Fun to look at, but at its core, a boring punch-fest.

User Rating: 5 | Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions X360
With an interesting storyline that attempts to bring together several different versions of Spider-Man from over the years, Shattered Dimensions certainly had potential to be a great narrative.

However, the entire game ended up resembling a mashup of Mortal Kombat-esque linearity and Devil May Cry's combo system with a Spider-Man skin slapped on it.

Each level consists of a famous super-powered enemy from the Marvel Universe that is made stronger by a magical tablet trying to kill Spider-Man throughout (usually) several different fights. Seeing each supervillain in different forms (like the 2099 and Noir versions) was fun, but the combat itself was repetitive. When you're not fighting a supervillain, you're fighting their minions, which are usually smaller, weaker, and more numerous versions of their respective master.

Combat itself consists of using different button press combos (XXXY, XYXY, etc.) to defeat these enemies. While this may appeal to certain people, I find these combos difficult to remember in the heat of battle, which means I often found myself using the same 2 or 3 attacks throughout the game.


The Noir Universe in particular demands some scrutiny. This universe is supposed to be dark, similar to Batman, but I found that it didn't work too well in juxtaposition to the immature, wise-cracking Spider-Men of the Amazing, Ultimate, and 2099 universes.

The final boss-fight is lacking, but strangely, it was the only level where I felt like Spider-Man.

When I finally beat the game, I was relieved that I could finally put it away to collect dust.

If you're looking for a game with the same style of gameplay, I'd recommend Devil May Cry 4, which has a much better story.

If you're looking for a good Spider-Man game, I don't think one has been made since the days of the N64.