SPIDER-MAN 3 REVIEW
So I caved in. I heard so much talk about the game I had to give it a try. And I have to admit for the most part I was severely impressed. I was a fan of the Spider-Man 2 game, as it was the first movie ported to a video game that actually gave the fans what they wanted. Well, if you enjoyed that then you are in for more of the same with this one, with Wii controls. These controls are what play the biggest part in making this game worthwhile, without them then we'd be pretty much playing a PS2 game on our Wii.
On the topic of gameplay, when you first start your new game your thrown straight into the thick of it. Learning the controls doesn't take long, its mostly the timing that got me. The tutorial level sees Spidey running through a building under siege saving people, beating up crooks and using his Spidey skills. Not to forget the very amusing voice over you get during the tutorial. I don't want to spoil it for you but trust me, it adds so much entertainment to the game its unbelievable. For fun, I recommend doing bad, the voice will bag out your skills. Very amusing. Fling the Wiimote forward and hold "B" to fire web, awesome! Sounds, but always wanted to go all out Spidey and switch hands, well thanks to the Wii you can. Fling the Wiimote and press "Z" and he'll use his other hand. Its great to watch, the animations have improved.
And if you don't like the controls then that's too bad, they'll be used alot. You'll be spending alot of time swinging on your webs from one side of the city to the other. And it can take a fair while if you don't get the timing down.
So, the music. What can be said. If you've seen the movie, expect similar sort of music. And this is important for movie tie-ins. Although, having said that I thought it could have stood out alot more. None of the tracks are coming to mind as I write this, it disappoints me because I remember liking the music. The general sound scape is as you should expect from the typical Spider-Man. Web slinging sounds the same, the usual punch and kick effects are there, traffic sound effects are there. Voice actors, okay... So I'm very happy that they managed to get the official actors from the films to give their voices (honestly, it would have been stupid any other way) although occasionally they just sounded bored of it.
Featuring a storyline equal to that of the movie, its a massive win. And they actually have time to explain it all in the game (As opposed to the movie which tried way to hard to fit it all in, resulting in a mixed review movie) and on top of that they have added in a bunch of villains direct from the comics (Lizard, Scorpion, Shreik, Morbius, ect) and when I was playing through it, it flowed so well I began to see future Spider-Man movies working. Like having the Lizard and Kraven worked really well together in the game, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Was also good to see some reason as to why Connor's checked out the symbiote for Peter.
The biggest downfall of this game are of course, the visuals. I knew coming into it that it was from the PS2 version of the game, but I had a feint hope that there would be a slight improvement. But from what I could see, there wasn't really. I truly believe the Wii *can* do better than this, which makes me question why game developers create game for the Wii and give them all new controls but do not bother to adding improvements to the visuals. To get a real glimpse of what we're dealing with watch the city, far too often does it look ugly in the distance. I am aware that Wii games aren't about the visuals inside the game, but sometimes there is a line that should be drawn. We're not in last generation anymore, we're in the new generation. Developers need to catch up and develop accordingly.
I noticed some occasions when the frame rate would drop, like when the screen fills up with too many gang members. You'll notice blocks of animation missing from the combat. I suppose this is understandable as the game is trying to handle alot. But regardless I look forward to their work on Spider-Man 4 (it's inevitable).
Life-span. This is another strong point that this game has. There is so much to do. So many villains to face, four gangs to fight against, a massive city to explore, 50ish Spider-Man emblems to collect, 100+ Meteorite pieces to collect. So much, and even when you've done all that, swinging around picking fights against the gangs as Spider-Man is fun because you get to show off all of your radioactive Spider skills.
In closing, Spider-Man 3 is a must-have game if you liked the movie, a must-have game if you like Spider-Man, but can be missed if you're not a massive fan of either. It is about on par with Spider-Man 2 with the addition of Wii controls. UP, UP AND AWAY WEB!
PROS
+Great controls
+Plenty of exploration to be done
+Features the voices of official actors
+Web-slinging alone is great fun
+Great soundtrack
CONS
-Graphics unimpressive
-Occasionally VA's sound dead and bored
-Doesn't add too much new content (From SM2->SM3)
-Can't play as Venom (to my knowledge)
SCORES
Gameplay: 8/10
-Strongest point of the game, rarely get's dull
Sound: 8.5/10
-Solid soundtrack with your typical Spider-Man sound effects
Lifespan: 9/10
-There's simply that much to do
Graphics: 6/10
-Playing a game at PS2 visuals on Wii isn't that great.
OVERALL
8.5/10
Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man comes through with the win.
By LMX
