Spider-Man

Review

by J.C. Barnes

"With great power comes great responsibility." This now famous quote is synonymous with Stan Lee's comic book legend, Spider-Man. Created in the 1960s, the Spider-Man franchise has spun off several comic book series, television shows, animated series and a movie. Fortunately most of the web-slinging properties have retained the idea of Peter Parker balancing two lives: one as a superhero, and the other as a man balancing a job, romance, friendships and marriage. Thankfully, through the use of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater engine, Activision has finally given gamers and hardcore Spider-Man fans an action/adventure game that is a must-have title.

An imposter posing as Spider-Man has stolen a piece of technology Dr. Otto Octavious was showcasing at an electronics conference. Gamers take control of the web-slinging hero and will have to face off against familiar enemies such as Venom, Scorpion, Rhino and others. Because he's also a wanted man, he'll need to deal with both J. Jonah Jameson and the NYPD.

Spider-Man's controls are masterfully done, making you feel as if you are actually swinging from New York skyscraper to skyscraper. Webbing has several functions in addition to normal swinging: you can lasso enemies, shoot web balls, create hard shells on your hands for enhanced damage, and even encase Spidey in a protective shield. Crawling up walls and ceilings is easy to accomplish, and the camera almost always positions itself in the most optimal position for gameplay.

Most gamers looking to buy the Nintendo 64 version are going to want to know the differences between it and the PlayStation game, and there is quite a substantial list of differences. Both titles are presented like a comic book issue or an episode of the Marvel cartoon, but the graphics on the Nintendo 64 version successfully outdo those seen on the original PlayStation version. Unfortunately, the great CGI scenes that advanced the story are absent in this version due to the limited space on the Nintendo 64 cartridge.

In their place is a comic book like rendition featuring still pictures of the PlayStation CGI. All of the voices present on its CD counterpart are present, including Spider-Man and company's in-game dialogue and voice work and the sporadic narrative by Stan Lee, Yet once again, the memory limitations of the cartridge-based format degrade the quality of the voice work and the music.

Also absent from this version is the "What If" mode that's based on the popular Marvel comic book series. The "What If" comic books explore the altered realities if the outcome of a battle or event ended up being slightly different (for example, what if Hulk killed Wolverine or what if the Punisher shot Spider-Man in their first encounter?). The "What If" version of play could be accessed via a special code and would allow gamers to replay the game with slight differences in boss characters and visuals. This extended the gameplay considerably, and it is sadly missing from the Nintendo 64 version.

While the game mechanics are intact, making this just as fun as the other console versions, it's important to weigh in the differences when deciding between the two. Although the Nintendo 64 version has better graphics, some features were sacrificed in its transition to cartridge form. Many die-hard Spidey fans will probably be happier with the PlayStation version, or those wanting the best of both worlds may want to wait for the Dreamcast version instead, which looks to take the strengths of both games and enhance them considerably.