Customer Reviews

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Let's hear it for originality! A lull in the Spider-Man moviemaking business provides Activision an opportunity to prove original properties are more fun. Shattered Dimensions centers on Mysterio's multi-dimensional tablet, a MacGuffin that allows developers to build a side-scrolling adventure that crosses three Spider-Man universes - Amazing, Noir and 2099 (the DS is missing the Ultimate universe available on consoles, so ignore a lot of the manufacturer's product description as it doesn't apply to the DS version).

The seventh Web Slinger release on the DS is a throwback storyline to Spider-Man's simpler comic book days, which means that you can tear straight through the entire game in a day or two. Don't expect the depth of story you'd find in RPGs or the console versions of Batman: Arkham Asylum (remember there wasn't even a DS version of that title). However, young Spidey fans will immediately backtrack and re-explore each world just to soak up the exceptional voice acting that features recognizable actors who previously voiced Spider-Man TV shows.

The gameplay reminded my sons (ages 7 and 6) of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. Combat boils down to single-button mashing until you collect enough abilities to start throwing combinations. Young fans will overlook this issue as they focus on maneuvering Spider-Man around each unique world. However, casual players will bristle at the need to accumulate powers that they naturally would expect to employ from the onset of the game.

Shattered Dimensions delivers a fresh-looking collection of Spider-Man villains - Electro, Boomerang and the Vulture to name a few - and, while I wish the DS version included the Ultimate universe available on console versions, this release does not feel slapped together as many licensed superhero tie-ins often do. In fact, of the DS games released to date, Shattered Dimensions best illustrates what it feels like to be Spider-Man.

In summary, Activision significantly raises the bar for the Web Slinger franchise with Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. You get three distinct Spider-Man characters in one game with an original storyline, proving yet again that original development projects are much better than licensed games tied to a movie release.

Rating: five stars.




I went back and looked over my Amazon reviews of the other Spider-Man titles available on the DS to get a sense of how Shattered Dimensions has advanced the franchise. Parents of young Spider-Man fans can use the following information to consider the other Activision titles available on the DS.

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, the sixth Spider-Man title on the DS, provided the simplest, most intuitive controls, whether you are web slinging or wall crawling. The 2008 release was loaded with Marvel Comics characters -- heroes and villians - too many to list them all. Here's a few that excited our die-hard Spidey fans: Venom, Rhino, Nightcrawler, Kingpin, Vulture, Electro, Luke Cage and Green Goblin!

My sons loved the fact that they could change between the original red-suit Spider-Man and the black-suit Spider-Man with the click of a button. The storyline was a little darker than the other Spider-Man titles but there's was nothing that would induce nightmares; the gameplay was strictly comic book and there was relatively little gore compared with most action-adventure titles.

As disappointing as the movie that inspired it, Spider-Man 3 was the first DS superhero game that I sold off just days after purchase. The combination of button controls and stylus web swinging was too much for my sons little hands (they were both under age 7 then). You could travel freely around New York City but there was little to do than punch, kick or throw henchmen, which quickly devolved play into monotonous work. Tobey Maguire's voiceover was a nice touch but the game was unsatisfying.

Later in 2007, Activision released another Spider-Man title Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, which delivered a short (but original) storyline. What made this game one of my sons' favorite Spider-Man titles on the DS is the addicting teamwork option, which allows one player to team up Spider-Man with a villian (e.g. Green Goblin or Sandman or, my sons' favorite villian, Venom). Older players can finish the game in 6-8 hours but little superheroes will find plenty of replay value with this adventure (it is worth purchasing an extra copy so two can play together). In that respect, Shattered Dimensions reminds me a lot of Friend or Foe.

Released in 2006, Spider-Man: Battle for New York is a side-scrolling adventure in 3D comic book style. Younger fans will appreciate the music and sound effects that take you into Spider-Man's universe. Just like Ultimate Spider-Man you are playing in Mark Bagley's comic book world, a 3D environment that feels as though you're jumping in and out of the pages and panels of a comic book.

You play half the game as Spider-Man and the other half as the Green Goblin. The fighting was monotonous and the mini-games frustrating. The game is shorter than other adventure titles on the Nintendo DS but rates about average for the beat-'em-up superhero games available. Even though it was released less than five years ago, you can't compare Battle for New York with Shattered Dimensions. Activision has evolved the Spider-Man experience - web slinging, combat and his sarcastic quips - to levels Spidey fans could only dream of when the first movie, Spider-Man was released in 2002.

The Spider-Man games have been getting better and better, and this one is fantastic!

Gameplay:
The gameplay is extremely similar to that of other Spider-Man games, particularly that of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. You unlock more moves and abilities as you go along, much like most other Spider-Man games. Different difficulty modes and challenges have also been added. The harder difficulty mode is optional, but if you play it, you can earn rewards. There is also an easy mode for those who are new to video games. There are tons of challenges; they are unlocked as you progress through the game. I've only unlocked two so far. They're pretty nice, but also a little bit frustrating. Gameplay Score- 8.6/10

Plot:
There isn't much of a story, but there's still some. Basically, Mysterio has stolen the Tablet of Time, and Spider-Man, while trying to save it, accidentally broke it into several pieces. Now, it's up to the Spider-Men of different dimensions to recover the fragments and stop Mysterio before they go out of existence. According to a professional reviewer who has played the game more than I have, there's barely any plot, and if there is a major change, it's an obvious one. Again, not much, and they could have done more. Plot Score- 4.1/10

Graphics and Sound:
The graphics aren't anything special, but the detail for the three dimensions is pretty cool. The sound effects are average, but the voice acting is fantastic! Actors who voiced Spider-Man in different Spidey TV shows voice him now in this game. This is one of the few, if any, games where what a character said actually made me laugh! "A convener belt? What, am I in a video game or something?!?" Graphics and Sound Score- 8.2

Overall, this game is probably the best Spidey game to date, and that is saying something! If you want a good game that will last some time, I would definitely recommend that you buy this! It's great for gamers of any age and skill level. Plus, it has witty dialogue, smooth controls, and an array of nifty bonus challenges to boot! Overall Score- 9/10

I am pleased with the product and time of delivery. My grandson seems to be very pleased with the game.

This game was alot of fun. It is possible to beat it in a few hours, but there are also several different new game+ modes to unlock and play through. You play as three different versions of spiderman on three separate maps, and as you play through they can each unlock each other's abilities. You also unlock new abilities from each boss which open up new areas of the map.

The first play through also includes a bad touch screen game whenever you switch between spidermen, but this is left out of the various new game+ modes.

One good thing about the game being so short is that you can easily pick it up again from the beginning. Once you know where you are going you can beat it in under an hour, so you can play through again whenever you feel like it.

"Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions" is a fun little game for the DS, with lots of enjoyable web swinging and bad guy fighting across 4 different dimensions. It's simple but fun to play and basically a nice little time with your DS. But the game is pretty much ruined by the obnoxious and unskippable touchscreen mini "games" (quotes very much intended) that pop up here and there and that you must complete before moving on. These little games are boring, mind numbing and so stupid difficult that they bring any and all fun to a screeching halt. A little message to DS game developers: just because there's a touch screen on the DS, that does NOT mean you have to shoehorn touchscreen elements into your games. For some games, touchscreen fits very smoothly into the gameplay and is a lovely, natural fit. For others (like this one) touch screen play feels shoved in there, in a forced, unpleasant way. It's like the developers added it simply because they felt they had to, without any though about making it organic or enjoyable within the game. Again I say: not every DS game NEEDS to contain touch screen elements. A Spider-Man game is fine without touch screen, if it's a good game. And this one IS a good game, except for the touch screen aspects, which sadly, really slow down the fun. They should have just left the touch screen out. They would have lost nothing and made their game a lot more enjoyable. They wanted everything- they ended up with nothing. Sorry Griptonite, better luck next time. And since this game is almost identical Griptonite's last Spider-Man game (which also had annoying and unnecessary touch screen elements) we know there WILL be a next time. Let's hope they try a little harder to get it right. And that they think about what actually WORKS in a game, rather than just trying to shove as much as they can into the game. Sometimes, less is more. This is very much one of those cases.

This is simply the best spider-man game for the DS out there.
The gameplay is very similar to that of Web of Shadows, the graphics are impressive, the artstyle makes it look better, the controls are easy and the game doesnt get boring fast.
so that's about it, if u have 30$ to spare, this is yours

This is a gift for my grandson and he hasn't got it yet but he was wanting it so I'm sure he will be very happy.

I'm not a gamer, so you won't get technical or great details from me. My 8 year old likes this game a lot but he also finds it very challenging. It often has him in tears around the house; nonetheless, he loves...kids...