The Amazing Spider-Man goes for his ultimate spin.
Web of Shadows is a deceptive title, but nevertheless, the story is darker than your typical superhero fare (save Batman). The prologue begins with Spider-Man in the middle of a quarantined New York infected by the symbiote, the same specimen found in his suit. After a brief period of fending off the invasion, the game takes you to the beginnings of the story, where Spider-Man assumes relatively normal duties and then begins to uncover one of his most unusual events. Treyarch and Shaba Games have crafted a rather complex story, in that despite the event becoming a disaster that calls for the more powerful heroes in the Marvelverse, the blame and responsibility -- the emotional weight of the situation -- is placed almost solely on Spider-Man. Of course what makes the game more epic is the inclusion of other heroes and the aid of familiar villains. Black Widow, Black Cat, Wolverine, Luke Cage, and even Moon Knight makes an appearance worthy of his D-List adventures. Pop culture references are aplenty (including a jab at Wikipedia and Facebook), and comic book references are at their all time high in Web of Shadows.
It's good that the entire island of Manhattan is infested, because it's an excuse to test out what is Web of Shadows biggest feature: the restrung combat (pun intended). Unlike previous Spider-Man games where combat, exploring, and even wall-crawling felt like separate aspects, Web of Shadows ties everything together exceptionally (pun was not intended). Spidey moves from air, to wall, to ground like never before, and fighting opponents across all planes is slick and seamless. Well, it would have been if the camera was not so bad. It seems that despite being a veteran in the game industry, Spider-Man cannot hire a good cameraman. Treyarch/Shaba Games have no excuse when their focus is the transition between the different planes in gameplay, and especially since they have handled the franchise for a long time. Controls are fairly intuitive, though the lock-on function has its own issues. When coupled with the camera problem, it makes for some irritating instances.
Combat is surprisingly deep. Most moves find their niche in your arsenal, and both suits manage to come in handy in different situations: the black suit is great for crowd control, and the iconic red suit is better for one-on-one. It's a shame that the missions actually feel dull and uninspired. Like old school RPGs, killing 20 bad guys before moving on and killing 20 other bad guys is the bread and butter in Web of Shadows. It actually taunts you with the information on screen and it won't be long before you anticipate that (12/20) symbiote pods means that you're actually 1/8th of the way through pod bashing. It's good then that the combat is actually fun, and luckily the game is blessed with fantastic boss battles.
The bosses truly flex the combat engine to the limits: early on in the game, Vulture will put your air combat abilities to the test with grace and absolute style, and later, Electro demands all your combat skills at once. What I really liked about this game, is that unlike other action titles, you can use your special moves to truly nail the bosses like you do to other minions. They are not cheap, but they are not a breeze to take down either. I have to mention that despite the fun I had with bosses, the camera/lock-on problem is still there.
Presentation is a mixed bag. The game's graphics are not on the best on the 360 or PS3, but they are very easy on the eye. Most of the symbiote enemies animate well, and of course Spider-Man moves like never before. Most of the cut-scenes are handled well, and keep you engaged in the story. There are a few visual hiccups and disappointingly random framerate issues, a big "no-no" in a high flying, web swinging game. Audio-wise, it's all rather forgettable. I actually laughed when I heard Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" during the game's introduction, then quickly cringed as a down-trodden Spider-Man walked across the screen, reminding me of the very disappointing Spider-Man 3 film. The voice acting is generally good. All and all, the audio-visual presentation is average.
This is more of a problem with Activision's indifference with churning out sub-par games, but it still needs to be said. This game has bugs, ones of the game-breaking type. They are few and far between, but when they come, they can screw up your progress. They are easy to remedy, but if Activision wants to make a good name for itself again, quality control across all their titles is essential, and Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is no exception.
That being said, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is essentially the best Spidey game yet. It is has a fantastic story, references that would make a Marvel geek explode with delight, and an engine which truly lets Spider-Man fly. Saying that it's the best Spider-Man game is not saying too much, though. It has glaring bugs, camera issues, and full of sub-standard fillers. Despite this, if you have any reverence for Marvel and its mythos, give this game a spin (pun not intended). Your weekend will soar by (pun not intended... Or was it?...).