he Game Boy Advance refuses to die, and games like Spider-Man 3 and TMNT are excellent reasons that all gamers should rally around the little handheld and hold it up as a shining example of portable gaming done right. Spider-Man's foray into the world of the Game Boy Advance is a completely different experience than any of the consoles or other portables offer. And it has to be; the GBA has been around a long time. It has less buttons than the DS and PSP, and it's certainly less powerful, but given the right developer - Vicarious Visions in this case - and a solid gameplay concept, a good game is easy to make.

If you've played any of the console versions of Spider-Man 3, then you know how complex his move set is and how difficult it can be to remember what button (combination) does what. Thankfully, the GBA version doesn't include every move that Spidey has ever performed on the big screen. Jump with A, and hit A again while in the air to swing on a web. Punch thugs with B, and hold R while pressing B to kick. Shoot webs at enemies with R. As the game goes on, Spider-Man learns a few new moves (press up to shoot a web on the ceiling or hold up while pressing B to perform an uppercut), but they're largely unnecessary, and I'm glad that they are. This time around Spider-Man is less about fighting and more about rescuing people from burning buildings, disarming bombs (by punching them!) and thwarting bosses using his brain vice his brawn (defeat the Mad Bomber by webbing his bombs to his hand, for example).

The game tries to follow the plot of the movie, but like its bigger brothers, the GBA version features plenty else to do and many characters that don't show up in the film. This is a welcome change as I'd much rather be saving civilians than talking to Mary Jane on a bridge. Sure, it makes for decent cinema, but I don't play superhero games to pretend I'm them and woo their girlfriend; I play them to use their superpowers and look and feel like a badass doing it. Spider-Man 3 for the GBA delivers on that front, and it looks good while doing it. Animations are fluid, characters are recognizable, and the whole package is great fun. The game is a bit on the short side, but it has the same charm that SNES games had- that quality that kept us coming back for more and replaying Turtles in Time even though we'd already beaten it a dozen times.

Spider-Man 3 is fun, and for a platform that is six years old and, by all rights and privileges, should have been replaced by the DS, that's enough. If you're looking for a superhero game that's light on story and heavy on fun, then Spider-Man 3 on the GBA is an easy purchase.

May 30, 2007 | 0 comments
Justin Last