spiderman shattered dimensions wii review

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions Wii is an enjoyable game for fans of the webslinging wonderlad and with Batman the brave and the bold out on the  Nintendo console  these are good times for fans of comic book heroes.

The story is a bit daft but it does enable you to play as four different versions of Spider-Man. Some dimension-protecting tablet has shattered and its pieces have been scattered across four different realities. It's up to Spider-Man to collect the pieces and put them together again.

Or should that be Spider-Men? Amazing Spider-Man wears the classic red and blue suit and has a standard set of combat moves and web abilities. Then there's Ultimate Spiderman in his dodgy black Venom suit. He can use the same abilities as Amazing Spider-Man but can also go into a special rage mode that makes his attacks more powerful.

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Future Shock
Spider-Man 2099 lives in the future and has the ability to slow down time, making it easier to dodge bullets while Spider-Man Noir lives in the 1930s and takes a more stealthy approach to taking down enemies.

Some work better than others: the Spider-Man 2099 stages are great for combat and the Amazing Spider-Man ones have the most impressive level design, but the Noir Spider-Man's stages are the weakest. You have to spend time hiding in the shadows but because it's dark, you're often spotted by an enemy when you thought you were hidden.

Noir levels aside, it is a pretty satisfying experience. Combat starts off basic and gets more complicated as you unlock new abilities and moves. B is a normal attack but you can knock enemies into the air by titling the Nunchuk upwards (something that's not explained very well in the tutorial). Completing set challenges (defeat 20 enemies, strike ten enemies with objects) also unlocks bonuses which encourage you to mix up the way you take on your enemies. You can unlock different Spidey suits too.

That Marvel And Web Look
With the different versions of Spider-Man visiting four completely different universes, there is a danger that Shattered Dimensions could become a bit disjointed but a psychic called Madame Web ties it all together. She has the ability to talk to all four versions of Spider-Man, and there are some genuinely funny moments of dialogue with Web's serious tone making her the ideal 'straight woman' to each wisecracking Spider-Man.

Shattered Dimensions is a surprisingly fun game. The Noir stages are definitely the game's weak point, and the camera could have been a bit less temperamental, but these are minor issues when the game as a whole is such a thoroughly entertaining package and one that's certainly better than Spider-Man's other Wii games. 8.5/10