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GAME ON!
By Ian Bonds
July 2, 2004
COMICS TO GAMES #7 – THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-GAMES
“…Does whatever a Spider can”
Welcome to a very special (and very BIG) Game On! Comics To Games feature. This week, we’re taking a look at one of my favorite comic characters of all time, and also one that I collect just about every game for. I’m talking, of course, about the man who as I type this is once again setting box office legends, Spider-man. Beginning in 1982 and going on until this week, there have been roughly 19 games released (20 if you count the Craptacular Commodore 64 game, but we don’t count computer games) starring the vigilant arachnid. With the exception of the newest game (which I will review next week) we’re taking a look at ALL of the SPIDER-MAN games. We’ll also see some games that feature the wall crawler along with other heroes, or just places where he makes a quick cameo. Hold on, True Believers, this is a HUGE expedition…
STARRING SPIDER-MAN
SPIDER-MAN – (Atari 2600 – 1982)
The first game to feature Spidey is also one of the most difficult to play. Not because it’s especially challenging, but largely due to the fact that the joysticks for the old Atari system weren’t very forgiving in the motion department.
The game was fairly simple in it’s plot. Move your blue & red block Spider-man up the gray building block to fight the green and purple Goblin block at the top as he threw orange pumpkin bomb dots at you. To say the graphics were primitive is an understatement, but at the time, this was the pinnacle of technology, and we ate it up. There also wasn’t much variety here. No, no six or ten button controllers these. No, the joysticks only had ONE button, with which Spidey shot out a strand of webbing. He could use it to swing, and as he did, he’d automatically kick thugs hanging out of windows, or the Goblin himself. Thing was, the kick was random. You’d have to time it so your foe wasn’t attacking at the same time,
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otherwise you’d get hit. Fairly straightforward, and for 1982, it worked. Spidey’s first foray into video game territory was a success.
Still, that whole variety thing came into play once you actually managed to time your moves against ol’ Gobby well enough to advance to the next level, where you did THE EXACT SAME THING. Ooh, now that’s level design. Well, what did you honestly expect, this was the era of Pac-man. In that they saw fun in repetition, and they were hoping for the same here. It works for a brief period, but only if A) you’re about 3 to 6 years old and B) it’s 1982. Other than that, you’d best only be playing this if you’re a hardcore Spidey fan.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN – (GameBoy – 1990)
Spider-man’s next video game adventure wouldn’t be for another 8 years, this time on Nintendo’s handheld console. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN was a couple steps up from the Atari game, but still not as spectacular as it could have been.
Here, someone has kidnapped Mary Jane (a theme used in the games very often) and it’s up to ol’ Webhead to get her back. The cutscenes between the levels show Spidey ON THE PHONE with each stages next villain, be it Mysterio, Hobgoblin, Scorpion, whatever. Well, maybe it’s a walkie-talkie. Regardless, it’s ridiculous looking.
The graphics here are typical GameBoy. Tiny sprites, not a load of detail. You can tell who the main characters are supposed to be, but the various thugs who come at you before the brief (and insanely easy) boss battles all look EXACTLY the same. One punch, they’re down for the count. Almost the same can be said for the bosses. For every single one of them the same strategy can be used. Hit them, they’ll run to another location. Hit them again, they’ll run. Chase and repeat until dead.
The web swinging and sticking to walls is kept to a minimum here, which disappoints, as that’s all most
folk want to do as Spidey. There are a few levels where you climb up the side of the building, avoiding things falling at you through the use of your Spider-sense, but they’re few and far between (I think there’s only two, actually). As far as web swinging goes, it’s often times difficult to execute. You have to do a BIG jump, then press the jump button again to start swinging. Well, there’s no way to intentionally DO a big jump. It almost seems pressure sensitive, but we all know that GameBoys didn’t have that feature, so it can’t be that. So you’ll be jumping off ledges, trying to jump higher into the air so you can webswing over a gap, only to fall to your doom due to the jump’s inadequate height and no way to gauge how to do it correctly. Loose enough lives, and the game will just scroll you to the area you couldn’t advance over. Well, that’s nice of them.
The only other web move that Spider-man has in this game is a web attack, done by holding the attack button down. He fires off a web that splits into three different directions. It doesn’t tie up the baddies, but it causes damage. Hmm. Must be that new “impact” webbing.
Again, it’s not a great game, and other than the occasional webswinging and levels where your climbing up the side of building, this is just a normal side scrolling action game. Take away the SPIDER-MAN name, and it’s sub-par at best. With it, it’s still pretty moderate.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
SPIDER-MAN - (Genesis, Game Gear - 1991)
Well, leave it to Sega to get things right. In SPIDER-MAN for Genesis, you could do just about everything a spider could, finally. Here, the Kingpin of Crime has set a bomb in New York City, framing Spider-man as the culprit who planted it. You have 24 hours to find all the clues and the bomb, diffuse it, and save the city. Along the way you’ll battle Spidey’s greatest foes, finally ending with a battle with Kingpin himself.
The 16-bit graphics here really showcase how Spidey SHOULD look in a game. Plus, you can now stick to just about every wall, and punch and kick with ease. You can even select different kinds of webs to use; either capture/attack webs (they caused damage, but if they were the defeating hit on a foe, it would tie them up) or a web shield. You could even take pictures, which was central to the game’s action system. Get a good shot of Spidey fighting some baddie, and you got good money for the shot, which you could use to buy more web fluid. You could even quickly get out of the level you were in to stop by Parker’s apartment. Even though this served no purpose whatsoever, it at least was nice for them to try to include that.
What made this game shine above the other so far (as well as, honestly, most of the games proceeding it) is the execution of Spider-man’s moves, as well as the level design. Battles between Doc Ock, Hobgoblin
and Sandman were all very comic-booky and had a great feel. The webswinging was easily done, as was sticking to most surfaces. The game just made you feel like Spider-man, which was all we could have asked for at the time. You had his powers, you could use all of them all the time (not just selectively as in previous games) and it was just so much fun to play. The handheld Game Gear version of the game was almost the same thing, just, obviously, on a much smaller scale. The game still stands as one of the best Superhero games (not just SPIDER-MAN games) ever.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
SPIDER-MAN 2 – (GameBoy – 1992)
With LJN’s return to the hero, they decided to go a new route from the previous GameBoy title. The graphics are both scaled down AND up (character designs are minimized, but backgrounds are enhanced), and the overall level design is made so that the story flows more evenly. Here’s Parker wakes up with a headache, realizing something’s wrong with the world (a Spider-sense hangover, of sorts). Hobgoblin’s just outside terrorizing folk, and Peter heads off as Spidey to stop him.
Right from the start, you can battle Hobby outside, or explore the surrounding buildings for power upgrades. Usually, I chose to get the villain battle out of the way, so he’s not dropping pumpkin bombs on my head as I step outside. After his defeat, he leaves a key behind, and you realize this is much more than your typical SPIDER-MAN game. As you progress through the game (running into Spidey’s rogues gallery along the way, but never in a “you’re about to fight a level boss” kind of manner) you collect items that will help your progression. A key to a lab, an ID card for a building, fuel for the Goblin glider to fly over a wall, the Lizard’s antidote, etc. It’s more of an adventure game than just straight ahead action.
There’s more strategy involved in the defeat of your foes, a cue taken from the previous year’s Sega game. The webbing and fight controls are a bit more advanced, despite the GBs minimal buttons. And while the graphics are sized down (everybody looks anorexic and there’s minimal character detail on everyone INCLUDING Spidey…the only distinctive looking characters are the bosses) the game just feels worlds better than the last GB outing. The game flows as if it’s just another day in the life of Spidey, with him moving seamlessly from one area to the next. Granted, he’s got to take on some of his most dangerous foes (including Carnage at an Amusement park) and some are ill-used, but it’s still better than the simplistic battles of the previous GB game.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
SPIDER-MAN: RETURN OF THE SINISTER SIX – (NES – 1992, Game Gear – 1993)
Oh boy. With as good as SPIDER-MAN 2 was for GB, you would hope that his next outing, the first for NES, would be just as good, if not better. I mean, you’ve got more memory to work with in the bigger carts, right? Sadly, that’s just not the case in SPIDER-MAN: RETURN OF THE SINISTER SIX. From start to finish, this game is a train wreck.
First, why does Spider-man look so…fat? Is this Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham? Also, as you move about the screen, your moves as you jump and (attempt to) attack the badguys seems almost random. One second you’re jumping, then suddenly a kick is performed without any additional button presses. Webbing is “wait, how’d I do that?” and “c’mon, do it again!” throughout the entire game. The whole control scheme is inconsistent, and agonizing to play.
The graphics are just laughable, even for an NES title. Sure they all look like whom they’re supposed to be portraying, but they’re all short and stocky. EVERYONE has the same “husky” look to them. And there’s
not even that much difference between the graphics of the NES version and the Game Gear release a year later. At least the control was slightly tightened for the handheld, but it doesn’t look (or play) any better.
This game is basically an excuse to sell the SPIDER-MAN name. Sure you’re actually fighting the original Sinister Six (and not one of it’s numerous variations) and you can do some of Spidey’s moves (if you can ever figure out HOW) but the whole thing just isn’t any fun, or worth playing.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
SPIDER-MAN – X-MEN: ARCADE’S REVENGE – (SNES, Genesis, GameBoy, Game Gear – 1993)
In an interesting crossover, Spider-man has witnessed each of the X-men being captured and attempts a rescue mission. When he discovers them, he finds out that Arcade has kidnapped them all, when Spidey unexpectedly shows up to join in the festivities. Arcade releases them all into different areas of his Murderworld, each specially designed for that hero.
Spider-man’s levels are pretty basic, but again, the control becomes an issue, since you can’t do everything Spider-man can. If you could, the game may be over to quickly or two easily, and the developers couldn’t have that, apparently. Spidey can stick to walls, jump and swing, etc, but only in certain areas to certain objects. Boo. The game is just frustrating to the point of agony, and you’ll find yourself cursing as to why you just can’t seem to swing properly over a tiny gap that by all accounts and purposes, you should be able to easily JUMP across.
The graphics are okay, nothing to spectacular. One level uses Spidey’s Spider-Sense, but it’s more of a caption at the top of the screen saying ‘Spider-Sense” with an arrow pointing you toward the danger. Wow, pretty blatant. There’s two levels for each hero (other than Spidey’s initial level for the rescue attempt) and each is specific only to that character, which stinks. I’d love to be able to use Spidery in Gambit level of trying to outrun that giant spiked ball.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
SPIDER-MAN 3: INVASION OF THE SPIDER SLAYERS – (GameBoy – 1993)
And the downward spiral continues. LJN just really didn’t make that many quality games, and when they did, they’d often find ways to screw it up just enough to piss you off. Such is the case with their third GB SPIDER-MAN game. They beefed up graphics from the previous title a little bit, but the flow of the level design and the control are practically gone, as is the fun.
Taking a familiar theme from the comics, Spidey is out on normal patrol when he’s attacked by strange robotic creatures. Smyth is back with his Spider-Slayers. Sure, it seems like a cool idea for a game, and might actually be, if the execution actually had any thought put into it. Instead we get aggravating level design, muddy controls and music that makes your ears bleed. Sign me up.
I’m not too sure what happened here, but it’s like the developers and programmers slept through the design of this game. The stages now have you trying various tasks such as “stopping 20 muggers” or the like
before being able to move on. The control is all screwy again, with webswinging a chore to perform. Because of this, attempting to climb the building in the third level is next to impossible. Attacks are just kick, and not even a jump kick, just a standing kick. This game is just crap from beginning to…well, as far as you can advance before giving up in aggravation. Even the music grates on your nerves. This one’s just about unplayable.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
SPIDER-MAN/VENOM: MAXIMUM CARNAGE – (SNES, Genesis – 1994)
Ah, but then, there’s always a glimmer of hope. Sporting a plot lifted directly from the comics, this title basically recreates the entire Carnage series in game form. You play as Spider-man (and later Venom) in a side scrolling beat ‘em up action arcade style game.
Now we’re getting into serious fun. Here, the developers have found a storyline rife for good battles with super villains, but instead have you battling thugs and goons who all look the same with the exception of some color swaps. Still, the beat ‘em up format works well, and you’ll be tearing through the baddies in no time. There’s minimal webswinging, but it’s used well here, and you even have a few webattacks, such as being able to web an opponent closer to you to kick their ass. Nice.
The game is all out action, and while some of the situations are questionable (why am I fighting all of these gang members, when I should be getting after carnage and crew? Do these gangs work for them? It’s never explained) they’re still a lot of fun. Sure, there’s a certain repetition here that’s common for this type of game, but they break it up with (eventual) confrontations of the main baddies (Doppelganger, Shriek, Demogoblin, etc) and inclusion of the other heroes (whom you can call into to battle with the press of a button) such as Cloak & Dagger, Black Cat & Firestorm.
The graphics are better than we’ve seen, and the story is told through minimally animated comics pages,
directly from the mini series. The character models are big and vibrant, and the action (while moderately animated) flows well. The music is even done by then hard-rock icons Green Jelly, whose Gwar style riffs are heard midi style throughout the game. At the time, this was one of the best action games out there for your money, and it was nice that they stuck the actual comic storyline in there (at least in the cut scenes).
The control is simple, the moves are fun, and it’s not as annoying as the previous games bearing the hero’s name. Good times indeed. It’s not perfect, as some bosses are just a plain bitch to fight (what’s up with that random metal beast in the Fantastic Four HQ?) and it’s a bit on the monotonous side, but it’s still good mindless action.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VS THE KINGPIN – (Sega CD – 1994)
Revisiting the same game from the Genesis, the Sega CD game took the plot and action of the original, and added some sweet updates for the disc version, including cutscenes with actual voice acting, and a bizarre yet strangely compelling theme song by Eric Martin of Mr. Big entitled “Swing Time”.
Essentially, this is the very same game as its cartridge counterpart (even the same level passwords work) , but with a few changes. First, no more going to Parker’s apartment (which is fine, since it served no purpose). Secondly, no more taking pictures, which honestly, I miss. Finally, there’s now the occurrence of integrating the fan’s sensibility into the game, where for the first (yet not the last) time in a game, you can collect comics scattered throughout the levels featuring the wall crawling hero. Get all 21 covers and…I don’t remember. SOMETHING cool must happen, right? Nope, actually, it’s just a collection thing, something added for you to do.
The cut scenes are actually really well done. They tell the story well for the game, and while there’s a Spider-man animated series coming out the same year as this game, it doesn’t use the style or the voice actors of it. That Eric Martin theme song can be heard throughout the opening and a few levels, and it’s a bit hokey, but after a while you’ll finding yourself singing along, which can be quite embarrassing once you realize it, even if you’re alone.
They amped up the difficulty on this title versus the original, and that’s a good thing. There’s a new NIGHTMARE mode of play as well, for the truly heroic to attempt. At the time of the game’s release, there was even a contest: if you beat the game on NIGHTMARE and collected all 21 comic covers, you could enter your best time into the contest to win a bunch of Marvel swag, and even a guitar signed by Mr. Big. Bizarre. I never won.
For a long time, this would be my favorite SPIDER-MAN game. It had all the great stuff form the Genesis version, some cool exclusive extras that the Gen version DIDN’T have, and that wicked corny theme music. I loved this game. Still do. Definitely one of the best games for the hero.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
SPIDER-MAN (ANIMATED SERIES) – (SNES, Genesis – 1994)
For every great game and tie-in, there’s always ten million crap ones. They don’t get much worse than the SPIDER-MAN game based on his Saturday morning Fox Kids show. From start to hair-pulling finish, this game screams ‘rushed” all over it.
Man, if you thought the control for the NES game was crappy, you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet, bucko. Spidey here moves so slowly, you’d swear he was wearing concrete shoes and a load of mortar in his shorts. He jumps pathetically, his attacks don’t reach very far, and he falls (FALLS!) into vats of boiling water (that he can’t jump out of!) all the time. And this is just in the first level.
For a game that touted the definitive SPIDER-MAN experience, you sure get disappointed quick playing this game. Granted, it’s not as horrible as some of the previous titles bearing the arachnid’s name, but it is still pretty much a bucket of crap. There’s tons of villains from the show and comics here, plus the random
inclusion of the Fantastic Four (non-playable), but you’ll never notice, as getting to them is such an insurmountable chore.
The graphics aren’t even all that hot, though they’re not bad. Spidey looks a little too ripped, but otherwise everything looks as it should. Again, character models seem a little on the short (and stocky) side, but are easily recognized.
It’s not as though the game doesn’t try to be good. It really does. It’s just that it’s hero is walking around every location like he has a case of explosive diarrhea and anything could set it off. That, coupled with his really lousy controls, just makes this yet another for the “collectors” pile.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
SPIDER-MAN: WEB OF FIRE – (Sega 32X – 1995)
WEB OF FIRE bears a few distinctions among the Spider games. First, it’s probably the best animated game up until the Playstation title. The 32X was a very misused peripheral attachment for the Genesis, and not many games knew how to handle the hardware. Still, WEB OF FIRE looked great, and actually controlled fairly decently too. The plot was that a giant electrical web has been spread out over NYC, and since it’s a web, Spidey gets blamed. You trudge through level after beat ‘em up level to find the culprit and restore order. You even get Daredevil to appear a few times to help in battles, much the same way you could call in heroes in MAXIMUM CARNAGE.
The second distinction this game carries is that it features some of the less common villains in Spidey’s rogues gallery. Third and fourth stringers like Dragonman and The Eel and the Super-Adaptoid make an appearance here for the first time ever (or since) in a Spider-man game. Even super powered mischief
makers HYDRA are behind the bizarre plot.
Thirdly, this game has the distinction of being the most rare and expensive SPIDER-MAN game in existence. Released near the end of the run for the 32X, not many copies of the game were made, making it hard to find. That coupled with the fact that it’s a major licensed character, makes copies of this game go anywhere from $250 to $400 on eBay. Luckily, I found my copy at a video store used for about $10 shortly after it came out. Sadly, somehow, it just stopped working before finishing this column. This is going to be a bitch to replace if I have to.
The game by no means is worth that money. Sure it’s a unique title in the series, and it does sport some actual decent action for a Spidey game (developed by Blue Sky, the same people who brought you VECTORMAN on Genesis) but there’s nothing overly spectacular about it other than the mild collectability of it. Still, for some reason, it’s the Holy Grail of Spidey games.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
VENOM/SPIDER-MAN: SEPARATION ANXIETY (SNES, Genesis – 1995)
The sequel to the hit MAXIMUM CARNAGE, this title is practically the same game. Same level design, same type of action (beat ‘em up), same characters. Yet somehow, it’s not the same kind of fun as the original.
Here, also borrowing a storyline from the comics and using slightly animated comic panels to tell it, Carnage has escaped and his symbiote has split up and he has his legion of foes for you to contend with. The action is just the same as it was before, side scrolling beat ‘em up of similarly clad thugs and goons with no real means, yet it’s almost MORE monotonous than the first. For some unknown reason, this game just isn’t nearly as fun as the original. Maybe it’s the lack of climbing levels. Maybe Green Jelly should have done the music. Maybe, just maybe, they ran out of good ideas, and just tried to re-hash one they already did. Somehow, I think it’s the later, but that may be due to the fact that they tried to raise the difficulty level of the first, without giving your heroes an better fighting style.
Still, it looks good, just as good as MAXIMUM CARNAGE did. Again, if you saw screenshots for SEPARATION ANXIETY next to MAXIMUM CARNAGE, you’d almost think they were the same game. Hell, playing them they’re practically the same game, right down to the same move set. It’s a shame, really, that this one just isn’t as fun as the first. The difficulty ads to this, but mostly I think it’s just because people finally realize they’re NOT playing MAXIMUM CARNAGE. I’m just glad they never made a game base don the clone saga.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
SPIDER-MAN – (PSOne, N64 – 2000; Dreamcast – 2001)
After five years of being off the gaming map (with the exception of some gust shots in a few titles, below) Webs finally gets another solo game, and this one is the one by which all other superhero games are judged. Activision’s SPIDER-MAN game finally got everything right, and while it may not have been perfect, up to this point, it was a Spider-fan’s dream.
The game, which featured a plot that could have been lifted directly from the animated series (as well as some of it’s voice actors, including Efram Zimbalist Jr. as Doc Ock) had you facing off against many of Spidey’s greatest foes, including the Lizard, Rhino, Carnage and Doc Ock himself. In a truly bizarre moment the final boss battle is a race away from Carnage and Ock combined into one monster. That’s pretty scary if you ask me.
The game truly delivered the best Spider-fan experience up to that point. The webswinging was unparalleled at that time. The combat was excellent, and the nods to the comic and TV show were awesome. Bringing back a theme from the Sega CD game, you collected comic book covers spread out over the city. Get them all and you could unlock a new costume for Spidey, which was another way the game pandered to the fans. There were various costumes from the comic series, including the symbiote costume, “Cosmic Spidey”, the Scarlet Spider, and so on. Each costume also carried with it special abilities, like the symbiote costume never running out of web fluid.
The game is just awesome. Due to it’s 3D layout and execution, as well as it’s attention the character and his powers, this game did what all the previous games could only hope to do, or only come semi-close to achieving. It made you feel like you were Spider-man. The first time you swung around the city on a webline… a full, 3D city, was just incredible. The web attacks, from web dome, to spiked web gloves and impact webbing…simply awesome.
The game also had a lot of subtle ties to the comics as well. In the first stage, if you climbed on of the cranes, there was a hidden passageway inside that lead to one of the Green goblin’s hideouts (who, at the
time in the comics was long dead, and not a character in the game…keeping continuity). There was also a cheat code you could enter to play a “What If…?” scenario version of the game. In this entirely different mode of play, the Watcher appears(!) and asks you to play through the game again, to see if you notice anything out of the ordinary. From then on, the stages are essentially the same, but with subtle differences (bypassing the blimp level by riding on a giant banana, Doc Ock’s stage being psychedelically colored). It was cool extra, and one not may knew about.
As I said, this game was the first where you really feel as though can do whatever a spider can. It wasn’t perfect, but it was damn close, and the best we’d seen yet for the wall crawler.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
SPIDER-MAN – (GameBoy Color – 2000)
Released to coincide with the PSOne game, SPIDER-MAN for the GameBoy Color featured many of the same elements of it’s Playstation counterpart, but a slightly altered storyline. The main thing to remember here, however, is that for once on a handheld system, the Spider-an game doesn’t remotely even suck.
You know, honestly, even after playing it, I don’t think this one had much of a plot, other than “be Spider-man” and fight his baddies. Still, it had plenty of action and the graphics were quite well done. Spidey looked a little weird though, as his eyes were just TOO big. Control was great, however, and for the first time, it seemed like there was finally a handheld version of Spidey that was worth playing for more than five minutes.
Sadly, that’s not entirely true, as this title just wasn’t as fun as it could have been. Sure the level design
was exciting, the villains cool and the graphics and control pretty tight, but there just seemed to be lacking something. A little “umph” that was needed to make it, well, more spidery, I guess.
I don’t know. Maybe I’m just being overly analytical, but I just didn’t find this game as fun as it could have been. It had all the right elements, but in the end, I found it lacking. It’s not a bad game, to be sure, in fact it’s one of the best for the handheld, but I seemed to like the next one better.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
SPIDER-MAN 2: THE SINISTER SIX – (GameBoy Color – 2001)
The next one being THIS one, also for GBC. Here, we take the plot form AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1, shift a few things around and update it for the new millenium (as well as the more current character design models) and you’ve got everything that RETURN OF THE SINISTER SIX should have been for NES and Game Gear.
They corrected Spidey’s “big eye” problem, added some cool “thwack” sound effects (as well as on screen, a la a comic panel) and dropped the difficulty just enough that it wasn’t overly hard or insanely easy. Just nice right in the middle where it belongs, offering up enough challenges and fun for everyone.
I just like this one a whole lot better. The animation is more fluid than the first GBC game (though the first is no slouch) and the music just seems more appropriate. That, and the Sinister Six has always been my favorite “super villain team”. Doc Ock at his Master Planner best, giving orders and taking all the glory for
himself.
Honestly, it’s really just more of a preference thing than a matter of “this game is better” here. I just enjoy this title more than the first GBC Spider-man game. They’re both great games, but this one’s my fave of the two.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
SPIDER-MAN 2: ENTER ELECTRO – (PSOne – 2001)
Trying to recreate the success of the original PSOne title (as well as preemptively hype the soon-to-be-released Major Motion Picture starring you-know-who) Activision created a second Spider-man game, this time giving a little spotlight to the foes that were left out of the first title.
The graphics are just about the same, though they don’t quite have the same coat of polish as the original did. Same can be said for gameplay, as it remains near identical to the previous episode’s. A new addition to the game was the ability to “Create Your Own Spider-man” using different combinations of costumes and abilities, to make the ultimate arachnid superhero.
The game also tried to make levels a little bit more difficult than the last (the airplanes and Sandman always gave me a particularly difficult time), which turned many fans off from this title, as some parts were just TOO hard. Also, it was another case of the game trying to live up to what came before it, a daunting task when faced with what is touted as “the best superhero game ever”. In the end, many felt it fell short, but I still enjoy the title, mainly due to the fact that it features some of the best and most creative boss battles yet.
Early versions of this game had to be recalled before they were sold, as the game was to be released just after 9/11, and the final battle with Electro was atop two skyscrapers that essentially could have been the Twin Towers. In the final release of the game, the buildings are joined together by a small bridge between
them, but I managed to get a pre-release copy of the game, unaltered. It really makes no difference in the final battle, but it’s cool to see, and understandable as to why they would alter it.
Again, the game isn’t as great as the previous entry for PSOne, but it’s still good on it’s own merits. The “Create-A-Spider” has its likeness ties to the TONY HAWK games (they’re both developed by the same team) and is fun, and there’s still plenty of cool comicy stuff to find throughout (with yet another ‘What If…?” scenario, only this time not as blatant). If you’re a fan of the character, you won’t find much to be disappointed with, but it is pretty pale when you compare it to the original PSOne game. Of course, when you compare it to all the OTHER Spidey games, it’s the (Black) Cat’s Pajamas.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
SPIDER-MAN: MYSTERIO’S MENACE – (GameBoy Advance – 2001)
Spidey’s first GBA game has it’s ups and downs throughout, but ends on a pretty fair note as far as quality gaming goes. Featuring what is now typically eye-catching GBA graphics and sound, as well as a “choose your own path” route right from the beginning, this is a great game for the now powerhouse handheld.
Mysterio has gone and…well, what does it matter, he’s a badguy, right? His illusions are causing mayhem, so it’s up to the webbed wonder to put an end to his nefarious machinations. From the start of the game, Parker can choose one of three locations with which to start his search for ol’ domehead. Along the way, he’ll unlock more locales, and at the end of each is another baddy waiting to be beaten down.
This game is just another step up from the excellent standard set by the two previous GBC games. The
graphics are much improved, sporting some of the best handheld character models of the character we’ve seen yet. This coupled with the awesome comic panel cut scenes that tell the story just make for an excellent presentation all around. The control is very well done, with the GBA’s additional shoulder buttons making webswining as easy as it can ever get for the handheld games.
I just wish the difficulty was more even. Some stages are a cakewalk, and some will have you climbing the walls (not in the Spidey way, either). The overall game is a bit on the hard side, but that shouldn’t stop gamers who want to take Spidey along with them when they travel and thwart crime. This GBA adventure is only topped by the next GBA Spidey game, and that’s the one tied into the movie.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
SPIDER-MAN: THE MOVIE – (PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, GameBoy Advance – 2002)
The game based on the hit movie of 2002 is what most gamers today will know of Spider-man in games. Take the basic layout and control of the PSOne original, and add the plot from the feature film (as well as it’s stars Tobey Maguire and Willem DeFoe voicing their characters). Throw in a few more baddies to even the playing field (and make it slightly less monotonous than just fighting Gobby over and over) and create a new aerial form of combat to battle said foes (Gobby and the Vulture) and you’ve got a mix for a great action game.
The game follows the film from the start, with little derivation on the plot. You’re just discovering your powers (in training levels voiced by Bruce Campbell) and you’re Uncle Ben is killed. You must catch the man responsible, because “with great power comes great responsibility”. From then on, it’s the movie in full force, taking a few side turns to battle the likes of the Shocker, The Vulture, and Scorpion. The Xbox version even had two exclusive levels where you fought my favorite villain, Kraven the Hunter. The graphics have never been better, aping the style of the film well, as well as the models of the actors playing the roles (though Mary Jane looks a bit man-ish).
The aerial combat works well, adding a few comicy style battle sequences (such as being able to land on your airborne foes’ back and punching them in the head to get them to drop) and the overall effect of the
game is well done. The one thing most complained about here, however, is the fact that the camera got to be a bit annoying during indoor battles, and that the game gave away too much of the plot of the movie (hence why this year’s film tie-in is released just ONE day before the film, as opposed to this game’s release of a few weeks prior to the film).
The GBA version of the game differs slightly in it’s execution (obviously, since the handheld system couldn’t quite handle the same type of graphical power or style as the console). It does well enough on it’s own, however with some nice Mode 7 graphics in swinging-specific levels, and awesome action throughout the rest. In my personal opinion, this GBA game holds up to be one of the best action games ever for the handheld system, not just as a Spider-man game.
Still, for both the handheld and console version, the experience is a little short lived. Sure, there’s unlockable modes of play (such as Pinhead bowling and the ability to play the entire game as the Green Goblin) but nothing quite as epic as the unlockables in the PSOne games (there’s only two unlockable
costumes…the Alex Ross designs for Spidey and Green Goblin). However, it’s still an excellent action game, and another step up in the style established with the PSOne title.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
FEATURING SPIDER-MAN
MARVEL SUPER HEROES: WAR OF THE GEMS – (SNES – 1996)
In this game, exclusive to SNES, Spidey, along with Wolverine, Captain America, Iron Man and The Hulk must collect the six infinity gems that have fallen to Earth before Thanos gets his grubby gauntlet on them and takes over the world. It’s another plot straight out of the comics, and one that Capcom would later turn into the basis for a fighting game (one that would spawn many other Marvel fighters).
Here, the action is all side-scroller fare, and you can choose which of the five heroes you want to use in each level. Each has their strengths and weaknesses for each type of terrain (Wolverine and Spidey can climb, Cap & Iron Man are good fighters, and Hulk is super strong, etc) and you can choose any hero for any level. If you perish in battle, that hero is gone for good. No extra lives here.
The main goal is to collect all the Infinity Gems you can get and defeat Thanos with all of your heroes still alive. A daunting feat, especially with the doppelgangers of the other heroes roaming about trying to put a stop to you. Evil Pucks, Daredevils, Hawkeyes and more will try to lay the smack down on our heroes.
Spidey was always the character I used the most, as he could just about be the most even character out of the whole bunch.
The game is kind of hard to come by (admittedly, I never even heard about it until I came across a copy at a Gamestop a few years back) but it’s certainly a good one to seek out. You see here where Capcom later gets the ideas and basis for it’s X-MEN MUTANT APOCKALYPSE and MARVEL SUPER HEROES fighting games.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
MARVEL SUPER HEROES – (PSOne – 1996; Saturn – 1997)
MARVEL SUPER HEROES VS STREET FIGHTER – (Saturn – 1998; PSOne – 1999)
MARVEL VS CAPCOM: CLASH OF SUPER HEROES – (Dreamcast – 1999; PSOne – 2000)
MARVEL VS CAPCOM 2: NEW AGE OF HEROES – (Dreamcast – 2000; PS2, Xbox – 2002)
These four fighting games also all feature Spidey, as well as the later titles featuring Venom as a fighter as well. Many of his attacks come directly from the comics (the Spider-smash, where he bounds around the room, beating the tar out of his foe) and the animation is spectacular for each game, improving with each new edition.
Again, here Spidey is one of the most well-rounded characters in the games, with a wealth of moves and specials, and keeping the character true to his personality, while keeping it firmly grounded in a “I’m in a
fighting game” style. For the first MARVEL SUPER HEROES game, once again the Infinity Gems come into play and fighters can use them to up their speed, strength, agility and more.
The MARVEL VS STREET FIGHTER game is just that, an excuse for a kick-ass crossover. Beginning initially with X-MEN VS STREET FIGHTER and continuing with this title opened up the ground for more MARVEL mayhem, and of course ol’ Webs was along for the ride. This game also began the better use of the team attacks and tag team gameplay that would become so prevalent in the next two games.
For the two MARVEL VS CAPCOM games, it’s all-out fighting game warfare featuring the greatest heroes and villains from comic book and video game history. When it comes to 2D fighting games, they just don’t get much better than these. Tag teams, group attacks, and just plain awesome battles make these the games to buy if you’re a hardcore Marvel fan, who also digs a great fighting game. These are the games where combos became insane, and Spider-man was along for the ride the entire time.
One Gamer’s Opinion: (overall for all four games)
Spidey’s also had his fair share of cameo appearances. In TONY HAWK’S PRO SKATER 2 (PSOne, Dreamcast, N64, GBC, GBA and Xbox) Spider-man was an unlockable character. This is mainly due to the fact that Neversoft, developer of the THPS games, also developed the first PSOne Spider-man game. It was only natural to include him. That, and he can really shred. His moves set included the Spidey Grind,
The Spidey flip, and the Spidey Grab. Nothing more awesome than seeing Spider-man doing an ollie, kickflipping the board away from him, then webbing it, and yanking it back to under his feet. Not like he couldn’t just stick to it anyways.
Spider-man also appeared as an unlockable fighter in the PSOne game X-MEN MUTANT ACADAMY, though his moves paled in comparison to his Capcom fighting days. He was even an unplayable character in the GameBoy PUNSIHER: THE ULTIMATE PAYBACK title, which I reviewed a few months ago.
Probably one of the strangest (and hardest to find) cameos for the webbed one comes from Sega’s 16-bit masterpiece THE REVENGE OF SHINOBI for Genesis (also known as SHINOBI II or SUPER SHINOBI). In level 6, you, as Shinobi, fought a familiar webhead, as well as a certain cloaked character that resembled a giant bat. Later versions of the game had Batman removed, as DC complained, but Spidey was prevalent in most of the copies up until the game was officially re-released as a SEGA CLASSICS title for Genesis, and then recently on GBA. Some other boss battles included level 4’s fight
with the Terminator, and level 7’s Godzilla smackdown. Ah, copyright infringement, thy name is Shinobi.
And thus, we conclude our look at all games Spider-ific. I hope you had as much fun as I did, though somehow, I seriously doubt it. If you’re as big a fan of the character as I am, you’ll no doubt want to check out all these titles, just beware of the games that received the “Craptacular” rating. I’m heading out to see SPIDER-MAN 2 in the theaters (again), so I’ll see you kids next week.
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