Spider-Man: Total Mayhem for iPhone. Gameloft show how a comic book game should be done

Spider Man Total Mayhem iPhone 4

Spider Man Total Mayhem iPhone 4

Spider-Man: Total Mayhem [rating: 4.5/5]

My relationship to comic books has only been with the old school form of British comics in the form of Whizzer & Chips and Buster while for the super hero’s of comics in the form of Superman, X-men, Batman and Spider-Man my relationship with them has been through the form of the big blockbuster American movies, where, for the most part I’ve enjoyed them.

However Spider-Man: Total Mayhem takes us back to the comic books days of Spider-Man and it’s been beautifully recreated on the iPhone/iPod Touch to bring the fun and enjoyment of the spidey action to your hand-held device.

As you would expect with a title from Gameloft the game has great production values, from the excellent cut scenes and atmospheric music to the menu system that appears to have been lifted straight from the comic book itself the game oozes quality.

On starting the game you’ll need to select one of four difficulty levels between easy, normal, hard and ultimate with the latter only becoming available after completing the earlier difficulties. Each level is preceded with a some scene setting and the obligatory headline from none other than the Daily Bugle before you are launched into action.

Action is the key word here too as there is never a moment to rest as you rush through the city defeating endless hoodlums and of course the multiple bosses in all their colorful larger than life glory.

Spider Man Total Mayhem

The controls work well, a virtual d-pad controls your movement while three action buttons allow you to punch, use your web skills and jump/swing. All these controls respond very quickly to your touch which makes the fights between you and the bad guys very enjoyable with every punch and kick seeming to land perfectly. Combo’s work here too and with quick fingers you can quickly put many bad guys to the sword. Ultimately when your power gauge is full you can also activate the Ultimate Web Combo which brings ultimate destruction to all around you.

Your enemies aren’t defenseless of course and that’s where you’re spider-sense comes in handy, using this at the appropriate time will enable you to either avoid an enemy attack or even perform a counter attack.

There is more to do than just beat up on the enemies as you roam through the city which in itself looks great. You’ll find yourself swinging between tall buildings, climbing walls, rescuing hostages and finding comic books as you save the city from destruction.

Success in the game, from defeating enemies to progressing through the game itself is rewarded with both with health to stop you from losing a life and skill which you can use to upgrade your skills. Your skills are split between strength, defense and speciality and it’s well worth paying attention to them as when the going gets tough in the later levels you’ll need more than just your spider-senses to help you!

Spider Man Total Mayhem iPhone

The game is spread over 12 levels that are filled with action replay value too as on top of the four difficulty levels there are 150 pieces of artwork to be collected that any Spider-Man fan will very much enjoy and a 2nd game mode called Boss Russ where you can beat all the unlocked bosses against the clock.

If you are a fan of Spider-Man or comic books in general then you will probably love this game and for non-Spider-Man fans the game is just as good. Despite it’s linear nature I never grew tired of beating down the endless supply of baddies and the mix of fighting along with navigating the city make Spider-Man: Total Mayhem and great addition to your gaming collection, even at $6.99!

Pros

  • Looks and sounds great
  • Perfect movement and combat controls
  • Beating up baddies has never felt so good

Cons

  • No multi-player
  • Linear game-play

Reviewed on an iPhone 4

Price: $6.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released:Sep 01, 2010
Reviewed Version:1.0.0
Size: 467 MB
Languages:English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish
Seller:Gameloft S.A.
Software © 2010 Gameloft. All Rights Reserved. Gameloft and the Gameloft logo are trademarks of Gameloft in the US and/or other countries. Marvel, Spider-Man and all related character names and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Marvel Entertainment, LLC and its subsidiaries and are used with permission. Copyright © 2010 Marvel Entertainment, LLC and its subsidiaries. Licensed by Marvel Characters B.V. www.marvel.com. All rights reserved.
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.

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