We all play a LOT of games here at JPS, FAR more than we review. We thought this might be a good way to chat about games we’re currently playing and enjoying (or not as the case may be). I hereby introduce the Quick Time Event- an informal discussion about games we’re currently playing, how long we’ve been playing them, and what we think so far. If you follow me on Raptr (JPSJeff13), you can take a look at my library and even make suggestions as to what you’d like me to write about next. The beauty of the Quick Time Event will be that it’s brief, personal, and not necessarily a new title. We all have quite the backlog, and this is a way to encourage us to go through the ol’ Steam library… (and even pick up some gems we may have missed in the past). To kick things off, Ian and I worked out the kinks in the Randomizer (hopefully- it’s eyeing us funny now…) and it suggested I play:

Time played so far courtesy of Raptr.

The Amazing Spider-Man (Beenox) X360: Time Played So Far: 9 hours

Beenox returns Spidey to an open world Manhattan isle in this movie tie-in title.  I am really enjoying this one.  The Arkham City - inspired combat and stealth mechanics are glitchy but fun, and swinging around the city never gets old, although some would like to see a return toSpider-Man 2‘s more complicated web-swinging.  I think it’s time to take the nostalgia filtered glasses off and remember that SM2 was a good, but not GREAT game.  For those who consider it the best Spidey title ever, the phrase “My balloon!” should clear that right up for you.  There are plenty of side missions and collectibles (700 comics to snag throughout the city, and numerous tech pieces, magazines, etc to find in each indoor level) to keep you busy, and the story is fairly well written and acted.  I don’t LOVE the idea that many classic Spider-Man villains are actually “cross-species,” but it’s kind of cool to see new takes on some of the lesser known members of Web-head’s rogues gallery.  Bruce Campbell even makes an appearance (which is ALWAYS a good thing)!  I played this as a rental, and I’m positive it’s not worth $60, but it is a lot more fun than I thought it would be, and I’m eager to see if Steam releases it at a more reasonable price.  Rent it for now, and consider picking it up once it hits the $30 range.