GAME REVIEW: Spider-Man: Friend or Foe for Xbox 360

By Lex Eskobar “The Game Bud”

With all the hype this month going to The Master Chief and Halo 3, I thought it would be nice to take a look at another new release on the market right now. So, if you already picked up and beat Halo and are ready for something else, I may have a game for you.

With quite possibly the worst title for a Spider-Man game in history, Friend or Foe is not your typical Spider-Man video game. Going for a dramatically cartoonish graphical style, FOF is a Spider-Man for all ages. Fans of the classic Marvel character and children alike should all be able to find at least something in this game to enjoy.

At its core, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is very similar to the Lego Star Wars series of games. Drop in and out co-op game play and unlimited continues make this game much more suitable for good-time gaming rather than gaming for a sense of achievement. You will be unlocking quite a bit in the game but aside from the VS mode arenas and sidekick characters, the other unlockables are pretty worthless.

FOF is a beat ‘em up in the truest sense of the genre. Similar to classics like Double Dragon, Bad Dudes and The Warriors; Spider-Man: Friend or Foe has players roaming the levels beating all opponents with the help of a buddy and very few controls. The two-player system is definitely fun, and when you play alone your sidekick follows you and you can switch between the two players with the push of a button. At the end of most boards there is a boss battle but none of them are particularly challenging. After the battle, in most cases you will gain the help of the villain you defeat.

Once you get past the childish graphics and story, there is a pretty fun game to be played in FOF. The controls, although basic, are pretty good. It isn’t hard to play and you can pull off some crazy combos with just the two main attack buttons. There are also upgrades for each character that not only make them stronger but also give them extra moves. That alone is reason enough to play the game multiple times.

The music is exactly what I would expect from a game like this: generic and not particularly good. However, thanks to the Xbox 360’s love of USB inputs, you can always opt to just listen to your iPod.

Being a huge fan of Spider-Man comics and films, I will take almost anything Spider-Man related in game form. That being said, I understand that not everybody has $60 to throw away on any old game. I smoked a bit, played the game and thought about it and I am giving Spider-Man: Friend or Foe 3 out of 5 pot leaves. It is a lot of fun and has good replay value, but it isn’t for everyone. It is, however, definitely worth a rental.