Ratings are out of 10.
(Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, GameBoyAdvance, PS2, $30-$70)
Depending on how you choose to play, "Spider-Man 3" can be one of the more exhilarating or miserable gaming experiences of the year.
The nonlinear, sandbox-style setup very loosely follows the disjointed plot of the movie, adding in villains from the comic book, such as Scorpion, Lizard and Kingpin. You swing around the city as Spidey, stopping at whichever mission icons you choose to advance the game's story.
When you check in for a mission is where the game grows buggy and frustrating. The camera system is an absolute mess, picturing your hero at odd angles, unable to see villains assaulting you from several directions. There's also the tendency for the game to stop completely due to an unfixed bug. Maybe the freezing is due to the complexity of the in-game cinematics, which have you pull off incredible feats at preset times by pushing a series of buttons that flash on the screen. It's a device inspired by the "God of War" games, but it doesn't work as well here.
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"Spider-Man 3" is an absolute blast, however, as a free-form Spidey simulator. New York City is lavishly rendered with soaring skyscrapers to navigate with your web. You truly feel the rush and adrenaline of Spider-Man, swinging from building to building, cutting loose and free-falling, only to right yourself by flinging a web string onto a bridge. The web-swinging feel is especially sweet on the visually inferior (as opposed to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions) Wii, in which you fling webs from both hands and simulate the swinging motion.
Rating: 7
(Xbox 360, $59.99)
Ever since real-time war- strategy games surpassed their turn-based predecessors a few years ago, home consoles have had difficulty keeping up with computers in the genre. The keyboard and mouse setup allowed for comprehensive, hands-on control of troops, weapons and structures that game controllers couldn't match.
That's changed with "Command & Conquer 3," which squeezes every ounce of the 360 controller's utility. Making up for hotkey-based commands of the keyboard is a complex system of shoulder trigger accessible sliders. It takes a while to learn the system, but a lengthy in-game tutorial helps you nail down the basics.
Set in the year 2047, the game involves the Global Defense Initiative's efforts to stop the invading forces of the Brotherhood of the Nod. At your disposal are multiskilled troop units you can upgrade with jetpacks and better weapons. While you march your troops into battle, you simultaneously fend off attacks, call in airstrikes and manage your resources to build barracks, refineries and other structures to fortify your base.
This type of hectic, stress-inducing strategy game carries a steep learning curve and is meant only for the hardcore gamer, so newbies should steer clear.
Rating: 8
– Phil Villarreal
