Spiderman : Web of Shadows

[MarketTantrik]

Spiderman : Web of Shadows

 

Developer(s) Shaba Games/Treyarch

Publisher(s) Activision

Platform(s) Wii, PC, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable ,PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3

Release date Q3 2008

Genre(s) Action

Mode(s) TBA

Rating(s) ESRB: Rating Pending

 

Story

 

Venom has returned to New York to infect the city with an army of symbiotes. S.H.I.E.L.D. has quarantined Manhattan to prevent the invasion from spreading. As a result, the entire city is cut off from the outside world. Spider-Man has to work with both Heroes and villains from the Marvel Comics universe to track down Venom and stop the invasion before he himself is consumed by the symbiote attached to him.

 

Features

 

The game is set in the mainstream Marvel Comics universe. Like its predecessors Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3 and, Ultimate Spider-Man, the game will allow free-roaming action, and players will be able to customize Spider-Man's aerial and ground combat. In addition, the player will be able to choose the game's outcome and Spider-Man's path.

[MarketTantrik]

1UP Preview - Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

 

Our first look at Spidey's next game outing.

By Philip Kollar 06/09/2008

 

From: http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3168149

_______________________________________________________

 

If part of Peter Parker's appeal is the down-on-his-luck nerd status, Marvel's certainly been doing a good job of putting the poor kid through the wringer in the last couple of years. In the comics, Spider-Man recently plodded through an arduous storyline involving the devil, rife with the kind of goofy comic-book logic modern readers hate. In the theaters, his last movie did well financially but bombed critically -- and it was tied to a mediocre game, to boot. Six months after Spider-Man 3, he got pushed into Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, which erased any gravity in the franchise and packaged what was left into a dumbed-down children's brawler. The wallcrawler's got to catch a break eventually, right?

 

New Spidey developer Shaba Games believes that their fall-launching Spider-Man: Web of Shadows will be that break. The team's solution to the game series' stagnation largely consists of implementing tricks they've learned in the company's previous 11 years of development. But when Shaba's track record is mostly made up of extreme-sports games, how does that experience translate into a webslinging superhero action title?

 

 

The project's favored buzzword is "fluidity." The basic beat-em-up roots of previous Spider-Man titles have been upgraded so that each movement can be strung together with the next, allowing for what appears to be a very graceful but visceral combat system. And though Spidey looks awfully cinematic leaping from enemy to enemy, the developers assure us that the game won't play itself. The player must expertly time each step in a combo string, right down to actually pressing a button to kick a group of enemies as you swing through them. New moves (supposedly over 100 of them) will be purchased and upgraded through another addition to the series: experience points.

 

 

The decision to include "XP" comes from a rather unexpected influence for a superhero title: World of WarCraft. The game's plot, involving a Venom symbiote invasion of New York City, features S.H.I.E.L.D. quarantining the city into zones. Like in WOW and other MMOs, the full world is open from the beginning, but players will be strongly encouraged to stick to a set progression path through the city, laid clear by XP-earning quests. Various heroes, villains, and civilians, who are trapped in the chaotic city, act as quest-givers.

 

 

As the first Spider-Man game this generation to be based wholly off the comics rather than the movies, the team has a bit more creative license to use other Marvel superheroes and locations unique to the comic-book version of New York City. (Luke Cage, a confirmed quest-giver for the Harlem area, appeared in a recent demonstration of the game we saw, and concept art for "maximum-maximum security" prison the Raft was hanging on the walls at Shaba HQ.) Cage, old-school Spidey villains Vulture and Kingpin, and S.H.I.E.L.D. leader Nick Fury are the only characters Shaba will currently confirm are in the game, but with comic writer Brian Reed helping create the story, we're positive plenty more familiar faces will show up.

 

 

One seemingly out-of-continuity feature left many fans scratching their heads when the game was announced. Players will be able to take Spidey down a good-or-evil branching path, but as it turns out, Shaba has implemented this choice into the gameplay in a rather intuitive way that works cleverly within Spider-Man lore. Since the game's storyline is based around a symbiote invasion, Spidey's black suit has made a return. Unlike other games featuring this clothing change, though, the switch isn't merely a fashion choice. The red suit and black suit have totally unique move sets and can be swapped on the fly -- even in midair -- adding a layer of complexity to the game's combat.

 

 

While the red suit's a bit more focused on agility and speed, the black suit is more powerful, and the length of time you spend wearing either determines whether Spidey's personality swings toward light or dark. No emo haircut, laughable dance-walking, or girl-hitting here; instead, Spider-Man's evil alignment makes for meaner dialogue with other character and also helps decide which of the multiple endings players arrive at.

 

 

If we had one major concern buzzing away at our Spidey sense, it would be one of the major complaints about Spider-Man 3 (as well as the recent Incredible Hulk game). Having a giant open-world game set in New York City is great, and Shaba has definitely gone out of their way to make the location visually impressive. But does any of that matter if there's nothing to do in the city beyond finding more guys to beat down? Shaba claims the city will be interesting enough without extra stuff or interior missions. They've poured a lot of time into making the city feel alive, and the metropolis will go through several big changes as the story progresses. Still, we'll need to wait and see if those transformations are enough to hold our attention.

 

 

The Spider-Man videogame formula is definitely getting some interesting shake-ups with Web of Shadows. Though some changes are sure to work better than others, Shaba seems to be headed in the right direction, at least as far as renewing our interest goes. We can't wait to get some hands-on time with the game, hopefully soon, and we'll report back as soon as we do. And, Shaba? No candy-coated kid friendliness or dopey deals with the devil, please.

 

_________________________________________________________

 

Love the last screenie

 

--MT

[Somebody]

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows First Look

We get a look at Activision and Shaba Games' upcoming action game featuring Spider-Man.

 

While it may be a while before we see another Spider-Man movie, Activision and Northern California-based developer Shaba Games are teaming up to give fans of the superhero something to help pass the time, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. The new game features an original story drawn from Spidey's comic roots, which offers considerably more material to work with than a film. We visited Shaba's San Francisco-based offices to get an early look at a work-in-progress version of the Xbox 360 game to find out what sort of trouble the webhead has gotten himself into this time.

 

The game's original story appears to steer clear of the polarizing Brand New Day story arc that's been going on in the comics and focuses on Spidey dealing with a big mess. His arch nemesis Venom is back, and this time, the symbiote-powered villain has figured out a nasty new trick: infecting civilians to create clones of himself. Our friendly neighborhood hero is a bit slow to catch on, so before you know it, the city and its residents are under siege. The level of threat presented by the symbiote infection leads local law enforcement to call in SHIELD to help get things under control. Unfortunately, the counterterrorism and intelligence agency's solution is a mixed blessing: Manhattan is quarantined and cut off from the outside world, leaving those inside to fend for themselves. The good news is New York is fairly overflowing with heroes (and more than a few villains); the bad news is recent events have left the city in chaos resulting in a hefty "to do" list for Spidey. To save the day, Spidey will have to assist SHIELD in evacuating the uninfected, as well as work with both heroes and villains to fend off the symbiotes. He'll also have track down Venom and figure out how to undo the symbiote infection running rampant. If all that wasn't enough, Spidey has a bit of extra incentive to deal with the symbiote infection problem: He's been reinfected himself. While this makes for an epically bad day for Spidey, it's fertile ground for the game's premise.

 

 

Shaba reps gave us a look at a handful of sequences in our demo to give us an idea of what to expect from the game. The first part of our demo was set in Harlem and found Spidey helping Power Man, aka Luke Cage, defend the neighborhood. The sequence saw Spidey taking on ordinary thugs, as well as destroying cars as part of the mission. One of the key elements to the fighting was Spidey's ability to switch between his standard red and blue outfit to the black symbiote suit on the fly. While the mechanic is similar to the system seen in the Spider-Man 3 movie game, wearing the black suit doesn't have an immediate negative result. Instead, the effect of wearing the suit is cumulative--it will affect how civilians, heroes, and villains will perceive you, as well as interact with you. So, for example, depending on how you've been playing, villains may be more open to partnering with you than heroes or vice versa. From what we saw, the system is along the lines of the morality system in KOTOR although not as set in stone. You should be able to switch which way you lean pretty easily. Besides the moral implications, each suit will have its own unique specialty. The red and blue suit is speedy, featuring assorted web-based attacks, while the black suit is slower but packs devastating power.

 

As far as combat goes, Shaba was intent on giving the action in Web of Shadows a very fluid and graceful feel, much like Spidey moves in the comics. The battle we saw certainly looked the part with Spidey swinging or leaping around his enemies and coming at them from various angles. Switching between the suits was quick and changed the look of combat. For example, the black suit isn't as big on leaping around as it is on smashing and using tendrils to knock people around. Shaba's variation on Spidey's extrasensory "spider sense" is a way to track enemies by coloring threats in red, while keeping tabs on civilians and helpful characters by coloring them in blue. You'll be able to lock your view on specific enemies, which then makes all your movement relative to their position. From what we saw, this seems to work well for combat, although we're curious to see how the camera behaves in mob-heavy combat.

 

 

The next part of our demo showcased another combat type in Web of Shadows: building combat. The levels tasks Spidey with protecting SHIELD forces, who are attempting to airlift survivors out of the city from Venom's symbiotes shambling up the side of the building. The action got crazy as Spidey leapt up and down the sides of the building, fighting the climbing mobs of symbiotes. During this segment, Shaba reps pointed out the game's robust combo system, which uses an onscreen DMC style meter that rates your skills based on how many uninterrupted hits you can get on all your enemies. The longer your combo, the more experience orbs you'll earn. The upgrades will go toward powering up your moves as opposed to granting you all new ones.

 

The final demo showcased a boss fight with the Vulture, which had Spidey racing after the airborne villain. Given the Vulture's greater mobility in the air, Spidey made constructive use of all the airborne minions zipping around the battle zone. This appears to be due, in part, to the game's swing system, which is based on Spider-Man 3's system and requires you to latch Spidey's webs onto something. However, Web of Shadows looks to be more forgiving and your web will be able to latch onto ample spots.

 

The sequences we saw looked solid, and we're pleased to see some familiar faces from the Marvel universe popping up. Shaba reps stated that the game will feature an eclectic cast of heroes and villains, some of which have never appeared in a Spider-man game before. How you interact with them will vary based on your current alignment in the game. In some cases, you'll team up; in others, you'll fight. We're curious to see how the game's roster of faces shapes up, given the dearth of options from the comic. This also seems to ask for a multiplayer mode of some kind, but sadly, that's not in the cards as Web of Shadows is single-player only. However, to ensure it's a meaty single-player experience, Shaba is tucking in a host of unlockable content and collectibles to find strewn about the massive virtual Manhattan that you'll be roaming around in throughout the game.

 

 

The visuals in the work-in-progress 360 game we saw were shaping up to be in line with what you'd expect. Manhattan looks sharp and populated with a respectable draw distance. The buildings and assorted structures throughout the town create a nifty jungle gym on which you'll be able to swing and fight. The pedestrian and vehicle traffic we saw was a little thin, but we reckon that's to be expected given the premise. Spider-Man is looking good although a bit small in relation to the massive city structures. The supporting cast of characters is about what you'd expect in terms of quality. Big names out of the comics, such as the Vulture and Power Man, are on par with Spidey in terms of detail, while the assorted grunts we saw were a few cuts below. Although it's still in development, Web of Shadows ran at a steady clip and featured some glitzy special effects for Spidey's on-the-fly suit changes, as well as the various attacks they could perform. The game's art style skews a bit older, along the lines of the movie games, as opposed to last year's Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, which skewed pretty young.

 

 

Audio in our demo spanned a range, given the game's work-in-progress state. Spidey is as quip-y as ever, doling out one-liners at a fast pace. The Vulture also sounded suitably menacing during the standard prefight villain rant. We also heard quite a bit of work-in-progress pedestrian and SHIELD personnel chatter. Outside of that, the action was complemented by a range of effects for Spidey's attacks. We also heard bits of the game's score, which is coming together well and has a movie soundtrack feel to it.

 

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is looking like a promising action game featuring the webslinging hero. While we have a decent amount of questions around control, camera, and cast, the core gameplay seems to be pure Spidey. You'll be able to swing like a champ, web baddies, and take on villains--which is pretty much what you'd want to do as Spider-Man. Look for more on Web of Shadows in the coming months. The game is slated to ship this fall for the DS, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii, and Xbox 360.

-GameSpot

[Keyofx]

Apparently Treyarch has nothing at all to do with this title, apart from providing the engine/toolset maybe. I think this is a solo Shaba gig. Worrying? The IGN preview I just read doesn't seem overly enthusiastic.

[KeezNah]

Really got to see a video of this, but so far I'm not seeing much beyond an improved combat system. Bah, they should just get Ultimate Spiderman 2 out already.

[MarketTantrik]

Apparently Treyarch has nothing at all to do with this title, apart from providing the engine/toolset maybe. I think this is a solo Shaba gig. Worrying? The IGN preview I just read doesn't seem overly enthusiastic.

I would rather someone take a fresh look at the IP and create a new web-slinging / combat / open world idea. Treyarch got the webslinging spot-on but then it seems like they ran out of their quota of innovation.

[KeezNah]

Thing is, how much more can go into another Spiderman game that hasn't already been done to death? Web-slinging isn't anything new at this point, so what does it matter which development house gets to fool around with it (especially since Web of Shadows will make use of Treyarch's tools from their previous games). I'm also sick of this alter-ego black suit bullshit. Just get rid of it.

 

What I'd like, is a bit more dynamic approach to how missions are structured. Fights shouldn't happen just because the designer decided to plop them there, then your mini-map gives you the obligatory notification. In fact, Spiderman is less about being a kung-fu powerhouse, and more about a down-to-earth dude who just wants to help people out. Not exactly screaming "escort missions lol", but something more deeper. More importantly, objectives should make sense.

[Tyler]

I for one am happy this is based in the ORIGINAL Marvel universe... not the movie universe... not the Ultimate universe.

[KeezNah]

Whats wrong with the Ultimate universe?

[Tyler]

^^ Don't get me wrong... I like it, just not as much as I like my original Marvel Universe.

[KeezNah]

I hear ya, I just wish Marvel themselves knew how to be consistent with their Spiderman stories, although that's like asking Carrot Top to read up on Greek mythology and trying to make sense of it with a 5 minute PowerPoint presentation. After Civil War, and then the whole deal with Mephisto, I just don't see how (much less why) Marvel can possibly make Peter Parker's life more twisted and confusing than it already it is. Plus, now there's gonna be ANOTHER symbiote - Anti-Venom. Seriously, that's his name. He's like Venom, except he's white. And "anti".

 

At least Ultimate Spiderman doesn't make me want to pull my hair out. Now Ultimate X-Men on the other hand...

[nash]

50 bucks says this game is gonna suck! I don't know why devs are so obsessed with this spider; would a well made next gen Blade game be too much to ask for

[MarketTantrik]

^^ LOL.

 

The spidey mythos has really taken a trashing over the past 2 years, and it doesnt look like improving any time soon. I guess there's only so much down-to-earth plotlines you can fit into such a long running series without getting repetitive.

[Tyler]

I for one am waiting for a proper Batman game...

 

...Lego Batman doesn't count btw.

 

I already have my own ideas on how it should be.

[Bulovski]

^^ Let's hear them.

[argruid]

GI game: The sequel?

[Bulovski]

Heck - I will build it in this one itself. We'll just change Batman's cape into a dhoti.

[Keyofx]

I thought the Batman Begins game was pretty good!

 

What we need is an open-world Gotham City. Preferably as close to the Burton movies as possible.

[nash]

Isn't that the direction they're going in with the new Batman game?

[Keyofx]

You mean the one thats based on the new movie?

 

I'm guessing thats going to be timed with the DVD/Blu release seeing as how EA hasn't got the PR train rolling yet. And thats if it hasn't been canned already.