Spider-Man: The Movie
Reviewed by JPeeples
This 3D adventure game was released in April of 2002,
a few scant weeks before the movie on which the game
is based was set to see release in theaters. As you
can probably imagine, it stars everyone's favorite
web-slinger, Spider-Man. This game uses the same
basic game engine as the two previous 3D Spidey
games, and, if you've played those games, you'll know
your way around this game in no time. If you haven't,
be prepared for quite a bit of fighting and web
slinging. The game's storyline loosely follows that
of the movie, which, in and of itself, loosely
follows the plot of the Spider-Man comics. This game
adds a few villains, such as the Shocker, the
Vulture, and the Scorpion so as to avoid the game
being a giant hunt for the Green Goblin. The creative
license taken with this game really helps add some
replay value to the game, as it would have been far
too short if it had followed only the movie's plot, however.
The gameplay is divided up into indoor and outdoor
sections. The outdoor sections of the game are where
the Spider-Man feel hits it's zenith. When you have
the ability to swing around and vanquish foes at your
leisure. This is when the game really starts to feel
like a Spidey game. However, once the indoor sections
hit, the Spider-Man feel leaves the building faster
than a hiccup. Part of the fun of the Spider-Man
character, and, therefore in this game, comes from
having the freedom to swing through the air and climb
up tall buildings. All of that fun can be had in the
first level, which features plenty of jaw-dropping
skyscrapers for you to gaze at. After the first
level, the game must be able to survive on it's own
merits and, sadly, it fails to do so. The indoor
levels permeate the game so much so that it really
detracts from the experience. The outdoor levels
simply optimize the Spider-Man character. Now if the
indoor levels had a stealth aspect in them, they
could be quite enjoyable. The Spider-Man character
has had to be a stealthy action hero on more than one
occasion in the comics, and that kind of gameplay
style would perfectly suit the character, and the
nature of the levels. Instead, Treyarch opted to make
them action-oriented like the rest of the game. The
problem with doing this is that Spidey's powers, as
evidenced by their use in the game, simply don't work
well in an indoor setting. The ability to climb walls
is pretty much useless, because the rooms are so
small it negates the point of climbing them in the
first place. The ability to shoot webbing sure is
handy, but the game throws far too many foes at you
to make than an acceptable means of combat. The good
old hand-to-hand fisticuffs could work, if the
animation wasn't so jerky that it prevented you from
knowing exactly what kind of attack you are using on
your foes. The lone highlight of the gameplay,
outside of the outdoor levels, lies in the game's
in-flight battle system, which you will make use of
against the Vulture and the Green Goblin. This
in-flight fighting system really helps to get you
into the mood to do battle. You will get an
adrenaline rush the likes of which you have never
seen. You will see your character hanging on for dear
life and if you fall while using this in-flight
battle system, you are DEAD. Believe me, you will do
whatever it takes to survive, and that means you'll
be putting up your dukes and beating the daylights
out of anything that stands in your way.
The game's sub-par camera system also plays a hand in
making the indoor levels seem like a trip to Hell.
The herky-jerky camera makes you break out the
Dramamine the instant a level begins. As long as you
have no intentions of actually moving throughout a
level, you might be fine. Because, once you start
moving, that camera starts roving. You go one way,
the camera goes another. Considering the cramped
quarters of many of the indoor levels, this is quite
problematic. The outdoor levels suffer a bit from the
camera system, but not as much as the indoor levels
do, because the free-roaming nature of the levels
helps to offset the jerkiness of the camera.
The controls in the game get the job done, but they
are far too inconsistent. Some techniques, such as
shooting webbing, or creating a web zip line for
swift movement up a building or wall, are precise.
The very moment you press a button, the action is
done. However, for the combat aspects of the game,
such as punching, kicking, and throwing, the controls
tend to be very loose and unresponsive. This is yet
another aspect of the game that absolutely ruins the
indoor levels which the game is chock-full of. If you
could survive on webbing alone, you would be fine.
But, as I mentioned before, you can't. That leaves
you with a combat system that is too shaky to get the
job done on a consistent basis, and that my friends,
is simply inexcusable.
The graphics are the only noteworthy aspect of the
game, not including the voice over work, which I will
get into a bit later on. The graphics are full of
life and make the world of Spider-Man come alive. The
game is bathed in lush textures and lighting effects.
Little touches such as the perfect reflections off of
windows and rippling water really make the Spider-Man
New York come to life. As the game progresses from
the first level, which I view to, sadly, be the only
fun level in the bunch, you'll find similar touches.
In some indoor levels, you'll be able to bust open
boxes and watch in amazement as the wood just
shatters upon impact. The characters themselves are
full of detail. You'll be able to make out every
single web on Spidey's costume, and it even has the
reflection effect on it, just like in the movie.
Every character, from the lowliest thug to the Green
Goblin himself is full of details that add to the
atmosphere of the game.
The sound in the game is another bright spot.
Treyarch decided to shell out some big bucks to Tobey
Maguire and William Dafoe (the actors who play
Spider-Man and Green Goblin in the movie,
respectively.) For the most part, it's money well
spent. Dafoe does an incredible job at nailing down
the dynamic Green Goblin character, so much so that
it is nearly impossible to not hate him towards the
end of the game. Maguire does an admirable job, but
he tends to overact at the most inappropriate times,
such as at the very beginning of the game, where he
lays out your objective as if he was Moses reciting
the Ten Commandments. The game features some nice
sound effects, although none of them do much to
convey the sense of damage done via punches and
kicks, they certainly could be worse. The music is
kind of pedestrian, it really doesn't grab you. But,
it's not overly offensive either. The great voice
over work by Dafoe more than makes up for the aural shortcomings.
The replay value of Spider-Man: the Movie is simply
through the roof. Treyarch has outdone themselves
this time and really went all out to give you, the
gamer, the most bang for your buck. You will be
rewarded with tons of fun little secrets and costumes
for beating the game under certain conditions. If you
are able to beat the game on its hardest settings,
you will be handsomely rewarded, to say the very
least. Simply put, if you have the tolerance to
overcome the game's shortcomings, you will be
rewarded, there is a light at the end of the tunnel,
and it's a blinding one. However, all of this extra
bliss does not make up for a shoddy main product.
Much like a DVD movie that relies on superfluous
extras for praise, this game can't survive on secrets
alone. It must be able to stand on it's own two feet
in order to be deserving of a purchase.
All in all, if you are a huge, hardcore Spidey fan, I
recommend that you give this game a rental to see if
it tickles your fancy. Odds are, you will get your
thrills in a few days of play, and you won't be out
$50. The sub-par gameplay and controls harm the game
to the brink of it being unplayable. The graphics and
voice work by Dafoe and Maguire do an admirable job
of sucking you into the game, and into the Spidey
universe. It's a shame the gameplay doesn't further
that sensation. As it stands, the only game to pull
of the perfect blend of the Spidey atmosphere with
great gameplay has been the Sega-created Spidey games
of the early 90s. Each version of that game had
something unique to offer you and it made playing
through each version of the game something you would
want to do. It didn't rely on tons of extras to get
your money, it's gameplay made it deserving of it.
This is easily the most disappointing Spider-Man game ever.
Overall: 4 out of 10