Spider-Man: Friend or Foe

Written by John Scalzo  on September 17, 2007

Hands-On Preview: The Black Cat can be my friend anytime she wants.

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When Spider-Man: Friend or Foe was announced back in May most people assumed it would be a quick cash-in game designed to earn back some of the huge amounts of money spent on the development of Spider-Man 3. With the two games releasing less than six months apart (and Friend or Foe shipping just in time for the Spider-Man 3 DVD), how could it not? Well, Activision and Next Level Games switched things up on us by delivering a Lego Star Wars-style beat 'em up instead. With drop-in/drop-out play, simplified controls, stylized graphics and a never-say-die attitude, this one is aimed at the kids (or the kid-at-heart).



The game begins with a brawl between Spider-Man and the movie villains: the Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Sandman and Venom. He also receives a little help from the New Goblin and manages to spout off a few patented Spider-Man-style quips (the voice actor for Spider-Man seems particularly in tune with the fun loving nature of the character). But before you can question the living status of most of these villains, an army of Carnage-like phantoms attacks everybody and Spider-Man is whisked away by a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier.

From here the game begins and we learn a little more about just how friendly these foes get. It seems the phantoms are a bunch of barely held together pieces from Venom's Symbiote. So after they get beat on too much, they disappear (in true beat 'em up fashion). It also explains how there can be an easily replaceable army of them around every turn. But to lead this army, you need generals, and that's where Spider-Man's brainwashed rogues gallery comes in. Mysterio has slapped a mind control device on each of the villains and after Spider-Man smashes it, they are none-too-happy with him. So they team up with Spidey to take down the phantoms and Mysterio.

The demo begins with Spider-Man taking it to the roofs of Tokyo with either the Green Goblin or Venom in tow. The similarities to Lego Star Wars are obvious right from the start. The control is simplified with one button for attacks, one to jump, one to grab/perform special moves and one to switch characters. While simplified, the control never feels limiting, as each character can perform their own set of moves easily and they look good doing it. Spidey has his webslinging ability, Venom is strong and lumbering and the Green Goblin can zap people with electricity. All of the characters also have a ton of combo attacks that can be mixed and matched for more fighting options.

Moving through the level, the graphics also give off a simplified old school beat 'em up vibe. Everything is built with strong lines and bright colors. And Spider-Man and his friends (err... foes) all have a hybridized look that borrows design elements from both the movies and from the mid-90s Spider-Man cartoon. The levels are even slightly destructible as Spidey can grab boxes (or other enemies) with his webbing and use them as improvised projectiles. Phantoms can even be chucked over the edge to the unforgiving sidewalks below (cue the Wilhelm Scream).

Bonuses are spread throughout the level including powerups and tokens. Powerups are mapped to the control pad and can be activated at any time. These orbs momentarily give you super-superpowers (because everyone already has regular superpowers) including superstrength and invincibility. The tokens work much the same way studs do in the Lego Star Wars games. They are taken away when you respawn after you lose all your energy and they are your currency in-between levels to buy upgrades from Nick Fury's S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

The level ends with a boss battle against Doctor Octopus as he attempts to rebuild his fusion reactor from Spider-Man 2. The camera switches to a behind-the-back view and, in tried-and-true beat 'em up fashion, Doc Ock hides behind a shield generator that must be disabled before he can be attacked. The good Doctor will repair the shield after it is broken and the player and the boss must go through this dance until Doc Ock is defeated and joins Spider-Man and his Super Friends on their quest to stop Mysterio.