Spiderman: Friend or Foe is an extremely difficult game to categorize. On most levels, this game is average all the way around. But for the true Spidey geek, I really enjoyed playing this game. Here’s the premise, some bad guy has some meteorite shards and is mind controlling the villains in the Spiderman universe. Although not the most clever of plotlines, (plot is not what this game is about), it’s about taking Spidey and friends out to wallop endless streams of enemies. So why is this novel? Well, the additional characters you can grab along for the ride are some that have never been available in a video game. These include Black Cat, Silver Sable, Iron Fist, the Prowler and quite a few others. Also, when you defeat one of the mind controlled villains (Doc Ock, Green Goblin), then they become playable as well.
As for game play, it’s all pretty straight forward. Use your attacks and web abilities to conquer the foes… over and over again. This isn’t the deepest beat-em-up ever created but the animations are nice and the moves are varied. Your partner characters do not nearly have the cool abilities that Spidey has, but playing some of those characters was still enjoyable. There really aren’t many puzzles to solve, or secrets to find. Just keep pushing forward towards the boss fight. The game play is reminiscent of the Star Wars Lego games, where death is a nuisance, rather than actually meaning anything, therefore making it ideal for a slightly younger audience.
Graphically the game is sub par from a technical level, but I found that the visual design of the game to be fitting. The graphics are clean and simple and quite stylized. It gives the game a cartoony look that fits with the mood and tempo of the game. The look of the game celebrates the fun parts of the Spiderman universe, and refuses to get bogged down in ultra-realism, which is a welcome change of pace. The cut scenes are fun and the voice acting is actually pretty well done. The whole package harkens back to when Spiderman’s only cares were to crush bad guys while cracking a few jokes along the way.
The multiplayer is interesting with the second player able to join in at anytime, ala Lego Star Wars. This lends itself well to online play…. if there was online play. This is probably my greatest beef with the game. Being able to hook up with a friend online and duke it out with Doc Ock would have really made this game something to see. But alas, it was not to be. You get to have your 6 hours worth of fun, and that’s about it.
Final Verdict
Overall, Spiderman: Friend or Foe is an average game with some above average moments. To a comic geek like me, the comic feel and bright graphics were a welcome change of pace. Above average voice acting and a fun story round out the presentation of the title. It won’t redefine any genres, but it’s a fun diversion. Lack of online co-op hurts and detracts from a pretty solid game.
Score
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