Spider-Man 3

Written by Troy Matsumiya  on March 16, 2007

First Impressions: Enter Sandman.

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Movie fans are anxiously awaiting Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 and will likely make it the highest grossing film of the year. Activision CEO Robert Kotick is hoping gamers are just as enthusiastic for his video game version Ц make that really, really hoping, thanks to the whopping $35 million development costs.

But based on what we've seen so far, I think Kotick can sleep easy at night. Developer Treyarch once again brings ol' webhead back to our consoles with significantly updated graphics, animation and gameplay with bigger maps, attack moves and boss fights.

The game will thankfully continue the popular open sandbox format that allows you to do whatever you want. The main story mode will be more closely tied to the movie than previous versions and will let you play through key moments of the film, including battles with new villains Sandman, the Green Goblin and every dentist's nightmare, Venom.

However, you won't have to stick to the main story if you don't want to since there will be nine other story lines completely separate from the movie. These stories will feature characters from the comic series that have never appeared on the big screen before, like Scorpion (who is being controlled by an evil corporation called Mechabiocon) and other well-known cameos that are sure to delight fans. You will also have to defeat three violent gangs that have taken over parts of New York. Naturally and there will also be a ton of side missions that have thankfully been made more realistic and meaningful, so you won't have to worry about frivolous fluff like helping that stupid kid and his stupider balloons.

It will be entirely up to you how you take on the various missions but you will have to be aware of the new Citizen Satisfaction Index that measures people's opinion about Spidey. If you diligently and quickly clean up crime, your CSI rating goes up and people will love you; ignore crimes and your rating will not only plummet, but you'll get some nasty headlines in the Daily Bugle. Besides, you will probably want to do as much as possible to unlock a ton of cool bonuses including a special one for achieving 100% completion. Treyarch is being coy as to what this bonus is but promises you won't be disappointed.



Another new feature is the УCinteractiveФ which is basically playable cinematic battles that recreate moments from the movie. Hit the right buttons at the right time and you will not only kick butt, but may be able to pull off a cool finishing move. If you screw up, you won't automatically fail because a branching system will let you continue fighting. For example, one Cinteractive features a fight with the Green Goblin on his glider; if you fall off, the battle will still continue rather than forcing you to start over (the cool highlight about this battle is that Peter Parker is out of costume and dressed in his civilian clothes).

The combat system feels the same as before but is actually brand spanking new with cool new web and melee attacks, stylish aerial moves and so on. Your spider sense has been given a makeover too, and now makes the screen go black and white with enemies standing out in a bright red glow.

You also won't have to worry about buying upgrades anymore; instead, you will automatically earn upgrades by completing missions and using your abilities. So the more you swing and engage in combat, the more your attributes in these areas will grow.

But of course the big news for both the movie and the game is that strange obsidian goo that turns Spidey's suit fashionably black. And it's not just a cosmetic change either as the behavior of both Spidey and his enemies will change as well. When you wear the black suit, you'll play differently with different abilities, missions and boss fights compared to the standard red and blue suit. The big benefit of the black suit is that it will give you more violent and powerful attacks. For example, in the red suit you can lasso an enemy and swing him around; in the black suit, you will be able to snag multiple enemies and do a lot more damage.

The black suit also includes a new Rage meter that is filled by completing combos, taking damage or rapidly tapping the shoulder buttons. Activating the Rage meter will temporarily make you super powerful and let you dish out devastating damage. The black suit also changes your spider reflex, making you move faster while enemies move at normal speed, kind of like Spidey bullet-time.

To balance your powerful new abilities, enemies will behave differently when you're in the black suit, becoming much more aggressive than normal and attack in swarms.

Unfortunately, you won't be able to switch back and forth between suits at will. Instead, you will reach a point in the game where the Symbiote (the black goo) takes over and you become the black suited webslinger. Once you get rid of the Symbiote, you'll turn back to normal but will retain much of the power and abilities you acquired in the black suit.

Treyarch wrapped all of these cool new gameplay elements in beautiful new graphics with Spidey and the main enemies are rendered in amazingly high detail. The animation is also improved with very smooth realism and impressive acrobatic attack moves. New York is bigger and more detailed than ever, with huge draw distances and a brand new area right under your feet, with many missions occurring underground in over 20 miles of subway tunnels and sewers.

The game will take full advantage of the motion control features of the PS3 and Wii. While Treyarch hasn't released any info on how they will use the Sixaxis, the Wiimote will be used for swinging, combat and web attacks. Xbox 360 owners will get a ton of Achievements they love so much.

The game will be single-player only and while there has been no word on future downloadable content, Treyarch hasn't closed the door on that possibility, so keep your eyes peeled.