The Amazing Spiderman for XBox 360 (From Daily Echo)

The Amazing Spiderman for XBox 360

1:52pm Friday 13th July 2012 in Game Reviews By Ian Crump

AFTER being thoroughly disappointed by The (not particularly) Amazing Spider- Man movie, I was interested to play the video game, see if Activision managed to scrape off the inch thick layer of cheesy humour that’s now consequently cloaking the franchise for me. It’s a big task, but one that somebody needs to do – I hate disliking good old Spidey.

The Amazing Spider-Man is an openworld game which channels players through storyline driven chapters. Often this blend of play can fail, but the balance seems just about right here.

Taking place after the events of the movie, Oscorp are continuing the research of Curt Connors, and are creating some atrociously hideous creatures.

These rather predictably escape, and wreak havoc in New York. It’s not a particularly imaginative plot, and those who haven’t seen the film yet will have it (more) ruined (than it already is).

Running, web-slinging and climbing his way through the city, Spider-Man must stop criminals, take pictures, collect items and more. There’s rarely a shortage of missions to get on with.

Following in the boots of the recent Batman games, combat plays a major roll throughout as does stealth play.

Spidey has an expanding move list and upgradable attribute, which can help to create bigger combos and garner more experience as a result. But despite the combat incorporating web shooting and other quite cool techniques, the punches and kicks never give the impression of force – Spider-Man feels more like a dancing fairy than a hardcore spider.

Although the graphics aren’t eye repulsive the polish is fairly typical of a licensed game – seemingly rushed.

With combat that becomes dull and repetitive, and gameplay which holds little surprise, it’s clear that many will tire of The Amazing Spider-Man very quickly.

It may not get my spider senses tingling as much as I’d hoped, yet it doesn’t bug me as much as the movie did. 5/10