Spider-man Friend or Foe

[digitalpress]

You know...

This game hasn't exactly drawn rave reviews nor has it gotten much attention from (at least my local) gamers, but I recently played through the game and I thoroughly enjoyed it. For reference, I played the XBox 360 version though I'd imagine the PS2 is pretty similar in gameplay AND graphics.

So yeah, the graphics aren't great, though they do tend toward a comic-art style. And yeah, the bad guys are super-repetitive, except for the challenging boss battles.

But I must say this: people who miss that dying beat-em-up genre; the button-mashing Streets of Rage/Final Fight style that classic gamers lament so much. Friend or Foe is THAT kind of game. it's not just a few punches and kicks; there is a decent selection of moves in your arsenal, which grow as you progress and buy power-ups. Likewise, you can power-up all of the sidekicks in the game.

Is it worth $60? No. But is it a good game? I say yes - just look for the price drops and/or used versions of the game, both of which should be imminently abundant. This is a great game to pick up and play with a friend, or for Streets of Rage fans looking for something new but with that old-school feel.

[Gamereviewgod]

Yes, yes, yes.

No one gave this one credit. Hell, Game Informer picked it as one of of the worst of the year.

There are a ton of characters here keeping the game fresh, and in co-op, it's all the better. The mechanics are solid, bosses unique, and the levels varied. I never did finish it because of the holiday rush, but will more than likely go back to it.

I liked it far more than Ultimate Alliance which simply had way too much going on at once. Spidey is simple, and oddly, that feels fresh.

[digitpress Jim]

Hey Joe,

Awesome post about the Spider-Man Friend or Foe game. I still have yet to play the game but I really want to, it's looks insanely bad ass and fun. It just goes to show that gamers should always play a game and judge for themselves rather than listen to all the schmucks that bad mouth or bash a game. Take care everyone.

Digitpress Jim

[Lothars]

I agree I think it was a great game, I picked it up on boxing day for 20 bucks and I haven't beat it yet but I am really enjoying it

I prefer Ultimate Alliance over this but it's definitely a better game than it was given credit for.

[RyoGeo]

I picked this up for my nephew for his PSP as a Christmas gift. I thought it was a blast to play.

Doc Oc looked great and I thought well animated. I only played for a bit, but thought it was fun.

[Nesmaster]

I'll pick it up when I find it for $15 or less. Looked mildly interesting at least.

[Matt-El]

Ultimate alliance was a dungeon brawler, so comparison to S:FoF should be limited somewhat.

[s1lence]

FoF is alot like TMNT on the 360. It is extremely repetitive gameplay, but its not terrible. Its also very short, you can "beat" the game as in 1000/1000 achievement points in about 8-10 hours.

[MadPixelz15]

its much to play the game with co op.

[marvrj]

My kids really like the game. I haven't tried it yet.

[digitalpress]

FoF is alot like TMNT on the 360. It is extremely repetitive gameplay, but its not terrible. Its also very short, you can "beat" the game as in 1000/1000 achievement points in about 8-10 hours.

Almost.

The one tough achievement is max leveling up every sidekick character. That's way beyond the 8-10 hour mark, trust me. Still, I enjoy the game enough to go for it, and my wife enjoys playing this one with me so we're shooting for that final achievement.

[ssjlance]

I usually don't get excited about much of anything released on a newer console, but this was an exception. Looked really good. I just never bought it because of the way I feel about Beat'em Ups: They're best enjoyed as two players. The problem with that is that the only other person close to a gamer in my house is my younger brother, and all he does is play Runescape, and to top it off he hates arcade style games. So needless to say, my enjoyment would be cut by quite a bit.

[jcalder8]

I wanted to like this so I downloaded the demo and I crashed the demo. After that I decided to wait for the reviews and after reading them decided I would pass. MAYBE if I find it really cheap I'll pick it up but after my first experience I'm more than a little scared off.

[Half Japanese]

Just a heads up, this is $19.99 at CC this week. I'm thinking about picking it up but haven't decided yet.

[Rogmeister]

I've seen this for $19.99 at Wal-Mart the last couple of times I've scanned the discoount shelves. I've been wondering if this was any good so I did a search and found this thread. Thanks for the recommendation...I think I'll go pick it up now.

[Speed Racer]

I agree, this is a great game. I've already beat it but I'm having a lot of fun leveling up all of the extra characters. If anybody is on the fence about this one you won't be disappointed with it, especially at only $19.99.