Nerd Mentality

XBOX 360 REVIEW - Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions Review

Posted September 20th 2010 by Frankie Aguilar.

If you asked if I was a comic book fan or a gamer it would be like asking if the Pope is Catholic, so every time a video game based on a comic book character comes out, I hop at the chance to play it. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is the latest in a long line of Spider-Man games and it really benefits from that backlog. In many ways, this Spider-Man is one of the most accessible video game adaptations of a comic book ever, but it took huge steps backward in terms of gameplay to achieve that accessibility. 

Spider-Man is a hot commodity. Whether it be comics, movies, video games, TV shows or merchandise, the old web-slinger is just about everywhere. The problem however with being everywhere and being so easily and universally accesible as Spider-Man is makes it difficult to appease all the people who enjoy Spider-Man. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is a perfect example of a marketing and production team coming together and realizing that the best way to make everyone happy is to give everyone something. Boasting four different Spider-Man universes, each with their own unique Spider-Man, Shattered Dimensions was made to please to the Spider-Man starved masses.

The story is as simple as it ridiculous, something not too uncommon in comics. After a brief battle with classic Spider-Man baddie Mysterio, an ancient magical tablet is shattered and scattered across four distinct dimensions, hence the game's title. The four dimensions each have their own ambiance and feel based on the universes of Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man Noir, The Ultimate Spider-Man, and the futuristic Spider-Man 2099. Each Spider-Man, while sharing a strained yet connected consciousness, has his own abilities and fighting style which brings about the need for somewhat different gameplay in each zone. One of my biggest worries about this game before it even came out was the shift from open city sandbox, web slinging adventures from the previous titles, to a structured, path driven and platforming focused game play. Call me a snob if you like, but once you've dove off the top of the empire state building (as Spider-Man) just to simulate the rush of the 3,000 mph web-swing you can pull off, narrowly escaping certain death, the idea of running down a predetermined path seems archaic and wrong. In many aspects I'm being overly dramatic, but having played almost every single Spider-Man game in existence, it tough to reach the top of the mountain and then decided not to stay there.

Granted the game itself is not unbearable. In fact, at times the simplicity of it shines through my regressive hate clouds. The Ultimate Spider-Man levels, which had you rocking the totally evil and triumphantly awesome symbiote suit. The Spider-Man 2099 levels were really cool and fun to play as well but when I thought about it, the reasoning for this was simple. Those two world were the most open and those two Spider-Men seemed the most powerful. Each of these universes had their fair share of corridors and arena style battles, but overall they brought me back to a style I was more accustomed to playing. While the Amazing Spider-Man universe was more often than not unbearable, due in part to the annoying voice acting of the usually incredible Neil Patrick Harris, the Noir Universe was just dreadful. What surprised me the most about the Noir Universe was the blatant rip off of Batman: Arkham Asylum gameplay and look. You might be thinking to yourself, how can the be a bad thing, but trust me, in this instance, the imitation is not flattering. Shattered Universe takes the coolest parts of Arkham, the scripted contextual takes downs, and tries to sell the entire Noir universe on just that. The downside is that the take downs are nowhere as tight or varied, and at least Batman could use other methods to defeat his enemies, while this Spider-Man is just a one trick pony. Overall, in the Noir universe you find the most prevalent problem the game: the controls.

For starters, what's the one thing you thing about when you think about a Spider-Man game? The web swinging! And what gameplay mechanic seems like it was added only as an afterthought so as not to create a mutiny is the nerd community? The web swinging! Half the time you'd be hard pressed to actually find what your web would have to have been attached to in order to swing, akin to the invisible ceiling style gameplay of everything before the Spider-Man 2 movie game. And the second most prevalent Spider skill, wall crawling, also got the shaft. When approaching a wall, whether by running, jumping, or what they call swinging, there's a very noticeable delay before you attach. And I won't even begin to complain about the camera's role in all of this. Beyond all this, one of the goofiest things I've ever seen just shoved into a game for no other reason than fan service is the poorly executed first person fight scenes with each boss. Fighting from behind the mask of Spider-Man has rarely been this dissatisfying.

With a game that splits it self into four distinct dimension, as much for gimmick as it does for story and gameplay, Shattered Dimensions is bound to have some places where it shines and some places where it fails and in no place is this truer than combat. If you've ever fought as Spider-Man in a game before, you won't really find anything new here. You still have brawling skills that will keep button mashers happy, a upgradeable combo system just deep enough to keep the skilled interested and web based attacks that seem as much an afterthought as web swinging. The problem is that each universe hinders combat differently, and not in a challenging and fun way. Amazing Spider-Man's levels have you web zipping so often that by the time you actually get to fight you don't want to, and in the Noir levels if you even think about one on one battles you might as well get ready to start the level over. The Ultimate and 2099 Spider-Men have an edge again because of their universe layouts, but each also has its hindrances.

Ultimate Spidey falls prey to wave type monsters attacks that get really annoying at higher difficulties and his costumes focus on strength really draws you into a brawler type mentality causing you to ignore your natural agility. Combat in Shattered Dimensions is best represented in the 2099 universe. You really feel the speed and strength while battling as this Spider-Man, but feeling that way for only one fourth of the game isn't nearly enough. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions looks great. The Amazing Spider-Man and Ultimate Spider-Man universes have a cel shaded look to them which really makes you feel like you're playing a comic. The Noir style takes the cake for me, bringing to life one of the most interesting looks I think Spider-Man has ever had, and 2099 Spidey shines in his techno organic glory. The music is hit or miss, and the voice acting outside of Harris is quality, but sometimes the constant prattling of the old web-head gets old. But where Shattered Dimensions really fails most for me is the gamplay, which is astounding to me.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is exactly what it sets out to be -- a game aimed at pleasing as many Spider-Man fans as possible. The Ultimate Spider-Man universe battle with Deadpool alone will have Spidey fans giddier than I'll be opening up Halo: Reach. And fan service is as fans service does. The sheer number of characters from Spider-Man's long and illustrious comic book past and present that have been shoved into this game is amazing -- not to mention that each of character, hero or villain, is showcased so thoroughly. I just hate to see the gameplay take such a back seat, especially considering how fond I am of previous Spider-Man games.

Tags: Spider-Man

Posted in: Gaming, Reviews

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