System: Wii, X360, PS3, PC, PS2, DS, PSP
Dev: Vicarious Visions
Pub: Activision
Release: May 4, 2007
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: Teen
Review by D'Marcus Beatty

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Review Rating Legend
1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor
2.5 - 2.9 = Average
3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
3.5 - 3.9 = Good
4.0 - 4.4 = Great
4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
5.0 = The Best

Another bonus that appears on both the Wii and PS2 version of the game is that once the symbiote is revealed and attached to Peter, you will be able to change almost at will between the two. This adds a different, strategic element to the game. Instead of just wearing the black suit at your leisure, you will have a time limit that you can wear the suit. Once the time is up, you will be given a choice: either leave it on until the darkness consumes you, literally - the screen fills in black and Peter passes out - or go through a series of button pushes in order to remove the costume. The alien costume wearing Spidey also has a different, more aggressive fighting style, in addition to increased power and health bars. All of these things play a significant role in the usage of the black suit.

The voice-over acting, much like the voice-overs of the second game, is really good. Tobey Maguire lends his voice to Peter, as do Topher Grace, Thomas Haden Church, James Franco and JK Simmons. Kirsten Dunst does not revive her role as Mary Jane in the game, so you can take that as either a good or a bad thing, depending on how you feel about her performance. There is also a fan/cult favorite that reprises his role in the game - Bruce Campbell. If you know anything thing about his movie career, then you know that his dry, witty humor is one of the strongest in any media form. The humor is also delivered better than it was in the second. Instead of the lame attempts Tobey delivered in the game of the second film, this time around, you can really tell how much he has grown into the shoes of Spider-man; this is also apparent in the film as well which is great.

Spider-Man 3 delivers in many ways. Unfortunately, there are too many ways that his agility should have helped him bounce out of the way. For every step in the right direction, something always leads him back a few steps. The gameplay is both innovative and bothersome, especially if this is your first outing with a single player game on the Wii. There are obvious areas of improvement that should have been thought out a little more. While it doesn't completely make you think you are the web slinger, Spider-Man 3 for the Wii does at least aid you in the life long dream of pretending.

By Matthew Walker
CCC Freelance Writer

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Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man makes his way onto next-gen systems by D'Marcus Beatty

Spider-Man 3, the epic movie event, is closer than ever, and with its approach, we also have another iteration of the Spider-Man games. These games have the distinction of being some of the earliest good movie to game adaptations. Hopefully, this trend will continue with the latest game, simply entitled Spider-Man 3.

Spider-Man 3 builds upon the formula set in place by the free-roaming Spider-Man 2 game and expands upon it. Like previous games, Spider-Man will be able to web-swing around New York fighting crime in his distinctive fashion. However, the upgrade to next-gen means improvement in a number of areas. First, Spider-Man will look much better than before. The character model for Spider-Man is much more detailed this time around. In previous Spidey games, New York was stunning, especially from the aerial view that web-swinging afforded. In Spider-Man 3, New York is even larger than before with more details in the buildings and environments as well. There is also an incredible draw distance, which is both impressive and necessary for the newly enlarged scale of the game.

The main story of Spider-Man 3 follows the details of the movie, including the battles with the Harry Osborn incarnation of the Green Goblin, fights with the Sandman, and defeating the black symbiote that plans to possess young Peter Parker. There's no current mention of Venom's appearance, but since he is in the movie, he should be a safe bet for an appearance in the game. Like previous games, there are also missions that are separate from the movie missions that involve other members of Spidey's rogues gallery, like the Scorpion. This time, however, the player can choose whether or not to play the story missions or to just have fun web-swinging around NYC. However, ignoring crime for too long causes the citizens of New York's opinion of their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to decline, so players interested in popularity should stick to regular superheroing. Treyarch also promises much more variety in the crimes Spider-Man can encounter, so no more balloon rescuing followed by purse snatching followed by saving an idiot hanging from a building ledge repetition.

Treyarch also says that the fighting engine has been redone, allowing more for the use of Spidey's webs in combat. In addition to this, there are also new aerial moves and supermoves that take advantage of Spider-Man's agility and speed. The Spidey-Sense has been changed a bit, as it is activated by the press of a shoulder button and grays the game world while highlighting the foes in red. This allows Spider-Man and the player to keep track of all potential threats in the area. In addition to that, the brief areas in the game where Spider-Man wears his black costume have Spidey showcasing more aggressive and powerful attacks, like lassoing a group of enemies when the red-suited Spider-Man would only rope one foe.

Another new addition to the gameplay is the inclusion of "cineractives," which are a type of interactive, cinematic Quick Time Event. One example comes when Spider-Man battles the new Green Goblin atop the Goblin glider. As Spidey struggles with the deluded Goblin, there are onscreen prompts telling the player what direction to press. These events are much longer and more interactive than the average QTE, creating a more dynamic experience for the player as they struggle not only to stay on the moving glider, but also to counteract Harry's attempts to throw you from his craft as well.

Although the details haven't been released yet, Treyarch promises to have some unique applications for the Wii owners utilizing their Wii-motes. It's not hard to imagine playing Spider-Man and holding the Wii-mote like a webshooter, but we'll should have the actual details soon.

Spider-Man 3 has the potential to be the best Spider-Man game yet. With Treyarch working to make everything bigger and better, gamers can probably anticipate the game just as fiercely as they're waiting for the movie to hit theaters. Look for Spider-Man 3 to swing in alongside the movie on May 4th.

By D'Marcus Beatty
CCC Co-Site Director

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