Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Review for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

System: X360, PS3, Wii, PC, PS2, PSP, DS	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Shaba	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Activision	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Oct. 21, 2008	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Teen	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

One of the other reasons you will keep coming back to Web of Shadows are the choices you can make. It is the main focus of the game to be able to make decisions that will ultimately affect the way the game progresses. One example is the upgrade menu, where you can upgrade the Red Suit or the Black Suit, thus allowing you control over when and what advancements you acquire. Choosing the light or dark side at certain points, in addition to the way the story plays out, will affect how the populace reacts to Spidey when he's around them. If you have behaved in a non-superhero fashion, they may scream and run away, or they might praise you for the good you have done. Though almost always, if they see you in the Black Suit, they will scream and fear you. It is comical when they do this because once you switch back to the Red Suit, they immediately forget you were just wearing the Symbiote, good times if you do it repeatedly.

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows screenshot

Along with those random screams and praise are the voice actors delivering the storyline. Most of the voice actors do a really great job with what they are given, however, when you initially hear Spidey, it may annoy you. Sometimes the voice actor sounds like Tobey Macquire and other times he sounds very squeaky. The internal monologue always sounded top-notch though, and over time, you grow accustomed to the "new" voice of Spider-Man. One thing is for certain, the joke delivery is much better and easier to swallow compared to the previous movie-focused titles. Now it doesn't mean that there are no flaws in the voice acting, but most are so trivial that you won't even care. The score for the game is comparable with the feature films, although I have to point out that occasionally you will think you are listening to the score from Batman Forever or Batman and Robin.

In general, everything with Spider-Man: Web of Shadows progresses the franchise into new and greater territory. Unfortunately, there are a few problems, most notably the camera. Too often the camera will adjust itself in a manner that makes it difficult to follow what is going on. Sometimes, it also prevents you from knowing where you are. Occasionally, the camera issues are excusable and you move on after you have adjusted to them. One other concern is the lag in the gameplay and sometimes in the menus. When trying to quickly square off against some foes, the lag would slowly roll in, and you have to sit back and just wait for it to pick back up. In the menus though, the problem is more severe when switching from one item to the next.

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows screenshot

Are there annoyances you will encounter? Sure. However, the one thing that you have to take into account while playing this title is the natural progression of the franchise. Opening it up to more comic book-focused storylines, allowing players to decide the outcome in various interesting ways, increasing the combat to make it enjoyable and easily accessible to anyone, and, of course, giving fans the Black Suit to play around with all do this admirably. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows may not be perfect, but it definitely gives you the closest chance you are going to get to being Spider-Man without being bitten by a radioactive spider.

By Matthew Walker
CCC Project Coordinator

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.4

Graphics
Solid blend between the realistic and comic book-styled approach of previous entries. Accurate representations of the geography of Spidey's universe also add to the appeal of the graphics.

3.8

Control
While the combat itself can become repetitive, the controls respond nicely and make enacting the combos a joy and not a cumbersome experience.

3.7

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
I would have liked a better voice for Spider-Man, but the rest of the cast sounded convincing. The score itself is great to listen to as you swing through the city.

4.0

Play Value
A great story, intense gameplay, choosing your own path, and the tranquility of swinging through the city will keep you playing and wanting more after you are done.

4.0

Overall Rating - Great
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Overhauled Combat System Provides Deepest Arsenal Ever: A reengineered combat system fuses Spider-Man's speed and strength to create deadly new attacks and combos. For the first time ever in a Spider-Man game, players can take the fight vertically and combat foes on city walls, where only Spider-Man holds the advantage.

Gamers Control Their Fighting Experience: At a moment's notice, gamers can switch between the agile grace of Spider-Man's Red Suit and the savage power of the Black Suit, creating some of the most devastating combos ever seen in a Spider-Man game.

Players Can Customize Their Ideal Spider-Man: Players earn experience in multiple combat disciplines, allowing them to custom-design their ideal Spider-Man. Points awarded during battle can be used across unique paths to upgrade the Red Suit and Black Suit, allowing players complete control over the style and moves they take into combat.

Every Choice Counts: Dependant on the gamer's actions and decisions, a morality meter will gauge whether citizens cheer Spider-Man on or run away in fear. Spider-Man's actions as hero or vigilante, based on choices at key points in the game, will affect how the fate of New York vs. alien invasion ends.

Side With Marvel's Greatest Heroes and Villains: Luke Cage or Vulture? Wolverine or Electro? Gamers can control who will ultimately aid them in the fight to rid New York of its alien Symbiote. Alliances with Marvel's greatest heroes and most notorious villains hold consequences, as heroic and vigilante paths hold different destinies. Call upon your allies with the push of a button to combine forces for epic Hero Strikes!

A Living, Breathing New York City Under Siege: Next-generation technology provides gamers with an added dimension of interactivity - destroy store fronts, demolish vehicles, and grab anything in your path to use as a weapon. Devastated by the invasion, New York City is itself transformed with enormous, hanging Symbiote hives and infected Symbiotes, providing gamers with epic, never-before seen visuals and enemies.