

Ol' web-head can now web zip with one button his Spider-Sense turns the screen black and white while displaying enemies in red, allies in green and objectives in yellow and Spider-Reflexes allow the wall-crawler to slow time and counter attacks with a single button press. The game opens up with Bruce Campbell acting as our familiar narrator and walking Spidey through his new found controls. What had I become? Just like Pete's decent into darkness, Spider-Man 3 goes south so slowly that it's hard to notice at first. At one point, I drew back my arm to hurl the controller into my beloved TV screen and caught a reflection of myself in the PS3. In a flash, the well-to-do dork who sleeps with a Superman comforter was gone, and I became a tweaked-out, curse-word-spewing maniac who pounded on his desk and screamed to the heavens as I was screwed over by cheap bosses and badly designed interiors. Activision and Treyarch nailed the darker concept with Spider-Man 3 the game because when I picked up the PS3's black controller, I lost myself to rage. His testosterone levels spike he gets meaner and more aggressive. When Spidey puts on the symbiote - that's the black suit for those of you who don't speak geek - Peter Parker goes from a wisecracking hero to a skull-cracking jerk.

It's frustrating, but that seems to be the theme of Spider-Man 3. As New Goblin, you can only participate in races, there are no Harry-specific tasks, and while you could zip around the city fighting the random crimes that pop up with your pumpkin bombs and sword, you'd have to sit through the indignity of trying to inch the glider close to the bad guys and listening to folks call you Spidey.

The SIXAXIS controls are responsive and move his hoverboard, while the glider's afterburner gives you some serious speed around the city, but when you check out the "missions" screen, it all goes to hell. Once you unlock Harry, it seems like you're in for a treat. The eight interviews are probably what you'd expect from movie stars trying to talk about games, but Harry Osborne, the New Goblin, is where they hurt you.
