Spider-Man: Friend or Foe

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, despite being aimed at a squarely younger audience, is a very fun game despite its simplicity. It doesn’t have the depth of something like say, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, but should provide plenty of fun for those looking for a simple brawler with characters from the Spider-Man universe.

The easy difficulty setting and lighthearted tone might cause older gamers to scoff, but there's no denying that Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is a quality game that the whole family can enjoy.

It is a fun, enjoyable, and quirky game that a father can easily pick up and play with his son. Though the boss fights are tedious and combat a bit too simple, by the end of the day I'm glad I own this game, and judging by a very suspenseful name said just before the credits roll I'm definitely looking forward to a sequel.

An incredibly well-made game that is a lot of fun, although it's a bit on the easy side.

There’s not much here that hasn’t been done a thousand times in older games. Younger players might enjoy it, but it’s somewhat one dimensional.

I am giving FoF the benefit of the doubt because it's obvious that it's geared towards a younger audience: the difficulty is low, the action is mind-numbingly simplistic and the overall vibe of the game, from the art style to the character dialogue, is juvenile--as in youthful, not immature.

Some flashy action, a playful sense of humor, and a clean visual style bring this otherwise straightforward beat-'em-up to life.

The graphics don't look like much, but they stay true to the comic books. It would've been great to have more unlockable goodies and online play options. Besides that, this old-school brawler offers lots of fun.

Overall Spider-Man: Friend or Foe for the Xbox 360 is not a bad game but is game which will likely become bargain bin material sooner than later.

From the simplified difficulty to a lack of online play it is clear the game was not designed for the hardcore. But what it does do is take a recognizable franchise and make it fun for the whole family, and in that it succeeds remarkably.

Spiderman Friend or Foe for the Xbox 360 has a lot going for it and players can have a good time as long as they understand that this is a game that has been targeted towards a younger audience or the causal gamer.

It definitely takes the edge off for younger players who just want to have fun but it provides little risk for those expecting some kind of severe punishment or challenge.

There's nothing new to be found in this button combo platformer, but solid controls, drop-in anytime co-op, plenty of unlockable characters and upgrades, and surprisingly entertaining dialogue save this game from being a forgettable addition to the Spider-Man franchise.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe will not go down in history as one of the greatest games to make use of the franchise. The crisp graphics, warm humour and the ability to play as one of fourteen different marvel superstars doesn't alter the fact that the game is simply far too repetitive, even for the target audience.

Undemanding but highly effective Spidey scrapper that will delight many fans. [Dec 2007, p.65]

The game is a fun two-player experience, full of great characters and some really good voice acting. I do question the game's price point and easy difficulty, but this would make for a really good weekend rental.

Rent it for some easy gamerpoints.

All in all, if put into one word this game is bland.

Together, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is a package that does okay, but isn't necessarily intended for anyone old enough to play games like Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.

The game doesn’t even feel like it belongs on the Xbox 360.

This gameplay unfortunately is the main issue here. While the moves and combinations of attacks look good and are fun to actually execute, having you do them none stop all game long is a very painful chore.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is a good concept and can be fun in short bursts with friends, but it simply doesn’t have the staying power to keep any but the most dedicated of fans playing too far into the game alone.

If you keep your expectations low (really low), and if you liked games such as Lego Star Wars and TMNT, Friend or Foe won't be the bitter pill that Spider-Man 3 was.

The gameplay follows a predictable pattern: Spidey and a sidekick(friends, like Black Cat and Iron Fist, or foes, like Doc Ock and Sandman)enter an area, Venom-ish enemies teleport in, and you have to clear the room of bad guys to open the door to the next area. Repeat ad nauseum. [Dec 2007, p.62]

Friend or Foe is a generic game which is salvaged by the co-op play. For new or young gamers this is a great title, but for those who have been around the block, there's nothing to see here.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is a weak effort that shamelessly cashes in on the popularity of our web-slinging hero, with the gameplay obviously geared towards the younger gamer. Yet there is little here to challenge even the youngest player, with only die hard Spider-Man fans likely to get much enjoyment from this repetitive title, and even they will almost certainly find the experience wanting.

It just seems that not much thought has gone into the level design and gameplay beyond “could a five-year-old play this?”.

Even with its flaws, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is a rather fun brawler that can be enjoyable for a while. It can be beaten in about two days, so one rental will easily give enough time to plow through this game and complete everything it has to offer.

It isn't impressive in any sense. [Issue 26, p.95]

Unfortunately, the short single player campaign, simplistic achievements and lack of any online multi-player eliminates replay value. This is an excellent rainy-day rental or a definite buy once it’s discounted in a few months.

I am a bit disappointed that I couldn't develop many of the wonderful characters in this game to the level that I could with Spider-Man.

While it hosts a great set of playable characters, it doesn’t make the best use of them, and the recycled enemies, boring level design, and low production values make for a brawler that’s simply uninspired.

Levels are incredibly linear.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is a good idea on paper, but in simplifying the engine they have used in their other Marvel-based games, Activision may have done the game too much of a disservice. The challenge is severely lacking and there is not much in the way of variety in terms of enemy characters.

It’s a shame that the game is essentially killed by its lack of depth, because if it had some, this would be a worthwhile game.

Identikit levels and a dumb premise make for one average Spidey game. [Christmas 2007, p.72]

Both shallow and a waste of a good property.

It’s fun and humorous at first, but the lack of substance and challenge is a Spider-killer.

This title is just one of those three-button platformers that can keep you entertained in bite-sized sessions, but only if you are a true Spider-Man fan.

The game reminded me very much of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (which did not go down well with this particular reviewer at the time, or now even).

Spider-man: Friend or Foe is another title that clearly isn't made for experienced gamers, and certainly won't please anyone aged in their teens or older.

In the end, Friend or Foe is only advised to its demographic, and even so with a lot of reservations.

It’s difficult to be too hard on Spiderman: Friend or Foe because of its targeted age group. Even with its highly repetitive and simplistic nature, it ultimately wins out over the drivel of Spiderman 3 (the game) with its photography and bomb diffusing missions and boring plot.

The game is obviously geared most toward the younger set, but even kids like a bit of challenge, right?

Never has a hero looked so stupid. As catastrophic as these missteps are, they pale in comparison to Spidey’s egregious video game blunder, Friend or Foe. [Nov 2007, p.144]

A surprisingly poor product considering all that the developers needed to do was effortlessly copy someone else's character design onto someone else's game design.

A weak attempt to cash in on consumers who don’t know any better.

A game like this had potential to be more than just button masher for the kids.

The overriding problem is that the central character doesn't fit the environment.