Before Sony and Insomniac entered the Marvel scene, Activision was the main publisher ofSpider-Manrelated video games. During its time as publisher there weremanySpider-Mangames released, and not all of them were good. A majority of the games served as adaptations of the films, but some titles were originalSpider-Mancentric tales. One of those original games was a beat ‘em up known asSpider-Man: Friend or Foe, and it provided a decent amount of fun forSpider-Manfans.
Spider-Man: Friend or Foereleased in 2007 and was a newSpider-Manstory disconnected from the Sam Raimi film trilogy, though it did borrow the films’ character designs. It followed Spider-Man as he fought back against some of his greatest foes and an invasion of dangerous creatures that wanted to rule the world. The story was nothing special, and the gameplay was far from groundbreaking. However, there was still fun to be had in the title, and modern mechanics have the potential to make this game as good as it can be. Insomniac Games seems to be the studio leading the charge onSpider-Mangames, but that does not mean that there is no space for anotherSpider-Mantitle.
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Spider-Man Friend or Foe Was a Decent Time
Spider-Man: Friend or Foeintroduced players to a world that was being invaded by creatures known as Phantoms. These creatures captured and took control of the majority ofSpider-Man’s greatest foes. Spider-Man had to journey across the globe to fight his foes while also recruiting new allies to the cause. The story was the standard world-ending crisis Marvel storyline that fans have come to expect over the years, but the game still had something special up its sleeve.
The gameplay was focused on two-player co-op in which each player would control an iconic Marvel character. As players progressed through the story, they would recruit new heroes and villains that they could play as. Players couldtake control of characters like Spider-Man, Venom, Iron Fist, Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, and other popular Marvel characters. Each of these characters also featured a technology tree that let the player level them up and give them even more powers to play with.
Being able to controlall of these different Marvel characterswas the highlight of the game, as the actual gameplay was nothing groundbreaking. Players would choose the character that they wanted to control as well as their sidekick, and then they were plopped into a beat ‘em up level. They would travel through various 3D levels and fight various enemies using the superpowers of the person they controlled. The game also featured boss battles that would lead to new playable villains. The gameplay could be fun at times, but it would also feel very repetitive and sometimes way too easy.
Friend or Foe Needs a Remake
With all the criticisms ofSpider-Man: Friend or Foe, it would benefit from a full-on remake. Right now, theSpider-ManIP is mainly in the hands of Insomniac Games, and it is doing a pretty good job of delivering fun action-adventure titles following the titular character. The studio is showing no signs of stopping, but that does not mean that a beat ‘em upSpider-Mangame cannot also be released. Releasing a title like this would giveSpider-Manfans other games to turn to while they wait for thenext chapter in Insomniac’s story.
Spider-Man: Friend or Foewas not an amazing title, but it was still a decent amount of fun. The concept of controlling various heroes and villains in a beat ‘em up game with two-player co-op seems like an easy win. If a developer takes the concept and updates it with modern mechanics while cleaning up some of its faults, then this decent game could become great. The framework has already been laid down, and now a developer just has to run with it andcraft a fun-filledSpider-Mangamedisconnected from Insomniac’s universe.
It would take a bit of work from a developer to deliver on a great version ofSpider-Man: Friend or Foe, but it can be done. Many Marvel fans want to be able to control their favorite characters with their friends, andFriend or Foegave them just that. With a bit of tweaking and some updated graphics,Spider: Man Friend or Foecould become a pretty fun Marvel game.
