I still have a handful of original Xbox games that I play between some of the 360 titles I’ve purchased. Halo, obviously, Star Wars: KotOR, and Spider-Man 2, to name a few. I enjoyed the latter so much that I almost went against my better judgment and purchased its follow-up, the absolutely mediocre Spider-Man 3. In the end, though, I knew that web-slinging around Manhattan with a graphics upgrade wasn’t worth suffering through the tie-in to the worst superhero movie ever made and some impossibly painful quick time-events. I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much, considering I saved my cash and avoided the game altogether. Maybe it was worth a rental, or maybe it was better than everyone says it was. I probably would have even enjoyed it to some extent, but that’s not saying much. Truth be told, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is the game I’ve been waiting for.

Fans of the character and fans of comics in general, so long as they have a console to commit to the process, should absolutely be playing this game. It is the best superhero game that has ever been published and played. I am indeed a fan of the character, but I’ve barely read any of the comics. I watched the animated shows when I was young, I saw the movies, and as I said, I played Spider-Man 2 more times than I rightly should have. That being said, I know next to nothing when compared with actual fans of the Spider-Man comics. My knowledge for any given comic is random and serviceable; I know that the man Mary Jane almost married in the second movie becomes Man-Wolf in the comics, and I know that Jon Favreau’s character in the recent Iron Man movie marries Gwyneth Paltrow’s character in the comics.

Anyone with a cursory knowledge of the characters or plots of the source material will enjoy Web of Shadows the same way they enjoyed Iron Man when it hit theaters this summer. In-jokes about the comics themselves and mentions of other characters pile on in this game, and it’s good to see that someone has a sense of humor about it, rather than tying together as many keen references as they could muster. At one point, Spider-Man needs to enlist some sort of professional scientist / genius to solve a growing problem in New York, and tries calling Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic Four. After being put through an automated answering service, he is told by the robotic voice in the phone that Richards is helping out in another galaxy. Tony Stark is the next viable option, but in the midst of making the call, Spider-Man admits to himself that if Iron Man could be defending New York City, he would be (unlike the movie version, the Iron Man of comic lore is a New Yorker). It’s refreshing to have the Marvel universe tied together so neatly (because really, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, X-Men, Daredevil, Iron Man, and many other Marvel comic lines take place in New York - it just makes sense), with an especial focus on Spider-Man and that series’ main characters, but without forcing itself to include anyone irrelevant to the action at hand.

That being said, the interactions between Spider-Man and other Marvel characters not of his franchise are what make the situation seem so desperate. If Wolverine of the X-Men and Spider-Man need to team up with Wilson Fisk (you may know him as the big bald bad guy that beat up Ben Affleck in Daredevil) and defend Tony Stark’s skyscraper with S.H.I.E.L.D agents, then yeah, things are getting a little rough. In previous titles, Spider-Man would have to solve Spider-Man’s problems, and nothing else would even exist. It feels good to play as Spider-Man, but it feels even better to be playing firstly a “Marvel universe” game and then worrying about whose particular role you’re filling.

In this case, the wall-crawler’s expertise is required. The only real villain of the entire game is Venom, who is quite easily the most iconic counterpart to Spider-Man’s heroism. Just because Venom is Spider-Man’s villain, though, doesn’t mean that this is why poor Peter Parker feels responsible for controlling his chaos. In an early cut scene of the game, after a beautifully choreographed and cinematic opening sequence, it is revealed that Eddie Brock’s alien symbiote is going looking for bigger and better things. Spider-Man’s manipulation of his black suit relies on the symbiote as much as it relies on Eddie Brock to become Venom, and so when the liquid black creature begins spreading like an infection around the island, Parker feels that he is the one to blame for underestimating the danger involved after blinding himself to it with his own abuse of the power.

The city itself seems alive and more realistic than ever before. It’s not completely destructible, but watching things crumble and explode is never a detraction in a fight between brawling super characters. Before Venom’s symbiotes spread too far, the regular pedestrians of New York greet Spider-Man as he should be greeted. He is cheered on, waved at, and called out to. This breathing city undergoes severe changes throughout the game, though, depending on Spider-Man’s actions and the development of the symbiote invasion. Donning the black suit with a click of the left thumbstick in front of previously supportive New Yorkers earns you fearful, condemning reactions. Spider-Man goes from public icon to public enemy throughout the course of the branching plotline, and the world around you acts in kind.

As it gets further on, though, the graphical and artistic beauty of the visual design is dogged down by some strangled sections of slowdown due to too much action. The enemies tearing up Manhattan become so overwhelming, and the constant counter-strikes from S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives only add to the strain put on the process of displaying everything at its usually pleasant and smooth framerate. As much as it sucked, it only happened three or four times by the time I finished the game. The only other issue I had with the game was the camera (twice) trying to show me an angle I no longer needed. I crawled up a wall, and when I flipped onto the roof, it was trying to point in directions that didn’t show me anything I needed to see. Switching from wall-crawling to web-slinging to roof-running jerks the camera around, but it rarely ruined anything.

Glitches and chugging framerates are popular topics for bad game reviewers, though. Honestly, I couldn’t bring myself to give one shit about the writer that gives this game a bad score and chalks it up to those two reasons and some personal complaints about voice actors that didn’t sound like the songs of sweet cherubim. Yes, it could have used some polish here and there, and the dialogue seems a little rushed and out of sync on occasion, but I’m not going to grade this game any lower because of such insignificant details that are far outweighed by the majority of this fantastic game.

The sense I had of the entirety of my experience with this game was overwhelmingly amazing. Real morality issues are not just explored by the characters in the original and compelling plot, but left up to player choice. None of the choices feel artificial, either, leading into alternative endings in a fluid manner without breaking stride or failing to affect one another. To say these things about a game that focuses on excellently implemented combat between Spider-Man and hordes of zombified New Yorkers melded with a symbiotic alien life form is incredible in every sense of the word.

Everything about Web of Shadows was done very well. The fighting feels more like what Spider-Man would do than ever before. The animations are stylish and reminiscent of the art of its comic origins. Little things, like webs needing buildings to cling to (as in Spider-Man 2), are great, and not drowning when falling into the river is even better. Even quick time events, an optional target-locking system, and an initial tutorial sequence are handled well, appearing without ever getting in the way of the game. There is a leveling system based on experience gained during said combat, unlocking new moves that really only affect combat itself, rather than asking the player to spend points upgrading things like swing speed. Side missions have Spider-Man repeating sequences found in regular missions. For instance, if you enjoyed escorting that armored car as it rescued civilians, there’s probably an opportunity to do it again without quitting and loading an earlier save. As opposed to hearing “My ballooooon!” over and over, this system is much more player-friendly.

All of this and more combines into one great game that anyone could spend a weekend with. Here we have a video game collaborating elements of comics and graphic novels with elements of good action movies and throwing between it all some really fun and challenging gameplay, and that in itself is deserving of so much praise. Anyone who enjoys good games should be checking this out. As well, any fans of Marvel comics or Spider-Man in particular are bound to love it.