Lead voice talent annouced for new Spider-Man game

(All rights reserved - Activision)

Each of the four versions of Spider-Man in upcoming video game Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions will be voiced by an established name from previous TV series - and Activision used San Diego's Comic-Con event to announce their line-up.

Neil Patrick Harris of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, How I Met Your Mother and Doogie Howser MD played the webbed wonder during 2003's run of Spider-Man: The New Animated Series. He'll be the talent behind Amazing Spider-Man, the most recognizable variant.

Joining Harris will be Josh Keaton, Dan Gilvezan, and Christopher Barnes. Keaton is experienced in providing video game voiceovers, having played Ninja Gaiden II's Ryu Hayabusa, and Spider-Man in Marvel Super Hero Squad, as well as the title role in TV's The Spectacular Spider-Man. For the game he'll be the Ultimate Spider-Man.

Gilvezan's turn in the early 1980s Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends helped establish his career, cemented by voicing Bumblebee in the Transformers series, and he will be playing Spider-Man 2099 in Shattered Dimensions.

Barnes found fame as Scott Hayden in mid-1980s series Starman, and became another animated Spider-Man for four years in the 1990s. For the upcoming video game, he becomes Spider-Man Noir of the 1930s.

Both Marvel and DC Comics have proven keen to license their heroes and villains for video game use in recent years.

While Shattered Dimensions is to be made available on Nintendo Wii, DS, PS3 and 360 come early September, Marvel has the blockbusting Marvel vs Capcom 3 fighting game to look forward to in 2011.

As for DC, 2009's Batman: Arkham Asylum did exceptionally well, and November's DC Universe Online is to grace the PlayStation 3 and PC platforms.