Difficulty:

Very Easy

Time Spent:

10 Hours or Less

The Bottom Line:

"Disappointing"

If you launch the latest Spider-Man video game expecting a comic book-inspired brawler for younger players, you won't be disappointed with this superhero adventure.


"Spider-Man: Friend or Foe" is an enjoyable twist on the popular franchise.

But those in search of a deep story, open-ended environments or high-definition graphics should swing past this title.

As its name suggests, "Spider-Man: Friend or Foe" lets you play as the webbed wonder but also lets you choose a sidekick from one of a dozen villains as they team up to fight a greater evil.

Each with their own unique fighting technique and super powers, sidekicks include Doctor Octopus ("Doc Ock"), Venom, Rhino and Green Goblin, all of whom need to be defeated before they'll fight alongside you.

While playing alone, you control one character as the game's artificial intelligence handles the other. For example, while fighting baddies as Spider-Man, the computer will control, say, Sandman, but you can switch at any time by pressing a button on the game pad.

The game's mechanics also allow the two characters to work together, such as bypassing traps (by each character stepping on pressure plates at the same time) or defeating a bigger "boss" enemy by taking advantage of each character's skills.

If you want to replay a level -- be it in a high-tech laboratory, on the sandy streets of Egypt, along city rooftops or throughout a creepy Transylvania -- you can swap out the current sidekick for a newly unlocked one from the main game screen. This adds to the game's replayability.

Another welcome feature in "Spider-Man: Friend or Foe" is built-in cooperative play. At any time, a friend can pick up a second controller on the game system and take control of the second hero or villain.

Played from a third-person perspective -- and in classic "platformer" style -- the action tends to move from the left side of the screen to the right -- you will have fun "button mashing" to defeat the enemies.

Influenced by the game's comic book origins, the characters and environments are colorful and bright. The animation is smooth, so you will enjoy pulling off slick moves, such as using Spidey's web to pull items toward him, or using aerial acrobatics during combat sequences.

Skilled gamers will be rewarded with special unlockable characters, including the black-suited Spider-Man from the last motion picture, as well as special behind-the-scenes material accessible at anytime throughout the game, such as movies, character art and more. A "Versus" mode lets you fight in a number of arenas.

Perfect for younger players who want a fairly straightforward fighting game but with plenty of replayability, "Spider-Man: Friend or Foe" is an enjoyable twist on the popular franchise.