14 DAY TRIAL // 
Spider-Man is one of the most popular comic book characters of all time and, as a result, he's gotten a fair share of movie adaptations. Unfortunately, those movies have also gotten a lot of video game tie-in experiences from publisher Activision.
While some titles were quite good, as the classic Spider-Man 2 made by developer Treyarch, more recent installments, coming from Beenox, haven't exactly delighted fans of the web-slinging superhero.
Now, with the Amazing Spider-Man 2, the studio is back at it and promises to improve upon the failings of the last title with better web-slinging, smoother combat, and plenty of different mechanics.
Does the new game fulfill its promises or should this spider be squished? Let's find out.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 begins in one of the most awful ways possible, putting players in the shoes of regular guy Peter Parker and taking them through a tutorial that focuses on the death of his uncle Ben in a pretty insensitive manner.
Afterwards, the game handles the story in a clunky way and the cut scene moments are unimpressive, to say the least, and show just how glaring the difference between the movie characters and the game characters are. Peter Parker doesn't even resemble Andrew Garfield and the animations are stiff as a board.
When it comes to actual gameplay, however, the Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a mixed bag.
There are a few things it does right, such as the web slinging system, which sees him actually attach the webs to buildings, not to clouds, like in previous games. This makes the traversal of a skyscraper-heavy location like Manhattan quite easy. Unfortunately, in some cases it's hard to make your way into alleys and smaller zones, especially as Spider-Man's hands are mapped to each mouse button or controller trigger.
You can also employ the quite helpful Web Rush mechanic that sees the hero dash towards a certain position in an acrobatic manner. When you need to actually walk on foot, however, Spider-Man's movement system is problematic, as it will easily stick him to railings or make him get stuck in certain objects.
The combat, at first, seems quite good, as it manages to emulate the one from the Batman Arkham games, in which players need to dodge and counter blows from foes, while pummeling them with fists, kicks, or different web-based attacks. The system is fun in the beginning, especially since Spider-Man's takedowns are quite acrobatic, but it becomes really repetitive and dull, no matter how many foes are thrown at you.
There are also some baffling choices during the story, including a Hero/Menace gauge that forces players to stop crimes and help civilians in order to earn Hero points and make traversing the city easier. If they ignore the plight of the common crowd, then special high-tech security forces controlled by the Kingpin and Oscorp start following Spidey, making getting around the city a tedious affair.
There are a few nice additions to the game, like a comic book store ran by Stan Lee, in which you can read the comics you collect while slinging through the city or engage in arcade battles against waves of enemies.
The game even has an RPG-like skill system, but it's not mandatory and you don't necessarily feel more powerful if you start upgrading your abilities. Spider-Man can also wear different costumes that provide various bonuses but, considering they get better as you use them, you might want to pick one and stick with it throughout the game.
In terms of visuals, the title has some nice-looking textures for Spider-Man or some of the villains, but besides that it still looks rough. Spidey's animations are quite good and fluid, but while navigating the environment you're bound to see him clip through buildings or other such bugs.
The soundtrack is non-existent and, while Spider-Man certainly brings plenty of puns and jokes, they get repetitive, especially while fighting grunts and thugs. The voice acting is good enough, but it barely resembles the cast of the film.
The Good
- Good web slinging mechanics
- Decent combat system
- Fluid animations
The Bad
- Bad story and characters
- Unimpressive soundtrack
- Lackluster voice acting
- Poor visuals
- Combat gets tedious after a while
Conclusion
