Activision has been mining the Spider Man license for the past decade or so, ever since the excellent adventure game for the PS1, N64 and Dreamcast. The various teams at Treyarch, Neversoft and Vicarious Visions have delivered some great titles over the years, including games based on all three feature films. While the first two movies delivered some solid web slinging (the first was a competent adventure, the second a free roaming sandbox New York), Spiderman 3 was a major disappointment across all platforms. Ultimate Spiderman was a pleasant surprise, and had the charm and corny wit of the comics that the movies were lacking. Now Activision is taking one last stab at the franchise, specifically the movies, with Spiderman: Friend or Foe. This game is an alternative take on the movies, with a different play style and gameplay focus.

The game supposedly starts some time after the movies, with several of Spidey’s super villain rivals inexplicably resurrected. All of the characters are styled to look like the ones in the films, so Green Goblin still looks like a Power Ranger, Venom is still a skinny wimp, and Harry Osborn still looks incredibly stupid. The game begins with all of these villains getting captured by some bigger villain, who has harnessed the power of the symbiots or somesuch nonsense. It’s up to the web-head to rescue his nemeses, and grudgingly team up with them to stop the greater evil. Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. is Spidey’s backup, offering his headquarters as a base of operations and providing Spiderman with his mission objectives.

This premise may seem a little ridiculous compared to the plots of the movies, but that’s really the whole idea. Friend or Foe has the tongue-in-cheek, self referencing humor that the movies didn’t, which is a refreshing change from Tobey Maguire’s angsty emo-Parker. In any case, it’s a perfect excuse for the game’s main mechanic. Instead of a sandbox game, it’s an old-school beat-em-up. Instead of taking after Maximum Carnage and the brawlers of old, Friend or Foe feels more like the Spiderman version of Lego Star Wars.

Each level is played in a team, with Spidey accompanied by one of his enemies-turned-ally. In solo mode, the sidekick is controlled by the computer, and it does a competent job of assisting you. You can swap between the two characters at any time by holding the Tab key, which works well and can be done quickly. Solo play is fun for a while, but this game is really meant to be played with two people.

Like Lego Star Wars, Friend or Foe is built on the “drop-in, drop-out” concept. A second player can start a co-op game from the start of a level, or enter at any time by picking up a second controller and pressing start. Many of the game’s features, such as team combos, are much easier to pull off when you have a sapient companion helping you out. The easy co-op makes this a good family game, as it has a simple, uncluttered multiplayer setup that anyone can use. It would’ve been nice if the game had on-line play, but the feature is strangely absent from the PC build. I wouldn’t expect it to have a server browser or anything that elaborate, but an Xbox Live style friends list would’ve been nice. As it stands, the only way to play with a friend is by chunking a second controller into your PC.

The combat and controls are pretty standard for this kind of game, if you have the right equipment. A single player can use the keyboard, but if a friend wants to play you’ll need to plug in a USB gamepad. The manual proudly states that Friend or Foe is compatible with the Xbox 360 pad, as the game is part of Microsoft’s half-hearted “Games for Windows” initiative. Any USB controller will work, and to be honest the game almost requires one. With the keyboard, playing Friend ...