Spider-Man 3 Review

Timed to coincide with the release of the first major money-spinning Hollywood blockbuster of the year, Activision and TreyArch have teamed up once again to bring the inevitable videogame tie-in. Marking Spidey's next-generation debut, TreyArch have been afforded the luxury of focussing solely on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 versions, whilst fellow contributors Vicarious Visions look after the PS2, Wii, and handheld adaptations.

Following the same free-roaming, web-slinging, structure as Spider-Man 2 and Ultimate Spider-Man, the third movie adaptation follows elements of the film's storyline, whilst expanding upon it with a number of additional characters, story arcs, and new features.

Taking the characters from an already heavily expanded cast of super-villains featured in Sam Raimi's movie, TreyArch appear to have recognised one of the series' biggest misgivings with a significantly expanded list of major characters standing in Spidey's way. Each of the 10 major characters throughout the game feature their own fully developed plotlines that lends a sense of drive and purpose lacking in previous titles, such as Dr. Connors transformation into Lizard and struggles with Kraven, Kingpin's involvement in the rise of the gangs across Manhattan, and Scorpion and Rhino's exploits with an evil scientific organisation. The introduction of a little-known character known as Luke Carlyle adds some of the game's most refreshing moments, with a range of bomb-diffusing puzzles that sit well with the game's action.

Ditching the linear progression of levels featured in Spider-Man 2, you're free to choose from a handful that are open at any particular point, focussing purely on one storyline or doing bits and pieces if you'd prefer. The multitude and richness of the plotlines available ensures the third title provides more of what you want and expect from a super-hero game, whilst reducing the emphasis on tedious secondary missions and padding. The sheer number available comes at the cost, however, that many of the storylines have been condensed into bite-sized chunks, often reaching a climax just when you're getting into them!

WOO HOOOOOOO

Having originally adapted the Tony Hawk's engine to capture Spidey's web-swinging techniques back in the 2001 hit Spider-Man for the PSone, Spider-Man 3 continues the series evolution with a number of tweaks that improves the fluidity and makes it less cumbersome then before. No other super-hero game quite manages to remain as faithful to its central character as the Spider-Man titles, largely since swinging around New York is as fun and entertaining as you'd hope for if spider transmuting genetics were available on the NHS. It appears that TreyArch have reworked the animation system for the next-gen debut, resulting in a greater variety and smoother transitions that capture the elegance Sam Raimi and Bill Pope have portrayed onto the big screen. Even when you've grown tired of climbing up the Empire State Building and jumping of for the umpteenth time (the sense of vertigo isn't as strong as Spider-Man 2), TreyArch have returned to previous titles in the series with sections of the NY Metro and Sewer system to explore. That said, the depiction of New York does come up a little short in a reason and reward for exploring it beyond collecting all the tokens; even taking pictures with your camera feels a shallow and pointless experience with little incentive, when so much could have been achieved.

Although fun and faithful to its subject, Spider-Man 2 suffered from repetition and uninspiring secondary missions to bulk up what was a shallow central narrative and overall game design. For the third title, TreyArch have made a number of improvements to various aspects of the game to address such complaints. One of the criticisms commonly levelled at super-hero games is the quality of the padding in between the bouts with the super-villains. Spider-Man 3 makes a number of improvements to its predecessors and other games that followed its formula, particularly by improving the game's combat system, the difficulty of the goons you'll come across and also the system governing their role in the game.

The random gang fights that provided the filler for much of Spidey's previous escapades in Manhattan features predominantly in the third title, although TreyArch have taken the whole concept back to the drawing board and come up with something that feels sufficiently more developed. Each of the three gangs vying for control over Manhattan (Dragon Tail, Arsenic, and Apocalypse) has their own storylines to complete, along with secondary Combat Tour missions and random encounters to deal with. Dividing Manhattan into zones, Spidey's attempt to clean up the streets is highlighted with a traffic-light colour system, which provides the sense of purpose and development missing in previous games; however, the lack of any visible results (people cheering, news reporters) or benefits beyond a health drop, falls short of what we were hoping for.

WHAM! POW!

Starting out with a repertoire of basic moves and abilities, Spider-Man quickly gets up to speed in Spider-Man 3, with a gargantuan arrange of techniques unlocked with further progress through the game. This time around there's no Hero Points or the need to purchase new abilities, which helps to streamline the overall system and ensure Spidey feels more like a super-hero right from the start. Although the combat rarely advances beyond the button-bashing techniques of previous titles, the sheer range of moves that look and feel as though they've been lifted straight from the pages of a comic-book, means that it seldom grows stale or repetitive. It also seems that the goons from Spider-Man 3 put up much more of a challenge this time around, which ensures this element feel less cheap and filler worthy then before.

Following the likes of God of War, Spider-Man 3 introduces "cineractives" to dramatise combat with close cameras and quick-fired Simon Says/Dragon's Lair gameplay. Given the praise that these type of features are given in today's action titles, it seems all the more surprising the level of criticism that it received when featured in SEGA's Shenmue; perhaps Yu Suzuki's expensive masterpiece was just ahead of it's time. Regardless, the feature adds dramatically and brings many of the game's most memorable moments. Occasionally used in the standard combat against some of the tougher common opponents, the inclusion in the bouts against the super-villains brings a level of cinematography and direction that has been sorely missing from previous games - the recreation of Spider-Man and Sandman fight in the subway from the movie particularly stands out as one of the game's defining moments.

Although TreyArch have made obvious improvements to the camera, it's still the cause of a few complaints, predominantly the loose execution in combat tends to emphasise the overall triviality of the combat system.

We're not going to spoil any surprises by discussing Spider-Man's transformation with the symbiote suit that occurs later in the game; although, honestly there's not that much to write about. With an expected emphasis on a darker, meaner Spidey, all the game has to offer is an expanded set of moves, abilities, and a rage bar that makes Spidey a little bit harder. The integration seems as shallow as some of the criticisms that have been mentioned regarding the movie - although one thing's for sure, it definitely looks a lot cooler.

Thankfully, it's possible to sling and web shot your way through Spider-Man 3 without ever choosing to play any of the dozens of secondary tasks on offer. If, however, you're the type of gamer that likes to squeeze every penny from a videogame for completions' sake or perhaps take a break from the plotlines, Spider-Man 3 has a plentiful supply of Combat Tour, Bomb Tour, Sky Dive, and Race events to attain gold in, along with an abundant supply of tokens to collect. There's little doubt it's filler material and the overall allure for some gimmicky rewards seems questionable, however, the choice is ultimately yours and thankfully the main game has sufficient content on offer to entertain everybody else who finds token collecting as stimulating as a lobotomy.