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STAR RATINGS EXPLAINED
5 Stars Classic
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Packshot
Spider-Man 3

Game Details
Released
04 May 2007
Format
PS2, PC, Xbox 360, Wii, PS3
Developer
Activision


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Spider-Man 3

Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Review
While Spandex-clad crimefighters have always been the bread and butter of video gaming, until recently most heroes were simply shoehorned into generic brawlers, blasters and platformers. Developers casually toyed with Marvel and DC licenses but never allowing players to really feel like their inky heroes. Happily, all that changed with 2004’s Spider-Man 2, where a beautifully realised virtual Manhattan was Spidey’s sprawling playground, giving gamers full control over his signature moves and delirious web slinging. And with the release of Sam Raimi’s new flick comes another chance to slip into the web-head’s taut pants, in a gripping adventure that deftly polishes the earlier game’s rough edges.

This time, the most obvious change is the interactive cinematics that punctuate your swinging and capture the film’s most thrilling sequences; when Peter Parker first encounters the New Goblin, for example, and the action cuts to a lightning-paced in-game film, players are challenged to hit buttons in time with an on-screen indicator – à la God Of War – letting you steer the cutscene and play an active role in the game’s most visually striking moments.

Even better, the expansive digital city is almost three times bigger than before, giving players more scope for exploration and even allowing you to chase The Lizard through Manhattan’s subterranean sewers. The random challenges you encounter while wall-crawling have also been tweaked, the last instalment’s tedious pizza-delivery minigames replaced by violent gang battles that allow players to stray from the movie plot and pummel NYC’s lowlife. And when it comes to battering the bad guys Spidey’s new black outfit adds depth to the traditional fisticuffs, providing a huge range of dark moves to master that are more brutal than the webmaster’s normal attacks and skilfully convey the rage that comes from wearing his shadowy suit.

If there’s any criticism here it’s that Spider-Man 3 is overly familiar, an incremental evolution of the franchise rather than a revolutionary new approach. But for the chance to feel like the super-powered guardian of a buzzing city, this is essential.


Reviewer: David McComb

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Your Reviews
Average user rating for Spider-Man 3
Empire Star Rating

RE: leave the plastic on...
Empire User Rating

Terrible game, i only owned it for about a month, traded it in. Spidey one was fun but didn't feel like spiderman, Spidey 2 was ace, loved that game. 3's like they took spiderman 2 and stood on it ... Read More

samthemanc About me
16:54, 13 December 2007 | Report This Post

RE: leave the plastic on...

L: freddythefilmgimp wat the fuck spidy 2 was good and fun but this was rushed and poor. if u've just bought it don't worry theres still the chance that you can wrap it in clingfilm a few times and the shop won't realise that u've burnt the case along with ur ticket to go see the film. sp; I agree! you can see the game was very rushed! the graphics were better in the second game!   there were some cool bits in it like picking between the black and normal suit.... finished t... Read More

Topher182 About me
00:00, 11 October 2007 | Report This Post

Not so true to the film.
Empire User Rating

The game is good there is no question there. But you get so wrapped up fighting villins made for the game i.e. Lizard, Kraven and Morbius the vampire that when you fight Sandman and Venom I felt that there was no build up to them where as it was other wise with the first two games. To much effort was put into the extra villins and not enough in the real ones. ... Read More

Alien Hunter About me
14:05, 22 June 2007 | Report This Post

leave the plastic on...
Empire User Rating

wat the fuck spidy 2 was good and fun but this was rushed and poor. if u've just bought it don't worry theres still the chance that you can wrap it in clingfilm a few times and the shop won't realise that u've burnt the case along with ur ticket to go see the film. ... Read More

freddythefilmgimp About me
01:09, 02 June 2007 | Report This Post

Empire User Rating

This game fucking sucks, it's fugly as hell, repetetive, and to be honest you only need the cirlce and r2 button to finnish it ... Read More

CameronJames About me
15:53, 13 May 2007 | Report This Post

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