Spider-Man 3

"Unfortunately, doing whatever a spider can isn't enough..."

Spider-Man 3 is the game based off the hit movie of the spring, which broke many, many box office records. Unfortunately, the game doesn't deliver a performance strong enough to live up to the hype of the movie. A lot is missing from the game, and there is lots of room for improvement.

Story: 8/10

It isn't a carbon copy of the movie. Although the main villains from the movie are included, they aren't the only ones. Villains like Mysterio, Dr. Lizard, Kraven and a few gangs who rival the police are thrown in the equation. As Spider-Man, you must save the city of New York from these villains, while keeping your life with Mary-Jane in check. Overall, it's what you should expect out of a Spider-Man storyline, and does the series justice.

Gameplay: 5.5/10

Here's where the disappointment begins. The game starts off on a high point, but doesn't really go anywhere else. The missions are repetitive and boring, for example “Go fight these people, recover item, save hostage, etc”. Swinging around and climbing skyscrapers as Spidey is fun, but it's nothing new. Fighting seems like a button mash fest, is quite limited, and won't keep you on the edge of your seat like it should. Getting upgrades is more of a time-filling chore than help, as you really won't need them. Fighting gangs doesn't make the game any more fun either, as it is just as repetitive.

Graphics: 7/10

Even for the PS2, the graphics could be better. The character model for Spider-Man is good, but the rest of the characters could be done better. You will notice the characters' faces in comparison to the movies, but obvious flaws can be pointed out. There isn't much of a variety in pedestrians either, as there are only 6-10 models in total. Otherwise, the scenery of the city really helps this, as New York is really well portrayed graphically. Lighting is above average, and also helps the score. The next-gen graphics should be better though.

Music: 5/10
Voice Acting: 7.5/10

The music, when you first hear it, is good. But I hope you can get used to it, because it's all you'll be hearing for the whole game (except for the boom-box of the Apocalypse gang). There isn't a variety in music at all in this game, which is a turn-off, and really hurts the game.

Voice acting, on the other hand, as expected, is well done. Everyone from the movies is cast for the game, which is what every game based off a movie should do. Even without the credits in the opening scenes, you will notice the voices of your favourite characters and villains. The only gripe with this, is that it's too repetitive outside of the cutscenes. You'll hear the same one-liners over and over again from the same characters. The repetitiveness of the characters in game really hurt the score.

Replay Value: 3/10

6-8 hours. That's about all you'll need to get everything on this game. If you're paying for a game, you hope to get more. It isn't worth the price tag that it's at now, and should be a rent for you.

In closing…

Spider-Man 3 is a disappointment, and could have been so much better. It seems rushed, so that the company could make cash off the frenzy of hype that would be out there during the release. If you feel the urge to do some web slinging, then you should rent this game, or else your Spidey Senses will tell you that you could have put your cash into better use.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/22/07