Share
submit to reddit
Pin it

This review was originally published 03/13/2011 on Game Observer (now defunct). It has been republished here for archival purposes.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions

A fun, but flawed game

In a Nutshell

  • Graphics: 88
    Different visual styles in each level provide plenty of variety and look very comic-book-like, and all the artwork is exceptional.
  • Gameplay: 72
    Gameplay varies from standard button-mashing brawler, to slightly above-average platformer, to sub-par Arkham Asylum clone. Each boss fight offers unique circumstances and interesting challenges, but can be long and tedious.
  • Production: 82
    An interesting approach to a comic book game, embracing different continuities and competently combining them, but the individual levels feel very disjointed and don’t flow into each other very well.
  • Sound: 69
    Strong voice acting during cutscenes and a pretty good soundtrack only barely compensates for cheesy dialogue and repetitive babbling by Spidey and bosses during gameplay.
  • Value: 39
    Very short story. Challenges offer some incentive to replay the game and try different tactics, but not enough to keep this game from collecting dust once completed.
  • Overall Score: 70
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions cover art

Developer: Beenox
Publisher: Activision
Platforms: PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360
ESRB rating: T
Genre: Action-Adventure, Platformer, Stealth
Players: 1
Official site: spidermandimensions.marvel.com

I’m so glad that the last few Spider-Man games have not been constrained to follow a movie’s plot. Even though the Spider-Man 2 movie game was arguably the best Spider-Man game since the first one on the PS1, I really want to see developers try something a little more creative with the Spidey character. I’m one of the people who thoroughly enjoyed Web of Shadows and was really hoping to see further development with that game’s fantastically tight controls and combat mechanics. But Beenox had different ideas for a Spidey game – much more ambitious and creative ideas. They scrapped the free-roaming open New York and web-swinging mechanics that have become a staple of Spider-Man games since the second movie game in favor of a dimension-hopping beat-em-up. It’s actually a nice change of pace.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions - Mysterio steals MacGuffin stone
Mysterio steals the MacGuffin stone.

The basic setup is that in a conflict with Mysterio, Spider-Man accidentally shatters an inter-dimensional tablet that grants expanded powers to its possessor in the four different universes in which the fragments now reside. The Spider-Men in each of these dimensions are enlisted by Madam Web to recover the tablet fragments to prevent some inter-dimensional cataclysm. This cross-dimensional plot allowed the developers to use different versions of the Spider-Man character to create different styles of gameplay, visuals, and bosses.

The Amazing (traditional) Spider-Man is a cell-shaded brawler and platformer that utilizes a lot of web attacks to dispatch enemies. The Ultimate Spider-Man uses the power of the black symbiote (oddly equipped by Madam Web because apparently the Ultimate Spidey is not strong enough to fight his villains) to use more powerful melee attacks in his slightly more cartooney universe. Spider-Man 2099 fights and platform-jumps above the future’s huge neon skyscrapers. And last but not least, the Noir Spider-Man is a monochrome stealth game that feels like a blatant, sub-par rip-off of the fantastic Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Combat is generally smooth although the game tries to vary the gameplay with different attack schemes based on the dimension being played. All of them except Noir feel pretty much the same. Whether you’re attacking with Amazing’s webs, Ultimate’s symbiotic tendrils, or 2099’s dash attacks, the same combinations of button presses in each universe have roughly the same range and effects. So only Noir stands out as being really different than the others.

Spider-Man vs. Camera-Man

As for the Noir levels, they feel like an attempt to replicate the success of Arkham Asylum, but since these sections of the game only received ¼ of the attention given to overall game mechanics, it just doesn’t feel as polished as Arkham Asylum does. I applaud the developers for trying this style of gameplay in a Spider-Man game. I’ve been wanting to see indoor environments and some sneaking mechanics brought back into Spider-Man games for years, and I can’t count the number of times while playing Arkham Asylum that I thought "Wow, many of these concepts and mechanics would be perfect for a Spider-Man game!" But Beenox simply wasn’t able to give these mechanics the attention to detail and precision that Rocksteady was able to give its Batman game. The Noir levels are still fun, but they feel like a missed opportunity.

All the dimensions also suffer from several control and gameplay issues. Controls don’t always seem as responsive as I’d like them to be (especially the "web strike" attack). The game also has a button assigned as a "defensive stance" trigger that allows Spider-Man to lock the camera onto a specific enemy as well as dodge many attacks and perform counters. This is a nice thing to have. In fact, it’s so nice that I ended up holding it down pretty much the entire game – which got really old, really fast. And in the final boss battle, the defensive stance/camera lock is useless; the camera insists on focusing you on the boss instead of the hundreds of minions that you have to wade through before you can fight said boss directly.

Your "Spider-Sense" is also not nearly as useful as it should be. It sometimes goes off at the absolute wrong time, making you think an attack is coming now, but the enemy waits and hits you during your dodge. It also doesn’t alert you to some enemies’ ranged attacks, or just stays on continuously even if no enemies are present. The Spider Sense can also be used similar to Arkham Asylum‘s "detective mode," highlighting enemies and objects you can interact with, and pick-ups (even through walls). The Spider Sense is much more useful for this purpose and is very helpful for solving puzzles or finding hidden items.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions - Noir stealth
The game tries very hard to encourage wall-crawling stealth during the Noir levels. Unfortunately, the camera and controls are trying very hard to make you not want to do that!

Wall crawling is also a horribly-implemented and (thankfully) under-utilized mechanic in the game. There is no button that allows you to choose when you stick to walls, so you just have to press up against them or jump onto them and hope you stick. But not all walls can be climbed, and the game gives no indication as to what walls can be climbed and which ones can’t. This is especially troublesome in the Noir levels, which require precise and deliberate movement to keep Spidey hidden in the shadows.

Once you’re on the wall, the camera focuses right on your back or in a pre-set direction in areas where wall-climbing is necessary to progress in the level. If the camera isn’t locked on a pre-set destination, and you try to move the camera around, wall-crawling becomes nigh impossible due to Spider-Man frequently changing directions as the camera moves, so good luck trying to focus on an enemy. A similar problem comes into play if you crawl around a corner. As you move from one side of a wall to another, the panning of the camera will cause Spidey to change directions, often resulting in him going around in circles.

I also ran into an increasing number of problems in the last set of levels. Spider-Man seemed to become less responsive, often wouldn’t perform web zips reliably, and the Web of Destiny challenges suddenly became irritatingly obnoxious. I’m not sure if this is due to the developers getting lazy with the last few levels letting bugs, glitches, and balance issues get through, or if the levels and challenges weren’t designed to work well with the game’s controls. Or maybe I was just getting lazy. In any case, the last few levels seemed much more frustrating than they probably needed to be.

The Amazing Set-Pieces!

In the end, most of the levels end up degrading into button-mashing. Most of the time during fights, I don’t know if I’m hitting the enemy, being hit by the enemy, dodging attacks, or what. Unlike Web of Shadows, I never really feel like I am in absolute control. Spidey rarely seems to do exactly what I want him to do or land exactly where I want him to, except for web-zipping, which works exceptionally well and does a fantastic job of capturing the mobility and grace of Spider-Man. But wall-climbing, web-swinging, jumping, and movement in battle all seem irritatingly imprecise and unreliable.

What does impress me, however, about Beenox’s approach to the game was the way in which they crowded the game’s levels with fantastic action set-pieces! There are several segments of the game in which an obstacle appears that you would expect to be handled with a cutscene (or at best a limited quicktime event), but Beenox managed to turn these unique segments into 100% real-time gameplay instead! And they are amazing!

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions - Sandman tornado
This battle against the Sandman early in the game is one of several exceptional action set-pieces.

The best example is an early level against the sandman in a sand quarry. At one point, Sandman stirs up a whirlwind, throwing boxes and pieces of debris out towards the edges of the environment, and Spider-Man must web-zip from piece of flying debris to piece of flying debris to navigate between disintegrating platforms in order to stop the whirlwind. It’s all pure, uncut gameplay, and it looks and plays astonishingly! There are similar sections in other levels (such as the Deadpool level later in the game), but the Sandman encounter stood out to me the most (and it’s early enough in the game that I don’t feel too bad if I spoiled it - hehe!).

The game itself is pretty short, and only seems longer if you take the time to complete the various challenges in the "Web of Destiny," which rewards you for using a variety of play styles and offers some fun extra challenge to the game. Cutscenes are well done, with decent voice acting, but in-game dialogue can be very repetitive and irritating. Overall, the game’s story (being split between 4 dimensions) feels very disjointed. Little-to-no effort is made to tie the events of one dimension into the others, and even the levels within a given dimension are not tied together. A little bit more integration or interaction between the various universes and levels would have been nice.

Summary

When all is said and done Shattered Dimensions is a bit of a rollercoaster ride, going from expertly designed set-pieces and action sequences to tedious, mind-numbing button-mashing and novelty gameplay mechanics (such as the first-person boss sequences). Fortunately, the game’s entertainment factor outweighs its problems, and it does a good job of capturing the feel of its source material and should provide plenty of enjoyment for fans of Spider-Man and comic books in general. But if you’re only going to buy one comic-book game and have to chose between this game and Arkham Asylum, you should go with Arkham Asylum.

Other Game Reviews I've Published

>Observer_>Observer_12 Minutes12 Minutes
35mm35mmAce Combat 7Ace Combat 7
ADR1FTADR1FTAlan WakeAlan Wake
Alan Wake 2Alan Wake 2Alien: IsolationAlien: Isolation
Alone In The DarkAlone In The DarkAmnesia: a Machine for PigsAmnesia: a Machine for Pigs
Amnesia: RebirthAmnesia: RebirthAmnesia: The BunkerAmnesia: The Bunker
Amnesia: the Dark DescentAmnesia: the Dark DescentAmong the SleepAmong the Sleep
Assassin's Creed IIIAssassin's Creed IIIAssassin's Creed IV: Black FlagAssassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Assassin's Creed: OriginsAssassin's Creed: OriginsAssassin's Creed: ValhallaAssassin's Creed: Valhalla
Atomic SocietyAtomic SocietyAxis Football 18Axis Football 18
Axis Football 2019Axis Football 2019Axis Football 2020Axis Football 2020
Axis Football 2021Axis Football 2021Axis Football 2023Axis Football 2023
Axis Football 2024Axis Football 2024Back to the Future Episode OneBack to the Future Episode One
Backbreaker FootballBackbreaker FootballBanishedBanished
Batman: Arkham CityBatman: Arkham CityBattlefield 1Battlefield 1
Blair WitchBlair WitchBloodborneBloodborne
Bloodborne: the Old HuntersBloodborne: the Old HuntersCall of Duty World War IICall of Duty World War II
CatherineCatherineCities SkylinesCities Skylines
Cities Skylines IICities Skylines IICities Skylines: After DarkCities Skylines: After Dark
Cities Skylines: AirportsCities Skylines: AirportsCities Skylines: CampusCities Skylines: Campus
Cities Skylines: Financial Districts + World TourCities Skylines: Financial Districts + World TourCities Skylines: Green CitiesCities Skylines: Green Cities
Cities Skylines: Hotels & RetreatsCities Skylines: Hotels & RetreatsCities Skylines: IndustriesCities Skylines: Industries
Cities Skylines: Mass TransitCities Skylines: Mass TransitCities Skylines: Natural DisastersCities Skylines: Natural Disasters
Cities Skylines: ParklifeCities Skylines: ParklifeCities Skylines: Plazas & PromenadesCities Skylines: Plazas & Promenades
Cities Skylines: SnowfallCities Skylines: SnowfallCities Skylines: Sunset HarborCities Skylines: Sunset Harbor
Cities: Skylines: Match Day & ver. 1.4Cities: Skylines: Match Day & ver. 1.4CitiesXL & Cities XXLCitiesXL & Cities XXL
ControlControlCrusader Kings IIICrusader Kings III
Dark SoulsDark SoulsDark Souls Artorias of the Abyss DLCDark Souls Artorias of the Abyss DLC
Dark Souls IIDark Souls IIDark Souls II: Scholar of the First SinDark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin
Dark Souls IIIDark Souls IIIDark Souls III: Ashes of AriandelDark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel
Dark Souls III: the Ringed CityDark Souls III: the Ringed CityDarker SkiesDarker Skies
Dawn of ManDawn of ManDead Space (2023)Dead Space (2023)
Dead Space 2Dead Space 2Death StrandingDeath Stranding
Death's GambitDeath's GambitDeliver Us MarsDeliver Us Mars
Deliver Us The MoonDeliver Us The MoonDemon's SoulsDemon's Souls
Demon's Souls (PS5)Demon's Souls (PS5)DepravedDepraved
DeracineDeracineDevil May Cry 5Devil May Cry 5
Disco ElysiumDisco ElysiumDmC (Devil May Cry)DmC (Devil May Cry)
DOOM (2016)DOOM (2016)DreadOutDreadOut
EA Sports College Football 25EA Sports College Football 25Elden RingElden Ring
Endling: Extinction Is ForeverEndling: Extinction Is ForeverEvent [0]Event [0]
F.T.L. (Faster Than Light)F.T.L. (Faster Than Light)Fallout 4Fallout 4
Fallout ShelterFallout ShelterFar Cry PrimalFar Cry Primal
Final Fantasy VII RemakeFinal Fantasy VII RemakeFinal Fantasy XIIIFinal Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XVFinal Fantasy XVFirewatchFirewatch
Five Nights at Freddy'sFive Nights at Freddy'sGame of Thrones (Telltale series 1-2)Game of Thrones (Telltale series 1-2)
Ghost of TsushimaGhost of TsushimaGod of War (2018)God of War (2018)
God of War IIIGod of War IIIGone HomeGone Home
Gran Turismo 7Gran Turismo 7Grand Theft Auto VGrand Theft Auto V
Green Hell VRGreen Hell VRHell Let LooseHell Let Loose
Hellblade: Senua's SacrificeHellblade: Senua's SacrificeHer StoryHer Story
HumankindHumankindImagine EarthImagine Earth
IndikaIndikaKayak VR MirageKayak VR Mirage
Kingdom Come: DeliveranceKingdom Come: DeliveranceL.A. NoireL.A. Noire
Layers Of Fear 2Layers Of Fear 2Legend BowlLegend Bowl
Letters To A Friend: FarewellLetters To A Friend: FarewellLifeless PlanetLifeless Planet
Lollipop ChainsawLollipop ChainsawMad MaxMad Max
Madden NFL 11Madden NFL 11Madden NFL 12Madden NFL 12
Madden NFL 13Madden NFL 13Madden NFL 15Madden NFL 15
Madden NFL 16Madden NFL 16Madden NFL 17Madden NFL 17
Madden NFL 18Madden NFL 18Madden NFL 19Madden NFL 19
Madden NFL 20Madden NFL 20Madden NFL 21Madden NFL 21
Madden NFL 22Madden NFL 22Madden NFL 23Madden NFL 23
Madden NFL 24Madden NFL 24Madden NFL 25Madden NFL 25
MADiSONMADiSONMars Rover LandingMars Rover Landing
Marvel's Spider-ManMarvel's Spider-ManMarvel's Spider-Man 2Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles MoralesMarvel's Spider-Man: Miles MoralesMaster of Orion: Conquer the StarsMaster of Orion: Conquer the Stars
Maximum Football 2018Maximum Football 2018Maximum Football 2019Maximum Football 2019
Maximum Football2020Maximum Football2020Metal Gear Solid V: the Phantom PainMetal Gear Solid V: the Phantom Pain
MiasmataMiasmataMiddle-Earth: Shadow of MordorMiddle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Middle-Earth: Shadow of WarMiddle-Earth: Shadow of WarMonster Hunter: WorldMonster Hunter: World
Moons of MadnessMoons of MadnessNCAA Football 11NCAA Football 11
NCAA Football 12NCAA Football 12NCAA Football 13NCAA Football 13
NFL Pro EraNFL Pro EraNiohNioh
No Man's SkyNo Man's SkyObservationObservation
Outer WildsOuter WildsOuter Wilds: Echoes of the EyeOuter Wilds: Echoes of the Eye
OutlastOutlastPacific DrivePacific Drive
Papers, PleasePapers, PleasePortal 2Portal 2
Project Wingman: Frontline-59Project Wingman: Frontline-59Propagation: Paradise HotelPropagation: Paradise Hotel
Red Dead RedemptionRed Dead RedemptionRed Dead Redemption IIRed Dead Redemption II
Resident Evil 2Resident Evil 2Resident Evil 3Resident Evil 3
Resident Evil RemasteredResident Evil RemasteredResident Evil VII: BiohazardResident Evil VII: Biohazard
Resident Evil VIII VillageResident Evil VIII VillageReturn of the Obra DinnReturn of the Obra Dinn
RoboCop: Rogue CityRoboCop: Rogue CityRock Band 3Rock Band 3
Room 404Room 404Sekiro: Shadows Die TwiceSekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Settlement SurvivalSettlement SurvivalShadow of the Colossus (2018)Shadow of the Colossus (2018)
Sid Meier's Civilization VSid Meier's Civilization VSid Meier's Civilization V: Brave New WorldSid Meier's Civilization V: Brave New World
Sid Meier's Civilization V: Gods & KingsSid Meier's Civilization V: Gods & KingsSid Meier's Civilization VISid Meier's Civilization VI
Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering StormSid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering StormSid Meier's Civilization VI: Rise and FallSid Meier's Civilization VI: Rise and Fall
Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond EarthSid Meier's Civilization: Beyond EarthSid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth Rising TideSid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth Rising Tide
Silent Hill 4: the RoomSilent Hill 4: the RoomSilent Hill HD CollectionSilent Hill HD Collection
Silent Hill: Shattered MemoriesSilent Hill: Shattered MemoriesSilent Hill: The Short MessageSilent Hill: The Short Message
Silicon DreamsSilicon DreamsSillent Hill DownpourSillent Hill Downpour
SimCity (2013)SimCity (2013)SimCity BuilditSimCity Buildit
SomaSomaSong of HorrorSong of Horror
Spider-Man: Edge of TimeSpider-Man: Edge of TimeSpider-Man: Shattered DimensionsSpider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Star Trek ResurgenceStar Trek ResurgenceStar Trek TrexelsStar Trek Trexels
Star Trek: InfiniteStar Trek: InfiniteStar Wars Battlefront IIStar Wars Battlefront II
Star Wars Jedi Fallen OrderStar Wars Jedi Fallen OrderStar Wars SquadronsStar Wars Squadrons
StellarisStellarisStellaris mod: New HorizonsStellaris mod: New Horizons
Still Wakes The DeepStill Wakes The DeepStranded DeepStranded Deep
StrayStrayTacomaTacoma
The Amazing Spider-ManThe Amazing Spider-ManThe Amazing Spider-Man 2The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The Callisto ProtocolThe Callisto ProtocolThe Elder Scrolls V: SkyrimThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim DLCThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim DLCThe Evil WithinThe Evil Within
The Evil Within 2The Evil Within 2The Last GuardianThe Last Guardian
The Last of UsThe Last of UsThe Last of Us Part IIThe Last of Us Part II
The Outer WorldsThe Outer WorldsThe SaboteurThe Saboteur
The SwapperThe SwapperThe Twilight Zone VRThe Twilight Zone VR
The Witcher 3 expansionsThe Witcher 3 expansionsThe Witcher 3: Wild HuntThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
This War of MineThis War of MineThis War of Mine: the Little OnesThis War of Mine: the Little Ones
Tomb Raider (2013)Tomb Raider (2013)Total War: AttilaTotal War: Attila
Total War: Rome IITotal War: Rome IITotal War: Shogun 2Total War: Shogun 2
Total War: Shogun 2: Fall of the SamuraiTotal War: Shogun 2: Fall of the SamuraiTrineTrine
Tropico 5Tropico 5U-BoatU-Boat
Ultimate General: Civil WarUltimate General: Civil WarUncharted 3: Drake's DeceptionUncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Until DawnUntil DawnVirginiaVirginia
VisageVisageWhat Remains of Edith FinchWhat Remains of Edith Finch

Contribute Comment

avatar


We'll incarnate your avatar from the services below.
PlayStation Network Steam Xbox LIVE Facebook MySpace Pinterest Twitter YouTube deviantART LiveJournal



biuquote
  • Comment
  • Preview


Grid Clock Widget
12      60
11      55
10      50
09      45
08      40
07      35
06      30
05      25
04      20
03      15
02      10
01      05
Grid Clock provided by trowaSoft.

A gamer's thoughts

Welcome to Mega Bears Fan's blog, and thanks for visiting! This blog is mostly dedicated to game reviews, strategies, and analysis of my favorite games. I also talk about my other interests, like football, science and technology, movies, and so on. Feel free to read more about the blog.

Check out my YouTube content at YouTube.com/MegaBearsFan.

Follow me on Twitter at: twitter.com/MegaBearsFan

Patreon

If you enjoy my content, please consider Supporting me on Patreon:
Patreon.com/MegaBearsFan

FTC guidelines require me to disclose that as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made by clicking on Amazon product links on this site. All Amazon Associate links are for products relevant to the given blog post, and are usually posted because I recommend the product.

Without Gravity

And check out my colleague, David Pax's novel Without Gravity on his website!

Featured Post

The Humanity of NCAA Football's In-Season RecruitingThe Humanity of NCAA Football's In-Season Recruiting08/01/2022 If you're a fan of college football video games, then I'm sure you're excited by the news from early 2021 that EA will be reviving its college football series. They will be doing so without the NCAA license, and under the new title, EA Sports College Football. I guess Bill Walsh wasn't available for licensing either? Expectations...

Random Post

I think I mostly made sense of Her StoryI think I mostly made sense of Her Story10/01/2019 Having a little bit of free time between playing Madden 20 and starting out this year's indie football games, I checked out a couple indie games that I've had sitting around in my Steam library for months. Both are player-driven mystery games about trying to deduce the events of the past. The simpler of the two is called Her...

Month List

Recent Comments

Comment RSS