Our favorite neighborhood spider is back! This time, he’s teamed up with the very foes that plotted to bring his downfall. At the Activision event last week, we were able to demo this addition to the Spider-Man franchise and might I add, we were impressed with the new concepts that Activision has developed for their hit movie-to-game series.

The 360 demo started off with an entertaining movie with graphics that were sub-par to the capabilities of the console. It wasn’t bad, but it could be much better. The graphics falls short of what Ultimate Spider-Man was for its time, but Activision makes up for it in its innovative gameplay. We’re hoping that they’ll improve the graphics a bit before the official release. One downside to the Spider-Man processors was the difficult controls and non n00b-friendly curve. I assume Activision was addressing that steep learning curve by making Spider-Man: Friend or Foe much easier to maneuver. But still…where’s the flying with ease using the web trapeze? But I digress. There were aspects in the demonstration that made up for that.

First off, Spidey is fast as hell. Before enemies try to hit you, you hit them faster and at a longer range. This is nice for someone like me who sucks at dodging. Second: simplicity. It’s easy to figure out where to go and what to do next without too much hemming and hawing. Third: short tutorial. If there’s one thing we gamers get irritated with is a long tutorial. Spider-Man: Friend or Foe’s tutorial literally takes 10 seconds. Players can get started on kicking butt right away. Fourth: You get to be the bad guy. Who wouldn’t love this concept? Sure, it gets annoying how Venom’s tongue is always sticking out, but that’s a minor down-side considering how awesome he is. There aren’t too many differences between character combat which makes switching much more adaptable.

If you like the button-mashing type action games, this game is for you. You can Co-Op (yay!) with a friend to complete levels, conquer villains and convert them to do your bidding. The demo kept us hooked with interest on which villains will come out next. Hopefully, Activision will work on their graphics and dubious landscaping and this game would be one entertaining package…just like the movie.