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Activision and Artificial Mind and Movement cook up a simple brawler based on the Spider-Man universe. Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is a simple yet fun action game that pairs up various characters from the Spider-Man universe. The game isn’t the deepest brawler but those looking for a light, pick-up-and-play game with memorable characters should find a lot to like in Friend or Foe.
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe’s story doesn’t make a whole lot of sense but provides just enough logic to explain why Spider-Man is joining forces with sworn enemies like the Green Goblin, New Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Sandman and Venom. Basically, Mysterio has placed mind control devices on Spider-Man’s classic enemies and retrieving meteor fragments from around the world to power his army of symbiote-powered phantoms. S.H.I.E.L.D. has to make sure this doesn’t happen and enlists Spider-Man to travel to the various locations, defeat the mind-controlled enemies, break their mind control and have them join you.
You begin each level in a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, where you can switch your partner and upgrade your characters through tokens found in the levels. You’ll unlock new characters in these levels that you can then go back and use in earlier levels. The game supports two-player cooperative multiplayer, and allows the second player to come in and out of the game at will since the AI will take over otherwise. The Nintendo DS version does not include a versus mode like the consoles or separate minigames mode like the PSP version.
Once you’re in the actual levels, Friend or Foe plays very much like your typical brawler. You and your partner (you can switch between by pressing a button) will have to defeat a lot of enemies before moving on to the next area. The action is broken up by some simple puzzles (where you’ll typically just need to hit a switch) and boss battles (which are more difficult than the typical brawlers). Combat in the game lets you kick, punch and grab and makes it easy to pull off cool-looking combos. You’ll also have access to special attacks (like Spider-Man’s web attacks) and charged moves, which pack a bit more punch. The game also has power-ups like team attacks and extra damage that can be found in the levels. The game uses the touch screen much like previous Spider-Man Nintendo DS games, where you’ll have to complete a simple task on the touch screen before moving on.
Graphically, Friend or Foe looks comparable to other Spider-Man games on the Nintendo DS. The 3D character models move around in a flat, 2D level with 3D graphics. The character models for Spider-Man and the main villains look pretty good, although the enemies don’t share quite the same attention to detail. The environments are quite large, although they’re populated with simple architecture. The game usually shows the action from two angles: one focused on the rooftops (on the top screen) and one focused on the ground (on the bottom screen), which works rather well. The game’s audio is also pretty good, thanks to some voice clips and solid sound effects.
The Nintendo DS version of Friend or Foe is by far the most different, but it’s also the most in line with previous Spider-Man games on its respective platform. Friend or Foe’s addition of enemies and solid coop mode make it a solid addition to the Nintendo DS’ Spider-Man lineup. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Oct 3, 2007
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