are swinging extremely high, and even then it often lets you falter just a little to try and get you sticking to the closest wall again. If you still have issue with that, cool, but I didn't want to make it sound like you were just hovering about all willy nilly most of the time.

That's not strictly true though. I've been swinging down the middle of the street in the game and even though it would be easy to pull some visual trickery, the game still shoots the web straight up, where there is nothing. Don't believe me? Check the videos.

You can fool yourself into believing the webs stick to something if you want to, but it still boils down to "hold button, swing anywhere" and "Tap button, do crazy flips to destination X" which requires all the skill and brain power of a yogurt.

The game has it's merits, I'm not saying it doesn't. But the swinging IS NOT one of them. Not at all. If you like it that is your right as a person who holds an opinion. But don't oversell it. Just because you dip a little when your over fake Central Park doesn't mean the webs aren't sticking to thin air since there is a tree in the general vicinity.