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First look

Have you ever played a Spider-man game and thought, hey one dimension just isn’t enough for me? Well if you have its your lucky day as Spider-Man shattered dimensions is here.

Based on multiple comic book adaptations Shattered dimensions offers us a completely new perspective on the Spider-man universe. For a game with four completely different dimensions the basic story seems really quite simple. The tablet of order and chaos has shattered, sending its pieces flying off into four very different universes. Being the hero type you must fight as Spider-man across each dimension in order to recover the pieces and restore order once more. Easy eh? Shattered dimensions moves away from the old sandbox style amazing Spider-man games and instead offers us a new level based experience. Impressively each universe is set to have its own styling, levels, combat style and story line. Want to know more? Then please, come with me and take a first glance at four very different Spider-Men and four very different worlds.

Amazing spider-man Universe

In the Amazing Spider-man universe we find the most familiar incarnation of our favorite web spinning crime fighter. It is easy to see that in this universe a definite effort has been made by the creators to ensure that the art style mimics the colorful, defined styling of the original Amazing Spider-man comic books. Not only do you wear the old school red and blue suit, but everything from the characters to the special moves seem exaggerated adding to the retro comic book feel. In the Amazing universe you will encounter enemies such as Kraven, whose desire to become the worlds greatest game hunter has lead him to chase the biggest trophy of all. Yes, you guessed it, Spidey himself. In order to defeat Kraven and the other enemies of this world acrobatics, agility and web combat must all be mastered as key skills. Unlike previous spider man games which were entirely City based in Shattered dimensions you will also be given the opportunity to play and fight in other environments such as the jungle. To me this looked a little too unfamiliar at first, but I think it will be interesting to see how this feels when put into context within the story of the game.

Noir Universe

Set in the 1930’s the Spider-man Noir universe looks set to be the darkest and most sinister of the four. All of the levels played in this universe are played at night, giving the game a distinct dramatic film noir feel. In this universe you will have to use your skills of stealth to hide in the shadows for covert take downs, giving the Noir levels not only a darker feel but also a definite change of pace. Here you will face enemies such as Hammerhead and the Goblin as well as an array of armed citizens just waiting to shoot on sight. On a personal note, stealth killing in games has never really been my thing. No, I tend to prefer the run in and shoot anything that moves approch. Despite this, the dark atmosphere, twisted characters and sinister story-line look like they may just have the potential to sustain me though the Noir levels. I suppose we will just have to wait and see.

2099 Universe

Next we move onto the most futuristic of the four dimensions, Spider-man 2099. Set in a futuristic adaptation of New York in this universe everything is more technologically advanced including your surroundings, your suit and of course your enemies. Here you must use your speed and agility to fight futuristic enemies such as a very scary looking neon Scorpion and the new and exclusive Hobgoblin. The combat in this universe looks set to be very fast paced and close range, making great use of the sharp talons included on the most futuristic looking spidey suit. Its also worth mentioning here that at certain points in the game you will be able to engage your enemies in close up first person combat, making for a slightly more cinematic experience. This universe also promises an intriguing free falling level style which cannot be not found in the other dimensions. In this feature you are falling  down though the city from great heights, dodging obstacles and even engaging in mid air combat. This style of level looks not only very fast paced, but also allows you to appreciate the scale and styling of the futuristic neon city.  And oh yes, in this universe the suit is very cool people, very cool.

Mystery Universe

Sadly the final universe is still to be confirmed. Anyone want to guess what its going to be?  Come on now don’t be shy.

Final thoughts

I have a feeling that Spider-man shattered dimensions has come a long way from the original Spider-man sandbox titles on the PS2. It would seem that like much of the gaming world I found the most entertaining part of the old games seemed to be to jump off of the empire state building and catch yourself with a web as close to the floor as possible (or not) and to finally have something that differs from this is is certainly a relief. On a different note I also can’t help but feel that this game may be trying to mimic the success of Batman Arkhm Asylum, perhaps not so much in gameplay but instead more in objective. There definitely seems to be a desire here to re-invent the games making the spiderman character darker and more intense than previous portrayals. Weather it will be a sucess or not we have yet to see.

Until next time,

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Spider-man Shattered dimensions

Due for release on Nintendo Ds, Nintendo Wii, X-Box 360 and Ps3.