Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (Xbox 360)

Product Information

This all-new Spider Man game involves exploring New York City as the web-slinging wall-crawler, taking on classic Marvel Comics foes with a group of familiar allies. While entirely optional and not required for completing the game, these events reward the player with XP, which can be used to unlock new fighting moves/combos for Spider-Man. The DS version is a good addition to the DS library with its Castlevania-inspired exploration structure.

The traditional 2-D overhead view has been removed, replaced by a new 3D map with an "X", "Y" and "Z" axis which shows the player's position in three-dimensional space (north and south, as well as vertical position).Instead of cutscenes, the game features dialogue trees, during which the player must select Spider-Man's replies from several different options, which can make Spider-Man appear respectful, mean, or neutral. Devastated by the invasion, New York City is itself transformed with enormous, hanging symbiote hives and infected symbiotes, providing gamers with epic never-before seen visuals and enemies. From the game's direction to Spider-Man's destiny, Spider-Man®: Web of Shadows puts control in your hands. The Wii version does a surprisingly good job of matching the massive open world environment from the PS3 and 360 versions of the game.

The combat is much more explosive than any other Spider-Man game, but that's about the only real difference here. After defeating Jackal, Spider-Man recovers the generator and programs it to either destroy or control the symbiotes.

I get to play the PS3 version on an HDTV, and have played all of the past Spiderman games with a Playstation controller, and don't have to worry about my console dying on me in the future. Spider-Man discovers he has more control over the symbiote, and easily defeats Venom, who flees afterward. After an encounter between Spider-Man and Venom, the latter inexplicably explodes, leaving no trace of Eddie Brock and causing Spider-Man to regain his symbiote black suit. It's a decidedly old school approach to gaming, built around simple patterns of attacking and jumping. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows gives you an unprecedented level of gameplay choice, including, for the first time, control over the game's direction and outcome.

The game takes place in a continuity where Mac Gargan isn’t Venom, Eddie Brock isn’t a cancer victim/Anti-Venom (but his costume looks like the Mac Gargan version, oddly enough), Luke Cage either wasn’t an Avenger or doesn’t know Spider-Man is Peter Parker (but is perfectly okay with letting his wife run around killing symbiotes while she has a broken arm)… well, you get the point. Choose how Spider-Man fights, which powers to upgrade, who in the Marvel Universe to fight with or against, and the fate of New York City itself. The 360, PS3, and Wii versions feature a great deal of voice acting, though you might find the quality of dialogue and overall performance a bit over-dramatic.

We break down each segment of a game, and then tell you which platform reigns supreme when the dust settles. The combat has been significantly improved compared to previous games, with players now able to fight enemies not only on the ground, but also on walls and in the air. Upon release, the game received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics, who singled out the boss fights, destructive combat, original story, gameplay and open-ended nature. Jonah Jameson ( Daran Norris), who was captured and cloned as part of a plot by Smythe to discredit both him and Spider-Man.