Review: Spider-Man

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by The Freshman

(IDG) -- Activision is set to make Marvel fans very happy with Spider-Man, a game which stays true to the spirit of the comic and shows the world once and for all that you can make a great game with a great license.

World wide webbing

Most comic-based games have been either Final Fight clones or part of the endless stream of just-like-the-last-one Capcom fighting games. Activision, bless their heart, has finally made a comic-based game that stays true to the look, feel, and fun of the comic on which it is based. Spider-Man is famous for being one of the more touching, exciting, funny, and memorable comics ever, and the game easily follows suit.

Finally, here's a game that uses all of Spidey's powers. Should you choose to go the straightforward route, you can clobber baddies with the proportional strength of a spider, or stalk them from the ceiling and web them up from above. All of Spidey's best moves are in this game, and for good reason; you'll need every trick in the book to stop the bad guys. From facing down a charging Rhino to chasing Venom across the rooftops of New York City, you'll have to fight and beat pretty much every Spider-Man villain you can think of. It's just another day in the life of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Spider-Man's Pro Skater

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Neversoft has taken their prized Tony Hawk engine and brought Spidey to life on the PlayStation. Though the graphics show trademark PSX weaknesses (texture warping, draw-in, etc.), Spider-Man will constantly amaze you with its vibrant colors, awesome character models, and non-stop action. Playing this game will make you wish, hope, and pray for a Dreamcast version, because Spidey could be the best-looking game in town (if not for the PSX's aging hardware). The only other thing that hurts the score is the pea-soup fog that obscures the city streets, but the game cleverly explains the fog as part of Dr. Octopus' evil plan.

Spidey's sound runs the gamut from annoyingly repetitive (the thugs all have the same voice) to the amazingly amusing (Spidey to Rhino: "Aww, did you hurt your widdle tusky-wusky?"). Real voice actors read for the main characters, and some of them (Spidey included) are the same voices from the animated series. Stan Lee brings narration to the mix, but it's too infrequent to fit. Either throw in more Stan Lee, or take him out completely.

The most incredible thing about this game is how it makes you feel like you're Spider-Man. Once you get used to the controls, you'll be swinging from building to building, catching yourself after mistakes, and wallcrawling to get perfect positioning to attack a bad guy. Few games (maybe Tenchu or Soul Reaver) have ever let you feel this powerful. Certain scenes get frustrating because of the slow camera, but you have infinite continues, and there are many ways to correct your own mistakes. Spidey fans will go nuts for this awesome translation of the classic comic series, and action game fans will jump at the chance to cling to walls, leap down on enemies from ceilings, and fight some of the best baddies to ever grace a game screen. If you love comics or pure action, there's no excuse for not playing Spider-Man.

Pro tips

To put away the bomb in the bank, open the safe door. Knock out the thugs, and lift the bomb. You move slowly with the bomb in hand, so don't be afraid to throw it. Put the bomb in the safe, where it'll explode "safely."

When you're climbing the building and being chased by police helicopters, avoid the "boarded-up" sections of the wall. These are where the cops will aim their rockets. If you must cross the boarded-up areas, do it quickly!

On levels where you're running from the cops or trying to catch someone, just keep moving. Watch your compass for the right direction, and go get it. Don't let random thugs or explosions distract you, especially when time is of the essence.

Collect these hidden comic books to unlock secrets. If you can get all 32 comics, you'll unlock the Spider-Man 2099 costume, which gives you the ability to deal Double Damage!

Lead the Rhino to charge into the generators. He'll get stuck and take shock damage. Just make sure not to touch him while he's stuck, or you'll have a shocking revelation yourself. Cameos from Marvel's coolest characters really put Spider-Man over the top.

Graphics: 4.0
The PlayStation's aging hardware puts up a ceiling that even Spidey can't climb over. This is about as good as it gets on the PSX, but even that's not saying so much these days.

Sound: 4.0
With voices by professional actors and narration by Stan Lee, Spider-Man can do no wrong. Still, the generic music and certain repetitive cannon fodder voice samples threaten to yank Spidey off the wall.

Control: 4.0
Once you get used to the way things work, you'll have more or less total control over Spider-Man and his powers. The slow camera will get you killed a number of times, though, so keep that in mind.

Fun factor 4.5
You are Spider-Man. If you love Spidey, you'll love this game. Be warned, some parts will frustrate you to the point of anger, but there's no shame in infinite continues. Publisher: Activision
Developer: Neversoft
Street Price: $ 29.99
Available: Now
Genre: Action
No. players: 1
ESRB rating: Everyone

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