Spider-man Shattered Dimensions

Platform(s): Playstation 3, X-BOX 360, Nintendo DS, Nintendo WII
Developer(s): Beenox (PS3, 360, WII), Griptonite Games (NDS)
Genre(s): Action-Adventure/Platformer
Rating: E for Everyone

Spider-man. He’s the amazing web-slinger with the never-ending witty comments and the spider-like abilities that makes him an icon in the Marvel universe. So will the wall-crawler leave a legendary mark in Beenox’s “Spider-man Shattered Dimensions” or not?

Story:

Spider-man Shattered Dimensions revolves around an artifact known as the "Tablet of Order and Chaos". When it is shattered into pieces during a skirmish between Spider-Man and Mysterio it causes problems with multiple Marvel Universe realities. Madame Web calls on four versions of Spider-Man from four realities to assist her in bringing the realities back into balance: the Amazing Spider-Man; Spider-Man Noir, a 1930s version of Spider-Man; Spider-Man 2099, the Spider-Man of a possible future; and Ultimate Spider-Man, the younger Spider-Man of an alternate present who is currently bonded with a symbiote.

Pros:

From the start, I’ll say that this is a fun game to play. The game play is reminiscent of the older Spider-man games (not including Web of Shadows), where it’s more linear with very little free-roaming. It’s a hit-or-miss factor but it fits this game. Combat is still simple button-combo commands and you get more when purchasing them in the Web of Destiny menu. The combat, however, is a good point to focus on because it differs with each dimension. While the commands stay the same, the attack styles are different with each Spider-man. Amazing Spider-man will use more web-based attacks while Ultimate Spider-man’s attacks are just the symbiote striking. Noir suit are more physical and 2099 is more aerial-based.


The dimensions are another favorite point in my book. It’s obvious to say that no two dimensions are alike, but I give credit to how Beenox approached it. Despite the slight repetitiveness in the games, you’ll be taking a slightly different approach in each world. Especially in the Noir world, where stealth is your primary objective. The Noir world gives it that Arkham Asylum style to it (and there’s a reason why I’m bringing up a DC game in a Marvel game review) because the bulk of your actions in that stage is taking down opponents under the cover of darkness. Meaning that you can’t just go in and wail on the opponents because you’ll end up looking at the death screen.

The audio in the game is something worthwhile to mention. We all know that Spider-man has a witty remark for almost anything that happens, but this game makes him run his mouth. And when you consider that there’s 4 Spider-men that you play with in the entire game, you get a lot of funny/sarcastic comments and remarks. Add to it that they put Deadpool in the game as a boss and you have a stage that’s rife with crazy commentary, even when you keep the game on pause for a while.

Cons:

Unfortunately, there are some major downsides in the game. First off, the game is short. How short, you ask? You get about 13 stages that can be completed in about 30 minutes on average, 15 if you do a speed run. So you don’t get much of the game to play. There’s also very little replay value to this game. After the first 4 stages, you get how to handle the game and well, you’ll probably get bored quick. So unless you’re doing an online walkthrough or you’re an achievement/trophy hunter, there’ll be no reason to play this game a second time.

Also, this game gets very glitchy at times. From enemy markers still on your screen when there are none there to parts of a mission where you’ve defeated the baddies and there’s no cut-scene or objective to do, you will encounter glitches even if you install the game to the hard drive. Thankfully, there are no major camera angle flaws. However, if you’re crawling on a wall and there happens to be a ledge…yeah, it’s like doing a DUI trying to crawl forward.

Overall:

Spider-man Shattered Dimensions is an alright game. It’s not worth its $60 for the purchase, but if you have a GameFly account, then it’s something to check out. And if you’re a fan of witty comments, then pause the game on Deadpool’s stage and count to 60.

Final Rating: 3 out of 5