Spider-Man 3 (video game)

Spider-Man 3
North American Microsoft Windows cover art
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Activision
Composer(s)Tobias Enhus
Engine
  • Treyarch NGL (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows)
  • Vicarious Visions Alchemy (PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance)
Platform(s)
ReleaseXbox 360, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, Wii, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS
  • WW: May 4, 2007
PlayStation 3
  • NA: May 4, 2007
  • EU: May 18, 2007
  • AU: September 20, 2007
PlayStation Portable
  • NA: October 16, 2007
  • EU: November 2, 2007
  • AU: December 4, 2007
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer (DS)

Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 action-adventure game based on the 2007 film of the same name. The game is the sequel to 2004's Spider-Man 2, itself based on the 2004 film of the same name. It was released for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Wii, Nintendo DS, and Game Boy Advance on May 4, 2007, and for the PlayStation Portable on October 16, 2007. Published by Activision, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were developed by Treyarch, while Vicarious Visions handled the development of the other versions, which are drastically different. Beenox ported Treyarch's version of the game to Microsoft Windows.

The game plays similarly to two of Treyarch's previous Spider-Man titles, Spider-Man 2 and Ultimate Spider-Man, incorporating an open world design that allows players to freely explore a fictitious representation of Manhattan when not completing missions to advance the narrative. The symbiote costume from the film is a major gameplay mechanic, increasing Spider-Man's strength and unlocking new abilities. While the game directly adapts the plot of the film, it builds upon it by including additional characters and elements from the Spider-Man comic books and other aspects of the Marvel Universe. Most actors reprise their roles from the film, including Tobey Maguire, James Franco (the first time he does so as Josh Keaton provided Harry's voice in the previous two games), Topher Grace, Thomas Haden Church, and J. K. Simmons. Bruce Campbell, who played a French maître d' in the film, narrates the game's tutorial level.

With the exception of the Nintendo DS version, which received mostly positive reviews, Spider-Man 3 was met with a mixed critical response. Most of the criticism was aimed at the game's graphics, short length, and technical issues, as well as being too similar to its predecessors. The drastic differences between platforms was another point of criticism. The game was followed in October 2008 by Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, which has no connections to the Spider-Man film series. A beat 'em up loosely connected to the films, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, was published by Activision in October 2007. Following the expiration of Activision's licensing deal with Marvel, Spider-Man 3 was delisted and removed from all digital store fronts on January 4, 2017.