We can understand the constraints that the current-gen consoles would have placed on populating a huge city like that, but now, with the grunting super-innards of the Xbox 360 and PS3 mega-brains there's no excuse. Not only is the New York of Spidey going to be that much bigger, but Treyarch is adding miles of subterranean areas, like subways and sewers, giving players more to explore and, crucially, a greater variety of locations for incidents to take place in.
Better yet, the streets are much more crowded. More cars on the roads, more people on the pavement, and - yes - a greater variety of crimes taking place all around the city, from the usual looters and thieves to rising gang violence aplenty. When Spider-Man's not busy tracking the plot of the film, there will be more than enough in the way of side-quests and challenges to manage - and hopefully some more of those of races and exploration/collection challenges we enjoyed so much last time around.
Which reminds us - the story. This is, after all a game of the film. While the film story will make up one thread of the game's narrative, Spider-Man 3 will feature 10 stories taking place in the city simultaneously. It's up to the player which one they want to further and when. Stuck on one story line? Well, why not take a breather and follow some of your other leads in the city. It's this kind of freedom that, much like the last game, will set it apart from your usual film tie-ins. Poaching the best bits from the film, while still being able to throw in, say, new villains and scenarios to mix things up a bit. What more could you possibly ask for?
