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Spider-Man: Web Of Shadows Impressions
Posted by Michael McWhertor at 2:07 AM on July 26, 2008
Activision treated us to an early look at Spider-Man: Web Of Shadows at Comic-Con this week, giving us a taste of the game's suit-switching mechanic and highlighting boss battles with classic villains Venom and Vulture. In Web of Shadows, Venom has infected the people of New York with a symbiote plague, creating hundreds of mini-Venoms that our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man must dispatch.
Peter Parker has been infected by the alien symbiote, too, but has total control over its abilities, allowing him to switch from the more nimble red and blue suit to a more destructive black and white suit on the fly. Both suits have their advantages and disadvantages, as the black suit lets Spidey whip foes with symbiotic tentacles and carries a heftier punch, but can result in more collateral damage to the city.
That trade-off comes into play in how the citizens of New York, as well as your superpowered allies and enemies perceive you later in the game. With a cast of "Marvel Team Up" regulars, folks like Wolverine and Luke Cage, you'll need to make sure the good guys are on your good side.
Shaba Games, developer of Web of Shadows, looks to have gone to great lengths to capture that Spider-Man feel. All the stock Spidey moves are in there — wall-climbing, web-swinging, spider-sensing — with cinematic camera angles complimenting each. The camera will pan out and strafe when Spider-Man is leaping through the air, attaching himself to foes with a carefully placed web shot, making it look easy to string together combos.
In the Vulture fight we watched, Spider-Man had to get more altitude than he would normally be capable of. With a flock of Vulture minions sporting Green Goblin style gliders floating about, the producer in charge of controlling our hero leaped from minion to minion, until the Vulture was in range. He then knocked the crap out of him with a flurry of punches, kicks and webbing.
We also got to see a epic battle between Spidey and Venom, with a dozen Venomites scrambling around a back alley hive. After dealing with the symbiote infected mob, Spider-Man's next task was to eliminate Venom and his symbiote hive. Looks like Shaba is adding some nice variety to the boss battles in Web of Shadows and we look forward to taking some of this on ourselves.
What we saw of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows looked very early, as the game was still in alpha build stages. There's clearly plenty of work to be done on the title, as frame rate and camera performance needed some serious tweaking — our biggest concerns for the title's ultimate success. Visually, though, the game looks quite nice, and the glossy look of the symbiotes fits in well with the character's art style.
Activision was showing off the Xbox 360 version of the game, but it plans to ship on just about everything under the sun later this fall.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Twisk
Posted 3:45 AM 26/7/08
@lionkitten: I'm wondering that too. Spiderman 2 was a really fun sandbox game. I actually enjoy Spiderman 3 as well simply because I can swing around aimlessly as Spiderman.
It would be nice to know if this is also a sandbox to swing around in.
Twisk
Skychrono
Posted 3:32 AM 26/7/08
@unangbangkay: This is from January's Mighty Avengers arc, issues... uh... 6-11?
Doctor Doom accidentally dropped a symboite bomb in New York. They fight, and I don't think Spider-Man got involved - he was busy with BND activities at the time.
The Cable/Deadpool thing is probably related, but only tangentially, because that's how Deadpool rolls.
Skychrono
wild homes loves you but chooses darkness!
Posted 3:31 AM 26/7/08
@Jazhuis: I would definitely agree with that. I liked the mechanics of the second game, too. I just remember picking that game up, putting in my PS2 and seeing how the large the world was... and then the crushing sense of disappointment when I realised I could explore the world of the game but it wasn't filled with interesting things to do. Mechanically, it was a lot better than the first Spider-Man, but I liked that in the first game I knew there was going to be a big payoff every so often.
wild homes loves you but chooses darkness!
AJMarra
Posted 3:29 AM 26/7/08
I really hope this game doesn't suck.
AJMarra
v12qborony
Posted 3:26 AM 26/7/08
Set to release on all platforms? Does that mean I will be stringing together combos on my iPhone? LOL, it was worth a shot.
v12qborony
DARTH_TIGRIS
Posted 3:24 AM 26/7/08
@unangbangkay:
I take OFFENSE to the comic book nerd generalization, but I'll bite.
I think this could be taken from a variety of stories, with even a little Spider-Man: Reign mixed in. But it seems like it has a lot in common with the first few issues of a recent Mighty Avengers story where a symbiote virus infects a large portion of the city of New York and even a number of the New and Mighty Avengers were infected.
You know ......... every one else will read this and think I'm a comic book nerd anyway. *sigh*
This game looks sweet, as I'm someone that never really played any of these Spidey games proper. They always seemed to fall short as games and as Spidey experiences. The vids I've seen of this have me HIGHLY interested though. Since McWhertor said this was a alpha build, is this really coming out this fall? I really hope they don't rush it for a date, cause this could be The Redeemer!!! I'm talking a Mark Waid/J. Scott Campbell comic run good!
DARTH_TIGRIS
Rebochan
Posted 3:21 AM 26/7/08
It has promise...here's hoping.
Rebochan
Grumpz®
Posted 3:08 AM 26/7/08
@Eville1: I beat Ultimate in like 3 hours... during the final chase I was thinking "I wonder how much longer this'll be." Then it was over and I was left with this waste of money feeling. Plus the characters looked nice butthe environment looked like garbage. I love spider-man... but those last two games... I couldn't even play spider-man 3 for more than 20 minutes it was so mediocre.
Grumpz®
Jazhuis
Posted 2:57 AM 26/7/08
@wild homes loves you but chooses darkness!: I really liked the mechanics of 2. It needed more interesting things to do, sure, but...
@Chances: Exactly! I hated the "cloudy void above and below" of the first game. Having to web to things in 2 made the game more concrete, and felt a lot more comfortable to control.
Again, in my opinion the only real killer to Spider-Man 2 was the lack of new things to do after a certain point. But the final Mysterio battle was a riot!
Jazhuis
Chances
Posted 2:45 AM 26/7/08
I became immensely interested in this once I saw a gameplay vid of the combat. The lack of suck was shocking.
Now my only concern is that the web-swinging seems to have gone the rout of 'web line shoots up into the sky, Spidey swings' as opposed to the fantastic mechanic in 2. Perhaps the depth(?) of the new combat system makes it necessary. We'll see ^.^
Chances
TheBard
Posted 2:44 AM 26/7/08
The game was shown in an alpha stage, but is still planned to come out this fall? We nearly have august. How is that supposed to work?
TheBard
darkmdbeener
Posted 2:41 AM 26/7/08
i hope i wont be crushed by this games. my hopes are high for this. Special for how they did the symnbiots and venom (HUGE venom )
darkmdbeener
enewtabie
Posted 2:41 AM 26/7/08
I was listening to 1up FM talk about it and it does sound very interesting.
enewtabie
unangbangkay
Posted 2:39 AM 26/7/08
Frankly before I saw those demo vids I wouldn't have shot even a vial of web fluid over yet another spider-man game. I was disappointed over Ultimate Spider-Man (though the new setting made up for the simplified mechanics), and Spider-Man 3 couldn't held its own against the original PS1 Spider-Man game.
But this...THIS...is actually exciting.
A question for fellow comic book nerds: the devs say this is based on the comics and takes place after the Venom symbiont infects New York, forcing a HUEG hero team-up of World War Hulk proportions.
Does this have anything to do with events happening late in Cable & Deadpool, when Deadpool, teleporting from the Savage Land, accidentally infects a herd of Dinosaurs with the Venom (being transported by Homeland Security) symbiont? Following the event a piece of Venom is shown flowing down a street drain (freedom!).
Wall of text short: Is this based on any actual comic events, and will it be entered into the series canon?
unangbangkay
Eville1
Posted 2:33 AM 26/7/08
@Grumpz®: Well, I disliked Spiderman 3 but I liked Ultimate. Maybe it was the story line written by one of my favorite scribes? The cheesy but somewhat funny voice acting? That being said I did abandon most of the missions half way through to just swing around and explore.
Eville1
lionkitten
Posted 2:33 AM 26/7/08
I kinda had fun with Spiderman 3 as a rental - enough to get all the way through it. But I thought Firend or Foe was garbage. Is this more open-world like Spiderman 3 where I can just swing around and do stuff? I really liked just swinging around the city and climbing buildings all Crackdown/AssCreed/Spidey style.
lionkitten
Belabras
Posted 2:31 AM 26/7/08
Looking forward to this. Hope it is as good as it promises to be.
Belabras
wild homes loves you but chooses darkness!
Posted 2:27 AM 26/7/08
It'd be nice to finally have a really good Spider-Man game. I liked the first Spider-Man last generation, but the two sequels traded off interesting characters and boss fights for an "open" city that was devoid of really compelling things to do. Sure, you could run around like an idiot, deliver some pizzas, and stop the same four thugs over and over and over again, but... no thanks. Ultimate was fun, but it just didn't do enough. I'm really looking forward to this new game. Do Spider-Man justice, please!
wild homes loves you but chooses darkness!
offsafety
Posted 2:24 AM 26/7/08
I hope it's good, though I am getting tired of the superhero games though. Spiderman should deliver.
offsafety
Grumpz®
Posted 2:21 AM 26/7/08
I hope it's good. Ultimate Spider-man and Spider-man 3 both sucked pretty bad. I want another good spider-man game.
Grumpz®
Jacktherip
Posted 2:21 AM 26/7/08
Hopefully this will be a good game, with the glut of marvel games coming out because of movies we really need something that actually has some good gameplay.
Jacktherip
TRT-X
Posted 2:20 AM 26/7/08
My primary concern would be how the good/evil thing actually plays out. Fable promised big things in that regard and we all know how that wound up.
TRT-X
Tracid
Posted 2:20 AM 26/7/08
Finally a Spider-man game I look forward to.
Tracid
TheLegendof_Erick
Posted 2:19 AM 26/7/08
I'd love to see what Carnage looks like with those graphics
TheLegendof_Erick
Rubix42
Posted 2:19 AM 26/7/08
I am becoming more optimistic on this one. Seems like they are on to something cool and hopefully this will the be the spidey game worth owning.
Rubix42
DigitalHero
Posted 2:18 AM 26/7/08
I actually like that screenshot. Even the webbing looks like something McFarlane has drawn.
DigitalHero
excaliburps
Posted 2:15 AM 26/7/08
Kotaku and the other previews I read are sort of implying that this will break the Spider-Man string of bad games...
1up even alluded it to being a la DMC or NG as an action game. Hey as long as the plot's fresh and the combat doesn't get repetitive, I'm there!
Now if only Pandemic's Batman game had a leak somewhere...C'mon there must be some info concerning that game!
excaliburps
SegevRaz
Posted 2:14 AM 26/7/08
Cool , I really hope this will be , at last, a great spiderman game(spiderman 2 was good, but not as great as a spiderman game should be ).
SegevRaz
Neo-Senku: The World's Finest Pervert
Posted 2:12 AM 26/7/08
Seems both interesting and Promising.
Neo-Senku: The World's Finest Pervert
soldier148
Posted 4:22 AM 26/7/08
that position looks really, really painful XD. and i've heard good things about the new spiderman game, and i saw some good vids of it at comic-con. looking foreward to it
soldier148
ZetaCrossfire
Posted 4:39 AM 26/7/08
please treyach make this game win
ZetaCrossfire
OmegaVader
Posted 4:34 AM 26/7/08
I watched the video footage from E3 and I was impressed. It seems like the next step from Spider-Man 2 that Spidey 3 failed to be.
OmegaVader
Placentasaurus
Posted 4:33 AM 26/7/08
It's about time somebody got Spidey combat down right. Hopefully the rest will be good too.
Placentasaurus
buddhaman510
Posted 4:31 AM 26/7/08
this is the last chance I'm giving Spiderman games. If this game sucks all hope is lost.
buddhaman510
unangbangkay
Posted 4:49 AM 26/7/08
I watched the videos again and HOT DAMN that combat looks sweet. I hope it's not the uncoordinated mash-fest that Ultimate Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 turned out to be. The franchise is beginning to decline and if this game succeeds it'll be a great kick in the ass for good superhero licensed games.
unangbangkay
Dholcrist
Posted 5:43 AM 26/7/08
@unangbangkay: @Skychrono:
As has been said, yes, it's based off a recent event. It was in Mighty Avengers, but I believe it was also in 2 issues of New Avengers, which did show Spidey and the rest of their team fighting alongside the Mighty Avengers to get rid of the Venom plague.
Haven't read the MA arc yet, but it's in my pile of things I need to read.
Dholcrist
TheIrishNinja
Posted 6:45 AM 26/7/08
yeah, Invasion of the Symbiotes from Mighty Avengers, was it? heh, i wonder if you go to Latveria in the end.
very much looking forward to this.
TheIrishNinja
TheIrishNinja
Posted 7:42 AM 26/7/08
@unangbangkay: by the way, you are awesome.
TheIrishNinja
EvilSuperSean
Posted 7:57 AM 26/7/08
I have high hopes for this, I wanna see loads of different costumes like the PS games.
EvilSuperSean
souljacker86
Posted 8:44 AM 26/7/08
@EvilSuperSean:
i'll be happy with scarlet spider
souljacker86
kojirodensetsu
Posted 4:16 PM 26/7/08
I have high hopes for this game. I just hope time constraints don't mess it up.
kojirodensetsu
Horsefly
Posted 7:06 PM 26/7/08
Goddammit. Ultimate Spider-Man was good! The combat in that game is still the high mark for the series. The web slinging was NOT over-simplified; it just trimmed all the redundancies and useless flash moves from Spider-Man 2. It also had more style in the animations and comic panel cutscenes than any superhero game before or since. You internet people and your revisionist history, for shame!
Horsefly
newsguy777
Posted 3:10 AM 26/7/08
The Spider-man games have always been a trade-off. They have amazing moves and usually a free-roaming feel ... but the trade off is repetitive gameplay and poorly written stories. ... I've been looking forward to this one for a while, and I'm happy it seems to be worth the wait.
newsguy777
Crippen
Posted 12:53 AM 29/7/08
i hope this game doesent bite me in the ass, because i really hope this game will turn out good. Spider-man 3 was terrible.
Crippen