The Amazing Spider-Man

(Activision for Xbox 360)
By Mike Delano

There seems to be some eerie parallels between the Transformers and Spider-Man games of the past few years. In 2010, both franchises released their best games in years: Transformers: War for Cybertron and Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. Neither game was tied to a movie – both were the result of talented developers given free rein to do what they wanted with great licenses. Both were polished, engaging, and bursting with creativity. Then came the movie tie-ins. First, last year’s lackluster Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which was highly competent but was missing the spark of Cybertron. The same can be said for this summer’s The Amazing Spider-Man. It doesn’t have the same zany cast of characters or liveliness of Shattered Dimensions (or even 2008’s underappreciated Web of Shadows), but it does have Spidey and his ceaselessly addictive web-slinging antics, so it’s still a cut above many action games. Quebec developer Beenox hasn’t forgotten how to make a fun Spider-Man game, but the studio definitely seems like it’s on autopilot with this one. But hey, the Transformers get to revisit the Cybertron universe in a sequel later this year – does that mean another completely original, completely kick-ass Spidey game is also in the cards? Come on, one for J.J.!
(www.activision.com)