Spider-Man
Reviewed by Jesse "Pancakes" Hughes
Well, the web-head started about 40 years ago in one of the most
popular comics in America. Not too long ago, he was featured in his
very own Playstation game, which has now been converted to the
Nintendo 64. The conversion is every bit as good as the PSX version,
if not better. Let's check it out...
Graphics: 8.5 out of 10
Spider Man's graphics a very top-notch. The textures are magnificent,
which can be enhanced using the power of the N64 expansion pak.
Spidey's movements flow easily, as the framerate is very defined.
There are a few negative traits to the graphics, though. In levels that
require going from building to building over the city streets, the
buildings recede quite noticeably. You wanna tell me that that is fog?
That's some pretty thick fog, buddy. The designers could have made the
buildings go full-way down to the streets for some extra exploration.
Another negative graphic element is the characters' faces (characters
that don't have masks, that is). Peter Parker's face looks, how shall I say,
polygon. Now, this is just nitpicking at the marvelous graphic setup of
Spider Man. These graphics can be considered slightly better than those
of the PSX version of Spider Man.
Music and Sound: 8.5 out of 10
Music and sound in this game are pretty selective. The sound effects are
very crisp, with fist-smacking and web-swinging. The music is mostly
done with mono guitars. Some of the selections are pretty head-banging,
but you will find that most or basically broken records. They play small
sections and repeat them, which can be kind-of annoying at times. Maybe
it is a system that is trying to entice you to finish the level as fast
as you can...naw.
Game Challenge: 7.2 out of 10
This is the only real place the game falls a tad. The entire game is not
overly difficult to complete, which is a bit disappointing. If you have a
pretty good history with being skilled at video games that require good
hand/eye coordination, you'll complete this game in about 5-6 hours. It
shouldn't take many gamers more than 10 hours to beat this game. The
difficulty setting provides your typical easy, normal, and hard modes.
I do recommend trying normal mode first to test your web-slinging
abilities, then moving on, if you think you're good enough, to hard mode.
(Just for the record, you'd better be very quick with your fingers for the
last boss...what a chase!) There are some special features in the game to
keep you playing, so I suppose you'll spend no more than 15 hours with
Spidey. (Special features include: searching for 32 hidden comic book
covers from the original Spider Man comic series and unlocking several
past Spider Man outfits, which provide special abilities during gameplay)
Now, I'll admit that 15 hours isn't bad, but with games out there like
Zelda (50 hours) and Perfect Dark (infinite time!), we're looking for
more than just 15 hours here! Just a thought...
Game Play-Fun: 9.5 out of 10
Now, here is where Spider Man shines its brightest! The moment you pop
this cart into your control deck, it's gonna be hard to pull it out before
you complete the game. You can go just about anywhere with Spider Man,
using his webs and agility. There are no real limits in this game. You can
stick to walls, zip-line up to ceilings, swing yourself all over the place...
the fun is endless! The only thing that pulls this down a notch is the fact
that there is no multiplayer to add fun, and the game just doesn't seem
long enough. Moving on...
Rumble Pak: 7.5 out of 10
The rumple pack use in this game is nothing new. If you jump, it rumbles
a bit. Caught in a fight...*rumble, rumble*. One thing that might be useful
from this is the fact that it rumbles when spider-sense is used...that's about it.
Frustration
I'm gonna have to say that there is almost zero frustration that you'll
encounter hear. There aren't really any areas when you'll be throwing
your controller across the room. Two of the most frustrating instances
in Spider Man are the fight with Carnage and escaping from Simbiote
Dock Ock (both are mostly frustrating in hard mode, of course).
Replayability: 7.0 out of 10
Well, just for the heck of it, I did play through the entire game 3 times
already, so I suppose the replay value is pretty good. The game's fun
factor adds so much to the replay value. You will find that there is no
difference in storyline in easy, normal, or hard mode so you'll be playing
the same thing every time. If only we had a two-player mode, that would
add to the replay greatly. There are the game secrets and stuff to find,
but that will only keep you entertained for so long.
Game Value: 9.0 out of 10
Though you will find that this game can be put away within two weeks
of purchase, I'd have to say it is worth it for a price of $30.00. I'm sure
the price will eventually drop to $20.00, so it's well worth it. Spider
Man will go down as one of the most fun games available for the N64,
and that warrants a buy all on its own.
Overall: 8.9 out of 10
Overall, this platformer can offer some great gameplay that the N64
was basically made for. We've gone through other super-hero games
on the N64 that just didn't seem to work: Superman, and Batman
Beyond: Return of the Joker. The game designers behind Spider Man
definitely knew what they were doing.