ith a new movie coming out this Spring, it seemed like a perfect springboard for Spider-Man to leap onto the next-gen. Activision stopped by our offices and gave us a special peek at its upcoming Spider-Man 3. After watching the game in action, our senses are tingling with anticipation. The game takes the events of the upcoming film, adding extra characters and side missions. After walking us through another now-famous Bruce Campbell-narrated tutorial, Activision took to the streets. The game features a huge rendition of New York, with plenty of traffic and pedestrians. Special attention has been paid to Spidey’s costume and animations, and his suit truly mirrors his film counterpart. Spidey’s web-slinging animations in particular are beautiful, and do a great job of conveying Spider-Man’s grace and power. He’s also just as clingy as he is in the comics, which is a handy skill for getting the upper hand against foes.

Our favorite webslinger has a few new moves up his leotard sleeve, too. First up is a revised Spidey Sense. This time around, it’s an active ability, rather than something that pops up at predetermined moments. When the sense is activated, the screen changes tone and enemies glow a bright red. It looks like a helpful way to find those hard-to-reach enemies and figure out where to go next. Spider-Man can also harness his superhuman reflexes to his advantage. By using his Spidey Reflexes, time slows for everyone other than himself. We saw the ability activated in the middle of a mob of gangsters and Spider-Man systematically worked over each individual thug.

During the course of the game, gangs rise up in sections of town and Spidey has to cut them down. In one mission, an art collector was attacked by members of the Dragon Tail gang. Fortunately for him, our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man was close by to protect the art enthusiast. Spidey has a variety of combat moves—more than 40 attacks and combos, we’re told—including physical and web-based attacks. Spidey can string bad guys up to lampposts, where they’ll dangle helplessly, or temporarily incapacitate the by stringing them up spread-eagle between posts. As expected, Spider-Man’s moves include acrobatic leaps and high-flying fisticuffs. Spidey won’t gain new abilities through an in-game currency system, but will instead receive upgrades by beating specific missions. The game will feature movie-based missions as well as comic and gang missions. According to Activision, Spider-Man 3 features about 10 different storylines—not to mention side quests such as races, photo missions and skydiving contests. In short, Spidey is going to have plenty of opportunities to power up. Since Spidey is so fast, he’s able to pull off reversals with ease. This ability looked like a great way to reward speed and discourage button-mashing. During key combat moments, an X prompt briefly appeared over the character’s head. If that button was pressed quickly enough, Spidey performed a move that briefly gave him the upper hand. Depending on the enemy, he could whirl around behind a foe and get in a few free hits or perform devastating attacks on bosses.

While beating up random gang members looks fun enough, Spider Man 3 really shines in the boss-battle department. One of the first fights we were shown involved Scorpion. The fight began as a fairly standard indoor battle, with both combatants slapping the other around in a laboratory setting. Eventually, Scorpion gave Spider-Man the old heave-ho and tossed our hero through a window. The battle continued, eventually spilling out onto the street. It was a good example of how Spider-Man 3’s boss encounters are no longer penned into small areas. Perhaps realizing his mistake, Scorpion then bolted away. Spider-Man took after him, using his webs to zip along in a manner that looked instantly familiar to fans. When he finally caught up with Scorpion, the rep used it as an introduction to a new feature: Cinteractives. Cinteractives are what Activision is calling its new cutscene system. Similar to the button-press prompts that appear in the God of War series, Cinteractives are like traditional cutscenes that are advanced by pressing specific buttons at the right time. As Spider-Man approached Scorpion on the street, Scorpion used a shockwave to send several cars hurtling toward our hero. By pressing the right button sequences, Spidey dove around the cars and got close enough to Scorpion to retaliate. The Cinteractives seemed to break up the combat well, though the fact that there weren’t penalties for failure at this stage may drain the sequences of some drama.

In another boss sequence, Peter Parker’s quiet stroll was interrupted by his old friend/new nemesis, Harry Osborn. As the New Goblin, Osborn snatched Parker from the street and the two engaged in a tussle on the Goblin’s jet glider. Eventually, a few Cinteractives later, the fight resumed on lower ground. Without giving too much away, Parker uses Osborn’s razor bats to his advantage through a series of fast-paced cutscenes. The Activision rep told us that Treyarch worked closely with the filmmakers to ensure the fight choreography and in-game cinematography matched that of the film.

Finally, we witnessed the black-suited Spider-Man. In the film, the black suit lets Peter Parker tap into his more primal self, and the gameplay shifts accordingly. When he’s in the black suit, Spidey’s attacks are more reckless and brutal. While Spider-Man is usually an above-board fighter, black-suited Spider-Man has no problem sitting on an opponent’s chest and bashing his face into oblivion. Black-suited Spider-Man has a Rage Meter, which allows for even more powerful combos and attacks.

Activision decided the easiest way to show the difference between the two sides of Spider-Man could be best shown in his battle against Sandman in the subway. Peter blames Sandman for killing Uncle Ben, and takes after him while wearing the black suit. Trains barreled past as the characters duked it out on the tracks. Sandman had a variety of attacks, including throwing sand and turning his fists into giant spike balls. This is where were were privy to another special move, and Spidey grabbed Sandman’s face and smashed it against a moving car. The fight was furious, and the action was again punctuated with intense Cinteractive moments.

After the demonstration was over, I couldn’t wait to check out the action myself. The web slinging looked great and, if other games in the series are any indication, could elevate traveling across the map into an exhilarating experience. The camera had some issues, but we were looking at a relatively early build. The PlayStation 3 version will feature exclusive content, which should come as no surprise—Spider-Man 3 is a Sony Pictures production, after all. The game will also be hitting a wide variety of consoles, including PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance and PC. Activision said it will be released the day of the film, May 4. It looks like it may be worth the wait, too. Even though we didn’t get to play the game, it’s certainly shaping up to be a great entry to the Spider-Man franchise. The game blends the usual combat and web-slinging with new cinematic boss fights and huge environments. If the game is as compelling as what we saw, true believers are in for a super-sized treat.