Spider-Man: Freind or Foe Xbox 360 Review

I have always liked comic book themed movies and games. After all, I grew up reading comic books so it makes sense. While I enjoy the possibilities and new games and concepts, this does not mean I always think they are great. Many comic book fans including myself are purists and feel that some things should not be changed for the sake of a new comic, movie or video game.

This is not to say I am not up for a new twist on a character, but I want it to make some sense. When I first saw the demo for Spider-Man Friend or Foe, I had mixed feelings. The game looked more geared towards the younger gamer which I think is great but I just wasn’t sure how the retail version would turn out. Mixing villains with the wise-cracking Spider-Man looked interesting but I had to see more. Read on to see if this new twist on the Spider-Man franchise works.

Gameplay

Spider-Man Friend or Foe is certainly geared towards the younger superhero fans out there as I first thought. The story is interesting enough but real die-hard fans may have trouble with the story line. It starts off with some references to Venom and at first almost makes sense in the comic book realm, that is. It seems the symbiotic genetics have caused a new threat and Spider-Man must deal with this threat. So far Stan Lee would be proud, but then Spidey meets up with Nick Fury, Director of S.H.E.I.L.D. Aboard his ship he tells about the new threat.

To beat this new enemy, Spider-Man will have to team up with his arch enemies. At first I almost got into it and then was reminded of all those awful Marvel spin-off comics putting two characters together for the sake of sales. The story and chemistry just is hard to get into, but I tried to keep an open mind thinking again this was mainly geared for the younger player.

On Nick’s ship Spidey can purchase power-ups which will power up the villains helping him. You earn money by collecting shards which at first have the villains’ brain washed by the new villain. Free them and the shard breaks. For saving them from mind control, the foes agree to help Spidey on his quest. It’s basically an old fashioned beat ‘em up game. Spider-Man must travel to each location Nick has tracked down, break the shard, and beat the enemies and free the villain’s mind.

The game is pretty simple and features a Co-Op mode but not an online mode. If they had included this as an online feature, I think the overall game would have really benefited. As it is, a friend can join in with another controller and play at any time as the side-kick. Spider-Man can also take control of the side kick and its fun but gets a bit old.

The game has Spider-Man at his best as the youthful wise-cracking teenager, unlike the last movie where he was always deep in thought about great power and responsibility. I laughed at the one-liners and even while they are geared to a younger audience. It reminded me of the old classic Spider-Man cartoons I enjoyed as a kid. I think if you’re playing with your son or daughter or a family member, the game changes a bit.

Older gamers will probably grow tired of the easy combos and layout of each level. The game also features several things to unlock and watch later on, but again the main draw is the sneak peek at the new animated series coming to Fox network in 2008. While the tie-in is not a hard sell, the game’s graphics and game play all draw on the appeal to the younger gamer.

The overall gameplay is good and interesting but lacks the deeper element most gamers will look for who buy this title and that’s a shame. Most gamers are going to grow tired of fighting the same enemies level after level and the game really never leaves this formula.

Control

Controls are pretty simple and laid out well for the Xbox 360 controller and respond well. In fact they respond and work better than the past few games for the Spider-Man franchise. The learning curve is pretty short and there are a few on-screen prompts and hints to help aid learning the advanced moves. The only complaint is the placement of the camera that never moves from the overhead view and can be a little frustrating to get used to. I understand they wanted to keep the game simple but some control of the view would have been great.

Graphics

The game has that cartoon look and works fine for the story. At times it seems like some of the same graphics were used but when battling so many of the same enemies you’ll have this. Overall they captured the look and feel well enough, but it would have been nice to add a bit more details. Spider-Man has the new look they are planning on using for the cartoon series and may take a little time to get used to but overall it works.

Spider-Man Friend or Foe Screenshots

Audio

The voice-over work is fantastic and really makes you feel in the game. Most of the other sound effects are well done but like some of the graphics tend to be a little over used at times.

Replay Value

For the younger gamer, the replay value is going to be higher than with an older player. Younger gamers will want to unlock everything and watch the bonuses while older gamers will be content on just beating the game once and be done with it.

Bottom Line

Overall Score: 7.2/10.0

Additional Comments

Spider-Man Friend or Foe is a nice idea and well done for the most part. It is not going to be for everyone and die-hard comic fans will need to let the story angle go a bit to enjoy it. I am glad to see they are making comic book games for the younger gamer but wish it had a little more challenge added to the game or a difficulty level added. I still think the lack of a true online Co-Op mode hurt the game but it is fun to play. The voice work adds a great deal and is very entertaining.

Links

• Official Website

Filed under: Reviews • Xbox 360

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