Web-swinging on a handheld is always a gamble. Honestly, when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Nintendo 3DS version launched back in 2014, most people just assumed it would be a watered-down port of the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One versions. It wasn't. Developed by Beenox—the same studio that actually handled the "big" console versions—the 3DS entry is this bizarre, technical curiosity that feels like it’s constantly fighting against the hardware's limitations. It’s janky. It’s ambitious. It’s kind of a disaster, but also weirdly fascinating if you’re a Spidey completionist.
You’ve got to remember the context of 2014. The Andrew Garfield movies were in full swing, and Activision was trying to squeeze every cent out of the license. Usually, handheld Spider-Man games were side-scrollers. Think back to the GBA or DS days. But for this one, Beenox decided to go full 3D open world on a system that really, really didn't want to do that. The result is a game that looks like a late-era PS1 title running at double speed, or maybe a very ambitious DS game that found a bag of steroids.
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The Open World Struggle is Real
Let’s talk about Manhattan. In the console versions, swinging through the city feels fluid, even if the "Hero or Menace" system was a total drag. On the The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Nintendo 3DS, Manhattan feels... lonely. It's essentially a ghost town. You’ll see a few cars that look like colored cereal boxes and maybe three pedestrians if the game is having a good day. The draw distance is so short that buildings literally pop into existence while you’re mid-swing. It’s jarring. You’re swinging toward a skyscraper that doesn’t exist yet, and then suddenly—bam—there’s the Oscorp building.
The swinging mechanics themselves are actually surprisingly decent for a handheld. Beenox kept the dual-trigger mechanic where the left trigger controls the left hand and the right trigger controls the right hand. It forces you to actually look at where you're attaching your webs. If you're in an open park area with no buildings? You’re falling. That’s a level of realism that even some modern Spider-Man games skip over. But the frame rate is the real villain here. It chugs. When you get into a high-speed chase or a fight with more than three thugs, the frames drop harder than Gwen Stacy.
Combat and the Arkham Rip-off
The combat is basically "Diet Arkham." You hit the Y button to punch, and when Spidey’s spider-sense tingles over his head, you hit the X button to counter. It works, mostly. But the animations are stiff. Spidey moves like he’s got a permanent lower back injury. There’s no weight to the hits. It’s like watching two action figures being clicked together by a caffeinated toddler.
And then there are the boss fights. Electro, Green Goblin, Kingpin—they're all here. But they’ve been stripped down to basic patterns. You dodge the glowing thing, you punch the glowing thing. Repeat until the cutscene plays. Speaking of cutscenes, they use the actual voice acting from the main game, which is a nice touch. Hearing Yuri Lowenthal (wait, no, that's the other game—this one featured Sam Riegel) give it his all while a blurry, low-poly model of Peter Parker stares blankly into the distance is a vibe. It’s a very specific, mid-2010s handheld vibe.
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Why Does The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Nintendo 3DS Exist?
You might wonder why they didn't just make a really polished 2.5D platformer instead. The 3DS was great at those. But Activision wanted parity. They wanted the box art to promise the same "Open World Manhattan" experience across all platforms. It was a marketing decision that prioritized bullet points on the back of the box over actual gameplay quality.
One thing the 3DS version does have going for it is the StreetPass and Play Coin integration. Remember those? You could unlock certain suits and upgrades using the coins you earned by walking around with your 3DS in your pocket. It gave the game a weirdly tactile, "real world" connection that the PS4 version lacked. Plus, playing it in 3D actually helps a bit with the depth perception during the web-swinging, though it makes the frame rate struggle even more.
Technical Limitations vs. Creative Ambition
If you look at the textures, they are a mess. The ground is a blurry grey smear. The trees look like green sponges on sticks. But the Spider-Man model himself? Surprisingly detailed. You can see the texture of the suit. It’s clear where the developers spent their "polygon budget." They knew you’d be looking at Spidey’s back for 90% of the game, so they made him look okay while everything else crumbled around him.
There’s also the "Hero or Menace" system. It was universally hated on consoles, and it’s just as annoying here. If you don't stop every petty crime on the map, the police start hunting you. It turns a fun superhero simulator into a series of mandatory chores. On the 3DS, this is even more frustrating because the loading screens to enter a "crime scene" (usually a small boxy alleyway) are agonizingly long. You spend more time waiting for the game to load a fight than actually fighting.
Is It Worth Playing Now?
Look, honestly? Probably not. Unless you are a die-hard collector or someone who finds joy in technical "train wrecks," The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Nintendo 3DS is more of a historical footnote. It represents the end of an era—the era where every major movie tie-in got a bespoke, slightly broken handheld version.
But there’s a charm to it. It’s a game that tries so hard to be something it’s not. It wants to be a grand, cinematic epic on a screen the size of a business card. There’s something noble in that failure. It’s a reminder of how far we’ve come. Comparing this to something like Spider-Man Remastered on a Steam Deck is like comparing a tricycle to a Ferrari.
The Collector's Angle
If you're looking to buy this today, be prepared for some sticker shock. Because it was released near the end of the 3DS's lifecycle and wasn't exactly a critical darling, there aren't as many copies floating around as you’d think. Complete-in-box copies can fetch a decent price on eBay. It's not EarthBound or Chrono Trigger levels of expensive, but it's more than it has any right to be.
If you do pick it up, do yourself a favor: turn off the 3D effect. The hardware just can't handle it. Stick to the 2D mode, turn the brightness up, and try to ignore the fact that the buildings are popping in like a bad dream.
Final Verdict on the 3DS Experience
The game is a fascinating relic. It's a snapshot of a time when developers were still trying to figure out how to make "big" games work on small systems without just making a different game entirely.
- The Good: The web-swinging mechanics are surprisingly faithful to the console versions. The suit selection is decent.
- The Bad: The frame rate is atrocious. The city is empty. The "Hero or Menace" system ruins the pace.
- The Weird: The fact that they even tried to make an open world work on this hardware is genuinely impressive in a "why would you do that?" kind of way.
If you want to experience the best version of this specific story, play the PC or console versions. But if you want to see a developer push the 3DS to its absolute breaking point until it starts crying for mercy, this is the game for you.
Actionable Steps for Players and Collectors
- Check Your Firmware: If you're playing on original hardware, ensure your 3DS is updated to the latest firmware to minimize any system-level crashes, though it won't help the game's native frame rate.
- Manage Expectations: Don't go in expecting Miles Morales. Go in expecting a very ambitious 2014 handheld game.
- Suit Up: Focus on unlocking the "Iron Spider" and "Spider-Armor" suits early; the stat boosts they provide make the clunky combat much more bearable.
- Ignore the Menace: Don't obsess over the Hero/Menace meter. It's a losing battle on the 3DS. Just do the main story missions and the occasional crime when it's convenient.
- Physical vs. Digital: Since the eShop is closed, you're looking at physical copies only. Check local retro game stores before hitting eBay; this is exactly the kind of game that sits in a "bargain bin" at a mom-and-pop shop because they think it's just "another kids' game."
Ultimately, this game serves as a bridge between two eras of gaming. It’s the last gasp of the "every platform gets a version" philosophy. It’s messy, it’s blurry, and it’s occasionally fun. Just don't expect it to be amazing.