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Explore the city, defeat enemies and complete quests to progress in the game. The game's massive virtual rendering of New York City contains hidden items such as skyscraper tokens and subway tokens, so make sure to thoroughly investigate the game's various areas to maximize your completion percentage. As you travel through the city, Spider-Man's spider-sense may inform him of a nearby crime. Crimes are indicated by dots on the mini-map, and you can locate and foil any crimes that you come across. Fighting crime increases your Crime Fighting Index, which in turn will unlock upgrades, such as increased health or attack power. You also can locate crimes by following speeding police cars.
Icons on the map will lead you to the game's mission locations. The missions are the main component of the game, and completing missions will earn you new moves and abilities. Mission objectives vary throughout the game, though many will involve chasing down and fighting various enemies. If you have to chase an enemy, a chase meter will appear onscreen. The meter will indicate how far away you are from the target. If the target gets too far away from you, you will fail the mission. Use the speed boost button while swinging to keep up with a fast target. If the mission requires you to discreetly follow your target, avoid getting too close to it or you might arouse the target's suspicion. Keep a safe distance from the target, but never let it out of your line of sight. -
Many missions will require you to fight and defeat enemies. Spider-Man has three main attacks available to him: the strong attack, the fast attack and the web attack. Strong attacks are powerful but slow and leave you open to counterattack. Fast attacks are quick but do little damage. Web attacks allow Spider-Man to grab enemies with his webbing and can be combined with other attacks to do damage. To gain an edge in combat, string attack combos together by pressing several attack buttons in succession. Two fast attacks followed by a strong attack will cause Spider-Man to execute a powerful kick, for example.
Some attacks launch enemies into the air. You can then jump into the air after them and perform additional attacks for greater damage. Experiment with air attacks to more easily defeat enemies.
Activate the Spider-Reflex ability when you see a red or yellow danger icon above an enemy's head to enter Reflex mode; consult the pause menu or the game's instructional manual to learn which specific button activates Spider-Reflex. In Reflex mode, the game enters slow motion, allowing you to dodge enemy attacks and launch counterattacks. Use reflex mode often during fights, especially fights that involve large groups of enemies.
If you have a full combo meter, hold the Special Move button and press an attack button to perform a special move. Special moves inflict damage on entire groups of enemies, and they are very helpful during tough battles. Unlock special moves by progressing through the game.
