The Only Reason I'd Want Anything to Do With Spiders

I had a chance to sit through a demo of upcoming Wii action adventure game Deadly Creatures Rainbow Studios in the lead up to E3. The game has you taking turns controlling a spider and a scorpion as they make their way through a hostile desert environment and try to suffer the indignities, and boots of a pair of humans.

The Wii exclusive does a lot of neat things with the genre. First is the fact that while you do take turns controlling both the scorpion and spider in Deadly Creatures, they aren't buddies. In fact, they're deadly enemies of one another. You will never actually do combat while controlling either creature, but you get to witness a few stand-offs as the game unwinds.

While most of the action of the game takes place in the desert of Arizona, there is an overriding story that deals with these mysterious guys searching for something. It's these cut-scenes that sort of tie the entire experience together.

Controlling the spider and scorpion involves a lot of motion control, but the good kind, not the bad one. For instance, while moving the spider around you can target nearby creatures and then strike at them with a sudden flick forward of your hand. This also allows you to do some distant jump attacks. The spider, of course, can also crawl up walls and such, and both creatures regain health by eating crickets. Movement can be just as important as combat in the game too. In one scene the spider had to ditch a rattle snake by tricking it to strike into a cactus repeatedly. The whole thing, from interface, to movement and types of attack, has a very organic feel to it.

Both creatures unlock new abilities, like the ability to spin spider silk to capture creatures, by defeating a set number of creatures to hit predator goals.

Unfortunately, the game won't include any two-player co-op play. Instead you get take turns playing as the two critters in alternating chapters.

While almost all of the game is about surviving the environment and other nasty creatures, the final boss is one of the two humans in the game, the developer told me.

"I don't want to give too much away, but it will make you very squeamish," the developer said. "We do awful things to that poor man."

this is looking good,i like the concept of the game cant wait to get it.

I've heard some good things about this game. It looks interesting.

sounded great! can't wait to play as a tarantula or a scorpion...

I can't wait to bite and sting the last boss. Muahaha >:D

I was interested in this game from the get-go.
It sucks, though, for them because when they showed it at E3... None of the people seemed too interested in the game because they have to show it to them right before Little Big Planet... It seems to me

E3 should utilize the time and divide each console's presentation, not mix them.

Besides, this is one of the few "M" game coming out this year for Wii
I hope it does well and not like what happened w/ No More Heroes which deserved great sales... better sales, I should say.

I think I like this game 'cuz it's a spider and a scorpion!

hmmm 2 great games coming from THQ!!

Kind of makes me wonder why they didnt have multiplayer on this game, since its such a commonplace feature in most games.

looks good though, definitely an interesting concept.

"We do awful things to that poor man."

LOL my need for this game just grew.

If you have to sting the last boss in the nuts, this just became GOTY material.