This 2D Spiderman beat-em-up features familiar characters and will entertain players throughout its short duration.

User Rating: 8.5 | Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (Amazing Allies Edition) PSP
Spiderman: Web of Shadows for the PSP is a 2D side-scroller (3D for a few short clips) that features not only Spiderman but several other familiar characters from the Marvel universe. The game does not break any new ground in terms of gameplay or innovation. It does, however, feature plenty of action and gives players the use Spiderman's abilities to sling and swing with his web, crawl on the walls, and beat up enemies with punches, kicks, and the aide of other superheroes. Spidey also gets the ability to switch to the all-black costume intoduced to the public in the Spiderman 3 movie.

Throughout the game, Spiderman must make decisions that earn him points towards the upgrades of either his normal outfit or the dark outfit. Giving friendly responses to situations will earn Spidey points for the traditional red-n-blue costume, smarting-off or acting meanly towards questions will provide the dark costume with points to upgrade. This is a neat feature for the game, but not something that drastically affects your ability to fight.

Overall, I give this game an 8.5. It does not introduce anything new to the traditional, side-scrolling beat-em-up, but it does provide many enemies to beat up and several interesting boss battles. Additionally, it takes Spiderman back to a format that players from the days of the NES game Spiderman and the Sinister Six may remember. It works well to produce a great game that most players will complete quickly but have fun doing so. This game is very underrated and is one that I whole-heartedly recommend to anyone looking for a shorter, intense, action-based game that seems to be sorely missing in a gaming world full of 40+ hour adventures.