Review Surfing - Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (DS)

Of late, the Spider-Man video game franchise has been synonymous with the film-licensed video games—to describe it with a word, mediocre. This link is probably because several of the Spider-Man games have been movie tie-ins, and that they weren’t very good. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is Spidey’s sixth appearance in the Nintendo DS. Has Activision finally nailed it? See what the game critics think:

GameSpot: (70%) “Spider-Man Web of Shadows is a slickly-produced game that’s a lot of fun while it lasts. The mix of beat-’em-up action and Metroid-like exploration works well with the source material. The length of the game is so short that it feels like reading a comic that’s a part of a larger story, making this a good companion to the console game but a tough sell on its own.”

GamesRadar: (60%) “Taking into account that [Web of Shadows] is a licensed game with an adequate level of quality in the graphics and sound department, it was nice to see something other than a plain 2D platformer. After all, if you’re going to rip off another series, why not pick one that’s been consistently great for handhelds? Web of Shadows is a passable, but sincere, form of flattery to the king of the genre.”

IGN: (80%) “Once again, DS owners prevail. Console owners have to deal with a sloppy 3D experience, but on the handheld we get ourselves a tight and satisfying experience that has nothing to do with the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or Wii games of the same name. Even after five Spider-Man games on the platform, the developers of Web of Shadows manage to give us a fresh take on the franchise and pull off a great job making it.”

From the looks of things, Web of Shadows has finally ended the webslinger’s losing streak on the Nintendo handheld. Unfortunately, the Wii version hasn’t been as fortunate, getting an average review score of 62% at Metacritic and 67% at GameRankings. If you’re looking for a fun superhero game to play or give out this Christmas, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows may just be it.

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