Spider-Man has
certainly had his share of interesting battles whether it’s in the pages of the
various Marvel Comics series or on the big screen and over the years the roster
of enemies has certainly grown. Whether it’s facing off against a man dressed as
a scorpion or a deranged murderer infused with the dangerous alien symbonite,
our favorite web-slinger has faced them all. Yet what if some strange
circumstances bring bitter rivals together to join forces to combat an enemy
that threatens the entire planet? This is the theme that brings friends and foes
together in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe for the Xbox 360.
The game finds
Spider-Man enjoying the New York City skyline when he is suddenly attacked by
his old enemy the Scorpion and soon Spider-Man finds himself confronting
everyone from Doctor Octopus, the Green Goblin and Venom. If it isn’t for New
Goblin, things would have turned really nasty but in the middle of this melee,
each villain is teleported away by a force that manipulates holographic enemies
(known as Phantoms) that turn solid in order to attack. Spider-Man finds help in
the form of Colonel Nick Fury, who brings him up to date and informs our hero
that he must travel to the location of fallen meteor debris that hit Earth in
various places around the world. It’s up to Spider-Man, known comrades as well
as an uneasy alliance with his old enemies, to put a stop to the threat.
It’s an
interesting idea that would fit the comic series perfectly and being able to
fight alongside enemies like Doctor Octopus in a game is a great concept yet
somehow the game makes what would have been an epic action game into a mindless
brawler. Granted, there are some good ideas on the table. The game’s main hub is
Fury’s Helicarrier where you can pick the ally you would like to take with you
on the mission then upgrade your characters skills and abilities. It is from the
hub that you jump into a mission, starting with a meteor fragment piece that
landed in Tokyo, Japan near the Oscorp building. From there you clear a number
of stages to unlock new locations such as Cairo, Transylvania, Nepal and
Tangaroa Island.
The first friend
that joins you on your mission is the Silver Sable, a mercenary that crossed
Spider-Man’s path many times in the comics, and fights alongside you throughout
the stage and can be swapped with any other character you happen to meet during
said stage. As a single-player game, you can swap between Spider-Man and his
ally at any time but the computer always controls the second character … unless,
of course, you play the game cooperatively with a friend. While allies such as
the Black Cat and Iron Fist will join you, at the end of certain stages you’ll
confront series villains that also include the Rhino, Doctor Octopus and both
Goblins, just to name a few of the foes that become your allies once you beat
them in battle.
Of course, the
appeal of fighting alongside of the Sandman or Venom is enticing; the fact is
that if you play the game solo you will have to pull double duty thanks to the
fact that the AI-controlled allies get beat up quickly in this game. Really, I
often fancy the idea of not having them come along if all they do is manage to
accidentally jump off a platform to their deaths (which is often the case in
this game). Then again, what other game on the Xbox 360 allows you to take up
the role of Doctor Octopus or Rhino? You can even pull off combos that can be
chained together cooperatively with your ally for bonus Teamwork points. Of
course, each ally has his or her own special skills and abilities that
compliment Spider-Man’s super strength and web-slinging abilities. For example,
Doctor Octopus has his mechanical arms that help him climb walls and toss
enemies around while Sandman can summon brute strength by manipulating sand to
make his punches more effective.
The problem is
that each stage offers the same series of brain-dead Phantoms to fight.
Oftentimes, the Phantoms just stand there waiting for you to pummel them and
when the game introduces the bigger Phantoms they don’t require much to defeat
them; later in the game we see more enemy variety but they‘re still just as
dumb. Then again there are moments in the game where you will be surrounded by
them, like in a particular stage in Cairo. You’ll be glad to know that a friend
can jump in at anytime to assume the role of the ally. There’s even a Versus
Mode that can be accessed through the Helicarrier. Still, even with these
features, Friend or Foe – while rated for ages 10 and above – remains to be a mindless-brawling game that just doesn’t
quite measure up.
Friend or Foe
also disappoints in the graphics department, a fact that is unacceptable
considering the fact that past Spider-Man games – even those on the original
Xbox look better than this game. The game does try capturing the look of a comic
book with its colorful backdrop and cartoon-like character models. Even the
game’s animated cut scenes don’t look as good as they should. Thankfully, the
game’s soundtrack is actually good and intensifies in all the right moments
without repeating itself. There’s some solid voice acting in the game that
brings to mind some of the actors from the film (Spider-Man himself kind of
sounds like the actor that portrays him in all three movies). There are plenty
of sound effects as well but they’re nothing particularly special.
Sadly,
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe for the Xbox 360 suffers from a tired and repetitive
game design that just doesn’t suit our favorite superhero and his collection of
powerful allies. While the idea of teaming up with known Spider-Man villains is
a Marvel Comics fanatic’s dream come true, the poor execution of moves and the
dull level design will just serve to disappoint die-hard fans.
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Gameplay: 6.0
Spider-Man is
joined by just about every villain and comrade that has joined him at some point
in the comic books but this team up is ruined by an army of weak and
unintelligent enemies, badly designed boss battles and boring levels. You can
upgrade each character but the best part about this game is that you can play
the game cooperatively with a friend.
Graphics: 6.5
This is the
type of game that would have looked good on the original Xbox. Certainly, the
washed out textures and lack of next-generation details would have fit the old
console. Since this is the Xbox 360, however, these visuals just don’t cut it.
Sound: 6.9
The voice
acting is actually quite decent and the voice actors do a good job of bringing
to mind that actors that portrayed some of the characters in the movie. There’s
also some pretty witty dialogue mixed in with a number of repetitive phrases
scattered throughout. The music isn’t bad either and the sound effects are
decent but nothing special.
Difficulty:
Easy/Medium
Battling
Phantoms gets old pretty fast and – while there are some big brawlers among them
– the only real challenge will come from fighting against Spider-Man’s main
enemies like Rhino or Venom. Battling alongside a friend makes the levels flow
faster.
Concept: 6.5
The concept is
straight out of the comic books with Spider-Man forming an alliance with enemies
like The Sandman or the likes of the Green Goblin. Unfortunately, the game’s
story is thin on plot and there’s very little to come back to when you’re done.
At least you can upgrade each of your characters and a friend can always pick up
a controller and start playing along with you.
Multiplayer:
6.5
A friend can
join you at any point in the game and you’ll be glad for it since the ally AI is
as dumb as the enemies you’ll face. There’s also a Versus Mode that allows you
to fight against a friend in any of the arenas you happen to unlock.
Overall: 6.4
Spider-Man:
Friend or Foe is an interesting concept that just doesn’t really take off thanks
to a number of issues that get in the way of the action or appeal of fighting
alongside the wall-crawler’s coolest enemies. The game doesn’t even feel like it
belongs on the Xbox 360. Still, if you’re a huge Spider-Man fan, you might just
want to consider renting this one.
