Recently we had the opportunity to head to San Francisco for a demo of the new game Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. Take a look at our impressions as well as images and video below.
OVERALL STORYLINE: Essentially, the game will begin with an opening cutscene that acts as a framing sequence for the overall storyline in which an ancient artifact called the Tablet of Order and Chaos is broken into many pieces that are scattered throughout the four different universes, falling into the hands of that dimension’s set of villains. This event ties together the respective Spider-Man of each universe who are then called upon to work together (but separate) in order to retrieve the piece of the artifact from a location in their dimension. The main villain throughout the game’s storyline is Mysterio – who we see is the primary reason for the tablet’s breakage.
As you progress through each dimension, the villain who has possession of the tablet piece begins to learn how to use its abilities. Through the story, the villain will slowly begin to learn new abilities and techniques; therefore, making it more difficult each time you face them.
Throughout the game, you also come across "trophies" which will give you added moves, upgraded costumes and abilities. You are able to view these abilities and focus on which ones you need by accessing the "web of destiny" which showcases the trophies you have already collected, as well as the ones that you still need.
Take a look at the video below of the latest Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions trailer.
Hit the jump to find out more about each dimension and the enemies that you will be facing.
NOIR: Noir is a 1930′s retelling of Peter Parker’s origins. The vibe is dark and very reminiscent of Frank Miller’s "Sin City" in terms of look and feel. The game play utilizes stealth tactics in order to rescue captured workers and dodge trains. The villain we saw during the demo was Hammerhead but, we’ve been informed that Vulture and Norman Osborne will also be making appearances in the Noir dimension.
2099: 2099 is a futuristic world where NYC has been built vertically. People are living miles and miles up in tall skyscrapers. The vibe of the world is very "Fifth Element" inspired. The game play utilizes base jumping and web swinging style tactics to chase after villains, as well as the normal Spidey moves. There is a special option in this dimension to utilize slow motion abilities which (you guessed it,) slow down the world around you so that you can focus on one enemy at a time. The villain we faced during the demo was a futuristic Hobgoblin but we have been informed that Scorpion will be appearing in this dimension as well as an unannounced 3rd villain
AMAZING: Amazing is set in the very familiar world we know from the classic comic books. The style is as if the graphics have jumped directly off the pages of the trades. With thick black lines and a "water painted" type of feel. Similar to a "Scanner Darkly" style. The game play feels very much like God of War with a great deal of focus on web slinging techniques. The Villain we saw during the demo was Juggernaut, however Kraven and Sandman will also be making an appearance in this dimension.
ULTIMATE: Ultimate is based on the darker side of Spidey’s character and utilizes the symbiote costume. The vibe of this world is very Dark and ethereal. Ultimate is aping the 2005 Ultimate Spider-Man game and going for a cartoonish, cell-shaded appearance. The game play has black suit Spidey attacking with his tendrils and overwhelming power instead of tricky web-slinging. The main goal is to rack up combos to build up the suit’s rage meter which triggers more powerful moves. The Villain we faced was Carnage but Deadpool will make an appearance as well a yet to be named 3rd villain.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Let’s jump right into it, the game – in my mind – is Marvel’s answer to Batman: Arkham Asylum in almost all ways. The game play – for the most part – is very "button mashy" and requires little skill in order to progress through each level. The game also had tones of God or War and even a bit of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time thrown in for good measure.
That said, this is not a bad review of the game. In fact, my short time in each dimension was quite enjoyable. The graphics are very detailed and the little hidden nuggets (like Stark Industries advertisements in 2099) made it a fun for a fan Peter’s story to play through.
Not all games, in my mind, need to be amazingly detailed and thinking outside the box. Sometimes, what isn’t broken doesn’t need to be fixed and it is my feeling that Shattered Dimensions captures the best of a few of my favorite titles. This isn’t a "wait in line at midnight" title to pick up but it is definitely one for the Marvel fans out there, as well as those who enjoy a bit of story driven entertainment.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions will be launching on the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and DS on September 7th
