It is strange that the controls in this game should be so much more satisfying than the more dynamic motion controls on the Wii, especially considering that 360-degree movement was possible in the Wii version of
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. The key difference is that moving Spidey around in
Amazing Allies actually approximates what you imagine as a comics' reader. Jumping onto a building or wall creates a satisfying cling, and reaching the top will cause Spidey to vault up and over without any intervention on your part. Normal jumps are positively super-powered, and you can use your web like a zip-line by simply pressing the (R) button and the direction you want to go. Shooting web lines on the ground will either zip you to the nearest wall or cocoon an enemy for pummeling.
Amazing Allies doesn't bother with high/low kicks and punches, just one button devoted to each action. The animations and reaction during battle as you mash those two buttons is very satisfying. Pressing directional buttons and repeating your kicks and punches creates a multiplier effect, plus you'll see big differences once you start upgrading skills and adding power-ups.
The points you can spend to upgrade your character are earned during battles and interactions with those "quest" characters mentioned earlier. Upgrading becomes a very important activity, seeing how enemy levels ramp up quickly after the first few rounds. Enemies can overwhelm you, block your attacks, and generally make it hard to escape, but it's hard to get lost since you just can't travel too far off track in these linear stages. As you build up your character, you'll select stronger defensive and offensive measures that are counted as "skills." The key distinction between skills and "power-ups" is that the latter can be configured. At the end of each chapter, you'll be able to insert a fixed number of new power-ups for use during the following chapter. Power-ups are active, only coming into play when you punch the (O) button, where skills are passive and available at any time to be used repeatedly once you "turn them on" by earning a sufficient amount of points. Some skills can only be learned by racking up a number of red or black points, making the New Game Plus Mode compelling, as you can go back through to earn those red or black points you missed the first time.
Sometimes reviewers and gamers get too caught up in minutiae, and miss the forest for the trees... If a game is fun, that's what really counts. The Wii version of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows was an ambitious game, exciting in terms of how much it reached for conceptually. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows: Amazing Allies Edition is far less ambitious, but attains about 90% of its potential. We could argue convincingly that a lack of multiplayer or any online play is a great loss, but the bottom line is that the Amazing Allies Edition isn't trying to be a porterhouse steak. Treat it like the appetizer or aperitif it intends to be, and you'll have a blast.
