If you’re not familiar with Spider-man or the near insatiable fanbase that the motion picture which OWNED theatres for an entire summer and put that stupid ass Episode II: Attack of the clowns, in its goddamn place (that’s right, suck it nerds!)… Then crawl out from under your rock and let the light shine in because the game, which “goes beyond the movie”, is now a steal at $20!!! I snagged it myself shortly after it became a Greatest Hit and thus began my eager abuse of a credit card and the delight that was web slinging. But does a movie-based game really deserve much, if any, hype? There’s been a stigma attached to games related to media franchises because quite brutally… they suck. They find the most unoriginal people in the world and a slew of lawyers who defend the interest of about everyone involved… except the consumer, and string together games like Cool World on the SNES, or Rugrats on the PSone. Considering the game is put together by Neversoft of Tony Hawk Pro Skater fame and has already dealt out two comic based Spidey titles previous to this, there’s a fairly good chance this one will buck the trend. I played this shortly after it came out and then borrowed a copy of the first Spider-man game on the PSone. I spent 2 days obsessing over the PSone game and it became clear to me that this was going to be a tough game to top in any way, shape or form. Does Spider-man break away from the pack? Is it worth $20 of your hard earned cash? READ ON!
Why it sucks: Ugh… that camera is like having some drunkard on a bungee cord follow you around and what with all the lightning fast movements and constant changes of venue from floor to wall, from wall to ceiling, to floor to stairway, etc. it becomes tiresome having to right your perspective with just about every “thwip” of webbing. You can control it manually… but even that doesn’t last. And god forbid you make the mistake of being knocked into a busy corner with enemies clambering all about your soon to be VERY dead carcass, because it’s times like that when you REALLY need to see what’s going on and the camera will fight you to ensure that you don’t. Then there’s some occasional crap mission or tedium filled chore that will require your attention. My stopping point as I write this is escaping from the OsCorp building where my spidey compass points me right into a wood paneled wall as I’m fleeing this infinite number of annoying well-armed robots trying to give me some manner of “laser enema.” I can’t for the life of me, FIND my way out and I’ve run into a couple of situations which kind of mirrored this, but the problem was never quite as… problematic as running into a dead end with an army of robots looking to air out my skull.
If you’re married to the movie’s story, there’s more than a whiff of chance that your panties will bunch. Prepare for serious chafing in your collective rears, dollop up some cream, sit on your big donut thing and prepare yourselves for this one… It’s not EXACTLY like the movie. I know. You’re shocked. But before you go and burn down Neversoft (even though it’s kinda late being that… the game’s about a year old and all), keep in mind that this is a GAME and not a MOVIE. They had to add and subtract things to keep your drug addled minds entertained and they also threw in things which were not in the movie like the HKs (Hunter-Killers), as well as classic Spidey villain redeuxs like Scorpion, Shocker and Vulture. Honestly, I didn’t think it was that big a deal, but naturally I always remember the endless jabber of nerds I try to drown out before I set them ablaze and it stews in my head, their jabber anyway, and I can’t help but consider their plight for a moment until I either beat them senseless with whatever object is within reach or run them through the nearest wood chipper. Um, wait. What was I talking about…? Oh yeah! Accuracy! Well, to extend the length of the game’s story surrounding the events you witnessed in the movie, they kindly added scenarios, cutscenes and even new characters which for some people would be a deterrent like drinking Liquid Plumr or munching charcoal briquettes.
Why it rules: The voice acting for starters. It’s done by the actual CAST of the movie. Few things are as satisfying as seeing a game based on the movie that has actual new dialogue and scenes, which have the actors of the movie on which the game is based reprising their roles in the game. Whew, that was wordy. Anyway, to further add to that, the game is visually beautiful to behold on all three systems! The controls are as tight as they come and if whether or not you studied up on the control scheme moves, combos and such in the PSone Spider-man games, you’ll pick up on them almost instantaneously. Besides that, there’s one of the best training modes I’ve ever seen where the Jaw-man hisself, Bruce Campbell guides/chastises/taunts/mocks you through all the various uses of webbing, combat and wall-crawling. The CG cutscenes are top notch, and even include scenes that weren’t present in the movie like the Goblin kidnapping Mary Jane, the Vulture on the subway, the Scorpion fleeing the HKs and Spider-man busting into OsCorp. Another interesting new feature is the aerial battles you get into when you fight the Green Goblin, Vulture and the various airborne incarnations of the HKs. An added perk is that after you beat the game once, you can use a code to unlock a hidden Second Quest where you play as the Green Goblin’s son AFTER the movie!!! Apparently Junior has seen fit to squash Spider-man and dons the green armor in order to do just that, holy crap! That's like getting a sequel for free!
Do I smell Tie-Ins?: GAH! If there's one thing you'd be hard pressed NOT to have come across, it's Spider-man merchandise. Toy Biz for one went all out with Web shooters and replacement canisters, super articulated and detailed figures which are still coming out in droves, re-released figures from their previous cartoon based lineup, vehicles and more. Towels, shirts, hats, posters, Dr.Pepper, Chips, sleeping bags, keychains, mousepads, phones, candies, coin banks and... an infinite amount of STUFF. Not to mention the already thousands of things already relating to the comic books, numerous TV series and the red hot Ultimate Spider-man series. Basically, it's a great time to be a Spider-man nerd.
Overall: Few games can boast such an awesome lineup of awesome gameplay, gimmicks, bonuses and all out creativity and interactivity with the medium on which they are based. Spider-man bucks the trend in a way that will blow your mind and make you a lot less skeptical of movie-based games in the future. Sort of. This is a must have for any console (though the control is exceptional on PS2), because it's just THAT good. It's a great game (despite a few annoyances and twitches), and at $20 it's a steal. You owe it to yourself and your system to own this and play it heartily, fans of the movie and comic alike will be beside themselves with glee as they dig into this feast of gaming bliss. It's challenging and as I pointed out there's some fairly impressive problems (mostly relating to the camera), but considering the price and the substantial amusement, soild gameplay and great movie interactivity in question, it's worth the risk for a mere twenty bones. You can't go wrong with it. Period.