Spider-Man: The Movie 3 builds on the tremendous success of the last game in the series by dropping Webhead into an even more sophisticated, open-world version of New York City. In the struggle against Harry Osborne (taking after his father, the Green Goblin), Sandman, and eventually Venom, Spider-Man also deals with internal conflict and the insidious influence of his mysterious black suit.

In the game, the black suit represents a branching story path and a somewhat different set of abilities. It makes Spidey more powerful and vicious in combat. On the downside, he is harder to control, although we don't yet know exactly how the controls are affected. Another consequence is that Manhattan's citizens and gangs become more chaotic as their role model begins to behave differently. In either suit, new abilities are gradually unlocked as you play the game, more like Crackdown than the store-based upgrade system of previous Spider-Man games.

Spider-Man can once again go anywhere in a virtual Manhattan, and this time, the city includes a complete subway system big enough that you can even swing around down there and participate in underground story missions. The developer has promised that the story-driven missions will better tie into the movie, while the optional tasks around Manhattan will be more varied and more interesting – no more of the last game's delivering pizzas or chasing runaway balloons.

Of course, web-swinging was a huge feature in Spider-Man 2, and the sequel further develops this system. On Wii, the remote and nunchuk each represent one of Spidey's web shooters. The controllers are swung forward in alternation to represent his arms launching webs into the sky. You can also move them in other directions for different web moves. There are also new aerial combat moves which will presumably be very useful while fighting the New Goblin over the cityscape.

In a nod to Dragon's Lair and Resident Evil 4, this game will feature interactive cut-scenes. During otherwise unplayable narrative sequences, you move the Remote and nunchuk in different directions to affect what is happening on screen. There are many branching possibilities during these scenes, so if you fail to perform a quick action, the scene will change and you may have another chance.

The Wii version is being developed at Vicarious Visions, separately from the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. Along with the PS2 and PSP builds, the Wii game will feature Morbius and Shriek as special guest villains. All versions of the game are due for release with the movie this May.