TrulyWack
2004
This review contains spoilers
Edit: I’ve grown to love it more over time.
Despite how much this game managed to accomplish at the time of its release and the things that still hold up today, I feel as though this is only worthy of 3 stars.
Compared to the other Spider-Man games released before this, it certainly was an innovative adventure.
The open world was refreshing and it was exciting to play after exploring the other Spider-Man games in order of release.
The combat system was also new and a lot of fun. I liked that I was able to purchase upgrades with combat, swinging, and air tricks.
The swinging is great, even by today’s standards. It controls really nice and there’s a nice mechanic that allows you to swing quicker or higher depending on how you use it.
The only issue with the swinging is it’s easy to get caught on buildings and it can slow you down pretty bad.
Despite the improved combat, it was often clunky and really frustrating. The evading and dodging were almost useless.
You’re barely given enough time to counter hits, especially when you’re being thrown a ton of other things.
The graphics are also pretty bland. Textures bland and there’s more blockiness than in the first movie game.
(I’ll give it a pass considering how big in scale it is).
The music is nice when swinging to missions. I just wish there was more of it.
The story is pretty cool because while it maintains things from the movie, it also includes different characters such as Shocker, Mysterio, and Black Cat while consistently bringing them back throughout the story.
Despite a lot of these improvements, they almost all feel unfinished. It just feels like an unpolished version of a potentially great Spider-Man game.
Maybe it’s unfair of me to say considering the time it came out, but I really do respect what it did for the future of Spider-Man games. I also did have a lot of fun with it despite my criticisms.
Despite how much this game managed to accomplish at the time of its release and the things that still hold up today, I feel as though this is only worthy of 3 stars.
Compared to the other Spider-Man games released before this, it certainly was an innovative adventure.
The open world was refreshing and it was exciting to play after exploring the other Spider-Man games in order of release.
The combat system was also new and a lot of fun. I liked that I was able to purchase upgrades with combat, swinging, and air tricks.
The swinging is great, even by today’s standards. It controls really nice and there’s a nice mechanic that allows you to swing quicker or higher depending on how you use it.
The only issue with the swinging is it’s easy to get caught on buildings and it can slow you down pretty bad.
Despite the improved combat, it was often clunky and really frustrating. The evading and dodging were almost useless.
You’re barely given enough time to counter hits, especially when you’re being thrown a ton of other things.
The graphics are also pretty bland. Textures bland and there’s more blockiness than in the first movie game.
(I’ll give it a pass considering how big in scale it is).
The music is nice when swinging to missions. I just wish there was more of it.
The story is pretty cool because while it maintains things from the movie, it also includes different characters such as Shocker, Mysterio, and Black Cat while consistently bringing them back throughout the story.
Despite a lot of these improvements, they almost all feel unfinished. It just feels like an unpolished version of a potentially great Spider-Man game.
Maybe it’s unfair of me to say considering the time it came out, but I really do respect what it did for the future of Spider-Man games. I also did have a lot of fun with it despite my criticisms.
2016
SUPERHOT VR offers an immersive, energetic, chaotic ride that’s to both clever in its simple minimalistic writing, and addictive in its gameplay.
The game is pretty incredible in almost every way; but the only reason it’s not rated higher is because it isn’t very story driven the way I would like, and it’s pretty narrow in its gameplay. This isn’t necessarily a fault of the game itself, just more so a personal preference I have when looking to play new games.
Non-the-less it’s incredibly entertaining and the modes you unlock when you beat the game are so cool.
The game is pretty incredible in almost every way; but the only reason it’s not rated higher is because it isn’t very story driven the way I would like, and it’s pretty narrow in its gameplay. This isn’t necessarily a fault of the game itself, just more so a personal preference I have when looking to play new games.
Non-the-less it’s incredibly entertaining and the modes you unlock when you beat the game are so cool.
2002
This review contains spoilers
Oh the cheese of early 2000s Spider-Man nostalgia... what a strange and fascinating time.
Well, Bruce Campbell alone makes this worth playing. Who doesn’t love being yelled at by Bruce? If you don’t, you’re probably a dweeb. Okay not seriously but come on, Evil Dead 2 amiright?
Anyways, this is such a weird game. Story wise it get like, 1 and a half stars because of the little sense it actually makes and the ending is pretty disappointing.
It’s an easy game to beat. Not super challenging. But it’s a pretty big improvement over the ps1 Spider-Man games which it is very much in the vein of.
I loved web zipping, and the swinging was much more fluent (All thanks to the next gen hardware. Hell yeah).
Combat was aight but the camera was kinda weird at times and the spider sense reflex thing didn’t always help. I liked the inclusion of the web stuff though. That made for some fun combos.
I really liked the cut scenes. Sure, they look pretty lackluster by today’s standards, but man I just loved em.
The robot stuff towards the end was kinda annoying, but it was actually kinda suspenseful and challenging at times. Bravo.
If you’re a spider-man fan, check it out. Otherwise, still check it out. It’s kinda fun and kind of ridiculous.
Well, Bruce Campbell alone makes this worth playing. Who doesn’t love being yelled at by Bruce? If you don’t, you’re probably a dweeb. Okay not seriously but come on, Evil Dead 2 amiright?
Anyways, this is such a weird game. Story wise it get like, 1 and a half stars because of the little sense it actually makes and the ending is pretty disappointing.
It’s an easy game to beat. Not super challenging. But it’s a pretty big improvement over the ps1 Spider-Man games which it is very much in the vein of.
I loved web zipping, and the swinging was much more fluent (All thanks to the next gen hardware. Hell yeah).
Combat was aight but the camera was kinda weird at times and the spider sense reflex thing didn’t always help. I liked the inclusion of the web stuff though. That made for some fun combos.
I really liked the cut scenes. Sure, they look pretty lackluster by today’s standards, but man I just loved em.
The robot stuff towards the end was kinda annoying, but it was actually kinda suspenseful and challenging at times. Bravo.
If you’re a spider-man fan, check it out. Otherwise, still check it out. It’s kinda fun and kind of ridiculous.
1998
This review contains spoilers
Alright look, this game isn’t very good... but man did I have fun shredding shit to pieces at the end.
Okay, okay, that wasn’t the only FUN thing about the game. I like some parts of the missions. Like being able to steal identities and pretty much anywhere I was able to shoot people (despite how poor the controls are).
But man. This game is tough. Not because it’s simply challenging, but because of how bad these controls are.
Who’s idea was it to make walking side to side while aiming the mf R2 button? That’s some dumb shit.
Also some of the objectives aren’t very clear. You know what you have to do, but it’s not very clear how to do it. Like I get that you have to figure stuff out in your own. It’s not gonna hold your hand. But why are certain things so incredibly specific?
I got stuck at times and had to look up how to get past the level on YouTube. How lame is that?
I know I’m ranting a bit but dang. I’ll admit, I love the movie, and I have a soft spot for this game flaws and all. I wanna rate it higher, but it really doesn’t even deserve to be where it is now. At least I don’t think it does... (idk, I’m still new to this stuff. What a loser).
Okay, okay, that wasn’t the only FUN thing about the game. I like some parts of the missions. Like being able to steal identities and pretty much anywhere I was able to shoot people (despite how poor the controls are).
But man. This game is tough. Not because it’s simply challenging, but because of how bad these controls are.
Who’s idea was it to make walking side to side while aiming the mf R2 button? That’s some dumb shit.
Also some of the objectives aren’t very clear. You know what you have to do, but it’s not very clear how to do it. Like I get that you have to figure stuff out in your own. It’s not gonna hold your hand. But why are certain things so incredibly specific?
I got stuck at times and had to look up how to get past the level on YouTube. How lame is that?
I know I’m ranting a bit but dang. I’ll admit, I love the movie, and I have a soft spot for this game flaws and all. I wanna rate it higher, but it really doesn’t even deserve to be where it is now. At least I don’t think it does... (idk, I’m still new to this stuff. What a loser).
2007
It’s hard to believe I complained so much about the problems the Spider-Man 2 movie game had after playing this…
This is next level BAD. I was upset with the last game for underutilizing the incredible music, but compared to this game that felt like a goddamn concert. Why is it so quiet and awkward when swinging around?!
Speaking of swinging around, I’m glad they kept SOME of what worked about the second games swinging. You can tell there were things they ditched altogether though, and not for the better.
One thing the second game really nailed to make the play through experience more FUN was it’s inclusion of web tricks. This game completely abandons that. In fact, this game completely abandons 75% of what made Spider-Man 2 so much fun.
Instead we’re treated to more bland visuals that are some how worse than the last game, a mind numbingly terrible translation of an already convoluted story, hysterically bad dialogue, a boring and clunky combat system, and repetitive, monotonous side tasks that take up more than 50% of the entire game (I wish I were kidding)!
I find it incredible just how far from Grace this series fell. Can’t wait to play Ultimate Spider-Man because it’ll be such a good pallet cleanser after finishing this putrid pile of shit.
Now, to end this on a lighter note, here’s a hilarious dialogue exchange between Peter and MJ towards the end of the game:
MJ:
What’s wrong? You haven’t said a single word all night.
PETER:
I figured you were talking enough for the both of us.
MJ:
Peter, what’s gotten into you lately?
PETER:
Nothing that stopping your gums from flapping wouldn’t solve!
… I couldn’t make this up if I tried.
This is next level BAD. I was upset with the last game for underutilizing the incredible music, but compared to this game that felt like a goddamn concert. Why is it so quiet and awkward when swinging around?!
Speaking of swinging around, I’m glad they kept SOME of what worked about the second games swinging. You can tell there were things they ditched altogether though, and not for the better.
One thing the second game really nailed to make the play through experience more FUN was it’s inclusion of web tricks. This game completely abandons that. In fact, this game completely abandons 75% of what made Spider-Man 2 so much fun.
Instead we’re treated to more bland visuals that are some how worse than the last game, a mind numbingly terrible translation of an already convoluted story, hysterically bad dialogue, a boring and clunky combat system, and repetitive, monotonous side tasks that take up more than 50% of the entire game (I wish I were kidding)!
I find it incredible just how far from Grace this series fell. Can’t wait to play Ultimate Spider-Man because it’ll be such a good pallet cleanser after finishing this putrid pile of shit.
Now, to end this on a lighter note, here’s a hilarious dialogue exchange between Peter and MJ towards the end of the game:
MJ:
What’s wrong? You haven’t said a single word all night.
PETER:
I figured you were talking enough for the both of us.
MJ:
Peter, what’s gotten into you lately?
PETER:
Nothing that stopping your gums from flapping wouldn’t solve!
… I couldn’t make this up if I tried.
2019
What a pleasantly fun, adorable little time. With a day off indoors, and stormy weather outside, this made my morning so much brighter.
Stylistically you’re obviously in for a treat as it feels as though you’re playing a video game version of the Childrens television shows you grew up with. It’s so simple in its art style, and that’s where so much of the charm comes in.
The colors are vibrant, the music can go from a chaotic piano to a soothing one in seconds, and all of this comes together satisfyingly. The gameplay feels great as everything controls really well. The stages are well designed and feel like a fluent journey.
There’s no real central story, and it doesn’t need one. What it does here is more than I could've asked for and expected. It’s fun, is cute, and it’s occasionally hilarious and wholesome. Play through it at least once! It’s such an entertaining time.
Stylistically you’re obviously in for a treat as it feels as though you’re playing a video game version of the Childrens television shows you grew up with. It’s so simple in its art style, and that’s where so much of the charm comes in.
The colors are vibrant, the music can go from a chaotic piano to a soothing one in seconds, and all of this comes together satisfyingly. The gameplay feels great as everything controls really well. The stages are well designed and feel like a fluent journey.
There’s no real central story, and it doesn’t need one. What it does here is more than I could've asked for and expected. It’s fun, is cute, and it’s occasionally hilarious and wholesome. Play through it at least once! It’s such an entertaining time.
2006
This review contains spoilers
Bully is one of the cursed games from my childhood that I could never seem to complete due to being my underdeveloped, unmotivated, easily distracted baby brain.
Now returning roughly a decade later, I can say that the game is just as fun as it was the day I first played it. To say the game has a large variety of objectives to keep you entertained would be selling it short, as there’s everything from mini games, side tasks, missions, side missions, and even classes that all help build and enhance the gameplay experience.
The weapon wheel is just awesome. There’s even so many that you’ll have a tool for just about any purpose you can think up. It can also be kind of a drawback when you’re attempting to scroll through a dozen things to get to one that you’re specifically looking for, but nonetheless they’re almost all very useful.
You even have a variety transportation to choose from, as you’re given a skateboard early on and increasingly acquire more things such as bikes, mopeds, and even a go kart! All of this makes getting around the map so much fun!
Speaking of the map… woah! What a massive undertaking this must have been for the developers. This is the most well realized open world I’ve played all the way through so far for this era. It puts the other open world game I played recently, Gun, to shame! To be fair though, Gun still utilized it’s open world very well. But there’s everything from the school, secret tunnels, an asylum, different cities, beaches, a carnival, and large neighborhoods to really make exploring a much better time. Including different save spots across the map was also a brilliant idea.
The levels are often very intricately designed, and I can’t help but adore all of the meticulously crafted work that was poured into nearly every single one. Where the game does begin to lose me though, is the story and it’s characters. Sure, it’s not necessarily a game that needs those things to be good in order to be enjoyable… but I think a better script would’ve made this one of the best games I’ve ever played.
Jimmy is a pretty shallow character without a lot of depth… but to make matters worse, the antagonist of the game has even less development than him, only really being included in a chapter and a half of the story; and that’s being generous.
I don’t really understand why they chose Gary as the main antagonist as he really doesn’t serve much of a purpose other than to make things harder on Jimmy. I feel as though the story would’ve been more interesting if they doubled down on the schools corruption by making the main antagonist the principal instead. It just would’ve made for a more focused story with a stronger message about bullying as Jimmy’s goal was to clean the school up anyway.
But alas, Rockstar isn’t usually as focused on getting a message across as they are an experience. One that was delivered excellently regardless.
Now returning roughly a decade later, I can say that the game is just as fun as it was the day I first played it. To say the game has a large variety of objectives to keep you entertained would be selling it short, as there’s everything from mini games, side tasks, missions, side missions, and even classes that all help build and enhance the gameplay experience.
The weapon wheel is just awesome. There’s even so many that you’ll have a tool for just about any purpose you can think up. It can also be kind of a drawback when you’re attempting to scroll through a dozen things to get to one that you’re specifically looking for, but nonetheless they’re almost all very useful.
You even have a variety transportation to choose from, as you’re given a skateboard early on and increasingly acquire more things such as bikes, mopeds, and even a go kart! All of this makes getting around the map so much fun!
Speaking of the map… woah! What a massive undertaking this must have been for the developers. This is the most well realized open world I’ve played all the way through so far for this era. It puts the other open world game I played recently, Gun, to shame! To be fair though, Gun still utilized it’s open world very well. But there’s everything from the school, secret tunnels, an asylum, different cities, beaches, a carnival, and large neighborhoods to really make exploring a much better time. Including different save spots across the map was also a brilliant idea.
The levels are often very intricately designed, and I can’t help but adore all of the meticulously crafted work that was poured into nearly every single one. Where the game does begin to lose me though, is the story and it’s characters. Sure, it’s not necessarily a game that needs those things to be good in order to be enjoyable… but I think a better script would’ve made this one of the best games I’ve ever played.
Jimmy is a pretty shallow character without a lot of depth… but to make matters worse, the antagonist of the game has even less development than him, only really being included in a chapter and a half of the story; and that’s being generous.
I don’t really understand why they chose Gary as the main antagonist as he really doesn’t serve much of a purpose other than to make things harder on Jimmy. I feel as though the story would’ve been more interesting if they doubled down on the schools corruption by making the main antagonist the principal instead. It just would’ve made for a more focused story with a stronger message about bullying as Jimmy’s goal was to clean the school up anyway.
But alas, Rockstar isn’t usually as focused on getting a message across as they are an experience. One that was delivered excellently regardless.