The Amazing Spider-Man

(out of 4)

Available for PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PC. Rated: Teen

Perfectly timed with the release of the revamped Spider-Man movie franchise, Beenox games has come out with another Spidey game. The Amazing Spider-Man makes a heroic attempt to sidestep the stereotype of games derived from blockbuster movies: games hastily put together only to hype the upcoming film. Though the final product is vastly superior to past Spider-Man instalments, it simply isn’t as amazing as the title claims.

Ultimately, the graphics and paltry creativity in the story lead to the game’s downfall. The lack of detail in the third-person perspective and cut scenes is a martyr to gameplay. The game is formatted as an “open world” so you have all of Manhattan Island to roam via Spider-Man’s trusty web. The monstrous scale of that world leads to reduced quality in the graphics; there is a limit to how much data game consoles can process, and they reached it.

Despite the poor visual renderings, the game is a blast to play. Manhattan skyscrapers are at your disposal and you can soar over the rooftops with beautifully choreographed dives, spins and flips. It’s exhilarating as your blue and red two-legged spider soars over the Chrysler Building and plummets all the way down to the bustling city streets — and catches himself just before the ground. It’s enough of a selling point for any fan of the Marvel comic book hero, both past and present.

The story is loosely based on the Hollywood flick released earlier this week and is, in some cases, too similar; you’ll find out who won’t be in the Spidey sequel. So diehard fans should beware of spoilers and see the movie before playing.

Where the game’s storyline deviates from the movie is the incorporation of Oscorp’s nanotechnology branch, which includes an army of flying killing machines that are sent around New York to exterminate all the cross-species, including Spider-Man. The basic plot line contains the same engineered human-animal cross breeds and animals that have escaped from the technology conglomerate “Oscorp.” These hybrid beasts are not quite as cheerful or well dressed as the joke-cracking Spider-Man; they’re more an ill-tempered half-rat.

The game’s main missions flow relatively well, though you find yourself constantly repeating manoeuvres or tactics. The only difference is in the landscape; the same villains and pesky robots turn up countless times.

New features include “web rush mode,” which freezes time and lets you plan your next jump or web swing. The web rush is a creative way of controlling your seemingly wild leaps from building to building, and useful when Peter Parker’s alter ego is overwhelmed by enemies.

Unfortunately, these days games can’t survive off merely being fun to play. With the potential for graphics to be so advanced, not to mention the growing importance of a diverse and intricate plot, even with Spider-Man’s wall-climbing grip, The Amazing Spider Man dropped the ball.