With the new Spiderman movie and game slinging into our world next week, PSU thought it would be great to touch base with the developers of the next gen title and web a few details for our readers.
Our interview is with Activision producer, William Schmitt.
PSU: It has been said that there are two different single player stories. One path which follows the movie and one original storyline made specifically for the game. Can you describe the synopsis behind the games unique storyline?
William Schmitt: Actually there are 10 main storylines and dozens of minor missions in Spider-Man 3. One of the storylines does pull several scenes from the movie. It would take a long time to describe them all…and I’d then be guilty of providing spoilers…tsk, tsk. They involve a host of characters from the feature film including Kingpin, Lizard, Scorpion and Kraven – to name just a few – and interweave throughout the game. I’ll just say that we are providing more content in this version of the game than any other Spider-Man title to date.
PSU: You guys advertise the new combat system to be something like never before; could you describe what gamers will actually see different in Spiderman 3 compared to the previous Spiderman games?
Schmitt: The different personalities brought on by the red and black suits change the mentality of the hero and his fighting style. Spider-Man is quick and agile, darting in and out of combat and avoiding hits. Black-Suited Spider-Man is more aggressive, doesn’t feel the need to dodge as much, and prefers to get in the opponents face. This is reinforced by a special attack meter that builds as the fight goes on. When it reaches its limit you can unleash massive special attacks.
PSU: Spiderman 3 is all about the symbiotic suit, what features will gamers have with the suit on and how will it affect the outcome of battles or even the game?
Schmitt: I touched on this in the combat section. It does go further, with subtle differences in other areas of play. As Spider-Man in the red suit the player can use Spider-Sense. This give you the ability to dodge incoming attack, alerts you clues in the environment, etc. As Black-Suited Spider-Man the player has unique attacks, a rage mode to manage and can take hits better.
PSU: Outside of Sandman, Venom, and the Green Goblin, what other Spiderman enemies can gamers expect to find in the game?
Schmitt: The Spider-Man 3 videogame sports a full cast of marvel bad guys like Lizard, Scorpion, Kraven and several more. In addition we introduce 3 new gangs with bosses unique to the game.
PSU: Will there be any other Marvel characters to make an appearance in the game? Any of them playable?
Schmitt: I don’t want to play spoiler here but if you buy the PS3 collectors edition you’ll unlock the playable New Goblin on his Sky Stick. It is a really cool experience flying through the city, doing races and battling crime utilizing the SIXAXIS controller
PSU: It has been said that each console will be given exclusive content, including a special edition version of the game for PS3. What will PlayStation 3 gamers have access to or see in their version of Spiderman that other consoles won’t have?
Schmitt: We did do a Spider-Man 3 PS3 Collector’s Edition of the game. This product has several behind the scenes interviews with the cast of the game. Tobey, James, Topher, Thomas, J.K., Bruce and even Avi Arad sat down and talked about their experiences with the game, the movie and more. In addition to the exclusive video content, as I mentioned above, the Spider-Man 3 PS3 Collector’s Edition delivers an exclusive playable character to fans of the amazing webslinger – New Goblin. Gamers will not just get a quick taste of New Goblin in one mission – the exclusive content lets gamers loose as New Goblin in our huge expanded New York City environment. Featuring an incredible locomotion system that is fully controllable with the PlayStation 3’s new SIXAXIS controller, players will become New Goblin and experience whipping through traffic and between buildings at blurring speeds. Did I mention you get to throw pumpkin bombs?
PSU: Are there any plans for downloadable content for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC versions?
Schmitt: We’re kicking around a few ideas, but we’re not announcing anything yet.
PSU: What kind of graphical advances will we see on the PS3 that developers couldn’t do on the PS2?
Schmitt: The next generation systems can push 10x more polygons and allow for several more shader passes. Thus results in a much better looking game overall. In addition, the memory of the machines allows for a large, more populated city. New York never looked so good in a video game as it does in Spider-Man 3.
We’d like to thank William Schmitt for participating in the interview and be sure to check out the movie and game next week!