What do you get when you mix a zombie game with the Marvel Universe? Treyarch and Shaba Games have the answer: Spider-Man: Web of Shadows.

In this game, Manhattan has become completely infested with the alien mind-controlling symbiote that gives “Venom” his superpowers. The S.H.I.E.L.D. team has isolated the island to prevent the spread of infection, and now it’s up to Spider-Man to save the city.

But it’s too much for him alone. An array of Marvel heroes and villains may be able to help, but the symbiote is taking over and mutating more of these characters every second.

This same symbiote once gave Spider-Man even stronger powers, but they made him more aggressive and merciless. Is it worth doing again to save the city? Now you must choose who to team up with from the Marvel world and how far you will go to salvage Manhattan.

Much darker than other Spider-Man games, Web of Shadows presents ethical dilemmas to our superhero friend and lets the gamers decide which path to take. This is the first Spider-Man game that lets players make decisions and choose their own path in the game. The outcome of the game depends on these choices, and there are many different possible endings.

Web of Shadows has cool scenes and visual features. It’s always fun just to see your favorite Marvel character mutate into a super-powered monster. The game presents a unique storyline in the Marvel Universe. The Invasion of the Body Snatchers-feel of the game is creepy, but in a good way. In most games you have to be a helpless human fighting zombies, but in Web of Shadows you get to be a superhero.

Just don’t get too caught up in the extra powers the symbiote gives you; you never know when you might turn sides against yourself.

By Joe Legato