..The Amazing Spider-Man..

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Spider-Man, once the hero to beat in both the cinema and game fields, he has fallen from grace thanks to a series of blunders and due to rival DC comic's Batman making some of the most notable experiences of the past few years. Making defeat only temporary, Activision and Beenox's The Amazing Spider-Man (TAS) is set become one part of an upcoming Spider-Man reboot planned to begin this summer. Taking the new storyline and blending it with updated gameplay based on 2004's Spider-Man 2 video game.

Taking an open world and placing Spider-Man would make The Amazing Spider-Man seem as if it were a fancy reskin of 2004's game, but Beenox has placed things in the game's world that update the gameplay while offering a similar experience. Arguably the best part of Spider-Man 2 was swinging through New York on strings of web, and TAS takes things one step further by allowing the player to active Web Rush, a mode that allows the players to show a few interesting spots for Spidey to travel to, choose a destination and watch as Spider-Man travels to it with fancy acrobatics. This sequence isn't presented as cinema; instead it's something that can be interrupted at any time and is useful in places where stealth is needed, letting players simplify avoiding enemies or creating complicated takedowns with fancy maneuvers. Care must be taken when using Web Rush, however, as there will be a cool-down period between uses.

Aside from Web Rush, Spider-Man is also able to deal with enemies through combat that plays out pretty similarly to Batman: Arkham City. Indicators light up about enemy heads when they are about to attack and more abilities become available as the combo counter rises. Unlike Batman's more serious universe, Spider-Man uses his webbing to wrap up enemies and spin them into one another and stick them to walls. There is also an upgrade system in The Amazing Spider-Man that allows Spidey to gain enhanced attacks and use Web Rush longer.

Releasing a week ahead of the movie's July 3rd release, playing The Amazing Spider-Man won't ruin movie's story. The game acts as an epilogue to the movie, with a story written by Battlestar Galactica's Seamus Fahey, and careful care has been taken to avoid references to the film's plot. A lot of the game's plot hasn't been announced aside from featuring Peter Parker's untold story, and that Iguana and Rhino are two of the main enemies.

Aside from the main story, there will be plenty of opportunities to explore the city and complete side missions in The Amazing Spider-Man. The city is living and breathing in front of Spider-Man, and Web Rush Spidey is able to do more amazing feats than ever before, such as zip across the city to stop a speeding criminal and tie his car up in webbing. Pausing the game brings up the menu, which shows a real time ticker with tweets from citizens about Spidey's exploits.

The Amazing Spider-Man looks to be on the right track and seems to capture the magic of the previous Spider-Man games from the early 2000s that put Spidey on the map. We'll just have to wait and see what the final verdict is once we get our hands on it.

Akil Henry   Followakilshohen Akil is a big fan of video games and music, specifically fighting games and R&B. Other interests include game design, and comedy. His background in game design combined with his unique worldview and sense of humor makes him someone to follow.

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