The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is one of 2014’s biggest movies, and with any summer blockbuster movie comes the inevitable video game based on said blockbuster movie. And as any self-respecting gamer should know, movie-based games are not of the highest quality. In fact, a majority of the time they just plain suck. Such was not the case in 2012, when the first Amazing Spider-Man game was released to positive reviews. Now that the sequel is out, gamers everywhere hoped that the Amazing Spider-Man 2 would be of the same quality as the first game. While it is an OK game, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 doesn’t quite do everything a spider can.
Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4 (Version Played), Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Beenox Studios
Genre: Third-Person Action Game Based On A Movie Based On A Comic Book
Release Date: April 29, 2014
ESRB Rating: Teen
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 loosely follows the plot from the movie. Sure, Electro and Green Goblin are still bosses, but the game adds the Kingpin, Shocker, and a few other members of the Spider-Man rogues gallery to the mix. In addition to the movie’s plot, Spider-Man also contends with the Enhanced Crime Task Force – a super-powered police team created by the Kingpin and OsCorp for the sole purpose of containing Spider-Man. And if that weren’t bad enough, psychotic killer Carnage is on the loose. The extra characters and storylines are a welcome addition, and Spidey’s foes are well-interpreted.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 isn’t linear, though. The gameplay is broken up a bit by introducing investigation scenes – dialogue-driven segments featuring a costume-less Peter Parker. There is no action in these sections, just interactions with other characters to further the story. Using the typical dialogue tree, Peter gets more information about current situation he is in. Unfortunately, the dialogue choices don’t really matter. Even though you get choices on how to further your conversation, you can pick them in any order with no repercussions. While these segments can be interesting (see: Kraven’s house) and offer a pause from the usual web-slinging, they seem like filler at times.
When fighting enemies during the story levels, you have the option of using a stealth approach or just jumping into the fray. Crawling across the ceiling and dropping down for a stealth takedown earns you more experience points, and is very satisfying. But when you’re taking on a group of bad guys, things get really intense. These battles play out a lot like the Arkham games, but a lot more acrobatic. The fights are relatively simple, with single-button attacks and prompted counters. It’s nothing new or innovative, but why fix something that isn’t broken?
Subduing enemies and racking up consecutive hits during fights earn you experience points, which can then be used to upgrade Spider-Man’s abilities. You can increase the range of your Spider-Sense, making hidden collectibles and enemies easier to spot. You can also upgrade your web shooters and unlock special abilities, such as disarming an enemy or increasing your swing speed. Collecting the comic books strewn around the city (who just leaves these things laying around, anyways?) unlocks action figures of characters in the game, as well as digital Spider-Man comics that you can read on-screen. Classic Spidey costumes can also be unlocked by completing various side missions that are available in-between story missions.
The game retains the open-world style that Spider-Man games have become so well-known for. While swinging around the city, your map will ping with emergencies and their locations. You’ll be tasked with helping the police take down a group of criminals, stopping crimes in progress, or taking out a bad guy during a high-speed chase. In addition to that, there are other situations like rescuing civilians from a burning building, or stopping a bomb from exploding by getting it away from the populace. These missions are optional, but you’ll need to tackle them if you want to keep public opinion swayed in your favor, thanks to a new “Hero or Menace” system. Do enough good deeds, and public opinion of Spidey reflects the same. If you’re in good standing, the Task Force will leave you alone. But if you fail these missions or ignore them, you’ll be considered a Menace and the Task Force will set their sights on you.
The Hero or Menace system works – for the most part. On several occasions a notification would pop up on the map, but I would run out of time before I reached the location – in spite of my best web-slinging. As a result, opinion swayed towards Menace. Another time I was attempting to rescue people from a building on fire. Using my Spider-Sense, I was able to locate two of them, but I had a hard time finding the third. When I finally realized she was on the roof, I had a very difficult time reaching her – mostly due to the game’s clunky wall-crawling controls. By the time I found her, it was too late; time had run out and I again fell out of the people’s good graces. Fickle bunch, these New Yorkers.
And that, to me, is one of most disappointing things about this game. Trying to run up a wall or climb it gets so confusing at times. Spidey will launch himself off the top of a roof, when all I wanted to do was just get to the top of it. When trying to run up the side of a building, he will run around the smallest corners or chimneys and before I know it, I’m lost. This is only exasperated by the constantly shifting camera. For the most part, it stays behind Spider-Man without a problem. But when you start crawling and running on walls, the camera will sometimes zoom in or change angles, making controlling Spider-Man much more frustrating. What’s so aggravating about this is that it seems like, with just a little bit more polish, this problem could have been alleviated. But when a game has to be completed in order to meet the movie’s release date, issues like this becomes the norm.
That isn’t to say that all the controls are terrible. The web-slinging is top-notch. You use the right and left triggers to control Spider-Man’s right and left web shooters. This is a great addition, and immerses you that much more into the game. Another change that I truly appreciated was that there had to be an object for your web to attach to in order to continue swinging. No more swinging from the clouds in this game, folks. If there isn’t a building on your right, then just use your left web shooters until you come across something on your right. It’s a small addition, but I love it. I also had no issues with the combat; it worked out just fine for me. So while there are a few grating problems with the controls, it’s not enough to make the game unplayable. Just maddening at times.
Having played the PS4 version, I must say that the graphics aren’t half-bad. They aren’t mind-blowing, but definitely look better than their last-gen counterparts. The city looks great, and seeing Spidey’s detailed costume is impressive. Visiting Kraven the Hunter’s house and seeing his stuffed kills is especially nice. I spent more time than I should have marveling at how cool these animals looked. Unfortunately, characters’ faces and animations aren’t that impressive. Peter has that lifeless look to his face, which really shows during the conversation sections of the game. Again, it’s not terrible, but could have been much better had Beenox been given more time with the title. I have no qualms in the sound department, either. The voice acting is well-done – Fred Tatasciore in particular does a great J. Jonah Jameson – and the sound effects are all where they should be. Spidey’s snarky quips are also heavily prevalent during fights, and I caught myself chuckling a few times. The music’s tempo kicks in during the more intense moments of the game, and never really feels out of place.
Movie-based games like The Amazing Spider-Man 2 make me a bit sad. Sad that I play a game that is not all that it could be. Deadlines in order to meet movie studio expectations cause unneeded stress on the developers, and despite their best efforts the product is rushed. As a result, the quality suffers. This game is a perfect example of this flawed system. Here we have, for the most part, a good game. A game that’s worth the price to diehard fans of the franchise. A game that your kids will absolutely love. But a perfect game? Not quite. If only Beenox had been given the time to fix some of the glaring issues, we could have had a Spider-Man that lives up to the moniker “amazing.” Instead, we have a game that, while a good game and fun in its own right, would make for a perfect issue of “What If?”
That is, if the Watcher wasn’t dead. Oh well.
Review Disclosure: A review copy of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was provided by Activision for the purposes of this review.
