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Activision pulls several Marvel games from Steam, XBL, PSN
Activision began the new year by removing several Marvel-licensed games from digital storefronts, including the six-months-young Deadpool. The departed Marvel assortment includes Spider-Man games Edge of Time, Shattered Dimensions, Friend or Foe, and Web of Shadows, as well as X-Men entries Destiny, Origins: Wolverine, and The Official Game. It's unclear what prompted the removal from Steam, Xbox Live and PSN, although it was in the works back on December 21, when it was noted on the Facebook page for The Amazing Spider-Man game. Curiously, The Amazing Spider-Man remains on the storefronts, and Activision is still publishing the follow-up tie-in for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Activision Community Manager Dan Amrich confirmed the removal yesterday, but he didn't provide a reason for the superhero games going up, up, and away. We've reached out to the publisher for more details. The expiration of a licensing agreement between Activision and Disney-owned Marvel is one possible explanation. Upon acquiring the comic book giant for $4 billion, Disney CEO Bob Iger noted his company was considering moving towards self-produced and published games in the coming years. "As these licensing deals expire we have the luxury of considering what is best for the company and the products," Iger said during a 2009 investors' call (via MCV). When Disney closed LucasArts last year, it then turned to EA with a multi-year exclusive agreement to license out Star Wars games.
Future Spider-Man games to be developed by Beenox
Activision today announced that Shattered Dimensions developer, Beenox, will be in charge of the publisher's future Spidey efforts. "Beenox's creative vision reinvigorated the Spider-Man gaming experience among critics and fans in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions," Activision senior VP Patrick Kelly said in the announcement, "We can't wait to see where this talented studio will take this franchise in the future." If you're puzzled by Kelly's statement about Shattered Dimensions "reinvigorating" the down-and-out Spidey license, we're right there with ya. It's like we're living in two different worlds! Regardless, we've got a good idea about where Beenox could take the franchise in the coming years: Creative director Thomas Wilson expressed interest in focusing on the Noir or 2099 Universe from Shattered Dimensions for a spin-off game. Just think: an entire Spidey game based in the Noir dimension? He'll basically have to don a trench coat at some point!
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions on PC is Walmart exclusive for Thanksgiving weekend
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is getting a PC release right around Thanksgiving this year -- kind of. According to the game's official Facebook page, the North American PC version will only be available at Walmart over the Thanksgiving weekend, which means if you want it, you'll have to brave the unwashed crowds to get it (or just send the scariest member of your family). After that first weekend, it'll presumably go on sale elsewhere, so you can wait the extra week if you so choose. The rest of the world doesn't have to deal with any exclusivity agreements -- the PC version will be on sale in Australia and Asia on November 24, and in Europe on November 26. [Thanks, Steve]
Cosmic DLC shatters Spider-Man's dimensions today on XBLM [update: Screens and trailer
You're playing Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and you're thinking, "Man, all these different Spider-Men are confusing." Get ready to ease your addled mind: The Cosmic Spidey costume pack conveniently unifies all Spider-Men into one "Cosmic" being ... uh, with slightly different "universal" looks. Update: Check out some screens in the gallery below and a trailer after the break. %Gallery-106036%
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions 'Cosmic' costumes coming this month
During the still-in-progress Marvel Games panel at New York Comic Con 2010, Beenox creative director Thomas Wilson revealed that the previously GameStop-exclusive (with pre-orders) "Cosmic" costumes for Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions will be made available as paid DLC sometime before the end of the month. Wilson didn't make any announcements regarding price, but we can't imagine the costume pack costing too many Spider-Cents.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions review: Mo' spiders, mo' problems
It's lonely out here. I'm one of a handful of game critics that will, with little provocation, defend most of Activision's Spider-Man series (Friend or Foe can eff right off). We are not a well-liked or understood group, united only by our love of swinging through a virtual New York and our ability to forgive punishingly repetitive gameplay. With Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Beenox has closed off Spidey's world, containing him to strict levels rather than an open city. It may make for a better game, but those like me -- who are interested only in doing whatever a spider can -- may find Shattered Dimensions has broken what they loved about the series. %Gallery-89427%
Mafia 2 is top UK earner for third week
Take-Two's Mafia 2 whacked the competition to hold the top of the UK sales charts for a third week in a row. Making that feat even more surprising is the fact that Chart-Track notes the mob epic had a 58 percent drop in sales for the week. Second place went to Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2, which, after premiering the week before, flew up six spots with the launch of the PS3 version. Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days suppressed the rest, despite a 50 percent sales drop, to take the bronze. Three new titles entered the top ten: Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep and R.U.S.E. took sixth through eighth, respectively. Red Dead Redemption just barely hung onto the top ten, but the real shock is that Just Dance took eleventh place -- we think that's the lowest it's gone all year. Check out the full list of the UK's top 10 bestselling titles for the week after the break.
Spider-Man shatters the PC dimension later this year
PC gamers may have noticed their collective Spidey senses tingling earlier this week, as Activision quietly announced that the PC version of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions would not be releasing alongside its console counterparts. According to the launch press release, the PC version will arrive "soon." Speaking to Big Download, an Activision rep revealed that "soon" apparently means later this year. Stay strong, true believers, ol' Webhead will swing in eventually.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions DS Preview: Hand not held
At a recent preview event for Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Activision had all versions of the game playable but, for the life of me, I just couldn't put the DS game down. Developed by Griptonite, the DS version is heavy on the exploration and features a light, fluid combat system. The DS game features only three different dimensions: Amazing, Noir and 2099. Lacking the Ultimate realm, the game also puts less emphasis on the differences between each dimension. Spidey's abilities at the outset of entering each dimension are a tad different, but the mix of climbing and combat remains the same. %Gallery-100781%
Shattered Dimensions creative head interested in Noir or 2099 Spider-Man game
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is like a Costco-size sample platter of four different Spidey universes, but Beenox Creative Director Thomas Wilson wouldn't mind focusing on just one of the wall crawlers for a game. During Gamescom the developer told us that if he could, he would want to focus on Noir or 2099 spidey, but immediately followed it up by saying, "That's not up to us to decide. We're looking with Activision at what's next." "They're interesting, they're different, they're new," Wilson told us on why he'd choose the lesser-known dimensions. He continued, "I think it would definitely be something interesting." Pssst, Activision -- we agree.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions video showcases the Scarlet Suit
Sure, you've got four different Spider-men to play as in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, but none have been particularly fashionable, wouldn't you say? Today, we're introduced to one of the optional alternate costumes available to those who pre-order the game: Scarlet Spider-Man. Initially a clone of Peter Parker introduced back in the '90s, the Scarlet Spider Suit is available to those who pre-order the game from Kmart. Swing on past the break for a new trailer of the muscle-tee-sporting lad in action.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions' Vulture to be extra super creepy
Out of all of Spidey's nemeses, Vulture is unarguably the least threatening. He's an old dude in a feathered, bright green suit. Not exactly menacing, is it? Well, in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions' Noir universe, he's turned a new, upsetting leaf, as evidenced by the vignette below.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions goes behind the scenes with Stan Lee
It's impossible to hate Stan Lee. No, trust us, we've tried -- it's like the dude's superpower is charisma or something. And in this latest video for Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, we get a glimpse at Lee loosing some of his sultry sounds.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions' other costumes revealed
You didn't think that Peter Parker's wardrobe would only contain four outfits in his upcoming outing, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, did you? No, no sir. Revealed during Marvel's Comic-Con panel were a handful of new costumes that will be unlockable in-game -- a few of which will be instantly unlockable as pre-order bonuses from select retailers: Scarlet Spider (unlock code included with Kmart pre-order) Negative Zone Spider-Man (unlock code included with Best Buy pre-order) Spider-Armor (pictured) Mangaverse Spider-Man Additionally, the previously revealed GameStop-exclusive Cosmic costume (which includes variants for each dimension) and the Iron Spider-Man suit featured in the 2099 universe (and immediately unlockable with an Amazon pre-order) were also shown at the panel. It's as yet unclear if the newly announced costumes will be tied to certain dimensions within the game or wearable throughout, like the Cosmic getup. [Update: Clarified details about the nature of the pre-order bonuses and previously announced costumes.]
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions cast loaded with Spidey veterans
Activision has announced that Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions will play host to a cavalcade of Spidey-related voice talent when it's released on September 7. The Spider-Men of each universe will be voiced by actors who have played the web-slinger in the past. Neil Patrick Harris, Josh Keaton, Christopher Daniel Barnes and Dan Gilvezan will voice the Amazing, Ultimate, Noir and 2099 variants, respectively. Harris originally voiced the wall-crawler in Spider-Man: The New Animated Series; Keaton had the role in The Spectacular Spider-Man; Barnes played the part in the 1994 Spider-Man animated series; and, finally, Gilvezan voiced ol' web-head in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends way back in the early '80s. If that's still not enough for the true believers out there, Stan Lee himself will serve as the game's narrator. Meanwhile, Jim Dooley, composer for several games and films (The Da Vinci Code, inFamous), will provide the soundtrack. Now, if only someone at Beenox could find a way to squeeze in Bruce Campbell ... Find the press release after the break.
Web sight: All four Shattered Dimensions Spider-Men in action
In case your Spider-Sense hadn't already alerted you to the fact, all four of the Spider-Men playable in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions have finally been revealed. (Peter Porker, a.k.a. Spider-Ham was, sadly, not among them.) We've even taken the fourth and final dimension -- the Ultimate Spider-Man universe -- for a spin (and a swing) at San Diego Comic-Con. Now you can see all of the Spideys and their respective dimensions together in one video. We know, convenient, huh! See, we're all about the efficient delivery of Spider-Man information here at Joystiq. And, er, other stuff too, of course. But for now we're just focusing on Spideys plural. See 'em after the break.
Preview: Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (Noir and Ultimate)
With Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions' fourth and final locale out of the bag (it is "Ultimate" Spidey, as many surmised), Activision was showing off the first playable build of the game at a pre-Comic-Con event last night. I played both the newly revealed Ultimate Spidey, in his black symbiote suit, and the Noir version. While I wasn't clued in to the game's multidimensional, overarching story (perhaps at the Comic-Con panel then?), I did get a feel for the combat, which is arguably the make-or-break component of the game. Though I only played within two of the game's four universes, I found the combat to be solid -- if a little shallow -- and in practice it came together better than I had expected after watching a developer play the game last month. %Gallery-97998%
Final, Ultimate Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions universe revealed
As deduced by our industry-leading experts on men who are also spiders, the fourth and final Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions universe will be Ultimate. That is to say, it will be set in the Marvel Comic Ultimate universe -- we can't vouch for its relative "ultimateness" quite yet. So, what's different about this one? Well, according to IGN's Comic-Con preview, the world of the Ultimate universe is bright and cel-shaded -- a stark contrast to Spidey's pitch black Symbiote suit. Spider-Man (who's voiced by series veteran Josh Keaton in the Ultimate 'verse) will encounter large groups of SHIELD troops and Carnage Symbiotes, which they'll be able to deal with simultaneously using their suit's increased offensive capabilities. Whip swaths of enemies with your Spidey-tendrils, shoot web-spikes out of your chest, or summon black spikes from the ground to wreck enemies' shops. So, he's basically like the guy from Prototype, only he's much less inclined to eviscerate every single civilian that wanders into his field of vision. How nice! Look for our multi-dimensional preview of the game later today.
Activision confirms final Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions cover
GameFly has proven that the speed of a game rental website exceeds the proportionate speed of a radioactive spider. The website posted the final box art for Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions well in advance of next week's Shattered Dimensions Comic-Con panel, which is expected to provide the "official" reveal of the game's fourth universe. Activision confirmed to Joystiq that the box art image is authentic. There's still plenty of info to reveal at that panel, however. The newly revealed, fourth version of Spider-Man (pictured on the far right) looks like he's wearing the famous (infamous?) black "symbiote" costume, which raises questions about which "universe" it represents in the game. In the comics, the Secret Wars storyline that resulted in Spider-Man's acquisition of this costume took place in the normal "Earth-616" Marvel Comics continuity, which is already one of the game's revealed dimensions. (The other two are the Noir [Earth-7207] and Marvel 2099 [Earth-928] universes.) It's possible that this probable symbiote costume is the version from the Ultimate universe, which would qualify as a separate universe and fulfill the game's multidimensional gimmick. Check out the full box art after the break, while we ponder the biggest question brought on by this reveal: When did we learn so much about Spider-Man comics?
Iron Spider-Man is Amazon 'Shattered Dimensions' bonus ... unlock
What If... Cosmic Spider-Man and Iron Spider-Man were pitted against each other as opposing retailer pre-order bonus characters? Further complicating the continuity of a not-so-tidy superhero storyline, Amazon is offering to manipulate the appearance of the Iron Spider-Man costume in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions' 2099 dimension for your pre-order purchase of the game. In other words, "you'll receive a code to unlock Iron Spidey early," explains HeroHQ, Activion's Marvel games web base. Amazon will also ship you an art book. Sulking there in the background, the previously revealed GameStop pre-order bonus, Cosmic Spider-Man, is playable in all four of the game's dimensions (of which still only three have been revealed). Cosmic Spidey will actually have a unique look in each dimension and is being advertised as a true "exclusive" for GameStop pre-order purchases (but is not listed as a bonus for the Wii version of the game). Not such a thrilling "What If" scenario, after all. Now, if we add Spider-Ham to the equation ... %Gallery-96661%
