Publisher: Activision
Developer: Next Level Games
System: Nintendo Wii
Genre: Action Adventure
Release date: Available now
Review by: Christopher Troilo

Spider-Man is doing his nightly duty of patrolling the New York City rooftops, fighting off a barrage of villains, when suddenly his enemies begin vanishing into thin air. As Spidey runs to escape suffering a similar fate, he’s rescued by Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D, who teleports Spider-Man to his airborne command center. Once in Fury’s audience, Nick explains that shards of a meteorite crashed to Earth, and the pieces are scattered all over the globe. A mysterious force has been collecting these shards and using them to create holographic monsters called Phantoms, which are wreaking havoc. Fury believes these Phantoms are connected to the disappearance of Spider-Man’s foes.

Spider-Man decides he’s the only one who can stop this evil entity, so he has Fury drop him off at the locations where the meteorite remnants have been spotted. Upon arrival, Spidey finds that each one of the shards is being protected by a horde of Phantoms. Each group of creatures is led by one of Spider-Man’s arch nemeses, such as Green Goblin or Doctor Octopus, all of which are under mind control. As Spider-Man defeats these villains and frees them from being manipulated, they become his allies, helping the web-slinger fend off more Phantoms and rescue additional meteorite shards.

Every time Spider-Man rescues an enemy or encounters a superhero friend, they become playable characters, either as your computer sidekick or the second player. These characters include many familiar faces from the Spider-Man universe such as Black Cat, Venom, Lizard, Rhino, Sandman and Scorpion. Each of these players has a unique set of attacks which can be upgraded as the game progresses.

Spider-Man’s move set can also be expanded by collecting coins as he battles through the stages. These coins can be redeemed aboard Fury’s plane to receive stronger attacks such as shooting web projectiles and more damaging throws and grabs. The coins also allow you to buy crystals used during battles to give Spider-Man boosts, such as regaining all of his health or making him temporarily invincible. The number of coins enemies give you upon their defeat is determined by the number of hit combos you performed.

The controls of Friend or Foe are very simple to master, and do not take advantage of the motion sensor capabilities of the Wii. Players move around the stage using the nun-chuck analog stick and various buttons to engage enemies. The game can be played in story mode either solo or with a friend, as well as versus mode, where combatants must knock out their opponents in a best-of-five series. On to the scores!