REVIEW
Spider-Man Web Of Shadows
By Shaun Hatton - November 22nd, 2008
I don’t believe swinging around New York City, beating up on gangbangers and costumed villains has ever been so much fun – or pretty. Games based on super heroes haven’t had a tendency to be any good, and so with that in mind Spider-Man Web of Shadows was a pleasant surprise.
Having been a fan of Spider-Man since a child, there’s a certain amount of leeway I can give this game. Keep this in mind, but also know one thing: the game really is only for fans of the acrobatic hero anyway.
In Web of Shadows an invasion of symbiotes is threatening NYC and it’s up to Spider-Man, having dealt with them before, to deal with the problem. But he isn’t alone. Several of Marvel’s heavy-hitters make cameo appearances as both help and hindrance (depending on how you play the game) and each of these characters brings his/her unique abilities and character traits to the story.
The acting in the game is, as far as I’m concerned, much better than the acting in the Spider-Man films. It wouldn’t take much, to be sure, but the characters all sound like they should. Spidey’s banter has always been a trademark of his and there’s certainly no shortage of that. In parts of the game where you get to choose his dialogue, be sure to keep talking until you’ve heard everything he has to say. He’s also not the only humourous character in the game, as there are plenty of in-jokes peppered throughout dialogues that long-time comic fans should get a kick out of.
Visually speaking, the game presents an excellent virtual New York City. Despite graphical glitches (mostly the pop-in and pop-out of faraway buildings), everything looks great. The character models are beautiful, but seeing still images of them do not do them justice. Spider-Man moves with ease, speed, and grace once you get into the swing of things. The camera movement is, for the most part, excellent but there are a few times when it’s not responsive. Sometimes this can be fixed by moving Spidey away from a building and then manually re-positioning the camera, but if you’re on a tight ledge, or on a timed mission this camera obscuring is somewhat problematic and counter to the otherwise great experience.
Spider-Man moves and fights how he really would. In fact out of all the Spider-Man games I’ve played, this is by far my favourite as the acrobatic moves and combos feel great to pull off and look amazing, to boot. It’s here that the game really shines. Quick button taps can execute simpler combos, but the more devastating ones require more accurate timing and more complicated button sequences. The game uses some fighting elements that reminded me of the God of War and Devil May Cry series at times. Since Spider-Man is so fast and acrobatic, it’s possible to bounce from one bad guy to the next, using his webs to grab his next target. Combos can even be pulled off in mid-air or while climbing.
Spider-Man’s often referred to as “Wall Crawler” by the villains he faces (do they think it’s an insult of some sort?) and in Web of Shadows, the wall crawling is done very well. Pressing up against a building will cause Spider-Man to first stick his fingers to the wall and then crawl up onto the building or structure. While in a crawl, the camera swings behind Spider-Man quickly in such a way that it keeps up with the action. Spider-Man can also fight while climbing and also run up the walls (useful for chase missions).
Each time you level up, you can use your experience points to purchase new moves and combos. By doing so, you can essentially customize Spider-Man to suit your playing style. If you like getting down and dirty with fisticuffs, putting points towards those attacks will certainly help.
While playing, you can switch between Spider-Man’s classic outfit and his symbiote suit at any given time. In fact, you can even switch mid-battle to string Red and Black combos together for more devastating attacks. While in the Red suit, Spider-Man’s actions lend themselves towards being pure, while powers in the Black suit are more destructive by nature.
Using the two suits effectively is a good way to play the game. Since the default button for the suit switch is clicking down on the left analogue stick, I often switch suits without realizing it.
When you accomplish virtuous tasks in the game, you’re awarded with Red points. Do something bad in the game, and you get Black points. Therefore it’s possible to play the game as a Spider-Man that citizens hate. If you do mean things like throwing cars at pedestrians, chances are people are going to cower when you walk by. Play the game the way Peter Parker would and New Yorkers will cheer you on as you swing by them.
Also, depending on how you’re perceived, you’ll be able to call in the assistance of either heroes of villains.
The game’s environment is very large and inhabited by hundreds, if not thousands, of citizens. A good deal of the scenery is destructible and scattered throughout the city, at various heights and depths, are spider icons that you can collect. Oddly enough I find myself compelled to grab the icons when I see them, even though it often means I get taken off course from my current objective.
Speaking of objectives, Web of Shadows includes optional side-quests for players to embark upon. The quests are usually quick and are a good way to practice battle techniques needed later in the storyline. Plus, they’re sometimes more fun than the course main plot takes you on.
Apart from occasionally fighting the camera and the background building visual glitches, the only other real complaint I have is with the boss battles. They seem to be about twice as long as they should have been. I know the boss battles have Spider-Man squaring off against some powerful foes, but Spider-Man is no weakling! The battles are balanced because Spider-Man does heal with time, but this also means these fights can get even longer if players choose to dilly-dally.
In the end, though, Spider-Man Web of Shadows is definitely a good title and one worth your while if you’ve ever been a fan of the web-slinger.
