Common Sense Media Review
By Marc Saltzman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Web-slinging comic book adventure has some violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
The Amazing Spider-Man
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 7 parent reviews
Based on 29 kid reviews
Kids say the game is entertaining and fun, particularly for fans of Spider-Man, with enjoyable web-swinging mechanics, though some found elements like mild language and occasional violence concerning for younger players. While the graphics and free-roaming aspects are praised, the controls and combat can be repetitive, making the gameplay experience vary widely depending on age and expectations.
- fun gameplay
- web-swinging
- mild language
- age recommendations
- enjoyable graphics
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's It About?
Penned by Hollywood writer Seamus Kevin Fahey (Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, Battlestar Galactica), THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN is a single-player action game. It serves as an epilogue, of sorts, to The Amazing Spider-Man movie with the story taking place after the events of the movie. As you'd expect from a Spider-Man game, players experience free-roaming web-slinging all over a crime-ridden Manhattan, as well as acrobatic fighting with criminals in, above, and even underneath the city. In fact, the game's new Web Rush mechanic allows the young Peter Parker to pull off a wide number of moves never before possible in a Spider-Man video game -- and with unprecedented speed and fluidity.
Is It Any Good?
If your Spidey sense is tingling, then trust your instinct. The Amazing Spider-Man isn't a flawless adventure, but fans of the superhero from comic books and movies will no doubt enjoy swinging, fighting, and crawling through this game. You really do feel like you can swing around New York, anywhere you want, as opposed to being kept on a tight leash while tackling various missions. The combat, while on the easy side, heats up with memorable boss battles, plus gamers will like the balance between combat and stealth. Classic villains have been re-imagined for this game, including Scorpion, Rhino, Felicia Hardy, and Iguana.
The writing is smart and funny, the controls are easy to pick up, and there are many collectible comic pages to snag while swinging through the air and while running on rooftops. The game's indoor missions aren't as fun as the freeform outdoor ones, however, and after you play the game through there's little reason to do it again. Overall this game is fun, funny, frantic, and faithful to the Spider-Man universe.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether Activision was smart not to mirror the exact storyline of the film. On one hand, this looks and plays like it's a unique adventure that serves as an epilogue to the film, but on the flipside, some teens might want a similar storyline as the feature film. What's better?
What is the impact of media violence?
Game Details
- Platforms : Nintendo 3DS , Nintendo Wii , PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360
- Subjects : Language & Reading : following directions , reading , Hobbies : collecting , Science : gravity , motion
- Skills : Self-Direction : achieving goals , work to achieve goals , Thinking & Reasoning : applying information , decision-making , thinking critically , Responsibility & Ethics : following codes of conduct , honoring the community
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Activision
- Release date : June 26, 2012
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Superheroes
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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