Spider-Man – Shattered Dimensions

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is a level-based third-person action-adventure video game, where the player assumes the role of four different versions of Spider-Man, spanning across the Amazing, Noir, 2099, and Ultimate universes. Gameplay revolves around each Spider-Man’s unique superhuman abilities; players are able to web swing, web zip, crawl walls, and use the ‘spider-sense’ to identify enemies or objects of interest. The combat of the game offers a large variety of fighting moves, and each Spider-Man has his own fighting style.

The points necessary for buying upgrades and new fighting moves are earned from defeating enemies or completing various challenges in the “Web of Destiny.” The points earned can also be used to purchase 16 alternate costumes (four for each Spider-Man), which do not provide any gameplay advantages and are purely cosmetic. The game features numerous supervillains from classic Spider-Man comics as bosses; some of the villains are created exclusively for the game, such as the 2099 versions of Hobgoblin and Doctor Octopus, and the Noir version of Hammerhead.

All bosses are usually fought twice in a level, and during the second battle, they possess a new series of powers, granted to them by the Tablet of Order and Chaos, requiring players to change their strategy. During specific parts of the boss battles, Shattered Dimensions switches to a first-person perspective, where the player can use the analog sticks (or the Wii Remote and Nunchuk in the Wii version) to control Spider-Man’s arms, punching their opponent and dodging their attacks. Three different types of punches are available. While all four Spider-Men control identically, they each feature a different gameplay style.

For example, the Spider-Man Noir levels require players to hide in the shadows and take down enemies stealthily, while Spider-Man 2099 features unique free falling segments. Some of the Spider-Men also feature unique abilities, such as Spider-Man 2099 being able to slow down time to dodge incoming attacks, and Ultimate Spider-Man being able to use his symbiote tendrils to take on large groups of enemies at once. On Earth-10955, the Amazing Spider-Man accidentally shatters an artifact called the Tablet of Order and Chaos while trying to prevent Mysterio from stealing it.

While Mysterio escapes with one Tablet fragment, Spider-Man is approached by Madame Web, who reveals that the others have been scattered across this and three other realities across the multiverse. To restore balance, Madame Web recruits him, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Man 2099, and the Venom symbiote-empowered Ultimate Spider-Man to retrieve the fragments from their native dimensions. After the Spider-Men each collect their first fragment with no difficulty, Madame Web warns them that the fragments can grant incredible powers and must not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. 

While searching for their second fragment, the Spider-Men discover that they have already been found by supervillains. The Amazing Spider-Man is captured by Kraven the Hunter and taken to a jungle, where he is forced to overcome a series of trials for a fragment. However, Kraven reneges on their deal and uses it to gain superpowers. Spider-Man Noir pursues Hammerhead, who is driven mad with power after using a fragment he had found to fuse his arms with his guns and plots to overthrow his boss, Norman “The Goblin” Osborn. Spider-Man 2099 is attacked by the Hobgoblin, a cyborg mercenary who uses his fragment to increase his psy-powers and create illusions to torment the hero.

The Ultimate Spider-Man battles Electro to prevent him from destroying a hydro-electric dam, where the latter uses his fragment to grow larger and more powerful as he absorbs more energy. Eventually, the Spider-Men are able to defeat the villains and claim their fragments before heading off to find more. The Amazing Spider-Man finds another fragment at an abandoned Roxxon Industries quarry, but it is stolen by Sandman, who uses it to increase his powers and take over the quarry. Spider-Man Noir pursues the Vulture, Osborn’s right-hand man and his Uncle Ben’s killer, for a fragment, which granted the villain teleportation powers.

Spider-Man 2099 faces his half-brother Kron Stone / Scorpion, who has stolen a fragment for a contractor in exchange for reversing his mutation, gaining the ability to create numerous offspring in the process. The Ultimate Spider-Man competes in Deadpool’s reality TV show, Pain Factor, for a fragment, which the latter eventually uses to clone himself. Meanwhile, Mysterio discovers his fragment granted him magic powers and seeks out the rest. When the Spider-Men return to Madame Web with the fragments they collected, Mysterio attacks, threatening to kill Madame Web if they do not deliver the remaining fragments to him.