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Spider-Man: Edge of Time Preview for Xbox 360

Spider-Man: Edge of Time Preview for Xbox 360

Spider-Man, In Your Not-So-Friendly Neighborhood

The Spider-Man series as a whole has had an incredible morphology, with a successful reintroduction to the modern audience via the Ultimate Spider-Man comic books in 2000, and the big screen release two years later. A decade later, some feel the brand has become oversaturated by the media, while others remain happily trapped in the web with an undying respect for the stylish superhero. Now we are at the precipice of another major shift; a new movie series is on the way with a fresh cast and a revisit to Peter Parker’s youth, as well as the recent comic book death in Ultimate Spider-Man #160 and news of the racial redesign invading the blogosphere. Here in the video game world, we have also seen a fair share of Spidey adventures, some good and some, well, far from good.

Spider-Man: Edge of Time Screenshot

Canadian developer Beenox presented us with Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions less than a year ago, which, aside from a few technical issues, provided satisfying and fast-paced action using four different incarnations of the webslinger. The upcoming game, Spider-Man: Edge of Time, was apparently being developed as Shattered Dimensions was getting set for retail shelves, and from recent trailers and gameplay footage, the game looks more polished than rushed. However, polished visuals are only a single facet of the game, and when every dimension is revealed, the game’s place in purgatory along with the upcoming movie and new comic series has onlookers waiting to see if it will swing up or be cast down.

One of the biggest hooks of the game is definitely the story penned by veteran writer Peter David, which may hold our attention to the end whether the gameplay is good or bad. We begin in Spider-Man 2099’s universe, where Alchemax scientist Walter Sloan has discovered a way of travelling back to the Amazing Spider-Man’s time, using his far superior technology to control the earlier period and ultimately kill our hero. Now, 2099 and Amazing must work together across the two eras (despite their conflicting personalities), in order to save Amazing’s life and 2099’s future. The game will blend characters from both series, and we’ve been promised many cameos and nods to some lesser-known but beloved villains.

Spider-Man: Edge of Time Screenshot

A central element of the game is a cause-and-effect system, where actions from Amazing’s time will have an effect in 2099’s world. Enemies in development and the structure of the colossal Alchemax building can be manipulated to quash a previous impasse. There will be an active onscreen window which will show the effects of your actions in the alternate universe. The problem I foresee is that these cause-and-effect actions could potentially become linear with the plot. There is incredible potential to make this an open-ended feature, presenting a variety of progressions and conclusions to the story. However, I have a gnawing feeling it will be a static concept, which would be a severe detriment to a brilliant idea.

Another interesting development choice is the scaled-down character selection. Compared to Shattered Dimensions, which allowed you to control Amazing, 2099, Ultimate, and Noir versions of Spidey, only the first two of the quartet are playable in Edge of Time. The defense for this decision is that the story will have a greater impact, but from a gameplay perspective, it equals less move sets. Players will find a similar attack style as in the previous game, with Amazing using a larger repertoire of web-based attacks and acrobatic skills, while 2099 gets up close and personal with heavy melee attacks. Each will require a unique strategy to dispatch enemies, and both come packed with exclusive skills, such as 2099’s ghost decoy, which confuses enemies and allows him to set up finishing attacks. Essence is accumulated from defeated enemies, which can be used to upgrade and unlock new skills and attacks, as well as purchase different costumes.

Spider-Man: Edge of Time Screenshot

Much of the story will be confined to the Alchemax building, which, although massive, may present us with overused level design. Also, Shattered Dimensions had many issues with “twitchy” cameras, especially in interior levels, so unless Beenox has remedied that issue, we could be in for a frustrating journey. To their credit, it seems that the developers have amped up some of the best parts of the previous game for Edge of Time, such as extended and more intense freefall levels with 2099.

For now, it seems like Spider-Man: Edge of Time has elements worthy of both praise and scorn, but it will likely require a complete playthrough to discern whether the pros outweigh the cons. Fortunately gamers of all categories will be able to test it out for themselves come October 4th, when it becomes available for the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii, as well as the DS and 3DS.

Game Features:

  • Play as both Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099. Unique combat abilities highlight Amazing’s acrobatic agility and 2099’s technological improvements.
  • All-new combat moves include evasion maneuvers and accelerated vision.
  • Two timelines evolve in parallel with story-driven cause-and-effect moments where the actions of one Spider-Man could have an immediate effect on the world of the other Spider-Man.
  • Visually exciting “picture-in-picture” technology demonstrates in real time the impact upon both universes.


  • Spider-Man Is Dead

    Spider-Man has web-slung his way through quite a few video games, and he’s finally hit his stride in recent years. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions saw a good amount of success, with average scores in the high seventies (according to GameRankings). Critics praised the spidery action, voice acting, and the bringing together of the four Spider-Man universes. Now, developer Beenox is bringing back the coolest looking of those Spider-Men, Spider-Man 2099, for Spider-Man: Edge of Time.

    Spider-Man: Edge of Time Screenshot

    In this new game, Spider-Man 2099 finds himself in a bit of a pickle when present-day Peter Parker suffers an untimely death. He must therefore reach back through time to enlist the help of regular Spider-Man in order to save Spider-Man. At least, that’s as much as I can gather from the trailer, which is a little vague. What I can say for sure is that Spider-Man: Edge of Time looks every bit as cool as Spider-Man 2099, especially in the last part of the trailer where Spider-Man 2099 is carrying his contemporary counterpart in his arms. Choke on that, causality!

    The big new feature being touted by Activision is the “cause-and-effect” gameplay, wherein the player’s actions have direct consequences on the game. I guess if you’ve been living in a cave for the past several years, this might seem like a new gameplay concept. Then again, maybe the developers just don’t want to release too much information yet, and maybe this feature has some new twist on it that makes it different from how it works in every other recent game. The only detail given so far is that if you destroy a robot prototype in present Super-Man’s universe, then that robot won’t be around in Spider-Man 2099’s universe. That still doesn’t sound terribly impressive, but we’ll have to wait and see since the rest of us can’t jump around through time like a superhero.

    Spider-Man: Edge of Time Screenshot

    The official Marvel website is calling Edge of Time a “focused, action-packed adventure.” Shattered Dimensions was certainly action-packed, and it could be called “focused.” By which I mean it was surprisingly restrictive (much like I imagine that Spider-Man costume to be). Whenever I see the word “focused” to describe a game, I can’t help but think “linear.” Shattered Dimensions disappointed quite a few Spider-Man fans by not allowing Spider-Man to randomly swing around New York like the monkey-based superhero he is.

    It sounds like players can expect more linearity in Edge of Time, but that’s not always a bad thing. Sandbox games are fun, but linear games can allow the developers to create a more focused and compelling story. This didn’t happen in Shattered Dimensions, but it was Beenox’s first try, after all. Plus, Edge of Time will be written by Peter David, the co-creator of the Spider-Man 2099 comics. This should give any hardcore Spider-Man fan a reason to pick up Edge of Time. Furthermore, anyone who appreciates good writing should be interested in a game that has a fairly famous writer on the development team.

    Spider-Man: Edge of Time Screenshot

    It looks as though the voice acting for Edge of Time will impress once again, with Josh Keaton and Christopher Daniel Barnes already announced to voice the Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099, respectively. The dark tone of the Spider-Man 2099 sections of Shattered Dimensions is back as well. Dark colors and cold, metallic surfaces are common throughout the trailer, which also features a sign that advises you to “start your career as a human trial subject.” What’s alarming about the trailer is some of the gameplay footage, which looks downright unpolished. You can see Spider-Man’s body bleeding into his opponent’s as they grapple, which just shouldn’t happen in this day and age. I can only hope that this is a rare occurrence, and that this trailer was put together in haste. The cutscene clips, however, are shiny enough to satisfy anyone. Not to mention the bright lights and explosions. No one can say that this game doesn’t look cool.

    So far, there’s not a lot to be said for Edge of Time other than a few vague promises and the visual impressions of a brief trailer. The most exciting thing about the upcoming game is probably Peter David’s involvement, but that doesn’t mean much to more casual web-slinger fans. We’ll have to hope that Beenox can offer something more impressive than now-common gameplay features and Spider-Man 2099’s shiny thighs.

    Game Features:

  • All new “cause-and-effect” gameplay.
  • Story written by acclaimed Marvel veteran Peter David.
  • See the return of Spider-Man 2099.

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