The Amazing Spider-Man is a 2012 action-adventure game developed by Beenox and published by Activision, based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man and the 2012 film of the same name. It was released on June 26 in North America and on June 29, 2012 in Europe for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Android, iOS, and Microsoft Windows. A version for the Wii U was released in March 2013 in North America and Europe known as The Amazing Spider-Man: Ultimate Edition in both regions. A PlayStation Vita version was released in November 2013.
The game was directed by Gerard Lehiany and written by Seamus Kevin Fahey, Benjamin Schirtz and Gérard Lehiany. Its story serves as an alternate epilogue to The Amazing Spider-Man film, which is continued in the game's sequel. Months after the events of the film, a number of cross-species experiments created by Oscorp using Curt Connors' research escape into Manhattan and infect its population with a deadly virus, forcing Spider-Man to ally with Gwen Stacy and Connors to find a cure. Meanwhile, the new Oscorp CEO, Alistair Smythe, attempts to develop his own cure so that he will be credited as the city's savior, and to eliminate Spider-Man and Connors for interfering with his plans.
The Nintendo 3DS and Wii versions of the game include the script and plot of the other versions of the game, but feature a much different, more linear gameplay that does not have an open world environment, and instead features the player selecting a level from the map in Spider-Man's apartment, before playing a mostly linear level. It was natively designed for the 3DS and later ported to the Wii. Upon its release, the game received mixed to positive reviews from critics, with praise to the gameplay, controls, combat, dark tone, intensity and soundtrack, although it received criticism for its mode of difficulty, story, visuals, repetitive side missions and lack of innovation. A sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, was released in April 2014, itself based on the 2014 film of the same name.
Gameplay PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows The Amazing Spider-Man is a third-person video game, set in an open world based on Manhattan. Players take on the role of Spider-Man and complete missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story. The missions are structured in a linear manner, but the player is free to explore the game's map in between missions and engage in various side activities. Players have access to all of Spider-Man's superhuman abilities, including web swinging and wall crawling. The game introduces a bullet time mechanic called Web Rush, where players slow down time by holding a button and can select between different locations that Spider-Man will automatically move towards once the player releases the button. This gameplay mechanic can be used to target enemies, whom Spider-Man will attack automatically, or objects that Spider-Man will throw at enemies, incapacitating them for a few seconds and allowing Spider-Man to web them in order to subdue them for good. The combat system is reminiscent of the Rocksteady Studios' Batman: Arkham series (at the time consisting of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City), using a freeflow design and counterattacks. Beenox took a cue from the Batman games, with Dee Brown, the head of Beenox, stating "I played both Batman games and liked them. For me, the Spider-Man character is very different than Batman. You have to approach both in a different way. I think the Rocksteady guys did a good job at providing what was required to make a great Batman game, and we're doing everything we need to this time to make a great Spider-Man game".
The game's side missions include stopping petty crimes, car chases, and gun fights in the streets, recovering missing patients from a psychiatric hospital that escaped early on in the main storyline, and transporting civilians infected by the cross-species virus to quarantine camps. Spider-Man can use his phone to take photographs of evidence that links Oscorp to the cross-species conspiracy, or collect items such as audio files related to the conspiracy. Finding this evidence rewards the player with XP Points, or extra content in the main menu, such as concept art. Players can collect full, vintage comic books, such as Amazing Fantasy #15, as they collect comic covers throughout the game's map.
The game uses a unique damage system: the more damage Spider-Man takes, the more his suit is damaged; returning to the "safe house" repairs the suit. The player can remove a utility belt from the default suit, which holds some extra web fluid. There are ten alternate suits in total, and five of them can be unlocked after completing certain tasks, or taking pictures of secret spider graffiti hidden within the city, such as the Scarlet Spider suit, the Black Suit from the 2007 film Spider-Man 3, a color-inverted version of the Future Foundation suit, the Negative Zone suit, and the Big Time suit. Two more secret suits include the Cross-Species suit (unlocked after completing the main storyline), and a Black Suit version of the 2012 film suit (unlocked after attaining 100% completion), both of which are exclusive to the game. A party hat for "Spidey's 50th anniversary" becomes available if the player changes the date of their console or PC to August 10, 2012.
The game's downloadable content adds new mini-games and suits. For example, the Rhino Challenge downloadable content (DLC) pack adds the classic Spider-Man suit from the Sam Raimi film series and a mini-game where the player controls Rhino as he rampages through the streets of Manhattan, and the Lizard Rampage DLC pack adds the Vigilante suit from the film and a mini-game where the player controls the Lizard as he fights Oscorp mercenaries and destroys beacons across the city.
Nintendo 3DS and Wii While the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii versions share the same plot, voice-overs, general gameplay, and some of the level design from the flagship versions, they are severely stripped down. Most notably, instead of featuring an open world environment, the player selects a level from a map screen and talks to Dr. Connors. Once a level is selected, Spider-Man is dropped off at the start of the level. The game includes sub-missions that help the player gain XP.
Due to the lack of free roam within these versions of the game, players cannot find comic book pages or take pictures of hidden spider graffiti to unlock more suits. The photo mode makes use of the 3DS gyroscope, but can also be more easily controlled by the analog slider.
The 3DS version has an exclusive game mode named "Vigilante", which is a strategy-based role-playing text game where they are given a map of locations and must complete tasks and missions and collect items needed for certain missions. A meter is shown with a slide moving to either a red or green marker. When Spider-Man successfully completes the mission, the player is awarded with Vigilante Points (VP) and Action Points (AP). The higher skill rank is, more locations and additional content are unlocked. Vigilante is compatible with Street Pass, allowing the player to trade items with other players.
There are only two suits to unlock, aside from the Default Suit: the Classic Suit is unlocked by completing all the side missions, and the Black Suit is unlocked by completing the Vigilante Mode.
Android, iOS and Windows Phone The smartphone versions follow almost the same formula, but with a different gameplay, level design, plot, and voice-overs. Players can explore Manhattan, while having some crimes to deal with. The story is linear, but the player can explore the city before entering the missions. There is also a leveling system, where you can unlock new skills for Spider-Man using the game's currency, and also unlockable costumes that you could buy in the game's shop, where it would also sell other items alongside them.
Plot Months after the events of the film, Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy sneak into the restricted areas of Oscorp after hours to investigate rumors of the company continuing Curt Connors' cross-species experiments. They are caught by new Oscorp director Alistair Smythe, who confirms the rumors and gives them a tour of Oscorp's restricted areas to see the experiments for themselves. However, the cross-species react to Peter, a cross-species himself, and break out, infecting numerous scientists, including Smythe and Gwen, with a deadly virus they are carrying. Donning his Spider-Man suit, Peter gets the infected to quarantine, but fails to stop the cross-species from escaping into the city.
After a fight with S-01, a massive cross-species hunting robot created by Oscorp, Spider-Man breaks Connors out of the mental institute where he was imprisoned to help find a cure for the virus. Spider-Man and Connors set up a laboratory at the apartment of Aunt May's friend Stan, and begin development of an antidote while keeping in close contact with Gwen and Smythe via webcam, unaware that Smythe is developing his own "cure" using nanobots that destroy the infected cells. After defeating Rhino, one of the escaped cross-species, Spider-Man retrieves Connors' research from a secret Oscorp lab before it gets destroyed. While there, he meets Whitney Chang, an undercover investigative reporter, who enlists Spider-Man's help in unveiling Oscorp's suspicious activities. Spider-Man also collects a blood sample from the rat cross-species, Vermin, for Connors' antidote, before battling a group of Hunters, another type of Oscorp cross-species hunting robots.
Spider-Man eventually delivers Connors' antidote to Gwen at Oscorp, now under complete quarantine. However, a skeptical Smythe takes and tests it on himself, claiming that, if it works, Oscorp will replicate it and he will take all the credit as the city's savior. However, instead of curing him, the antidote causes Smythe to lose the use of his legs and sanity. Enraged, he commands his robots to eliminate Spider-Man, who escapes after destroying S-02, a massive serpent-like robot. Realizing that Spider-Man is a unique cross-species who retains his humanity, Connors creates a new antidote using his DNA, which Spider-Man again delivers to Oscorp, fighting his way past security and the Scorpion cross-species. The antidote works, saving Gwen and the other infected scientists.
As the CDC quarantines the city due to the advancement of the virus and Connors begins work on replicating the antidote, Spider-Man returns to his heroic activities, foiling a bank robbery orchestrated by Felicia Hardy. Meanwhile, Smythe, having been fired from Oscorp for his actions, discovers Spider-Man's secret identity and kidnaps Connors from their apartment, challenging Spider-Man to come and rescue him at Oscorp's robotics facility. While he rescues Connors, Spider-Man is captured by Smythe, who injects him with a nanobot serum that strips away his powers, and reveals his plan to spread the same serum across the city using his greatest invention yet, S-03, unaware that the nanobots are slowly killing the host. Spider-Man escapes and makes his way across a Manhattan consumed by chaos to reach Connors' secret lab, where he reunites with him and Gwen.