Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (PS3)
I’ll be up front and say that, although I was a huge fan of the Spider-Man movies, I’ve never been a fan of the actual comic book, mostly because I never really got into comic books when I was growing up. That being said, my familiarity with the Peter Parker character and the Spider-Man universe is somewhat limited, making this review of the new video game from Activision a bit difficult.
As the game opens, Mysterio and Spider-Man are in a fierce battle in a museum, and accidentally shatter the Tablet of Order and Chaos, sending four distinct realities and timelines out of balance. Madame Web summons Spider-Man from each of the realities (Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Man 2099, and Ultimate Spider-Man) to assist her in reclaiming the pieces of the tablet in order to restore balance. Each reality has its own distinct look, with Amazing Spider-Man being the most familiar, featuring the iconic comic book and animated series look, set in present day. Spider-Man Noir is a sepia-tinted black and white world, set in the 1930s. Ultimate Spider-Man is set in an alternate present day in which he is bonded with a symbiote (similar to Spider-Man 3). Spider-Man 2099 is, obviously, a futuristic setting. Game levels consist of a Spider-Man battling a villain from a reality. For example, the first true level has Amazing Spider-Man battling Kraven in the Amazonian jungles, including first-person hand-to-hand combat in a Thunderdome setting.
The artwork and animation in the game are superb, and gameplay can be very intense, if not often almost impossible. My first (and only) encounter with Hammerhead was where I literally hit a brick wall in this game, and was as far as I got prior to writing this review. The other problem I had with the game were the annoying wisecracks from Peter Parker/Spider-Man as voiced by four actors, Neil Patrick Harris, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Dan Gilvezan, and Josh Keaton. Perhaps this fits in more with the comic book Spider-Man that I am unfamiliar with.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is an exciting, although sometimes frustrating, action game that is sure to please ardent fans of the franchise.
