Spider-Man 3

[Cube]

Wii Boxart

 

US, March 9, 2007 - A few weeks back, Activision showed off the PS3/360 version of Spider-Man 3 to a small gathering of journalists. The PS3 and 360 versions, developed by Treyarch, feature interactive cinematic moments, a sprawling Manhattan with an extensive sewer and subway system and a "gangs of New York" dynamic that evolves crime on the streets as you play through the game. Nothing was said about the Wii version at the time.

 

Curiosity got the best of us, so IGN spoke to Vicarious Visions' CEO Karthik Bala and controls designer Jonathan Mintz about what Spidey 3 will be like on Wii. As you might expect, the Wiimote and Nunchuk enable you to swing through Manhattan in a way never previously experienced by gamers. We also learned if Miis will populate Manhattan, if Spider-Man 3 on Wii will support progressive scan and find out about two villains appearing exclusively on PS2, PSP and Wii.

 

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IGN: You have a large streaming world on PS2, PSP and Wii. Since these systems are somewhat limited by the hardware, what sacrifices were made from the PS3/360 version of Manhattan?

 

Karthik Bala: Although all skus of Spider-Man 3 share the premise and overarching storyline of the movie, the game design on PS2, PSP, Wii differ from the PS3/360. Our overall goal was to play to the strengths of the various hardware platforms, giving a different player experience depending on their platform of choice. The PS2 version features a city that is 2.5 times bigger than the city in Spider-Man 2 PS2. The PSP version offers an expansive free roaming city gameplay on a portable system (which wasn't there in SM2 PSP). The Wii version offers a whole new way of web shooting and swinging through the city. The Wii-mote and Nunchuk become your webshooters!

 

IGN: How will I use my Wiimote and Nunchuck to control Spider-Man?

 

Jonathan Mintz: Let's start with the basics: running and jumping are controlled with the Nunchuk. As you might expect, using the Analog Stick moves Spidey. The Z Button is used for jumping.

 

But we know you're not playing a Spider-Man game to run and jump - it's all about the webs. When you're web-swinging in Spider-Man 3, the Wii Remote and Nunchuk become Spider-Man's right and left hands. By holding the B Button and moving the Wii Remote or holding the Z Button and moving the Nunchuk, Spider-Man will cast out his web lines in the direction that you move. Flick the controllers forward to swing down a street or whip them to the sides to power around a corner.

 

As for combat, your melee moves are simple. Swinging the Wii Remote left or right allows you to perform quick attacks. Moving the Wii Remote and Nunchuk down at the same time lets you execute a strong attack to finish off foes with powerful attack combos. You can also tap the A Button to perform a strong attack or hold it to uppercut foes into the air.

 

Tapping on the B Button fires one of Spider-Man's web splats, slowing down the bad guys. Holding B Button will attach a web line to enemies - that's where things get really cool. Want to swing the chump around Spider-Man's head in a classic Web Rodeo? Just move the Wii Remote in a circle. Flicking the Wii Remote and Nunchuk up will perform a Web Hammer, pulling the enemy over Spider-Man's head and slamming him into the ground. If the enemy is too big to move, he can leap on top of him and smash him in the face.

 

Spider-Man's isn't known for standing around and getting punched, so a quick flick of the Nunchuk will let you dodge out of the way of attacks. If you're moving towards an enemy when you dodge, you'll vault over their heads, letting you attack them from behind.

 

There are more surprises, too, like using webs to attack enemies from the air - or to pull enemies back to you after an uppercut! And we haven't even mentioned the adrenaline-fueled special attacks.

 

IGN: How ridiculous will I look playing this game in my living room?

 

Mintz: That's up to you! If you want to put on your Spider-Man pajamas and flail your arms around to sling webs just like your hero, be our guest. If you'd rather sit on your couch and swing around the city with gentle flicks of your wrists, you can do that too.

 

IGN: How do you balance making it fun to control Spider-Man and making it functional, so it can offer the same game as on PS2?

 

Mintz: We explored lots of different control schemes to find the best approach to Spider-Man 3 for the Wii. We found that simplicity and context-sensitivity were the keys to making a Wii game that's easy to pick up and play. To keep the pace of the game fast, we chose to focus on an intuitive set of motion controls that respond very quickly to player input.

 

IGN: One of the biggest concerns so far for Wii games has been camera control. Since Spider-Man moves very quickly how are you handling the camera? Will we have any control at all?

 

Mintz: Our development team has done a phenomenal job of building a camera system that can keep up with Spider-Man. We're hoping that players won't need to worry about the camera at all. In a pinch, though, they can tap the C Button on the Nunchuk to re-center the camera behind Spider-Man.

 

Of course, exploring Manhattan would be less fun if you couldn't stop and admire the view now and then. To look around freely, players can hold the C Button and tilt the Nunchuk horizontally or vertically.

 

IGN: Has there been any consideration to offer a first-person camera when swinging around the city?

 

Mintz: We originally toyed with the idea of making Spider-Man 3 a First-Person Webber. Considering how fast and fluidly Spider-Man moves, though, we quickly realized that might be a little too disorienting.

 

IGN: There are a couple of storylines that appear on PS2/PSP/Wii that aren't on PS3/360. What was the reasoning behind this and how do your unique storylines impact the overall game?

 

Bala: We didn't want all skus of Spider-Man 3 to be exactly the same. One example is the Morbius and Shriek story arc that is not found in the PS3/360 version. It weaves in and out of the main storyline in a rather clever way. And although we share some of the main storyline elements (like the movie story), gameplay mechanics and missions to these versions are unique. The way city missions and gang warfare plays out is also different.

 

IGN: How do the Cineractives work on Wii? Are the boss finishers be motion-controlled or will I be pressing Button 1, Button 2, etc?

 

Mintz: The Wii interactive cut-scenes use motion controls. For example, flicking the Nunchuk left might shoot a web line to Spidey's left, or moving both controllers up will flip Spidey into the air. It's a pretty cool way to get into the action.

 

Bala: In addition, the use of interactive cut-scenes occurs in different places in the game than you might find in the PS3/360 game.

 

IGN: In the next-gen version, the black suit is tied to a specific story section. Can you explain how the versions you are working on differ?

 

Bala: In the PS2, PSP and Wii versions, once you gain access to the black-suited Spider-Man, you can switch between red and black suit at will. As with the PS3 and 360 versions the black-suited Spider-Man mechanics are different. You become more powerful with the black-suit, and the bad guys better watch out when you go into Rage Mode. But there is a cost…and that cost plays into the central game mechanics and the overall status of the city.

 

IGN: Is there any change in the Wii controls when you are wearing the black suit?

 

Mintz: The controls don't change, but Spider-Man's attacks and fighting style do. He becomes more vicious and powerful, particularly when the black-suit's rage begins to take hold.

 

IGN: Why is there an ability to switch between suits -- or maybe the question is, why can we do it in the Vicarious Visions Spider-Man 3, but not the one made by Treyarch?

 

Bala: Really, it was an aesthetic choice and the direction chosen by the development teams. The PS3/360 game has chosen one way of handling black-suited Spider-Man. The PS2/PSP/Wii versions offer a different take. The NDS version takes on a third approach. They all explore the relationship between Peter, the red-suit and the black-suit, but in a different manner. It results in different gameplay experiences, so hopefully some players will get a chance to try out the various versions!

 

In the movie, the viewer can watch Peter Parker struggle with the black-suit and the power it represents. We wanted the player to experience the struggle in gameplay. There's a real temptation to use this power, even though you know the price. For example, during combat, the choice to wear the black-suit becomes a tactical - even impulsive - decision.

 

IGN: Developing a game that needs to be similar to Treyarch's, is there still the ability to add your own unique touch to Spider-Man 3?

 

Bala: Absolutely! It's been a collaborative effort with Treyarch, but the goal all along was to give an overarching similar, yet different play experience on the different platforms. One example is how City Status works in the PS2, PSP, Wii versions. If you use the black-suited Spider-Man too much and crime gets out of control in the city, you will see the city deteriorate in different ways. The clouds get dark and moody, the leaves fall off the trees, the trash starts piling up on the streets and the people get mighty grumpy. The city starts falling apart.

 

IGN: Can we expect any unique unlockables we won't get on PS3 or 360?

 

Bala: Yes.

 

IGN: Are you planning to use Wii Connect24 at all?

 

Mintz: No, that was not planned for this project.

 

IGN: Will Spider-Man 3 Wii support 16:9 and progressive scan?

 

Mintz: Yes.

 

IGN: The PS3 version includes the ability to play as the Goblin. Will the Wii version let me play as Wario?

 

Mintz: I'm afraid not! We did consider letting players populate Manhattan with their Miis, but we weren't able to get it in this time around.

 

 

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Sounds good.

[Hal_9Million]

Isn't it funny, the Spider-man font is the same as the Playstation 3 font, and in this instance, the words are in the exact same place on the box. It could almost be mistaken for a PS3 game, lol.

[Anakenobi]

I don't think a comic book fan would feel silly wearing Spider Man pj's and swingin' the Wiimote like a lunatic.

 

They are known to have no shame.

[That Guy]

I'll probably buy the 360 version.

[Mercyful Fate]

I hope the controls are pulled off well here, it would be really sweet slinging the web flinching the nunchuk and wiimote.

 

Nice boxart too.

[flameboy]

all sounds pretty cool, certainly one to look out for, Spiderman 2 and Ultimate Spiderman were both awesome games.I just hope we get some graphical improvements over the PS2 and PS3 versions.

[Cube]

all sounds pretty cool, certainly one to look out for, Spiderman 2 and Ultimate Spiderman were both awesome games.I just hope we get some graphical improvements over the PS2 and PS3 versions.

 

Don't you mean PSP there? From what it sounds like in the interview, the PSP version is quite different to the PS2 version. They seem to be taking care with the different versions, so we may see some graphical improvements.

[ZeldaFreak]

Does it mean we will have the same size world as ps2 or psp, when I read it it makes me think we'll get the same size world as psp version

[Dilli Gee]

Sounds like 360 for me...

[Owen]

PS3 version for me probably! It also has exclusive content (supposadely) and if you import it from VGP you'll save quite a bit from the £50 rrp price here.

 

Actually...it's cheaper then the Wii version with P+P i believe.

[mcj metroid]

i thought spiderman 2 was terrible but everyone else liked it......not interested

[DCK]

Sounds pretty nice. Web slinging is awesome, but I won't get myself excited over a PS2 port like this sounds to be.