Spider-Man has certainly had his share of interesting battles whether it’s in the pages of the various Marvel Comics series or on the big screen and over the years the roster of enemies has certainly grown. Whether it’s facing off against a man dressed as a scorpion or a deranged murderer infused with the dangerous alien symbonite, our favorite web-slinger has faced them all. Yet what if some strange circumstances bring bitter rivals together to join forces to combat an enemy that threatens the entire planet? This is the theme that brings friends and foes together in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe for the Xbox 360.

The game finds Spider-Man enjoying the New York City skyline when he is suddenly attacked by his old enemy the Scorpion and soon Spider-Man finds himself confronting everyone from Doctor Octopus, the Green Goblin and Venom. If it isn’t for New Goblin, things would have turned really nasty but in the middle of this melee, each villain is teleported away by a force that manipulates holographic enemies (known as Phantoms) that turn solid in order to attack. Spider-Man finds help in the form of Colonel Nick Fury, who brings him up to date and informs our hero that he must travel to the location of fallen meteor debris that hit Earth in various places around the world. It’s up to Spider-Man, known comrades as well as an uneasy alliance with his old enemies, to put a stop to the threat.

It’s an interesting idea that would fit the comic series perfectly and being able to fight alongside enemies like Doctor Octopus in a game is a great concept yet somehow the game makes what would have been an epic action game into a mindless brawler. Granted, there are some good ideas on the table. The game’s main hub is Fury’s Helicarrier where you can pick the ally you would like to take with you on the mission then upgrade your characters skills and abilities. It is from the hub that you jump into a mission, starting with a meteor fragment piece that landed in Tokyo, Japan near the Oscorp building. From there you clear a number of stages to unlock new locations such as Cairo, Transylvania, Nepal and Tangaroa Island.

The first friend that joins you on your mission is the Silver Sable, a mercenary that crossed Spider-Man’s path many times in the comics, and fights alongside you throughout the stage and can be swapped with any other character you happen to meet during said stage. As a single-player game, you can swap between Spider-Man and his ally at any time but the computer always controls the second character … unless, of course, you play the game cooperatively with a friend. While allies such as the Black Cat and Iron Fist will join you, at the end of certain stages you’ll confront series villains that also include the Rhino, Doctor Octopus and both Goblins, just to name a few of the foes that become your allies once you beat them in battle.

Of course, the appeal of fighting alongside of the Sandman or Venom is enticing; the fact is that if you play the game solo you will have to pull double duty thanks to the fact that the AI-controlled allies get beat up quickly in this game. Really, I often fancy the idea of not having them come along if all they do is manage to accidentally jump off a platform to their deaths (which is often the case in this game). Then again, what other game on the Xbox 360 allows you to take up the role of Doctor Octopus or Rhino? You can even pull off combos that can be chained together cooperatively with your ally for bonus Teamwork points. Of course, each ally has his or her own special skills and abilities that compliment Spider-Man’s super strength and web-slinging abilities. For example, Doctor Octopus has his mechanical arms that help him climb walls and toss enemies around while Sandman can summon brute strength by manipulating sand to make his punches more effective.

The problem is that each stage offers the same series of brain-dead Phantoms to fight. Oftentimes, the Phantoms just stand there waiting for you to pummel them and when the game introduces the bigger Phantoms they don’t require much to defeat them; later in the game we see more enemy variety but they‘re still just as dumb. Then again there are moments in the game where you will be surrounded by them, like in a particular stage in Cairo. You’ll be glad to know that a friend can jump in at anytime to assume the role of the ally. There’s even a Versus Mode that can be accessed through the Helicarrier. Still, even with these features, Friend or Foe - while rated for ages 10 and above - remains to be a mindless-brawling game that just doesn’t quite measure up.

Friend or Foe also disappoints in the graphics department, a fact that is unacceptable considering the fact that past Spider-Man games - even those on the original Xbox look better than this game. The game does try capturing the look of a comic book with its colorful backdrop and cartoon-like character models. Even the game’s animated cut scenes don’t look as good as they should. Thankfully, the game’s soundtrack is actually good and intensifies in all the right moments without repeating itself. There’s some solid voice acting in the game that brings to mind some of the actors from the film (Spider-Man himself kind of sounds like the actor that portrays him in all three movies). There are plenty of sound effects as well but they’re nothing particularly special.

Sadly, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe for the Xbox 360 suffers from a tired and repetitive game design that just doesn’t suit our favorite superhero and his collection of powerful allies. While the idea of teaming up with known Spider-Man villains is a Marvel Comics fanatic’s dream come true, the poor execution of moves and the dull level design will just serve to disappoint die-hard fans.  

Gameplay: 6.0
Spider-Man is joined by just about every villain and comrade that has joined him at some point in the comic books but this team up is ruined by an army of weak and unintelligent enemies, badly designed boss battles and boring levels. You can upgrade each character but the best part about this game is that you can play the game cooperatively with a friend.

Graphics: 6.5
This is the type of game that would have looked good on the original Xbox. Certainly, the washed out textures and lack of next-generation details would have fit the old console. Since this is the Xbox 360, however, these visuals just don’t cut it.

Sound: 6.9
The voice acting is actually quite decent and the voice actors do a good job of bringing to mind that actors that portrayed some of the characters in the movie. There’s also some pretty witty dialogue mixed in with a number of repetitive phrases scattered throughout. The music isn’t bad either and the sound effects are decent but nothing special.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Battling Phantoms gets old pretty fast and - while there are some big brawlers among them - the only real challenge will come from fighting against Spider-Man’s main enemies like Rhino or Venom. Battling alongside a friend makes the levels flow faster.

Concept: 6.5
The concept is straight out of the comic books with Spider-Man forming an alliance with enemies like The Sandman or the likes of the Green Goblin. Unfortunately, the game’s story is thin on plot and there’s very little to come back to when you’re done. At least you can upgrade each of your characters and a friend can always pick up a controller and start playing along with you.

Multiplayer: 6.5
A friend can join you at any point in the game and you’ll be glad for it since the ally AI is as dumb as the enemies you’ll face. There’s also a Versus Mode that allows you to fight against a friend in any of the arenas you happen to unlock.

Overall: 6.4
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is an interesting concept that just doesn’t really take off thanks to a number of issues that get in the way of the action or appeal of fighting alongside the wall-crawler’s coolest enemies. The game doesn’t even feel like it belongs on the Xbox 360. Still, if you’re a huge Spider-Man fan, you might just want to consider renting this one.