Spider-Man The Movie 3 (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

I read an article recently about Hollywood and its latest plans to only make 'safe' films from now on. Central to this piece was the fact that executives are now seeking out franchises and not single big screen outings. The benefits of this are obvious, not least the fact that episodes following the first release are treated with great anticipation requiring less advertising and generating almost guaranteed box office return. The same is true of games and while formats have come and gone the Spiderman movies have come at such a time to fully exploit all of them and as with the other games this third installment is getting a release on just about every current console. Given the DS' popularity at the moment, this version is bound to sell bucket loads but what's it actually like?

Gameplay

It probably goes without saying that the game follows the movie's plot and by its close you would have had the pleasure of battling it out with The Sandman, Venom and your old best friend/new enemy, Goblin. Before all that though you are free to roam around the city beating up thugs and searching out a variety of collectables. It's not long before it's brought to your attention that 'a super hero's work is never done' and one of the movie's other characters (police captain Jean DeWolfe) will send you on a variety of missions to clean up NYC. While you are attempting to make your city a better place you'll also have the added pressure of a 'threat meter', which constantly rises until you've rescued any helpless citizens and taken down every last thug.

You don't have to travel to your various missions either (although some for the cities areas are well worth viewing from a height) and once a mission or task is given to you it appears on a map screen. Touch the area you wish to visit and you'll be magically beamed there. I don't have to tell any gamers just how refreshing this is and rather than the developer making your replay the same sections over and over again (in order to pad out the game's length) they allow you to focus on the key elements of the game and so cut own on any sense of repetition. If all that wasn't enough the game has heaps of replay value and once you have completed a section you can revisit it to play one of the many challenges. It maybe beating a time or collecting items, it may even be as simple as acquiring 'hero points' in order to cash them in for one of the many unlockables. There's even a multiplayer with a variety of modes and it's fair to say that, unlike the movie, you are going to be enjoying this DS version long after the credits roll.

Controls

While you do use the traditional control system to get Spidey around, the developers have used the touch screen in a completely original way. To find out what they've been up to just go down to the Dual Screen Use section.

Graphics

If you thought Vicarious Visions Alchemy engine was impressive last time around then it's fair to say you are going to find this jaw dropping. After much tweaking the visuals are now far more detailed with Spidey himself given greater freedom allowing you to view the city from great heights or at ground level. The animation is also been very well implemented whether you are swinging around town or simply duking it out with one of the many henchmen. Less impressive are the cut-screens, which are grainy and unappealing and, as a result, do little to forward the plot. It would have been wiser to keep with the style used in Ultimate Spiderman which was almost like a fully functional comic book in it's own right.

Sound

While the 'upbeat' soundtrack is instantly forgettable there's also a considerable amount of voice-over work and they've also roped in none other than Toby Maguire on leading man duties. This adds much needed personality to Spiderman himself with Mr. Maguire not only narrating the cut-screens but also adding those off the cuff quips as he swings through the streets of Manhattan. Very satisfying indeed.

Dual screen

Various previews did a great deal to give us a taster of this new combat system and while the end result is really very entertaining it does take some getting used to. Fortunately there's an optional tutorial mode bolted on to the first mission, which takes you through most of the basic moves you'll require. No sooner have you completed this than you'll find yourself experimenting with a variety of combos and the whole thing becomes very intuitive. In fact, after only ten minutes or so you be wondering how on earth you are going to deal with the next game, which offers a more traditional approach to gaming.

Final comments

It was clear after producing so many Spiderman games over the past few years that developers Vicarious Visions would have to pull something rather special out of the bag and, thankfully, they have. Before this I'd always said that Ultimate Spiderman was the most integrated use of the DS' unique features in a title but here it's taken one stage further and while the combat system does take some getting use to you'll quickly be wondering just what the next installment will be. Even though the movies themselves may be running out of steam now the games appear to be gaining momentum and regardless of what the license is like on the other platforms the DS version is definitely recommended.

Pro: Impressive Audio and Visuals, Loads of Moves, Good Use of DS's Features.
Con: Story Mode Too Short, Touch Screen Combat Requires Considerable Practice.
Final score: 8.5

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