Spider-Man 3

"Best movie-based Spidey game yet!"

Every Spider-Man movie has come with it's own video game counterpart, and unlike most video games based on movies, Spider-Man's games have come out to be some of the best ever made. Treyarch is the company that was contracted by Activision to produce each Spider-Man movie-based game, and this is their third installment. While the combination of three super-villains may have been too much for a feature film, it's got plenty of room in a free-roaming video game, and even leaves space for more.

Just as with Spider-Man 2, this is a free-roaming superhero video game. You swing around New York city looking for mission markers, stopping crime, completing minigames like races and stunts, all while playing through the heavily expanded story from the movie. Treyarch has simplified things a bit from the previous game. While SM2 specialized in Spider-Man's own abilities like web swinging and having a large variety of attack combinations, this game focuses largely on the black suit. Treyarch spent most of their time focusing on the suit, and differentiating it from Spidey's red suit. Also introduced in this game are interactive action sequences. This feature was invented many years ago by innovative games like Dragon's Lair and rose to popularity in modern games largely from Resident Evil 4 and God of War. Unlike many of these games, the buttons you need to press in this game are static. They are the same every time and actually are based on the core controls of the game. This makes the sequences a bit easier since all you have to do is remember each time you mess up. Once you have the sequence memorized, it's easy. However, the process of memorizing it can be challenging. Each time you fail Spidey loses health, and if he runs out, you have to start over. Typically, that means fighting the boss once again. Also since the button combinations are based on the actual controls, you will need to hit every button on the controller at some point or another. It makes it more difficult to react quickly, and results in many failed attempts.

Another tradition with the Spider-Man movie games is to plug in classic Spidey villains with new movie-style makeovers and like the previous games Spider-Man 3 doesn't disappoint there. In addition to the main movie story you'll fight Carlyle the Mad Bomber, who's got it in for JJJ. You'll also get to battle the Lizard and Scorpion, complete with their origins playing out before you. The Rhino also makes an appearance as one of the more interactive bosses. Then of course there's the three gangs that all tie-in to an encounter with the Kingpin of Crime, Wilson Fisk. All of these stories are great.

Sound:
Most of the movie cast was once again recruited for the game. The only person who seems to be missing is Kirsten Dunst who played Mary Jane Watson. The sound effects are all typical at this point. The only thing I noticed that seems to be missing is a distinguished sound for Spider-Sense, which is usually good for warning you of incoming attacks (especially the kind that are off screen). The music score is typical super-hero game stuff. None of it captures the moments as good as the movies, but it's decent for a video game.

Graphics:
One thing this game definitely displays well is the power of a next-generation console. Spider-Man three is an incredible looking game. The details on the characters, the animations of their models, everything is great. Even when JJJ yells at Peter Parker, the expression on his face and the way he throws his hand in the air is just like in the movie, typical Jameson. Spider-Man's attacks even have more animation in this game they have in the past, with big explosions and fancy light shows. Why? I don't know, but it looks cool. The City itself looks great given its tremendous size. There are even subways running beneath the entire city you can explore, and some areas that are even lower still. Generally if a mission takes you into the subway or the sewers, you can usually find your way back in to explore if you wanted to.

Gameplay:
This is the part of a game that is easily the most important (not that the others don't matter). Unlike many reviewers who couldn't be bothered to play the game all the way through, I've completed it and made a fair assessment. Spider-Man 3, like any free-roaming video game, has it's ups and it's downs. On the upside, the combat system is fluid and varied. There are plenty of attack combinations to pull off and since they utilize all four of the main buttons you can easily experience them all with simply experimentation. No need to memorize a long list of mixed combinations or to get the timing just right. Here you can just try different combinations and see what you like. You can use your spider senses by pressing the R3 button to slow things down a bit and highlight enemies and points of interest. By holding down a button you can activate your Spider-Reflexes which dramatically slow down time and also automatically dodge incoming attacks. You can only do this for so long of course, once your reflexes bar by your health is drained, you have to wait for it to recharge, which only takes a few moments. When you dodge attacks you can often counter them to tie the enemy up in a big combo. Sometimes you can even use them in the interactive sequences to make them easier. Spidey even has super attacks that can hit large groups of enemies once he's filled up his combo meter. Once you gain the black suit, the gameplay changes as the black suited Spidey has more powerful attack combinations and Supers. He can also unleash a rage mode were he does more damage and can't be blocked (most of the time). Treyarch spent a lot of time making sure that the black suit wasn't just another costume, that it leads to a unique experience all to itself. Enemy encounters are also more varied then before. Here there are three main gangs you can run into, each with their own unique style. Enemies tend to come in light and heavy categories, which vary the methods required to defeat them. Random crimes occur throughout the streets of New York. You might catch the police in the middle of a high speed chase, or in a big standoff. You might have to save pedestrians from hazards. There are also a number of instant specific events that you might find yourself in the middle of while cruising through New York. These are unique encounters that might require you to stop an assassination, a major bank robbery, or take down a helicopter. All the typical Super-hero dilemmas pop up in this game, from dismantling bombs to stopping runaway trains.

On the downside, the AI is cheap, very cheap. All the enemies in the game have ranged attacks and will use them often while off screen. The only clue you get that you have one coming is an icon that pops up on the screen from the general direction of the attack. However, dodging them isn't so easy. Also, while the attack combinations are varied, they are also based on attacking a single target. Group attacks are reserved for the Super attacks which can only be used sparingly at best since they take time to build up. While you pound away at one enemy (often hitting him long after he is out) other enemies will attack your from behind, often with projectiles. Given that enemies come in large numbers, this leads to some very frustrating battles. Also, the heavy thugs for each gang/faction are very tough. They automatically block and counter all melee attacks on the ground, and your webbing doesn't do a thing to them so you can't fight them at a range. And when these enemies come in packs with other heavy and light fighters, it makes things seem almost impossibly tough. The only way to hurt them is with aerial attacks, and since you can't change direction mid-combo, this means that you literally have to jump constantly around the room to avoid cheap shots from behind and take each enemy down one at a time. Boss battles are just like fighting heavy thugs with about ten times the amount of health, so you have to hop around the area like a frog sneaking in a few strikes and then hopping away until another opportunity arises to sneak in a couple strikes. To top it all off, health is exceedingly difficult to find in this game. Usually you only get it at the end of a mission, so if you get hurt before you start the mission, you're out of luck until you die and have to restart with a full health bar. The only saving grace is that you usually restart around the last cutscene instead of at the very beginning of a chapter. This comes in handy for boss fight as well so even if you beat the boss only to fail the interactive sequence that follows, when you restart it's usually at the start of the fight, not at the beginning of the mission.

Replay:
You can unlock a couple characters throughout the game, but the gameplay is open ended so unless you just want to see the story again there's really no reason to start over. Those characters are the Black Suited Spider-Man (yes, he's treated as a separate character, that means no transformation animation when you switch back and forth after you beat Venom, it's just another option on the menu) and the New Goblin (originally you could only play as him if you got the collectors edition, but now he's available for the regular game as Downloadable Content, for $3). Playing as Harry Osborn is a bit odd since you use the six axis to fly. It takes some getting used to, but by the time your finished fighting Sandman you'll have a pretty good handle on him. There are no alternate costumes for Spidey, and there's no playable Venom.

As an extra note, the alternate version of this game is the one available for the PS2/Wii. That version was made by Vicarious Visions and it sported a very simplified combat and web-slinging systems. There were a lot less interactive sequences but the ones that are there typically only use the main four buttons making them much easier. Enemies are also easier since your spider-sense is purely reactive in that version. You get a clear visible and audio warning of incoming danger, and it's much easier to avoid since you have an actual dodge button in that version of the game. Instead of Scorpion and Rhino you get Shriek and Morbius, so injunction with your previous movie games that gives you The Vulture, Shocker, Scorpion, Rhino, Mysterio, Shriek, Morbius, The Lizard, The Green Goblin, The New Goblin, Dr. Octopus, The Sandman, and Venom. An impressive collection of spidey villains to say the least. Also in that version of the game you can trigger the black suit at will and also take it off, but it can only be ‘worn' for a limited time before Peter blacks out, and once you beat the game you have to hunt down an impossibly large number of meteor fragments to unlock the black suit. Random crimes are also more varied then the PS3/360 version. You don't get area specific crimes, but you do get more variety like items hidden in dumpsters, people kidnapped and tied up in vans, and the occasional bomb.

I think I got everything there. The game can be very frustrating a times, but completing the missions to see the expanded story play out is very rewarding. It's a great Spider-Man game if you have the patience and the skill to handle it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/20/09

Game Release: Spider-Man 3 (US, 05/04/07)