IGN: Talk about a megaton -- Spider-Man is back! What exactly is happening in New York and ol'webhead's life in this new game? Where do the players fit in?
Graham Fuchs and Chris Scholz: Yes, it's pretty heavy. New York City has been invaded and martial law has been declared. Heroes are gathering uptown to protect civilians, and villains are grouping downtown to repel the aggressors. It's up to the player as Spider-Man to save the city … by any means necessary.
IGN: The first thing that sprung out at us when we looked at the first screenshot was that Spider-Man's got his classic comic book logo on his back rather than the movie logo. Is this story taking place in the comic book canon? Is it after the start of the Brand New Day arc? Are we completely off base and this is its own story all together?
Graham Fuchs and Chris Scholz: You're right; this game is set in the classic comic universe. We've been given a lot of freedom to come up with our own storyline that fits perfectly with the gameplay we've envisioned.
IGN: We realize you're not ready to show your hand just yet, but we all know that one of the best parts of the Spider-Man universe is his rogues gallery. That screenshot of an alien-looking/messed up Empire State Building looks like the work of a serious bad guy. Will Spider-Man's foe in this game be someone he's faced off with before or someone original for the title?
Graham Fuchs and Chris Scholz: There's going to be a lot of Marvel heroes and villains involved in dealing with the invasion. Some are pretty well known, and some are fan favorites who've never appeared in a Spider-Man game before.
IGN: How do the customizable superpowers work? Is it one of those things where the more you use your powers the stronger they get or are there upgrades you earn by collecting coins or something?
Graham Fuchs and Chris Scholz: Through the upgrade system you're going to be able to build the Spider-Man that suits your play style. For example, if you prefer to attack from a distance, you can upgrade more web moves. If you prefer to get up close and personal, you can upgrade your hand to hand combat moves. The player is in control of how Spidey evolves through the game.
Maybe that'll go away on its own ...
IGN: The one thing people always comment on when it comes to the majority of Activision's Spider-Man games is how much fun it is to just swing around New York. What is web slinging like in this game? Is it one button? Do you need to use left and right triggers to choose a direction?
Graham Fuchs and Chris Scholz: The swinging everyone loves will be back, and we continue to make improvements to make it better than ever. We've also put a lot of focus into Spidey's wall-crawling and acrobatics to make his movement through the city more fluid than ever.
IGN: In the past, fighting the forces of evil has had the tendency to get repetitive with Spider-Man just punching and kicking on the ground. What can you tell us about the new vertical combat system?
Graham Fuchs and Chris Scholz: The goal was to recreate the feeling of the battles in the comics that start on the ground, go up the side of a building, and finish on the rooftops. Our combat designer has called this "the most 3D game ever."