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It may be a few years before Spider-Man returns to the big screen, but that doesn’t mean web-slinging fans have to wait until then to play as him on the small one. In the video game “Spider-Man: Web of Shadows”—which Activision will release on the Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, PC and DS on October 21—your friendly neighborhood wall-crawler has to save New York from an invasion of Venom-like symbiote aliens.
Although it’s not based on the film franchise, “Web of Shadows” does have some connections with the hit flicks, and a certain other piece of classic sci-fi cinema, as we learned when we spoke to Chris Scholz, the Studio Head of Shaba Games.
Is the game set in the world of the movies or the world of the comic books?
We exist somewhere in-between the comic book world and the movie world, but [the game] doesn’t follow either storyline. Though people who saw [“Spider-Man 3”] will be familiar with Venom and how that suit is a corrupting force like the ring in “The Lord of the Rings.”
Was the decision to go with a symbiote invasion prompted by Venom’s appearance in “Spider-Man 3”?
We actually came to the story by thinking about how we wanted to make a Spider-Man game, but one where we really blow out the fighting, and the story just came naturally from that. But we were also really inspired by the movie “They Live.” That was hugely influential. In the first half of the game, you know something is going on, but then there’s this “They Live” moment where you suddenly find out that New York has been invaded by aliens.
Is the game, like the ones based on the movies, set in an open world with random crimes as well as story-driven missions?
It is, but we’ve really tightened the game to focus on combat, so there are fewer of the random crimes, and we’ve substituted them with more story-related missions. Though you can also just sit back and watch as things happen in the city.
One thing you added is the ability to switch between Spider-Man’s regular red and blue suit and his black symbiote suit. Is this just a fashion choice or do they give you different abilities?
Again, it all comes out of the combat. We didn’t want to make a game like “Street Fighter,” where you have to memorize all kinds of combos. By having the two different suits, we could have two completely different sets of moves. The black suit, for example, is more brutal, more destructive, while the red and blue suit is more agile and more web-based. So while a button will be your web moves when you’re wearing the red and blue suit, the same button will be used to throw things when you’re wearing the black suit.
The game also features other Marvel characters, such as Wolverine. Are they playable?
You don’t get to play as them, but you can call them in to help you in a fight and can direct their attention to attack an enemy. We’re playing up the morality aspect, so if you play more in the black suit, and make decisions that are the darker ones, then you start attracting your enemies, so you might call in the Vulture or Electro to help you instead of Wolverine or Moon Knight.
Tricia Helfer from “Battlestar Galactica” provides the voice of another character, Black Cat. What made you think she’d be a good fit for the role?
She’s actually a great voice talent, though it sure didn’t hurt that she’s on “Battlestar Galactica” because I think that show is awesome. I have to tell you that I was equally excited that we got Robert Wisdom from “The Wire,” who we got to be the voice of Luke Cage. “The Wire” is one of my favorite show of all time.
Even though you hired recognizable actors to voice Black Cat and Luke Cage, you didn’t for Spider-Man. How come?
We kind of liked the reading by the guy we ended up hiring [Mike Vaughn, who’s done voices in “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” and other games]. He’s an important character, obviously, so we wanted to get someone who felt right.
Was there any thought of getting someone from the movie?
We did, and it would’ve been great to get Tobey Maguire, but we wanted to be able to get a whole bunch of different takes. It just worked out better to get someone who was local and more available.
