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Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

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Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
Developer(s)Amaze Entertainment
(PSP / PS2)
Griptonite Games
(DS)
Treyarch / Shaba Games
(Wii / PS3 / X360 / PC / Gamebox 750rx )
Publisher(s)Activision
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Wii
ReleaseOctober 21, 2008
Genre(s)Action, Beat em up, Platformer

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is a video game title encompassing three versions: a full-3D action game for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows and Wii; a 2.5D sidescrolling beat em up action game for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 (called Amazing Allies Edition), and a 2.5D side-scrolling brawler/platformer[1] for the Nintendo DS.

Versions

PlayStation 3, PC, Xbox 360, and Wii

Features

At various points in the game, the player will be able to choose between good and evil paths. There are multiple endings depending on how the game is played out. In addition, the player will decide which villains to fight against. The player will be able to switch between the classic red and blue suit, and the Symbiote suit at any time during gameplay.[2] Chris Scholz from Shaba Games also commented that the developers "worked on really separating the black and red suits to give the player a different feel." For example, red and blue-suited Spider-Man is fast and agile, while Symbiote Spider-Man is stronger and more destructive. The mini-map on the screen will also change. 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). Also, as a Wii exclusive, there are 6 alternate costumes (Spider-Carnage for the Black Suit, and Spider-Armor, Ben Reilly, Spider-Man 2099, Cosmic Spider-Man and the Iron Spider Suit for the Red Suit).

Plot

During a flashback to four days earlier, Spider-Man retells his account of how his encounter with Venom ended with the symbiote partially binding to himself. After the fight with Venom, Spider-Man meets Luke Cage during a gang drive by shooting. Cage explains that the Rolling Sevens and Park Avenue gangs are at war, and that their task is to bring the two to a truce. After pursuing the two across the city, Spider-Man manages to get them to meet up in Central Park.

Outside the rendezvous point, Spider-Man discovers several high-tech assassins on top of the nearby buildings. He traces the assassins back to the Kingpin, as well as Black Cat, who, after a brief fight (in which Spider-Man encounters Moon Knight), tells him that she wishes to start a relationship with him (Spider-Man's response to this is up to the player). After a few encounters with the Kingpin’s gang and the Vulture, Spider-Man and the Kingpin's henchmen are attacked by symbiote controlled citizens of New York City on top of a tall building. As one of them attacks him, Spider-Man throws it over the edge of the building; seeing this, the police believe he is a murderer and begin chasing him across the city.

Spider-Man swings through a symbiote-infested New York.

Wolverine, thinking Spider-Man to be possessed by a symbiote, tracks down and confronts the web slinger. After a brief battle, Spider-Man convinces Wolverine that he is the same, and the two begin tracking down infected citizens. Eventually Spider-Man finds Venom throwing people into symbiote pods. After the pods are destroyed, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Black Widow quarantine New York, setting up quarantine camps. Electro attacks one of the camps in search of his sister, and after being defeated by Spider-Man, is shocked to discover that she is under the control of a symbiote and becomes infected himself attempting to help her.

Spider-Man decides the only way to save New York is to break the Tinkerer out of Ryker's Island. Upon reaching the prison (with the aid of either Moon Knight or Vulture), Spider-Man frees the Rhino, using his strength to help free the Tinkerer. The Tinkerer then designs a device to be installed on the Trask building to remove the symbiotes from their hosts without causing harm. After defeating symbiote controlled versions of Wolverine, Electro, Black Cat, and Vulture, Spider-Man activates the device and destroys his own symbiote before responding to an attack on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier by the remaining symbiotes.

After setting bombs to destroy the Helicarrier, the symbiote attacks in a colossal five-headed form. Spider-Man is able to destroy four of the heads, and calls on Venom to try and assist with destroying the symbiotes. Realizing the destruction he has caused, Venom, who is attached to the giant symbiote, pushes Spider-Man away from the Helicarrier and climbs into the engine, killing himself but weakening the symbiote, which is annihilated when the Helicarrier explodes.

Several days after the explosion of the Helicarrier, Spider-Man then reflects over the events of the last several days with Mary Jane Watson at his side.

Playstation 2 and PSP

Features

The PS2 and PSP versions were released as Spider-Man: Web of Shadows - Amazing Allies Edition. These versions of the game are a 2.5D scroller game instead of a free-roam game as on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and PC. Spider-Man can still switch between the Black Suit and Red Suit. There are also conversations in which you may choose what Spider-Man says, which may affect the outcome of the game. There are also fewer upgrades. The story of the game is also changed a little.

Plot

Spider-Man is out in the city when he encounters Venom. Spider-Man defeats Venom and the symbiote explodes, scattering itself over the city and knocking Spider-Man unconscious. When Spider-Man comes to, he receives a call from Nick Fury explaining that Venom has infected the city and that S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents are quarantining Manhattan. He informs Spider-Man that he needs to help build a Sonic Generator and one of the components is Shocker's gauntlets. Nick Fury tells Spider-Man that Shocker is breaking into the Duhart Hotel.

Spider-Man is then contacted by the Kingpin who receive instructions to build a Sonic Generator and advises him to obtain some vibranium from an underground laboratory run by his former associate Spencer Smythe who has allied with A.I.M.. At the Duhart Hotel, he encounters Shocker and defeats him. Spider-Man persuades him to hand over his gauntlets to help stop the symbiotic invasion.

Spider-Man then goes into the subways to find Spencer Smythe's laboratory to obtain the vibranium and runs into traps set by Kraven the Hunter. He then faces Kraven the Hunter in the sewers on his way to Spencer Smythe's laboratory to rescue J. Jonah Jameson from A.I.M. so Spencer can clone him. Spider-Man manages to defeat Rhino there and gain some vibranium for the Sonic Generator.

Spider-Man holds a webbed enemy over a ledge.

Spider-Man arrives in Harlem to meet up with Luke Cage before facing the first 'infected' citizens. After toppling a water tank to put out a fire, Spider-Man is presented with the option of changing the direction of a train filled with infected people (either the train continues along the current course or Spider-Man sends it in Luke Cage's direction). When the player finds clues of the Tinkerer's plot, he then appears near a sign that has Spider-Man on it and saying "Thanks Hero." Just then, Luke Cage attacks Spider-Man. Depending on the decision at the train tracks, Luke will either appear infected by the Symbiotes or will attack Spider-Man to get the Black Suit off him.

Spider-Man then heads to a warehouse where the Tinkerer is building a missile that will spread the symbiotes to other cities. Spider-Man prevents this, but Tinkerer escapes.

Spider-Man arrives on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier where he helps to complete a sonic generator to stop the symbiotic invasion. After rescuing Jessica Drew, Spider-Man fights infected agents. He then restores the defense systems. Spider-Man encounters Jackal, who plots to obtain Spider-Man's symbiotic suit for his own purposes. Spider-Man defeats Jackal who gives him a serum that will enhance his black suit. Jessica Drew then contacts Spider-Man informing him that the Helicarrier is going down and that they have to evacuate.

Spider-Man follows the trail of the helicarrier crash, then rescues some S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents from the symbiote monsters. Spider-Man finds Jessica who has become infected by the symbiotes. After defeating her and obtaining the S.H.I.E.L.D. plans, he gets a call from Nick Fury to obtain the Sonic Generator from the top of Fisk Tower.

While heading to Fisk Tower, Spider-Man gets a text message from Nick Fury to recover Egyptian artifacts stolen from a museum 2 weeks ago that are in a safe near where he is. After making it to the top and defeating A.I.M. soldiers, Spider-Man combines the vibranium, Shocker's gauntlets, and power core with the serial port of a control interface computer. Jackal appears and steals the Sonic Generator. Spider-Man then gets a call from Spencer Smythe saying he has captured the Black Cat and is using a mind-control device on her. Spider-Man is forced to defend himself against Black Cat.

Spider-Man confronts Jackal at Central Park where Jackal states that he has modified the Sonic Generator to control the symbiotes. After defeating Jackal, Spider-Man activates the Sonic Generator to fry the symbiotes, but takes time warming up causing Spider-Man to fight the multi-headed Venom monster in the fountain and smashing the symbiote pods on its body. Spider-Man destroys the pods and defeats Venom.

After collecting the Spider Symbol above the last destroyed pod, the game will let the player know if they had either saved or enslaved Manhattan.

Nintendo DS

Features

The Nintendo DS version is a 2.5D action brawler. Much like the console games, enemies drop exp points when defeated which can be used to purchase new moves for Spider-Man. As the player progresses through the story they will also obtain upgrades that will allow them to explore more of the open world map and eventually reach the end of the game. Many reviewers have often compared this game to the Castlevania and Metroid franchises for its similarities. At certain points in the game, the player will be need to decide which mission to undertake next, these decisions in turn will change the overall outcome of the game. This version is the only version that Venom is not the cause of the invasion and Venom can be your ally. This also shows the fewest number of allies: Black Cat, Venom, Green Goblin and Nightcrawler. During the game play the player can switch between the red and black suit at will with each suit having unique abilities (Red suit is more equipped for swift and dynamic movement and fast flurry of attacks while the Black suit is used for overwhelming powerful but slower attacks and devastating large masses of enemys).

Plot

The game begins with the symbiote invasion already in progress. Thinking Venom responsible, Spider-Man searches for him.

Along the way he encounters Black Cat who informs him of two things that he can help out with:

Who Spider-Man helps is decided upon by the player. After defeating several Super Symbiotes, Spider-Man eventually arrives at a symbiote hive where he encounters and defeats Venom. Venom informs Spider-Man that he is not responsible for the alien invasion, but was trying to stop it. He reveals that if the hive's Symbiote Leader is defeated, all of the infected will return to normal.

With Venom now too weak to accompany him, Spider-Man decides to infiltrate deeper into the hive by himself and eliminate the leader. Spider-Man defeats the Symbiote Leader, and the player is shown one of several endings dependent on the player's actions.

Characters

Characters[3][4][5][6][7][8]
Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC
PS2, PSP, DS

* PS2 & PSP only
‡ Present on Nintendo DS

Reception

Web of Shadows has received mixed reviews with critics praising the idea of an original story, but citing poor polish and execution.[11] IGN also pointed out that the lock-on camera has a tendency to detach itself, making mid-air battles difficult.[11] 1UP.com praised the game as having "plenty of cool "Spider-Man" moments throughout thanks to the basic locomotion and combat", which "settles into a rhythm of repetition", summing up with "Shadows might be the best Spider-Man game yet, but that's just a testament to the series' now-mediocre standards."[9] Gamespot mentioned occasional technical issues with the graphics, sound, and camera, while praising the story, combat system, variety and "memorable" boss fights.[10] Gamespy commented "Web of Shadows manages to provide a good deal of fun even if it doesn't bring much new to the table.", praising the animation and combat, and mentioning camera problems and visual glitches along with a repetition of objectives.[18] Game Informer criticized the voice acting, camera and animation, claiming "As explosive as the new combat is, it’s all this game has to offer."[14]

The DS version of the game, in contrast to the console versions, was relatively well-received[19][20], with reviewers praising level design similar to the Castlevania and Metroid franchises while criticizing the short length.

References

  1. ^ Dale North (2008-10-02). "Spider-Man does Metroidvania? Hands-on with Spider-Man Web of Shadows DS". Destructoid. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  2. ^ "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows". Activision. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  3. ^ "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Screenshots (PS3)". IGN.com. 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  4. ^ "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Xbox 360 Trailer - Electro". IGN.com. 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  5. ^ "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows All Access". G4. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  6. ^ Matthew Walker (2008-07-08). "A Shadow of Responsibility". Cheat Code Central. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  7. ^ "IGN: Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Screenshots (PS3)". IGN.com. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  8. ^ Fred Topel (2008-10-02). "We Demo Spidey Game". SciFi.com. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  9. ^ a b Suttner, Nick (2008-10-23). "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Review". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  10. ^ a b Petit, Carolyn (2008-10-25). "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows for PS3 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  11. ^ a b c Miller, Greg (2008-10-22). "IGN: Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  12. ^ Whitehead, Dan (2008-11-11). "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2008-10-27. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ Lafferty, Micheal (2008-10-22). "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Review - Playstation 3". GameZone. Retrieved 2008-11-11. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ a b Reiner, Andrew. "Game Informer Online". Game Informer. Retrieved 2008-11-11. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Review". GameTrailers. Retrieved 2008-11-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ D'Aprile, Jason. "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Review Videos". X-Play. Retrieved 2008-12-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Reviews". Game Rankings. 2008-11-11. Retrieved 2008-11-11. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ Vasconcellos, Eduardo (2008-10-31). "Gamespy: Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Review". Gamespy. Retrieved 2008-11-12. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ Harris, Craig (2008-10-22). "IGN: Spider-Man: Web of Shadows review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
  20. ^ Light, Austin (2008-10-21). "GameSpot: Spider-Man: Web of Shadows for DS review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
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