Spider-man: Shattered Dimensions

With so many alternate universes created in the Spider-man comic book franchise, it only makes sense to try to see what would happen if four of these web-slingers came together in one story. And while making that story into a game sounds like it would keep it from getting repetitive, Spider-man: Shattered Dimensions doesn't completely get the job done.

While battling with Mysterio in a museum, Spidey accidentally shatters the Tablet of Order and Chaos. The destruction of this artifact threatens the space-time continuum, so Madame Web charges Spider-man, along with three of his alternate universe counterparts, to retrieve the pieces and reassemble them before all existence is erased. The player alternates between the Amazing Spider-man, Ultimate Spider-man (in the black suit), Noir Spider-man (from the Marvel Noir comics), and Spider-man 2099 (from the comic series of the same name).

The Amazing Spider-man is the original and best known of the four. His combat style is pretty basic, and not too far from anything we've seen already; just punch, kick, and shoot your webbing everywhere.

Ultimate Spider-man is wearing the black suit (which eventually is worn by Eddie Brock, turning him into Venom), but Madame Web keeps him telepathically shielded from any of its negative effects. He has the ability to go into "rage mode," making him temporarily stronger and harder to kill.

Noir Spider-man takes place in 1933. He is weaker, and his enemies all have tommy-guns and flashlights, so he has to rely on stealthily taking them down one by one. Unfortunately, Beenox's stealth system isn't very good.

Spider-man 2099 isn't Peter Parker, he's Miguel O'Hara. He has a few falling sequences that require dodging things in his way. He also has the ability to temporarily slow time down, but its pretty much useless outside of the falls.

Instead of an open world to explore, there are thirteen levels to play through. Each version of Spider-man gets three solo missions, and you're somewhat allowed to choose the order you play them in. But the gameplay still get's old quick. There's a different supervillain on each level, and they've all got a piece of the Tablet, which gives them different superpowers. Every level consists of two boss battles, some henchmen beat-up sessions, and civilian rescues. While that alone makes the replay value seem non-existent, there are plenty of challenges to complete that will give you points to unlock new moves and costumes. You can also replay levels to finish any challenges you've missed.

One major flaw with the controls is the camera. It's especially difficult to control when you're on a wall or a ceiling, which takes away from the authenticity of the Spider-man experience. Also, every boss fight at some point requires going into a first person view and using the analog sticks to get into a fist fight with your enemy. It's no fun, and feels like a waste of time and computer code.

The game's overall story also feels a bit lacking, probably because four different stories is too much to take in in just 8 to 10 hours. However, there are plenty of familiar voices to the characters, including Spider-men from different versions of the televised cartoon. Spider-man's creator Stan Lee even narrates the whole thing, and who doesn't love Stan Lee?

Overall, this game falls somewhat short of its high expectations. It's no Arkham Asylum, but it's definitely an improvement to Web of Shadows. Spidey fans should rent Spider-man: Shattered Dimensions, and hope Activision can get it right next time.

Rated T for Teen. Available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and PC. Produced by Activision, deleloped by Beenox. Also available for Nintendo DS, developed by Griptonite Games.

Image provided courtesy of Wikipedia.org.

Machete

If you saw Grindhouse's theatrical release back in 2007, you may remember seeing a fake trailer for Machete. What's even more interesting is that Machete was an idea that first got into co-director/producer/writer Robert Rodriguez's head back in 1993 when he cast Danny Trejo for Desperado. In my opinion, this movie should have been made 10 years ago, because Trejo is a very underrated actor when it comes to action films. He's a former prison boxing champion and recovered drug addict turned actor who has never had a leading role until now. He's always a villain or a sidekick. And if Machete happened sooner, he'd be at a somewhat more convincing age for his character (the man is 66!)

In this Grindhouse style flick, the title character is an ex-Federale turned illegal day laborer who's hired by a shady businessman (Jeff Fahey) to assassinate a Texas state senator (Robert De Niro) who has strong views against illegal immigration. Little does he know that the job is a set-up to improve De Niro's chances for reelection. With help from an underground "Network" of immigrant activists lead by Michelle Rodriguez, and a sexy immigration enforcement officer (Jessica Alba), Machete must hunt the bad guys down to clear his name and get his revenge.

When you see a name like Robert Rodriguez in the credits, you know that this movie is all about fun and doesn't take itself too seriously. However, there's also a bit of a political message regarding immigration that actually makes the film a bit more enjoyable. And while the plot slows down a bit in the middle, it's still worth the price of a ticket. Just be ready for a lot of gore and nudity. Cheech Marin and Lindsay Lohan also have their own great comical roles, but I won't say any more than I need to.

Two issues I had with the casting was with Alba and Steven Seagal. Alba isn't known for he acting ability, just her looks; and Seagal is promoted as the first supporting actor, even though he doesn't get as much screen time as you'd expect. He also doesn't even get to be himself until the brief sword fight at the end. I think both of these actors were only cast for their names to help the movie sell better, and could have been easily replaced.

Overall, Machete isn't perfect, but it's still one of the most fun movies you'll see this year. Check it out, and feel free to speculate on whether we'll see this made into a trilogy.

Image provided courtesy of Wikipedia.org.