PlayStation Hardware & Games

Video: 3
Sound: 3
Gameplay: 3

The first Spider-Man movie was good, the second one was even better, but the third? Well, Sam Raimi and company seem to have lost their way, more interested in characters crying, hugging, and making omelets than delivering the superhero goods. While there's no omelet-making level in Activision's Spider-Man 3 tie-in game, it has its own case of sequelitis.

I like Spider-Man games in general. For years now, Activision has, by and large, done right by the franchise, movie-related and comic-book inspired. Having seen Spidey 3 in its opening weekend, I picked up my PS3 controller hoping that I could walk away proclaiming this one of the few movie tie-ins that’s actually better than the movie itself. But Activision and developer Treyarch wouldn't meet me halfway. They were nice enough to send me the Collector's Edition of the Spider-Man 3 game, with some supplementary material I'll get to in a bit, as well as an additional playable character: Harry, the new goblin, who can be unlocked.

The motion-sensitive SIXAXIS controller is seemingly made for something like the flying skateboard that is the Goblin Glider, and yet the game offers virtually no Goblin-specific content, no thought-out mission for him and him alone. In fact, when I played as Harry in some scenes, I could have sworn that the in-game characters referred to me as Spidey, that's how hastily cut-and-pasted this bonus is.

Both the standard and deluxe versions of the PS3 game include more than 40 missions, a combination of movie characters and events, additional stylized comic-book villains, and some elements invented just for the game. There are some pretty generic street gangs (in Manhattan? really?) and denizens in peril, and helping those in need enhances your character’s powers. There's lot of combat, which more accurately translates to a lot of dodging and button-mashing, without the real complexity and challenge I was hoping for. The good news is that this rendition of New York City is a vast, open world far larger and more detailed than those in any previous Spider-Man game. I just felt like an unsatisfied tourist when I left: "Isn't there anything more fun to do here?" Many incidental characters wander around like zombies despite nearby skirmishes, and the environment is not especially interactive.

As the plot unfolds, you gain access to the black suit, and, as in the movie, Spider-Man becomes a bit more aggressive and violent and less heroic. Opponents will act and react differently depending upon which Spider-Suit you wear. The storylines here are not always all that engaging, yet you must follow them to their conclusion, including some less-than-compelling level bosses, to progress and gain new or improved powers. Quantity-wise anyway, there seems to be more of everything in this game, which is basically a good deal. The first time you play, over 2 gigabytes will load into the PS3, so in-game load time is minimal to nonexistent. I would also be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the amazing gameplay unique to the Nintendo Wii (this one developed by Vicarious Visions), which gleefully exploits the Remote and Nunchuck controllers for two-handed web-slinging and more.

Playable in 480p or 720p, the game does suffer from some aliasing on curved and angled shapes. The menus supply a welcome gamma-level adjustment. The detail on the buildings is again truly awe-inspiring, and the physics are also realistic in many little ways as you web-sling around town. It’s the most thrilling, most believable experience yet. The impressive textures can break down during fast-action scenes, however, and character animations are not always as smooth as they could be, with occasional bizarre glitches. I also tried Spider-Man 3 for the Microsoft Xbox 360, which also delivers a high-def picture. Most of the same technical glitches plagued this version, as well. Despite those limitations, character modeling is generally first rate, a welcome match to the lineup of star voices from the film: Tobey Maguire, James Franco, Topher Grace, Thomas Haden Church, and J.K. Simmons all reprise their roles, and the always wonderful Bruce Campbell narrates once again. The in-game Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is fine if not spectacular, with only modest bass and surround usage. Fight sounds are adequate but repetitive, and New York City seems awfully quiet.

Special features for Spider-Man 3 consist of collected "webisodes." The name is extra-clever, of course, but it is merely repurposed movie promotional content that's free on the Internet, so it doesn't come across as, well, special. Also on the disc is an interview with movie producer Avi Arad who, after the recent success of Marvel in Hollywood, has become, shall we say, a trifle overexposed.

This game plays much like 2004's Spider-Man 2, from the previous generation, which makes it familiar and also refreshed at the same time. You can now rediscover much of those same exploits on the latest, greatest consoles. But it’s also disappointing, as it misses the chance to break serious new ground. Then again, if you're looking mostly for hours of mindless acrobatic web-slinging in a sprawling, grime-free simulation of the Big Apple, then the thousand-odd days' of waiting haven't been in vain.

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