Following up on Remo's look at Spider-Man 3 a few months back, I recently got the chance to check out the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Spider-Man 3 from Treyarch as well as the Wii version from Vicarious Visions, which Activision reports are about 80% complete. Visually distinguishing between the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions proved difficult--I was told the only difference between them involves some differing shader techniques--but I did notice additional choppiness and frame drops in areas of the current PS3 build while the same sections ran more smoothly on the Xbox 360 edition. For those with HDTVs, the PS3 and Xbox 360 games render natively at 720p and the Wii version renders in 480p.

Plopping down with the Xbox 360 version alongside a member of the game's staff, I was led through a variety of missions showcasing the multiple gameplay mechanics within Spider-Man 3. Among the first was a supposedly simple stealth-based mission, the goal of which was to obtain a photo of cash changing hands and prove the existence of corruption within the police department. A little cursor floating off in the distance showed the location of the deal, leaving me to sling my way across New York City.

As in Treyarch's home console versions of Spider-Man 2, there is something intrinsically satisfying about swinging around the large, open-structured city, jumping off the roof of a high structure, pulling the right trigger to shoot a web strand onto a nearby building and waiting until the height of Spider-Man's arc to place the next strand even higher.

Upon reaching my objective, the target marker was replaced by a "hot or cold" meter that shifted left or right depending on how close I came to my intended location. After briefly struggling with this imprecise mechanic, I made it to the site of the mission, where a quick cinematic ran me through the specifics of my next objective. Using Spider-Man's spider-sense ability--which acts like thermal vision, allowing players to see the shapes of foes through walls--I snuck past them to a designated location, brought up Spidey's camera with a quick button press, framed the shot, and then snapped a picture of the dirty money changing hands as it occurred.

At least, that is how it was supposed to go. In reality, my guide and I spent a significant chunk of time replaying the mission. The angle of the camera while crawling along the walls made it extremely difficult to discern Spider-Man's position relative to the nearby guards, and we would either get caught in our rush towards one of the designated spots or run out of time with the slower, more methodical approach. To be honest, the only reason I know of the mission's resolution is because I leaned back in my chair and watched a representative at another station complete it.

Another mission, which I experienced on the PlayStation 3 version, involves the classic villain Scorpion and highlights a mix of several different gameplay styles. It begins as Spider-Man infiltrates a heavily guarded facility where Scorpion is being held, leading to an all-out brawl against many security guards. Though Spider-Man 3's combat system consists of only two main attacks--heavy and light--a series of simple commands can translate to an elaborate on-screen combo. For example, a series of alternating right-left punches sways enemies from side to side, then a somersault kick puts them down for good. Part of the satisfaction here is due to the implementation of simulated weight--when I was playing, one defeated foe toppled backwards onto a slanted display case, after which the pull of gravity slowly brought his knees to the floor before pivoting the rest of his body forward and slamming it against the hard surface.

A brief stealth segment follows the skirmish, requiring players to crawl through a hallway filled with laser sensors. As with the previous wall-crawling segment, I had some issues due to the camera angle, making it difficult to properly judge my surroundings.

The next section, in which Scorpion enters the picture, came as a complete surprise to me. In the story, researchers at the facility where Scorpion is being held have been attempting experiments involving remote mind control, and at the point when this mission takes place Spider-Man himself is controlling Scorpion remotely, meaning the player essentially gets to fight as Scorpion. Activating a nearby console triggers a brief mini-game, in which the villain defends himself against an ever-increasing number of security guards. Combat has a feeling of great power to it, a single button press causing Scorpion's metallic tail to lash from side to side and knock down all those within range. After tackling a certain number of guards, control returns to Spider-Man.

At that point, a hallway of laser sensors stands between Spider-Man and Scorpion. Eschewing the manual wall-crawling mechanics, the game presents Spider-Man's laser-dodging as an interactive cutscene. While Spidey jumps from wall to wall, a series of directions or buttons quickly appears on screen. The proper input activates a series of increasingly spectacular stunts, beginning with wall hops and finishing with narrow aerial twists through two very close lasers, a move quite reminiscent of the Spider-Man films. The game's development teams noted that they studied the camera movements and cinematography of the movies to capture their feel and replicate it within the game. Meanwhile, hitting the wrong input, as I often did, causes Spider-Man to fail and try again.

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