Things haven't been quite right with the Spider-Man franchise as of late. From his foolish unveiling of his secret identity in the latest wave of graphic novels to a distinctly underwhelming game coinciding with the latest and hardly greatest movie, Spidey hasn’t had a good year. Departing from the realistic approaches of these endeavors, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe embarks on a lighter-hearted take on the franchise with its straightforward beat-em-up action. Were it not so overly-simplified, it would be a rousing success; unfortunately, this corny brawler spends too much effort on style than substance.
Friend or Foe allies Spider-Man with Colonel Nick Fury in an effort to eliminate menacing enemies known as phantoms. Emerging from shards of a mutagenic meteor that splintered upon entering Earth's outer atmosphere, the powerful creatures have begun an assault on various locales across the planet. Complicating matters, an unknown villain has utilized materials from the meteor to hypnotize Spider-Man's greatest rivals. It's up to you, donning the Spider-suit, to eradicate the phantom threat at its core and deal with a host of brainwashed villains in the process.
Five levels, each comprised of four smaller stages, make up the story-driven campaign. Your mission takes you around the globe starting in rain-drenched Tokyo; other locales include a sand-swept romp through ancient Egyptian ruins, a tropical atoll, and dank, dark Transylvania. There's a great variety among the environments and it's entertaining to unlock a new area just to see how stylishly it's put together. Friend or Foe is a good-looking game, matching the visual fidelity of its Xbox 360 counterpart. Colorful cel-shaded graphics replace the more realistic look of the main series of Spider-Man games to good effect. This feels more like a cartoon than a game, which coincides nicely with the sophomoric humor that characterizes its dialogue.
Make no mistake—the game isn't intended for mature audiences; rather, this is aimed squarely at a younger crowd. Banter between Spider-Man, Col. Nick Fury, and his sentient computer borders on unbearably corny. For example, the computer's crush on Spider-Man is played out to such an extent that groaning at its cheesiness wouldn't be out of order. These are moments that will make a ten year-old boy laugh, but aren't going to inspire anything other than a wish to skip these mandatory cutscenes.
The cheese doesn't stop there. Oh no, it's sprinkled through the entirety of the game, injecting its flavor into every interaction Spider-Man has with a hypnotized foe. Each level hosts a small roster of classic villains and superheroes that can be convinced to help you in the mission to destroy the phantom menace. Persuasive arguments usually involve combat, which works in knocking the villain to his/her senses. Success means they join your party as a playable character, not to mention treating you to a deliciously cheesy conversation.
Like the script, the combat caters to a younger demographic. The simplicity of the action, which largely boils to button-mashing, is well-suited to casual play. As a Games for Windows title, Friend or Foe supports use of either a keyboard and mouse configuration or Xbox 360 controller. While both get the job done, it's preferable to connect a controller to your PC for play. The beat-em-up gameplay is more conducive to controller button mashing than repetitive clicks on a mouse. Regardless of what configuration you use, the game still boils down to extended sessions of mashing and clicking.
Attacks are done by jamming on the X button or left mouse button. You can mix up attacks with grabs executed via the B button or right mouse button. Naturally, different combinations of X and B, as well as jumping during a fight, yield different attacks. Defeating enemies rewards you with tokens to be spent on new abilities and enhancing attributes. Beyond maxing out Spider-Man's abilities, each of his allies can be enhanced using tokens as well. While it's interesting to power up Venom or boost Sandman's skills, they never reach the same level as Spider-Man. Additionally, certain sections of the game require you to play as Spider-Man, and thus secondary characters are limited in this regard.
Unlocking abilities adds a bit of depth to combat, although only to the extent that you choose to explore this optional facet of the game. Advanced abilities certainly make beating foes easier, but you can get through the game mashing on the A button alone. This lends to Friend or Foe a casual quality ideal for short play sessions or a quick sit down with a pal. At any time during the campaign, a buddy can pick up a second controller and play cooperatively with you. The mindless action is bearable when playing with a friend, especially since it replaces the rather incapable computer. Getting through stages often requires depressing switches in tandem with Spider-Man's ally. Playing with a pal, this is cake; however, the computer frequently has trouble moving a character onto switches and walking across narrow pathways. The sheer stupidity of the cooperative intelligence is enough to make you want a friend to join you.
