Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is a 2010 action-adventure video game based on the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man. Players control four different versions of Spider-Man, each originating from a different universe in the Marvel Comics multiverse. Previous Spider-Man voice actors Neil Patrick Harris, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Dan Gilvezan, and Josh Keaton each voice one of the four Spider-Men.
The game revolves around an artifact known as the Tablet of Order and Chaos. When it is shattered into pieces during a fight between Spider-Man and Mysterio, it causes problems with multiple realities across the Marvel Universe. Madame Web calls on four versions of Spider-Man from four realities to assist in bringing the realities back into balance: the Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Man 2099, and Ultimate Spider-Man. The player controls each of the four Spider-Men as they attempt to retrieve the tablet fragments from villains within their respective dimensions, who now possess new abilities granted by the tablet.
Shattered Dimensions received fairly positive reviews from critics. Reviewers generally praised the idea of bringing four Marvel universes together, and lauded the voice acting, humor, and score, though criticism was aimed at the story, choice of villains and the overall design of the cutscenes as well as the technical difficulties. A sequel, , was released in October 2011, although it features only the Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099. Both the game and its sequel were de-listed from the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live marketplaces in 2014 following the expiration of Activision's existing licensing deal with Marvel. Shattered Dimensions was re-released via Steam on October 24, 2015, but was later removed on April 1, 2017.
The game is notable for inspiring the 2014 comic book storyline, Spider-Verse, which in turn would inspire the 2018 animated film,.
Gameplay
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is a level-based third-person action-adventure video game, where the player assumes the role of one out of four versions of Spider-Man, spanning across the Amazing, Noir, 2099, and Ultimate universes. The gameplay revolves around each Spider-Man's unique superhuman abilities; players are able to web swing, web zip, crawl walls, and use the 'spider-sense' to identify enemies or objects of interest. The combat of the game offers a large variety of fighting moves, and each Spider-Man has his own fighting style. The points necessary for buying upgrades and new fighting moves are earned from defeating enemies or completing various challenges in the "Web of Destiny." The points earned can also be used to purchase 16 alternate costumes, which don't offer any gameplay advantages and are purely cosmetic.The game features numerous supervillains, whom the player engages in boss battles, usually twice in a level. During the second battle, the bosses have a new series of powers, granted by a fragment of the Tablet of Order and Chaos. During specific parts of the boss battles, Shattered Dimensions switches to a first-person perspective, where the player can use the analog sticks to control Spider-Man's arms, punching their opponent and dodging their attacks. The punches can also be modified by holding down certain buttons.
The gameplay may vary from one Spider-Man to the other. For example, the Spider-Man Noir levels put emphasis on stealth, whereas the Ultimate Spider-Man levels are mostly combat-based, due to this version of Spider-Man being provided with the symbiote black suit by Madame Web to increase his strength. The Spider-Man 2099 levels also feature a bullet time mechanic, allowing players to slow down time and dodge incoming projectiles, and free falling segments.
Nintendo DS version
The Nintendo DS version of Shattered Dimensions is a side-scrolling brawler with little gameplay difference between the multiple iterations of Spider-Man. This version also omits Ultimate Spider-Man, and features less villains: Electro and the Tinkerer for the Amazing Spider-Man; Boomerang and Calypso for Spider-Man Noir; and Vulture and Silvermane for Spider-Man 2099.Plot
During a confrontation with Mysterio, who attempts to steal the Tablet of Order and Chaos, the Amazing Spider-Man accidentally shatters the tablet in 17 fragments. As Mysterio makes off with a fragment, Spider-Man is approached by Madame Web, who explains that the fragments have been scattered across this and three more realities across the multiverse: the Noir, 2099, and Ultimate dimensions. To restore balance to the multiverse, Madame Web recruits the Spider-Men from each reality - the Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Man 2099, and a black-suited Ultimate Spider-Man - to retrieve the fragments. Each Spider-Man easily retrieves their first fragment and brings them to Madame Web, who reveals that the fragments can grant great powers.When it comes to their second fragment, the four Spider-Man find them in the hands of supervillains: Kraven the Hunter in the Amazing universe, who forces Spider-Man to compete for the fragment in a jungle, before using it to gain superhuman speed and strength in order to fight him; Hammerhead in the Noir universe, who use his fragment to fuse his guns with his arms and attempts to overthrow his boss, crime lord Norman Osborn; Hobgoblin in the 2099 universe, who forces Spider-Man to pursue him and uses the fragment to increase his psy-powers and create a hellish reality to torment him; and Electro in the Ultimate universe, who uses his fragment to grow larger and more powerful as he absorbs energy from a dam. Eventually, the Spider-Men are able to defeat the villain and retrieve their fragments.The Amazing Spider-Man finds his next fragment at an abandoned Roxxon Industries quarry, which is stolen by Sandman, who uses it to increase his powers and take over the quarry. Spider-Man Noir finds his next fragment at the Vulture, Norman Osborn's right-hand man, who has been granted teleportation powers and also seeks to overthrow Osborn. Spider-Man 2099 finds his next fragment at Scorpion, who stole it from some Public Eye Patrol officers and uses it to create numerous offsprings, resulting in an all-out-war between him and the Public Eye. Ultimate Spider-Man finds his next fragment at Deadpool, who has him compete in his reality TV show, Pain Factor, on an oil platform, before using the fragment to clone himself in order to fight him. The four Spider-Men again retrieve the fragments from the villains, but upon returning to Madame Web, Mysterio attacks, having gained magic powers from his fragment and learned about the other pieces of the tablet. Threatening to kill Madame Web, he forces the Amazing Spider-Man to bring them to him..
The Amazing Spider-Man finds his final fragment at a construction yard, and is forced to intervine in the Wild Pack's chase of Juggernaut, who has a bounty on his head, after the fragment is accidentally picked up by the latter. Spider-Man Noir finds his final fragment at Norman Osborn, who uses it to transform into the monstrous "Goblin," and takes over a funfair to lure out Spider-Man. Spider-Man 2099 breaks into Alchemax, where he finds his final fragment at Doctor Octopus, head of Alchemax's Shadow Division, who sent both Hobgoblin and Scorpion after the other fragments, and plans to use hers to power a dangerous reactor. Ultimate Spider-Man finds his final fragment at Carnage at the Triskelion, whom S.H.I.E.L.D. foolishly tried fusing him with the fragment, allowing him to break free and slaughter numerous S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives, who were reanimated as his zombie minions.
Upon retrieving the final set of fragments, the Spider-Men return to Mysterio, who absorbs the complete tablet, becoming all-powerful. He shatters the borders between realities, seeking to create a new one under his rule, but this inadvertently allows Madame Web to summon all four Spider-Men in the same place to fight Mysterio. Following Mysterio's defeat, the realities return to normal and each Spider-Man returns to his own one, whilst the Amazing Spider-Man takes Mysterio to prison. The game ends with the Spider-Men web-swinging in their respective dimensions, while stating that they are the best version of Spider-Man out there.
In a post-credits scene, Madame Web is visited by Spider-Ham, who had hoped to help save the multiverse as well, but arrived too late.
Cast
Each of the different Spider-Men is portrayed by an actor who voiced Spider-Man in a prior animated series:- Neil Patrick Harris as Peter Parker/The Amazing Spider-Man
- Christopher Daniel Barnes as Peter Parker/Spider-Man Noir
- Dan Gilvezan as Miguel O'Hara/Spider-Man 2099
- Josh Keaton as Peter Parker/Ultimate Spider-Man
Development and marketing
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions was unveiled on March 30, 2010, where two of the universes, Amazing and Noir, were revealed. The third universe, 2099, was revealed on June 8. The final universe, Ultimate, was first shown to players at San Diego Comic-Con 2010. Beenox made each universe feel unique by creating an individual art style for each universe and giving each Spider-Man different gameplay mechanics. For example, the Amazing and Ultimate universes are rendered with bright colors and tones of cel shading, with the Amazing universe given a traditional comic feel based on those of 1960s classic comic book art styles, while the Ultimate universe was meant to evoke more modern comics from the early 2000s. In contrast, the Noir and 2099 universes are rendered with realistic graphics, with the 2099 universe given a futuristic feel while the Noir universe was given a "very dark, very gritty" appearance. The developers also worked closely with Marvel Comics to create new versions of characters not seen before in a particular universe, such as Hobgoblin 2099, Hammerhead Noir, and Doctor Octopus 2099. The story for the game was written by Amazing Spider-Man writer Dan Slott and later provided him with an inspiration for the Spider-Verse comic book crossover event, which saw dozens of Spider-Men from alternate realities teaming up.Several pre-order bonuses were offered for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions prior to release. Players who pre-ordered at GameStop received a Cosmic Spider-Man pack, which provided a Cosmic Spider-Man outfit for each Spider-Man. It was later included as a free bonus on the PC version, along with some minor fixes, which were not patched on the console versions. The Cosmic Spider-Man pack was later publicly released as downloadable content for the Xbox 360 on October 28, and for the PlayStation 3 on November 2, 2010.
Pre-orders via Amazon.com included early access to Spider-Man 2099's Iron Spider costume and a book containing concept art for the game. Kmart pre-orders offered early access to Amazing Spider-Man's Scarlet Spider costume, while Best Buy included early access to the Negative Zone costume for Spider-Man Noir. Wal-Mart offered a 20-page comic book for online pre-orders of the game.
Shattered Dimensions was de-listed from the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live marketplaces in 2014 following the expiration of Activision's existing licensing deal with Marvel. The game was re-released via Steam on October 24, 2015, but was later removed on April 1, 2017.
Reception
The game received mostly positive reviews from critics. Metacritic gave it a score of 73 out of 100 for the DS version; 74 out of 100 for the PlayStation 3 version; 76 out of 100 for the Xbox 360 version; 75 out of 100 for the Wii version; and 68 out of 100 for the PC version.IGN gave the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions eight out of ten and said, "Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions has a lot of great things going for it", but scored the Wii version half a point lower despite being nearly identical to these two versions due to finicky camera controls. Game Informer awarded it 8.5 out of 10 and said it "delivers a non-stop action ride with something new around every corner". GamesRadar gave it three-and-a-half stars out of five and said "Shattered Dimensions is a good game, but it fell short of an Ultimate Marvel Team-Up". GamePro gave the Xbox 360 version four and a half out of five stars and said, "thankfully, latest adventure, Shattered Dimensions, is one of his best yet, offering four unique worlds, classic Spidey action, and an engaging story that puts it near the top of the franchise both in terms of quality and impact". X-Play gave the game four stars out of five and said it "streamlines the usual trappings of the genre to focus on combat and personality. It's true that the linear gameplay and old-school combat sensibilities don't put it on par with Arkham Asylum, but the game succeeds regardless. It's fun, fast-paced, and long enough to make it well worth checking out". 1UP.com gave it a B and stated, "the change in combat options is a welcome addition, I just wish that the story had delivered on the comic legacy of one of Marvel's more enduring heroes".
Non video-game publications gave some strong praise for the game. The A.V. Club gave the Xbox 360 version a B+ and stated: "Filled with countless remember-when moments—as in "Remember when you outran that wave of sand?"— Shattered Dimensions is less literary and artful than , but it's far more fun". The Daily Telegraph gave it seven out of ten and stated, "the combat, and it's worth noting that this makes up the majority of the game, is superb. It's not particularly deep nor clever, but it's immensely rewarding, as too are the scripted first person sections which exist purely to, yes, let you punch things in the face". However, The Escapist gave the Xbox 360 version three stars out of five and said, "creative set-pieces and an awesome concept can only hide a repetitious game structure for so long - and the stealth sections that mix it up are just frustrating".
The Nintendo DS version of the game drew mixed reviews. IGN and Digital Chumps praised the visuals. IGN felt the visuals stayed true to the comics, while Digital Chumps praised the smooth and detailed animations. Reviewers felt that overall the 2.5D Metroid-style gameplay was enjoyable, and fit the DS well. Sounds and voice acting were also praised. Some reviewers felt the game was too short, and that not enough emphasis was put on exploring the open world.