“Did you see the beam that just struck Central Park? … Surely it was a herald of things to come. … I have a feeling you may become involved in something that may overwhelm you.”

“Whatever it was, I can handle it.”

Spawn is a creature of darkness, a creation of hell, akin to a demon, if you will, but there was a time when he was a man. And he remembers that time, and what transformed him into that which he now is.

“Regret and hatred are all I am made of now … and yet, I can remember love.”

His love was taken from him from the Prince of Hell, and he was forced by all things evil to become a pawn of the devil. But even pawns can aspire to become more than mere tools. And it was through his love that Spawn returned to the world, to watch over it.

Namco and Point of View, in conjunction with Todd McFarlane, are the forces behind Spawn Armageddon, a third-person adventure title that is long on action, while relatively short on plot depth. Couple that with arcade powerups and unlockables and you have a game that is caught on the edges of serious action and mindless entertainment.

Ok, an explanation into the latter is required. Here is a nice touch – you can touch beacons to turn them red and mark your trail around the mapboards. But floating in the air in the levels are comic books. You can collect them to unlock artwork. It has little to do with the game, but if you are a major McFarlane fan, you might enjoy this bonus feature.

The game begins much like any superhero tale would – a lone figure on a rooftop, cape flapping in the wind. A blast of light hits the park and Spawn heads off to investigate.

Spawn has a weapon, an axe known as Agony. He also has a series of Hell Powers, which can drain his necroplasm. However, he can gain that back through collecting necroplasm orbs. Hell powers include unleashing demonic fury upon a single target, superhuman speed, a necroshield, a necroplasm beam that hits multiple targets and a targeting necroplasm ball that explodes on contact with the target. There are also health orbs scatters about.

In other regards, the game plays out with arcade-style controls. Spawn can perform combination moves; collect souls to upgrade weaponry, all while he battles through levels filled with demons and hell fields. Using the right weapon is essential. A flying demon is much easier to take down with a couple of shotgun blasts than trying to jump and whack it with the axe.

Hell fields block the path through the game and conditions must be met in order to remove them. The control elements are quite good and simple enough to use.

The musical score of this game is very good, with driving rock rhythms and solid vocal acting.

The three-dimensional graphics are very nicely done. This is a game that is very linear in mapboards, but each environment is wonderfully textured.

Spawn is not a game that requires much thought. With lock-on targeting, this is a game that is more a thumb exercise than much else. Still, it is mindless hack ‘n slash entertainment, with a lot of blood splatters and a multitude of enemies. If you want depth, look elsewhere. If you are looking for a Spawn tale that is as inspiring as the media that generated this title, look elsewhere. If you are in the mood for an action game with a lot of violence and surrealistic themes, this fits the bill.

Gameplay: 7.5
Load times and some cutscenes but mostly this game is driven by a linear walk through levels filled with progressively tougher mobs.

Graphics: 8
The game has solid three-dimensional environments and animation.

Sound: 8.4
The music and vocal characterizations are very well done.

Difficulty: Medium

Three difficulty settings to suit almost every game player.

Concept: 6.5

The world of Spawn is amazing and intriguing – something that is lost here. While the interface is good, the game is lacking depth.

Overall: 7.8

This game is an arcade action title that is not very deep in terms of plot. It does sport a lot of action and the graphical quality is quite good. If you are looking for a simplistic hack ‘n slash, you should check this out. Spawn Armageddon is a solid foray into a combat heavy world.