Spider-Man 3 - hands-on

Let's face it, games based on films usually range from mediocre to just plain crappy. But Spider-Man 2 excused itself from following in the steps of other toss-worthy titles clinging to the coattails of the big budget movies they were based on. Swinging through the streets of Manhattan in the free-roaming sandbox title felt great, and its ties to the film franchise felt more like icing on the cake than a crutch to hook you in with a stale game.

Fast forward to today, and publisher, Activision, seems eager to make history repeat itself again with Spider-Man 3 titles in the works for just about every system under the sun. We recently got some time with the Wii, PS3, 360, and of the game, and while fans of the series should be pleased with the direction it's taking, don't expect any major surprises.

All versions of the game we saw will also feature interactive cut scenes of the Dragon's Lair/God of War variety. These mini-games make for some cinematic scenes and add flair to the action. While fighting Sandman, successfully following the button prompts resulted in a gruesome cut scene where Parker grabbed Sandman by the back of the head and began grinding his face against a passing subway train.