Spider-Man

Developer: Neversoft (PS1 original)/Edge of Reality (Port) Publisher: Activision

Released: November 21, 2000 Rated: E 7/10

Although his record is far from perfect, Spider-Man seems to be one of the more successful comic book characters to make the transition over to video games. Boasting well-received titles both before and after this late-2000 release, Peter Parker and his rogues’ gallery offer just the right amount of campiness to fit in with the classic eras of the ‘80s and ‘90s, as well as sprawling, open-world sandboxes that offer some of the best versions of modern gaming’s most familiar tropes. Personally, I think that much like hockey seems to lend itself to video game adaptations due to its fast speed and constant action, Spider-Man is a character ripe for gaming, particularly in a 3D space, with his agility, freedom of movement, and penchant for both melee and ranged combat creating an overall sense of versatility and intuitiveness when done right.

With Activision acquiring the character’s video game rights, coinciding with the launch of the Spider-Man Unlimited cartoon series, Tony Hawk developer Neversoft was enlisted to adapt Spidey’s adventures utilizing the same engine they had just built for the first Pro Skater. The result is a game that offers as much of the inherent athleticism and exploration of the skateboarding sim, though is still stuck a little bit in the past with its presentation compared to the cutting-edge, new-millennium vibes of the extreme sports scene that THPS captures so well. Though it would be another decade or so before the mainstream acceptance of the superhero film would truly change the perception of the medium, Spider-Man sticks very closely to the Saturday morning cartoon vibe that the character exemplified throughout the 1990s. This certainly makes some of its campy dialogue between characters like Spidey, Black Cat, Daredevil, and Venom feel like pandering, though other parts of the presentation still hold up in spite of the tone, like the comic book visuals in the menus and cutscenes, and the excellent narration by creator Stan Lee before missions. It’s certainly all in service of its own type of charm, and it gets a big boost from the fact that Neversoft themselves have clearly done all of this out of love for the product. It’s because of this that it serves up just the right kind of nostalgia for those who grew up on it, but it’s worth noting because not every current Marvel or Spider-Man fan is going to take to it, if only for how different that audience has become.

The white armor suit is an exciting power-up, but often short-lived as you don’t get to respawn at checkpoints with it.

Similarly, it’s these comparisons to the modern product that also take away the most from the gameplay, and more specifically, the controls. A few decades that have consistently offered smoother and more natural web-swinging through more expansive and explorable versions of New York have somewhat spoiled the expectations for a more linear adventure like this one. And while it’s a pretty tight and briskly paced adventure that manages to fit in plenty of familiar faces and mission variety, the controls, more than anything, will get in your way a bit too often. While eschewing FMV cutscenes for still frames and text is a necessary concession, and one where the blow is softened by still having some solid voice clips and by the subject matter itself, there’s something about Edge of Reality’s approach to using the N64 controller in their ports that hinders Spider-Man in a way Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater got away with much better.

The image of Spider-Man silently slipping away into deadly pools of water is bound to be one of the lasting images for those who play this game.

It’s an odd obsession they seem to have with mapping the C buttons as if they were the PlayStation or Dreamcast’s four face buttons, which doesn’t work as well in execution as the similar layouts would suggest. It causes its fair share of mistakes to have it set up this way, while also handling button and stick combos for a lot of special moves. Overall, there’s a stiffness that betrays the expectations of a Spider-Man title already, plus Spidey himself is extra sticky which can throw off your rhythm easily just by running too close to walls and other objects. With both of these technical hiccups in mind, it just doesn’t help having a control setup that further hinders the feeling of second-nature web-slinging that Spidey fans will hope for. That being said, the different moves on offer, including web balls, web gloves, and a web dome/wave attack, do a good job of letting you mix things up in the brawling parts of the game. Boss battles against rivals like Venom, Rhino, Mysterio, and Doc Ock also highlight the game with loads of fan service, and do a lot to encourage using all of your available moves.

This level riding atop a subway train while fighting off Lizard’s underlings is interspersed with Peter shouting “where’s my wife?” at Venom, who has abducted Mary Jane. Peter Parker going full Harrison Ford is just damn funny to me.

It’s easy to see why Spider-Man was such a huge release and has made such a mark on fans of the character. When it originally came out, its steps forward to bring a superhero game into a more open environment with somebody like Spider-Man and his iconic sense of movement and unique powers were a strong transition into a 3D space. And especially for the time frame, the presentation and fan service are really top notch, especially for fans of the recent animated series. It’s just unfortunate that even though the appeal of the licenses has become so broad and the quality of his games often so high, that revisiting this one will make its shortcomings and vast difference in tone really noticeable. It’s also a title where you might benefit from another version of it, as the original PlayStation release or the Dreamcast port may alleviate some control woes while also delivering the full animated cutscenes, if that’s your style.

Continuing Legacy

As was impossible to ignore in the review, Spider-Man’s video game career over the past 24 years, although not perfect, has had some serious high points. Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, Insomniac’s trilogy for PlayStation 4 and 5, and Ultimate Spider-Man come to mind for the best of the best, but the character has been prolific in gaming to say the least. A direct sequel to this game, Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro, was also made exclusively for the PlayStation in 2001, this time by Vicarious Visions, though it’s typically agreed to be a somewhat weaker title.