Developer:  Beenox

3 out of 5 stars

Though Spider-Man has been absent from the big screen for half a decade, the web slinger has enjoyed a healthy number of appearances on the video game front. For the past few years, the task has fallen to developer  Beenox .

Following two strong titles, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and Edge of Time, the question remained whether  Beenox  could shake the movie game curse and provide another great Spider-Man game with The Amazing Spider-Man.

Instead of being a direct adaption of the film, Beenox’s  latest Spider-Man game is actually set after the conclusion of the movie. As a result, the game contains a number of spoilers and should only be played after seeing the new film.

The game follows Spider-Man as he continues to adjust to his new role as a superhero. Things quickly become complicated when a lab accident at  Oscorp  unleashes a horde of mutant creatures in New York, leaving it to  Spidey  to save the day.

The plot in The Amazing Spider-Man is easily its weakest point. The idea of a deadly mutation spreading through New York isn’t just unoriginal, it’s already been used as the basis of a Spider-Man game, 2008’s Web of Shadows.

Weak story aside, The Amazing Spider-Man manages to provide a modest amount of fun in its ten-hour campaign. If that seems like weak praise, it’s only because  Beenox  has taken a few steps back from the strengths of their first two Spider-Man games.

For one, the combat system has been simplified a great deal from the previous entry. Fights against basic enemies tend to come down to mindless button-mashing. There are also some limited stealth elements, but a lack of variety leads to a lot of tedious repetition.

Additionally, the interior environments in the game tend to be difficult to navigate, with wall crawling in particular leading to frequent moments of disorientation. Whether in the sewers or the halls of  Oscorp , be prepared to lose track of your path on multiple occasions.

For its faults, The Amazing Spider-Mandoes have plenty to like. For the first time,  Beenox  has made a sandbox Spider-Man game. As such, a scaled-down version of Manhattan is provided for players to swing around in. Petty crimes, challenge missions and collectible comic pages litter the city, leaving plenty of content for the dedicated gamer to complete.

While combat can be dull, the boss fights are all great fun, a step up from last year’s Edge of Time.

Though it’s not  Beenox’s  finest outing, The Amazing Spider-Man is a solid  Spidey  title, one that fans of the character should give a try.