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Joystiq interview: Spider-Man: Friend or Foe producer Jamie Bafus
From from the beginning, we haven't quite understood Spider-Man: Friend or Foe. Is it a movie game? Is it standalone? Is it for kids, or can adults play too? We got in contact with producer Jamie Bafus to help us understand the rationale behind the new series.A lot of people were confused when they saw Spider-Man: Friend or Foe announced so soon after Spider-Man 3. Can you tell us a little bit about the inception of the game, the vision for setting it apart from the movie games? The previous movie-based Spider-Man games were rated "T" which left out the huge base of younger Spider-Man fans. With Spider-Man: Friend or Foe we set out to make a Spider-Man game that was not only suitable for kids but also fun for gamers of all ages. When we were thinking of how to best create a family-friendly Spider-Man game, we liked the idea of combining all three movies together in one game, but we also had a concept for a team-up game which would have made it really difficult to follow the Spider-Man movie plots. So, we decided to pay homage to the movies in, what we think, are really fun ways and create something unique with the team-up aspect that we feel fans of all ages will want to play.%Gallery-4805%
Everquest movie is inc, Avid Arad producing
The Warcraft movie is going to have some competition-- Everquest is also going to be the target of a movie property, and word is going around that it'll be produced by Avi Arad, former Marvel Comics head and the man behind Spider-man and X-men.Michael Gordon is supposedly writing the screenplay-- he was one of three writers who worked on 300 ("This is Norrath!!"), and unfortunately doesn't have that much more to his name yet. Apparently he did the original pitch, though, so maybe he's a player, and word is that the story will feature actual characters from the game itself.I don't want to ruin your day or anything, EQ fans, but I wouldn't hold your breath on this one. I'd love to see a movie starring Erudites and Iksar as much as the next guy, but right now this is looking more like Alone in the Dark than Silent Hill.
Wii releases for the week of October 1st
Plenty of games releasing this week, so if you're looking for something new to play, especially a sports game, then you should be good to go. Some other titles of note include Crash of the Titans (we're glad to see the bandicoot is back) and Spider-Man: Friend or Foe. Titles releasing this week are: NBA Live 08 Spider-Man: Friend or Foe MLB Power Pros Dave Mirra BMX Challenge Crash of the Titans Balls of Fury Hot Wheels: Beat That! Ninja Bread Man So, any of you plan on picking up a new game?
Readers pick best webcomic: friend or foe?
Did you ever pass / receive "do you like me: yes or no" messages in school? No? Oh well, Spider-Man did, according to Tim Buckley. His Ctrl+Alt+Del strip took top honors in this week's webcomic wrapup.Second and third place to go to Penny Arcade and VG Cats, respectively. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe demo swings onto Live
The name of Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is sort of oddly appropriate. From its ignoble announcement in the instruction manual for Spider-Man 3 to the first time we laid hands on it, we've never been sure whether or not this Spidey-based brawler would be a good or bad egg. Now that a demo has been released to Xbox Live, we find our feelings on it to be (unsurprisingly) mixed.What's pleasant about the experience is how very "Spider-Man" it feels. It's not overly serious in tone and the voice actor playing Spidey is more chipper and in-character than Tobey Maguire ever dreamed of being. Even the combat feels more authentic than the movie games. That said, the combat is not only very basic, it's pretty much the whole game, so if you're looking for something deep, look elsewhere. If you're looking for some mindless action though, you may have just made a new friend.
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe trailer doesn't make us feel better
We're nerds and we hate when we get penalized for it. Take, for instance, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe. We're intrigued by the concept, and it's Spider-Man, so we're going to have to play it. But this new trailer from Leipzig is doing nothing to convince us that we're not in for a sub-par experience, at best.First, we're concerned by the lack of actual gameplay here and in several other trailers we've seen. Also, the character designs are pretty underwhelming. Most troubling though is the decided lack of swinging, which is the best part of the previous Spider-Man games. We can already hear you shouting at your computer screens and, yes, we know that this game is aimed at kids. But just 15 minutes ago we were making clanging sound effects with our mouths while we walked a Big Daddy figure across our desk. You'll forgive us if we don't draw much of a distinction.
MPAA claims prevention of 31 illegal recordings of Spider-Man 3
We resent writing about the MPAA, simply because every time the organization makes a statement it invariably exposes some aspect of its backwards perspective. This time the Association has made the rather preposterous claim that the efforts of staff and customers in preventing illegal recordings of Spider-Man 3 gave the film "a fair shot at its record-setting opening." In all, 31 people were caught illegally recording the movie, a figure which is apparently thanks to night vision equipped cinema staff (motivated by a $500 reward for each case) and reporting from the patrons themselves in a few cases. The logic that this in some way helped assure that the film would be a commercial success is shaky at best: it only takes a single recording for the film to become "pirated." And of course, if the system for detecting illegal recordings of movies is working so well, why do we still have to sit through those patronizing anti-piracy PSAs?[Via TechDirt; Image credit]
Readers pick best webcomic: enhanced abilities
Riding off the coattails of Spider-Man 3's massive box office success this weekend (we kid because we love), 2P Start took top honors for this week's best game-related webcomic. What we love most is the comic's simplicity and its decision to avoid any and all text.Ctrl+Alt+Del made second place, while the first Penny Arcade (about Spider-Man 3: The Game) and Dueling Analogs duke it out for third place. Thanks to everyone who voted and be sure to let us know of any gaming comics you stumble upon this week!
Worldwide PS3 releases for the week of May 13
From now on the weekly PS3 release lists are going to include worldwide games. Why would that interest you, you ask? It may be easy to forget, but your shiny black behemoth is capable of playing games from any region. That means every (both) game(s) in the following list is (are) a potential purchase. Here're the releases for the coming week:US Games MLB '07 The Show EU Games Spider-man 3 Spider-man 3: Collector's Edition (exclusive to GAME) Asian Games None released this week How about that, eh? A couple of new games out. Keep this up and we might end up with one of those 'software library' things I've heard so much about. Release dates are subject to change, so be sure to call your local retailer and check, just in case. If you pick up either of these new releases, let use know what you think of them.
Saturday PSP background explosion
Every week, PSP Fanboy brings you new backgrounds to rejuvinate the look of your PSP. Remember, you can save these images directly to your PSP by accessing the site wireless at m.pspfanboy.com. The fan requests, we've been doing lately have proved to be very popular, so this week there's another set of fan requests fulfilled. Continue on to find out if your background request has materialized into the real thing. Backgrounds after the jump ...
Spider-Man 3 is most popular on the 360
In the UK Spider-Man's console of choice is the Xbox 360. Activision's mediocre Spider-Man 3 swung its way to a multiplatform release including the 360, PS3, Wii, and PS2 among others. And when the UK sales figures were tallied the Xbox 360 version of the game accounted for a whopping 45% of total sales. The PS2 version (which looks just as good as the 360 version ... ouch) garnered 40% of the game's UK sales with the Wii totaling 10%.What's most interesting is how well the Xbox 360 version of the game sold even outselling the huge install base the PS2 has. Even more interesting is that the PS3 numbers for Spider-Man 3 sales are pretty much non-existent. Either the 360's community is the prime demographic for the Spider-Man franchise or it could be the largest next-gen console install base, we can't be sure. But we do know that Spider-Man 3 is one huge marketing machine with a box office to prove it.[Thanks, Jon Morales]
Spider-Man 360 skins
In honor of Spider-Man 3 hitting game retailers and theatres near you this past weekend, DecalGirl has come out with a line of "Webslinger" skins for your electronic devices, most notably, the Xbox 360 console, controller, and HD DVD player accessory. All in all they look pretty solid, and the pricing isn't terrible, as you can choose how much of your console you want to skin. Hopefully they'll come with a Venom themed variation of the skin, as that would be pretty badass. You open to skinning your 360 Spidey style?[Via Siliconera]
WRUP: web-head edition
With this week's releases sitting on store shelves and waiting for your eager hands to whisk them away to a land of ecstasy and wonder, we're pretty sure there's just one title beeping on your radar. That game is none other than Spider-Man 3. While we can honestly say we'll be seeing the movie before we play the game, we're fairly certain that upon leaving the theater, we'll want to swing around a virtual New York.Will you be joining us? If not, what do you plan on playing this weekend?Previous posts: What were you playing?
DS releases for the week of April 30th
This week is apparently the official week for movie tie-ins, because that's all we have coming out for our beloved DS here in the States. This week, Europe and Australia are the places to be, when it comes to games, and how often do you guys get to say that? Don't worry -- tomorrow, some delay will be announced for you guys, and it'll be back to business as usual.We don't poke fun at you. We're commiserating. Luckily, this week there are games slated to hit PAL regions that are worth the wait, particularly in Australia. On the shelves this week in the U.S.: Shrek the Third Spider-Man 3 For the rest of the world, check after the jump.
No Spider-Man 3 for you!
Games based on movies tend to launch on every system imaginable. So, why is poor PSP not receiving its own version of Spider-Man 3 this week? Every other console is getting its own version, from PS3 to GBA. Considering how many games appear cross-platform, it should be easy enough to port the PS2 or Wii version to PSP.Unfortunately, PSP owners wanting some portable Spidey action will have to wait until later this year. Gamestop has a release date set for November--in time for its DVD release?[Via Gamespot]
Latest Spider-Man 3 commercial shows controls, compassion
Those of us who've seen the producer video interview and read about the control scheme, yet still have a tough time imagining how we'll be playing the game, look no further. The embedded trailer, past the post break, provides a bit of humor along side a controls demonstration. And it features Bruce Campbell narrating! Seriously, what else do you need from us? Haven't you ever seen Army of Darkness? Don't you even care about our feelings? [Via Gaming Bits]
Sony Ericsson launches four Spider-Man-branded handsets
While Spidey has definitely seen face time on handsets before, it's usually been in the form of a snap-on faceplate, but it sounds like Sony Ericsson is taking this Spider-Man 3 thing pretty seriously. Reportedly, we can expect to see a Spider-Man-approved K800i, K750i, K550i and K610i here before long, and SE already has a bevy of minisites, games, and hints of the movie all across its web portals. Furthermore, the "special edition" handsets should come pre-loaded with a trio of "exclusive Spider-Man wallpapers" along with a web-slinging screensaver to boot. To top it off, you can definitely enhance your level of geekness by carrying the mobile in a Spidey-clad hard case (complete with wrist strap, even). No word on when these will hit the mainstream, but judging by the sheer amount advertising going on at SE, we can't imagine it being too far off.
Spidey-inspired Spi-Dog wags to your iPod
If you're looking for the perfect way out of getting a real canine in your life, or you're simply one of "those people" who just have to have every single I-Animal that gets loose from the farm, we've got yet another option to add to the fray. The Spi-Dog touts a Spider-Man-inspired motif, as the ominous eyes and perked ears let you know that this crime-fighter means business, but alas, the diminutive 4.75- x 3.25- x 5-inch size, light-up face, wagging motions, and blinking LEDs make this fella quite the softy. Per usual, this I-Dog flashes and busts a move whenever exposed to music, touts a "built-in speaker for playing your iPod" (or any other DAP / PMP), and is available now for the fanboys and Spidey freaks alike for $39.95.[Via iLounge]
Spider-Man 3 catches Achievements, akin to flies
The sleuths over at Xbox 360 Achievements uncovered the Achievement list for May's Spider-Man 3. Looking over the list, it seems to cover all the free-roaming and mission based aspects of the game, similar to Crackdown, but in an SM context. A cool thing we're seeing for the first time is a secret achievement that is simply listed as one in the details that isn't actually "hidden". Our guess is that it has to do with the symbiote costume and/or your actions with it. So, we leave you with three queries. First, are you looking forward to going through the trick races and completing all the side quests for some Gamerscore goodness. Second, why does the gamer in question not have the "Master Web Swinger" Achievement if he's got the preceding and following ones? Finally, does the tendency for Spider-Man films and movies releasing in May have anything to do with the title character's Aunt?
Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man 3 tutorial video
In this video, Activision's Jay Boone explains how the Wiimote and Nunchuk controls for the upcoming Spider-Man 3 game will enable players to do whatever a spider can. Some of the controls seem natural, like mapping combat to both hands, and some seem more ... interesting, like using both a Wiimote movement and a button press to swing on a web. We don't want to get off on a nerd tangent here, but -- no, scratch that, we want to get off on a nerd tangent. Requiring a button press for web shooting would make perfect sense for the comic version of Peter Parker, with button-activated web shooters, but not for the movie Spidey with organic webs. We know we're being picky, but developer Treyarch seems to want to simulate the web-shooting experience.[Via NeoGAF]
