Spider-Man 3 Preview

Director Sam Raimi is getting close to wrapping up his Spidey movie trilogy. The hugely anticipated blockbuster is expected to hit cinemas May 4 this year. On that same day, Activision is preparing to launch Spider-Man 3: The Game on all platforms, that is to say PS3, X360, PS2, Wii, PSP, NDS and GBA. Before you cry your eyes out, yes, the game is also coming to PCs.

"The power... it feels good."

You have something on your face. Here, let me get rid of it for ya!

Spider-Man 3: The Game is being developed by Treyarch, the same team responsible for bringing the last two Spider-Man games to life (Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2). Now I don't honestly now how you guys prefer your webslingers. As far as I know, there are some among you who enjoyed Ultimate Spider-man, which has more of a comicish kind of feel to it. Spider-Man 2 was the first game to introduce a larger game environment and give it a slight touch of GTA-ness. Spider-Man 3 was said to provide an ideal combo of the two aforementioned titles.

From what we've seen from the latest Spider-Man 3 movie trailer, when Peter Parker snugs into his cool-looking black suit, he assumes a different, more darker and sinister, role. Treyarch and Activision mean to take advantage of that as much as possible.

As you've probably learned by now, the game sticks close to the movie plot. Spider-Man must deal with the newly discovered Venom symbiote, while resolving his dispute with Harry Osborne (a.k.a. the new Goblin) and at the same time he is left to face Sandman, the cool-looking granular character who fuels Spidey's need for revenge. On top of all that, the wall-crawling hero has an impulsive relationship with Mary-Jane to cope with.

The game kicks off by allowing players to master Spider-Man's abilities. During the tutorial, you'll be accompanied remarks from the one and only Bruce Campbell (who will be voicing about 20 minutes in the final game). Apart from following the main plot, Spider-Man 3 features more than 21 side-missions involving a range of tasks to put a stop to evildoers throughout the city. There's a handy GPS system available as well, to help Spidey find his way around more quickly and keep track of crime at the same time. There are three territories within the city and each is controlled by a different gang. It was also pointed out that the entire game environment is 2.5 times bigger than the one seen in Spider-Man 2.

Spider-Man fans should be happy to know that the developers incorporated all the moves and combos from Spider-Man 1, Spider-Man 2 and Ultimate Spider-Man. These include familiar moves such as air yank, pile diver, rodeo and more. Apart from that, however, you'll get to try out new ones such as paddle ball, the ROFL Copter and the annihilator. Using the paddle ball, for instance, players can web sling enemies back and forth (well, like a paddle ball), while the ROFL Copter allows Spidey to spin-attack enemies while in air. New and upgraded moves are unlocked with practice and as you progress through the game's chapters. Unlocked with practice means that using certain powers helps advance them to a higher level - with time, you can improve your web length and things like speed and strength. Further abilities were put in to make Spider-Man's job a little easier. That's where the Spider Senses and Spider Reflexes come in. When activated, the Spider Sense turns the screen black and white with only crucial objects being shown in full color. Apart from that, should good old Spidey ever lose his way, the Spider Sense can point him in the right direction. The Spider Reflexes, on the other hand, are used to slow time so the player can pull off a few extra moves. Yep, this bullet-time style fighting is especially useful when you're outnumbered by foes.

All this is standard action, more or less. The real fun should begin when Spider-Man transforms into his darker self. Once that happens, a more aggressive character will be at your disposal, featuring maxed out strength, speed and 40 unique black-suit moves to pull off. Each power you normally use as old red-suited Spidey, is doubled, pumped up and more effective in combat.

Like most Marvel-inspired action adventures, Spider-Man 3 pits the player against some serious bosses. Aside from the new Green Goblin (actually Harry Osborn, who wants nothing more than to avenge his father by killing Spider-Man) and Sandman (Flint Marko, a small-time crook involved in the death of Peter's Uncle Ben), our hero also has to stand up to villains that won't be making an appearance in the movie, such as Scorpion.

Ah, there's nothing like a nice breath of fresh air!

It's alright, sir. Just need to have a look at the engine.

We were told that only X360 and PS3 versions are similar content wise. Of course, Xbox 360 version will feature Achievements and Xbox Live friends' lists but won't have online play (bummer!). The PS3 version has one small added extra, which is the ability to play through the whole game as the new Goblin. The game also supports 720p on the X360 and PS3, and 480p on the Wii. It might interest some of you to know that the Wii version is being developed separately by Vicarious Visions. Wii owners can look forward to a different game with original content, individual mission structures and, of course, a unique control scheme, customized specifically for the Wii-mote.

It looks as though Activision covered just about every gaming platform and the Wii is no exception. We are glad that both Treyarch and Vicarious Visions approached the project with great attention to detail. The good news is, of course, that we only have to wait less than a month to watch the movie and play the game, so sit tight.