No, the gameplay itself differs almost as much as the looks do. While the way Spidey controls across all four universes remains largely unchanged (i.e you can always shoot web ropes from your wrists in order to swing around with the help of R2), the approach one must take in order to successfully beat a mission differs significantly. The most notable differences are to be found in 2099 and Noir. In Noir you are expected to take the stealthier approach by sticking to the shadows, something that stands in stark contrast to the free falling skyscraper sequence I got to try out in 2099, or the more traditional beat-em-up style gameplay found in the Amazing and Ultimate parts.

From what I can tell from my two hours or so of hands-on time with this likely unfinished preview build of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, the gameplay was still a little rough around the edges. The camera often had a hard time keeping up with the action that was happening on-screen, and the combat sometimes struggled with a few common annoyances like the infamous stun-lock (thank God Sam wasn't there to scream at the TV). However, what also stuck with me was how strong the presentation came across. The graphics definitely won't hold their ground against tripple A titles such as Uncharted 2 or even the almost two-year-old Dead Space, but that doesn't mean Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is a bad looking game. Actually, quite the opposite is the case, and it is remarkable how well and distinctively unique each of the four Universes look and feel.

In the end, however, maybe the most remarkable part of the presentation is the fact that Activision and Beenox went out of their way to hire a unique voice actor for each of the four Spider-Man versions. And they didn't just hire anyone: Neil Patrick Harris, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Dan Gilvezan and Josh Keaton all voiced Spider-Man before at some point. That's the kind of detail fans will be glad to know is being paid attention to.



Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is a game fans of Peter Parker and his alter-ego(s) should definitely keep on their radar as this title is shaping up to becoming more than just “another licensed game.” We are definitely looking forward to getting our greedy fingers on a completed review build of the game sometime in the next few days, as the announced September 7 release date is just a week away.