Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions

After Noir the 2099 and Ultimate dimensions seem far more traditional, offering tweaks that tend not to switch the main game mechanics around so much. 2099's twists tend to be kinks in the level design as you explore the linear-but-pretty skyscraper canyons of futuristic New York, facing off against supervillains and swarms of corrupt coppers.

This particular future's a glossy place, fizzing with neon advertisements and sheer drops. The game plays out as a series of rooftop arenas linked by avenues to swing across or freefall sections. These see you pursuing enemies down through a maze of buildings, ducking around the mandatory clumps of flying taxis as you go.

A quick boss fight against the Hobgoblin is satisfyingly simple as you catch his pumpkin bombs and twang them back at him. Spider-Man's moves are heavily influenced by that Brazilian martial art which Beenox's handy on-site developer totally forgot the name of, and I thought was called Caipirinha. (The martial art's called Capoeira, obv, and Caipirinha is a not-very-nice cocktail, all of which explains why I tend to avoid street fights when I'm visiting Rio.)

The point is, the combat seems to focus on close-up melee attacks and speedy movement between foes. It's button-bashy, and not unpleasantly so, and it will be interesting to see how the system holds up over the course of the 2099 levels.

The Ultimate dimension seems similarly straightforward. Spidey fights through Triskelion, the SHIELD HQ off the coast of New York - don't look for it in your guidebook maps because SHIELD already thought of that, right – on the trail of Carnage.

Parker's wearing the black Spider-Man suit with its nasty sprouting tendrils, allowing for a greater reach and more in the way of area attacks, and so the developer has responded by piling on the baddies in the game's large arenas.

A Rage Meter mixes things up further – build it with attacks, and then unleash it for periods of improved speed and aggressiveness. It does a decent job of encouraging you to plan your slaughter a little more tactically as you pick your way from one cluster of enemies to the next, timing your moments of near-invulnerability.

That said, a generous recharge and the fact you can top your Rage up once you've triggered it by chaining hits mean you never have to be that strategic if you don't want to be.

Enemies, regardless of which dimension you're in, are extraordinarily stupid. Noir's henchmen often don't blink an eye as you truss their buddies up in front of them, while Ultimate's armoured super-soldiers have a habit of shooting in every direction all of the time, just in case.

But that should be fine for the kind of light, arcadey fun Shattered Dimensions is going for. This is not shaping up to be a complex game by any means, but it seems likely to be a fairly enjoyable one. The game's different takes on the classic character are already more considered than the mere pallet swaps they could have been.

Most importantly, Beenox's game oozes with all things Spidey. One of the better tests of any superhero game is how things look when you press pause, and on this count, at least, Shattered Dimensions delivers. Punches are thrown with exaggerated stances, victims cower, and enemies gurn with horror as their guns are snatched away on trails of silken webbing.

If you're expecting Spider-Man's version of Arkham Asylum, you may be disappointed by the straightforward adventure Beenox has in store. If you're up for a colourful romp through one of Marvel's better IPs, however, there's still a lot for you – and Linus Pauling – to get excited about.