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In a terribly odd decision, Activision cancelled Tony Hawk 2 for the N64 but yet still released their excellent Spider-Man game. As both games are incredible, it's hard to understand why Activision would have decided to do that, as a lot of people were disappointed that Mr. Hawk and his pals weren't returning to the Big N's current machine. Be that as it may, Spidey is no slouch. Basically a direct port from the already classic PlayStation version, there have been a few minor changes here and there; some good and some not so good. However, if you own a N64 and even remotely like Spider-Man, this game is a MUST have. If you are worried that this will be another Superman Fecal-Fest, relax. Spider-Man is the best superhero game ever made. This is the closest you'll get to swinging around New York without breaking your neck.
It's the old story: Someone impersonates Spider-Man, and steals the now reformed (yeah whatever!) Doc Ock's latest invention. This puts Spidey on the "Shoot first, Ask questions later" list with NYPD. As you might guess, webhead is already on the outs with New York's underworld, so he'll have to watch his back very carefully, as everyone is out to get him. And speaking of everyone, a rogue's gallery of Spidey villains have shown up to give him quite the squashing in this 3D action game: Venom, Rhino, Scorpion, Mysterio, Carnage and Doc Ock all put in appearances. As well, you'll recognize some familiar faces from the Marvel Universe that are on the side of good: Black Cat, Johnny Storm, Daredevil, Punisher, JJJ and more.
As Peter Parker's underwear clad secret identity, you will be able to do anything a spider can. Spidey can cling to walls, ceilings and buildings, web swing, punch, kick, jump and fight from a distance with those wonderful wacky webs he is so famous for. Allowing Spidey to go anywhere, really puts the game camera through its paces, but it really holds up very well. It will take awhile to get the hang of sticking to a ceiling and using the targeting mode feature to snag some thug on the floor, but once you master all of these concepts, you'll be proving that with great power comes great responsibility with ease! You may even be able to detect run on sentences with that Spider Sense of yours. It should have been blaring two sentences ago.
The game is spread out over many missions, all of which can be played over and over again, thanks to the level select that appears once you complete a mission. As you'd guess, the game takes place in New York, and you'll start off high above the city streets where you must webswing and wallcrawl your way to the Bank, where a hostage situation is in progress. This is a great level to get your bearings as many thugs litter the rooftops. Thanks to your powers, you can either choose to ignore them and get right to the bank, or stop off and punch a few noses; it's up to you. Throughout the game you'll find yourself in a variety of New York settings: Above the city, in The Bank (yes, it's named The Bank!), in the sewer, on the subway, in the Daily Bugle and maybe even on the Fantastic Four building at 4 Freedoms Plaza.
Controlling Spider-Man is a cinch and the more I play this version, the more I find that I prefer it to the PlayStation. The R shoulder button is used for webswinging, A is for jumping, B is for web-zipline (allows you to zip up to a ceiling, floor or adjacent wall), C-Down is punch, C-Left is kick, C-Up is webbing, and Z is Targeting mode, which places a cursor on the screen and allows you to either attack bad guys or swing to exact locations. Spider-Man's webbing comes in many different flavors if you use the C-Up button along with 1 of the 4 directions. You can shoot web-ball projectiles, form web-fists that increase your strength, use a webshield that can explode, webyank a thug toward you or slam him into a wall, or simply just web him up. The N64 version also sports a new move that wasn't found in the PSX version; a two-punch combo with a web yank that flips a bad guy over your head (this can also be done with a kick move too). Cool.
What it doesn't feature from the PSX version are all of the great FMV's and voices, thanks to the space limitations on the cartridge. However, the game uses stills from the FMV's to advance the plot and gives the game more of a comic book presentation, which obviously works very well. Stan Lee the co-creator of Spider-Man, narrates the game which is a classy touch, and Rino Romaro provides the voice of Spider-Man (he voiced Spidey in the Spider-Man Unlimited cartoons). For those who haven't played the PSX version, you probably won't miss anything.
This game also features a boatload of features, such as a training mode, the ability to collect comic covers throughout your adventure and you can unlock a variety of costumes (11 in total) that range from Spider-Man 2099, to The venom costume to playing as Peter Parker himself. Many people have written us asking for codes for these costumes, but they haven't been released yet. If we knew them, they'd be on the site already! Sheesh!
This game is topnotch and would make any Spider-Man fan happy, without question. If you've been avoiding this one because you think it's going to suck, you are not only terribly wrong but also missing out on one of the greatest games to come along. Spider-Man makes up for every lousy superhero game ever made. No kidding. Highly recommended!
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