Being the Digital Something's resident comic book nerd, it makes sense that I would want to do the review for Spider-Man: Friend or Foe. Admittedly, Spidey's comics are not on my weekly pull list at my local comic shop (mainly because I can't afford to add 6 more titles to my list just to keep up on one character...thanks Marvel), but I do enjoy the character and make it a note to stick my head in during major story arcs. That being said, FoF loosely follows the storyline established by the Spider-Man movies.

The story unfolds with Spidey getting jumped by the majority of his rogue's gallery (+5 to your nerd skill if you understand that reference) while patrolling New York City. He holds his own, but just as they're all about to jump him, a bunch of symbiote-looking creatures show up and teleport them all away. Spidey then gets picked up by Nick Fury in the S.H.I.E.L.D. heli-carrier where he breaks the story down for our hero. Meteorites have crashed to Earth and the crystal remains of them house immense power that S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to get before they fall into the wrong hands. The symbiotes are somehow linked to the shards and it's now up to Spidey to go in, get the shards, and save the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that Nick sent in already. Oh, and fight the villains that were kidnapped because now they're under control by whoever else is trying to get the shards. Sucks to be Spidey.

The game plays along a typical side scrolling fighting style: a couple different attack buttons, a jump button that can be mixed with the attacks, and special moves. There really isn't anything new with this, but to be honest, why fix what isn't really broken? These types of games have been around for twenty years now and those of us who enjoy them will still keep playing them, even though each game is basically the same. Another thing that sets this apart from other Spider-man games is that you don't play through alone. Instead, you start out with two partners to choose from: Silver Sable and the Prowler (yay for obscure characters!) and as you defeat villains and rescue the agents that S.H.I.E.L.D. you get them to join you, thus increasing your pool of sidekicks.. The A.I. For these guys isn't horrible, but the real joy of this game is having someone play with you. What Spider-man fan doesn't want to beat up a jillion bad guys with Venom? Or as Venom?

While this may sound like a great formula, there are a few drawbacks. Because of the inherent style of the game, it gets more than a bit repetitive after playing for the first hour. The graphics are very comic booky and aren't horrible but they don't do anything to help the experience. The same can be said for the music. I will say that the humor in the game, while geared towards a younger audience, does occasionally make you laugh to yourself.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this isn't a bad game. It's worth checking out if you've got a friend to play with, and it's probably a perfect pick to play with your children or niece/nephew if you have any. The game has no real replay value, but if you're playing it with a younger person who loves him (or her) some Spider-man, they won't care what they're doing as long as they're playing as their favorite Friendly Neighborhood Wallcrawler. Or maybe their favorite Brain-eating Alien Symbiote. Either is good.