I remember the first time I played a Spidey game and thought, "man, this is pretty cool." That was the video game adaptation for the first Spidey movie. So imagine my surprise however many years later when I realized that game was pitiful compared to the new Shattered Dimensions. Now I know what a Spidey video game can really be.
This game departs from the traditional Spider-Man open-world style, which, looking back, really only had the effect of slowing down gameplay. In SM:SD, we find ourselves in extremely linear levels with very obvious goals. But fear not, true believers, this design is a very nice improvement, and it is supplemented with the "Web of Destiny" which adds a nice dimension of pseudo-quests to each level. There are a series of tasks one can complete for points which you can then spend on combat and character upgrades, like increased health and new combos. The more tasks you complete on the web, the more are unlocked. Some of these are completed by simply doing the things you need to do to beat the level, while others require you to use certain moves in combat, complete tasks within a certain time limit, or hit a certain number of enemies with the same attack. While these don't add any new physical dimension to the levels, they make a nice addition for those of us who want a little more out of our game play. There are also a huge amount of collectible spider emblems in the game which restore health and give you more points.
Back to level design. It's a mixed bag. Some of the levels are ingenious and very fun to play, like the lauded Sandman level, or the horrifying Carnage level, while others seem like a very irritating trek through hordes of D-bags to get to the boss. In the end, the levels all come down to how well the boss fight is designed. Again this is a mixed bag. They range from Some of the most excellent battles I've ever played, again like the battle with Sandman, in which he turns into a massive sand vortex and you must defeat him from the inside, to hugely disappointing, like the Deadpool fight, which I found to be less than impressive. The fights and levels entertainment value depends on how each different Spidey (there are 4 of them) uses their special abilities. In Noir we see a lot of stealth, which I actually enjoyed, though many have complained about. In Ultimate we get to use the Black Suits rage mode which is very cool and lets you effortlessly slice through swaths of enemies. In 2099 we have the acceleration mode which slows down time to let you dodge missiles and objects during the supremely well done free fall sequences. In amazing we just see Spidey doing what Spidey can, and it works out well.\
Check out this gameplay footage from the Sandman Level:
As far as the nitty gritty goes, the graphics aren't amazing, but they do a good job making each universe feel unique. The sound is a major downside. While traditional thwacks and pows might get some nerds hearts beating, they get very repetitive, as does the in game dialogue between Spidey and his nemeses. And Stan Lee, I love you, but your bit is getting very tiring. As the
rightchief narrator for the games cut-scenes, Stan's voice work is just not that compelling, though some of the other voice talent including Neil Patrick Harris, is pretty good.Lastly there is plenty of replay value here. With the web of destiny alone, there is a reason to go back and try and beat the game again, not to mention three different difficulty levels, and ranking systems on the levels so you can strive for the coveted gold medal. There are plenty of trophies/achievements to go around for those of you who like that sort of thing.
SM:SD was a short fun experience which should make Spidey fans happy while they wait for the Spidey reboot and inevitable game that comes with it. If you want to play a game you can beat in a week and have some fun with, check it out. Don't expect a great story, but do expect some fun gameplay.
Here's the trailer:
No comments:
Post a Comment