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For the most part, fame's been kind to you, Spidey. You've starred in several animated series, three recent movies, and held a prominent role in the Civil War saga. What happened after that? In the comics, they reset your timeless relationship with Mary Jane, and she forgot about you. On top of that, your last couple games were duds. Sad times, Spidey, sad times – but I can see that you're fighting your way back to the top. Perhaps it's ironic that Spider-Man: Web of Shadows embodies your entire struggle, as it's a mixed bag that entertains at times, and disappoints at others.
You web-slinger fans wanna hear the specifics, don'tcha? In the beginning, Activision's latest Spidey title is filled with promise. You find out that Web of Shadows has a unique storyline, and thankfully, it ignores many of the comic's recent "developments." Plenty of familiar characters are written in, including Mary Jane, Luke Cage, and Venom. As a matter of fact, that symbiote-lovin' Eddie Brock is the primary villain throughout the tale.
Although other Spider-Man foes get more screen time, only the best bad guys leave such an impression that you always feel their presence – even when they're nowhere to be found. That's the beautiful thing about Venom here. You can't see him, but you know he's lurking somewhere, and that you need to quickly solve his mysterious rise to power. The question is: Will you want to pursue him every step of the way? If you're enough of a Spider-Man fan to tolerate mediocre gameplay, you will.
Truthfully, the majority of Web of Shadows's enjoyable cinematics feature Spidey's distinct sense of humor, complemented by an appropriate pinch of drama. It's a shame that they're wrapped up in a less-than-stellar package, which bears the same, stale combat found in Spider-Man 3 and Friend or Foe. It tosses in a few new moves here and there, but that doesn't change one disappointing fact: it's practically Dynasty Warriors with a Marvel-themed coat of paint. In that, the promise of greatness is broken, and you're left with a so-so experience, whose storyline is its only selling point.
There are dozens of optional missions to complete, but they're incredibly basic. To paint the picture, let's say you're tasked with saving ten civilians. When you're done, you're rewarded with a new quest asking you to rescue twenty more. Save them too, and then you're told there's another thirty who need taking care of. It never gets any better than that – ever. To make matters worse, completing those assignments pays out in Experience Points, but you don't need them – you'll receive more than enough experience to max out Spidey just by doing the main missions. The excess is absolutely useless.
Whether you ignore those side-quests or not, you're bound to run into a bevy of bugs. Some of Manhattan's buildings have collision detection like swiss cheese, and if foes knock you through their holes, you'll be eternally stuck. While scaling buildings, Spider-Man may latch onto an invisible platform, and that'll send the camera into a frenzy. Even if you're simply trying to finish the storyline, you may hit a dead end when the next mission doesn't load properly, forcing you to reset your system and start over. That happened to me five times, and it should have never.
That doesn't mean that this title isn't playable. What it does mean is this: Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is an unimpressive game that's holding an entertaining story hostage. If you don't mind excessive repetition, game-breaking bugs, and you're a big fan of the web-head, you can make due with a rental. If you couldn't care less about Spider-Man and his unique adventure, don't even give this one a glance.
Come on, Spidey. You're better than this! |
