TrulyWack
Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions was my first exposure to the now commonly known “Spider-Verse”. It was a game I finished when I was about 15 years old, and I remember loving it for its unique artstyles and storytelling.
I figured it was time to revisit the childhood classic… but maybe that was a mistake. Shattered Dimensions isn’t a bad game. I actually do like it quite a bit, and think there’s a lot to love here.
The fact that the developers gave each universes Spider-Man a unique art style and setting made the storytelling pop just as much as the first time I played the game through. I loved the fact that Noir’s gameplay was more stealth based, and the inclusion of shadows for cover was actually a really cool idea.
The premise itself is still awesome for a Spider-Man story… and even cooler for a game based on the character. Especially when there’s so many Spider-Man games that feel similar. Beenox decided to abandon the open world and take a more linear, beat-em-up approach… and I actually think that was a refreshing decision having played these all back to back.
All of that said, the game does suffer from repetitive lackluster combat, frustratingly unresponsive controls, and a runtime that could’ve easily been trimmed down when you consider how little each stage contributes to the overall plot. It wouldn’t be so bad if each level was fun and unique… but a lot of levels felt similar to one another for a game that intended to distinguish each. Instead of focusing on one combat system and refining it, they focus on four… and they’re all just kind of mediocre.
I’m sure it would be pretty fun for others on a single play through. It was fun for me, especially as a teen. But returning to it a second time, especially after having played much better games, it’s just okay.
I figured it was time to revisit the childhood classic… but maybe that was a mistake. Shattered Dimensions isn’t a bad game. I actually do like it quite a bit, and think there’s a lot to love here.
The fact that the developers gave each universes Spider-Man a unique art style and setting made the storytelling pop just as much as the first time I played the game through. I loved the fact that Noir’s gameplay was more stealth based, and the inclusion of shadows for cover was actually a really cool idea.
The premise itself is still awesome for a Spider-Man story… and even cooler for a game based on the character. Especially when there’s so many Spider-Man games that feel similar. Beenox decided to abandon the open world and take a more linear, beat-em-up approach… and I actually think that was a refreshing decision having played these all back to back.
All of that said, the game does suffer from repetitive lackluster combat, frustratingly unresponsive controls, and a runtime that could’ve easily been trimmed down when you consider how little each stage contributes to the overall plot. It wouldn’t be so bad if each level was fun and unique… but a lot of levels felt similar to one another for a game that intended to distinguish each. Instead of focusing on one combat system and refining it, they focus on four… and they’re all just kind of mediocre.
I’m sure it would be pretty fun for others on a single play through. It was fun for me, especially as a teen. But returning to it a second time, especially after having played much better games, it’s just okay.
Another well crafted story with an incredibly thought out structure that blends its combative action and character moments in the most organic, memorable, and engaging way possible for its players.
Despite having a premise that could easily be used for a generic third person resident evil 4 type of clone, The Last Of Us managed to have one of, if not the best narrative in video game history.
With incredible gameplay mechanics, the combat system and crafting system both felt organic and inspired the entire time.
The variety in enemy types was fantastic. One second you’re playing a stealth combat game, and the next it’s a survival horror with action elements. But it all worked together in a way that felt natural, which really helped the experience.
The characters are nuanced, and their journey is so rewarding. What a beautiful, heartbreaking, brilliantly written apocalypse story. Just when I thought the genre couldn’t do anything else for me, The Last Of Us showed up to prove me wrong.
With incredible gameplay mechanics, the combat system and crafting system both felt organic and inspired the entire time.
The variety in enemy types was fantastic. One second you’re playing a stealth combat game, and the next it’s a survival horror with action elements. But it all worked together in a way that felt natural, which really helped the experience.
The characters are nuanced, and their journey is so rewarding. What a beautiful, heartbreaking, brilliantly written apocalypse story. Just when I thought the genre couldn’t do anything else for me, The Last Of Us showed up to prove me wrong.
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.
So we all watched the same trailer as kids right? The “edgy” Spider-Man slowly walking with his head down as everything around him crumbles apart over bleak music.
7 year old me was screaming over how cool I thought that was. 22 year old me is screaming over how frustrating the game actually is. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows was a game that showed promise. A game that I’d say even had a ton of potential.
It was the first open world Spider-Man game that wasn’t tied to any established movie franchise or comic book series. It was a wholly new venture for game developers to come up with their own Spider-Man story, and take on the character. They succeed some of the time at making it a memorable adaptation, but pale horribly in comparison to Insomniac’s passionate outing with the webslinger.
First off, it may be a bit unfair to compare the two as they came out exactly a decade apart. Technical limitations of course play a big part in things… but my criticisms with this game extend beyond those of technical problems. The story in Web of Shadows is severely undercooked, as it’s simply just an alien invasion plot like that of “Invasion of The Body Snatchers”.
It’s really cool to see how New York transforms over time through the game play, and I think that aspect is utilized well when pertaining to the story. I just can’t help but feel like there were some missed opportunities to make the games plot more memorable. The set pieces are pretty slim, and most things take place in the bland open world. Nothing about New York is vibrant, lived in, or exciting until the Symbiote shows up.
The colors are drenched in shades of gray, and the building designs are a bit lazy. In the Spider-Man 2 game, there were locations that stuck out to me because the developers designed them in a way that allowed me to interact with them, or admire them for how visually interesting they were. Here, I can hardly think of more than 3 spots that stuck out to me.
As far as gameplay was concerned, I mostly enjoyed myself. The swinging was a bit dull, and the target lock was completely useless a lot of the time as I often had to rotate through it to lock onto the person I really wanted to fight, causing me to get my head stomped in half of the time.
But otherwise, the combat was fantastic, and I often felt like I was in total control when I was fighting. At first, things felt a bit clunky as I was playing, but almost everything felt natural about a quarter of the way through and there were so many incredible combat options that I couldn’t help but enjoy myself.
The inclusion of wall battles was really cool, and I loved how well it fit the character… although I can see why later games ditched it due to how hard it can be to control where you’re trying to go.
The inclusion of the black suit was another cool feature. One that was reminiscent of the Spider-Man 3 game. Here, it felt better, and the combat was more distinguished. I also think the black vs red inclusion in the story is a great touch, and having the option to alter the story was a lot of fun.
Otherwise, I don’t have much else to say. The biggest thing that bothered me about the game, was just how middle of the road it ended up being… expectations aside, I try to rate things as fair as I can, and give all games an equal opportunity to leave some sort of an impression on me.
The problem here, is that I don’t see myself thinking back to this one all that fondly, as there just wasn’t a lot in the story or the gameplay that stuck out to me as unique, fresh, or all that fun even. It was fine for a playthrough, but other than trying the game again in an effort to favor black suit storyline as I went for the red this time… I don’t see myself coming back to it.
7 year old me was screaming over how cool I thought that was. 22 year old me is screaming over how frustrating the game actually is. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows was a game that showed promise. A game that I’d say even had a ton of potential.
It was the first open world Spider-Man game that wasn’t tied to any established movie franchise or comic book series. It was a wholly new venture for game developers to come up with their own Spider-Man story, and take on the character. They succeed some of the time at making it a memorable adaptation, but pale horribly in comparison to Insomniac’s passionate outing with the webslinger.
First off, it may be a bit unfair to compare the two as they came out exactly a decade apart. Technical limitations of course play a big part in things… but my criticisms with this game extend beyond those of technical problems. The story in Web of Shadows is severely undercooked, as it’s simply just an alien invasion plot like that of “Invasion of The Body Snatchers”.
It’s really cool to see how New York transforms over time through the game play, and I think that aspect is utilized well when pertaining to the story. I just can’t help but feel like there were some missed opportunities to make the games plot more memorable. The set pieces are pretty slim, and most things take place in the bland open world. Nothing about New York is vibrant, lived in, or exciting until the Symbiote shows up.
The colors are drenched in shades of gray, and the building designs are a bit lazy. In the Spider-Man 2 game, there were locations that stuck out to me because the developers designed them in a way that allowed me to interact with them, or admire them for how visually interesting they were. Here, I can hardly think of more than 3 spots that stuck out to me.
As far as gameplay was concerned, I mostly enjoyed myself. The swinging was a bit dull, and the target lock was completely useless a lot of the time as I often had to rotate through it to lock onto the person I really wanted to fight, causing me to get my head stomped in half of the time.
But otherwise, the combat was fantastic, and I often felt like I was in total control when I was fighting. At first, things felt a bit clunky as I was playing, but almost everything felt natural about a quarter of the way through and there were so many incredible combat options that I couldn’t help but enjoy myself.
The inclusion of wall battles was really cool, and I loved how well it fit the character… although I can see why later games ditched it due to how hard it can be to control where you’re trying to go.
The inclusion of the black suit was another cool feature. One that was reminiscent of the Spider-Man 3 game. Here, it felt better, and the combat was more distinguished. I also think the black vs red inclusion in the story is a great touch, and having the option to alter the story was a lot of fun.
Otherwise, I don’t have much else to say. The biggest thing that bothered me about the game, was just how middle of the road it ended up being… expectations aside, I try to rate things as fair as I can, and give all games an equal opportunity to leave some sort of an impression on me.
The problem here, is that I don’t see myself thinking back to this one all that fondly, as there just wasn’t a lot in the story or the gameplay that stuck out to me as unique, fresh, or all that fun even. It was fine for a playthrough, but other than trying the game again in an effort to favor black suit storyline as I went for the red this time… I don’t see myself coming back to it.
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.
The infamously disappointing port of a much better game… Spider-Man: Web of Shadows - Amazing Allies Edition offers very little new to the side scroller genre.
As a Spider-Man game, it’s okay. The upgrade and skill system is good, but not much beyond that. The gameplay is pretty straightforward and stays the same much throughout.
The level design can be complex, and there’s some occasionally fun boss battles. If you go into it knowing what to expect, you’ll at least get a semi decent experience out of it.
But nothing, and I mean NOTHING, about this game can justify or make up for what a horrible, disappointingly underwhelming ending this port has. If you’ve played it, you know. If you haven’t and can’t imagine that it’s that bad. Trust me. It’s a spit in the eyes and a smack in the mouth.
As a Spider-Man game, it’s okay. The upgrade and skill system is good, but not much beyond that. The gameplay is pretty straightforward and stays the same much throughout.
The level design can be complex, and there’s some occasionally fun boss battles. If you go into it knowing what to expect, you’ll at least get a semi decent experience out of it.
But nothing, and I mean NOTHING, about this game can justify or make up for what a horrible, disappointingly underwhelming ending this port has. If you’ve played it, you know. If you haven’t and can’t imagine that it’s that bad. Trust me. It’s a spit in the eyes and a smack in the mouth.
“I had a dream of my wife. She was dead, but it was alright.”
Max Payne 2 doubles down on its character driven storytelling by quite literally introducing a secondary playable character through Mona Sax.
The storytelling has never been better, and the stylistic graphic novel art choice has never been so compelling. With Exciting set pieces, a creative story structure, intriguing characters, and an incredible music score, Max Payne 2 is a worthy sequel to the masterful game that came before it.
Though it still has most of the same frame rate and gameplay issues as its predecessor. This is likely a port issue, but it’s hard to overlook. Especially when everything else is firing on all cylinders. This has the potential to be the better game out of the two. It’s just held back by the hardware I played it on.
I would love to revisit both games on PC or a later console port some day. They’re a couple of the greatest video games I’ve ever played.
Max Payne 2 doubles down on its character driven storytelling by quite literally introducing a secondary playable character through Mona Sax.
The storytelling has never been better, and the stylistic graphic novel art choice has never been so compelling. With Exciting set pieces, a creative story structure, intriguing characters, and an incredible music score, Max Payne 2 is a worthy sequel to the masterful game that came before it.
Though it still has most of the same frame rate and gameplay issues as its predecessor. This is likely a port issue, but it’s hard to overlook. Especially when everything else is firing on all cylinders. This has the potential to be the better game out of the two. It’s just held back by the hardware I played it on.
I would love to revisit both games on PC or a later console port some day. They’re a couple of the greatest video games I’ve ever played.
I actually played an arcade port of this game, and it was a blast! Me and my girlfriend sat down for an hour with the goal of finishing it in mind.
Sure, it’s repetitive and a bit of a generic beat ‘em up, but the animations and gameplay never became boring because of how short the games length is. I would definitely recommend seeking out the arcade version!
Sure, it’s repetitive and a bit of a generic beat ‘em up, but the animations and gameplay never became boring because of how short the games length is. I would definitely recommend seeking out the arcade version!
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe may not be the most polished Spider-Man game that came out of the PS2 era… but it has its merits when you consider it was a game made for children; and any young True Believer will have their fun.
It’s a beat ‘em’ up style action game that revives the genre for the web head since he wasn’t beating up baddies like this since the ‘90s. Only now it’s in 3D with some familiar character designs to that of the beloved Raimi Trilogy.
Some of what works about Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is it’s art style, it’s light comedy, and the way it gets the characters right… even if they’re watered down for children. It has some fun cameos such as Blade, Iron Fist, Black Cat, and some of Spider-Man’s vogues gallery. The game also has a killer cutscene in its opening, setting the perfect tone.
Though the gameplay gets repetitive and boring after a while, it’s still mildly satisfying the first few goes around and you can tell the way the missions are structured that the game designers at least attempted to keep things exciting for kids.
The problem with Friend or Foe is that the combat does begin to lose its excitement, and after a while, feels like a chore. The same can be said about the level structures. You know exactly how each one will play out as you’re going through it, and there’s no real excitement or entertainment after a while.
Even the level designs themselves begin to feel a bit lazy once you’ve played through the first missions of each stage. Theres some cool upgrades you can unlock, but the grinding through missions hardly feels worth it in any way. Perhaps this game could have benefited from unlockables after collecting a certain amount of points. Such as costumes, or cutscenes that we the game players could treat ourselves to as we play through it. Unfortunately, there’s nothing like that here.
Overall, it can be an entertaining game for children as I was once one of them and enjoyed it when I played it at the age of 7. Now, however, this doesn’t hold up very well, and just comes across as kind of mediocre.
It’s a beat ‘em’ up style action game that revives the genre for the web head since he wasn’t beating up baddies like this since the ‘90s. Only now it’s in 3D with some familiar character designs to that of the beloved Raimi Trilogy.
Some of what works about Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is it’s art style, it’s light comedy, and the way it gets the characters right… even if they’re watered down for children. It has some fun cameos such as Blade, Iron Fist, Black Cat, and some of Spider-Man’s vogues gallery. The game also has a killer cutscene in its opening, setting the perfect tone.
Though the gameplay gets repetitive and boring after a while, it’s still mildly satisfying the first few goes around and you can tell the way the missions are structured that the game designers at least attempted to keep things exciting for kids.
The problem with Friend or Foe is that the combat does begin to lose its excitement, and after a while, feels like a chore. The same can be said about the level structures. You know exactly how each one will play out as you’re going through it, and there’s no real excitement or entertainment after a while.
Even the level designs themselves begin to feel a bit lazy once you’ve played through the first missions of each stage. Theres some cool upgrades you can unlock, but the grinding through missions hardly feels worth it in any way. Perhaps this game could have benefited from unlockables after collecting a certain amount of points. Such as costumes, or cutscenes that we the game players could treat ourselves to as we play through it. Unfortunately, there’s nothing like that here.
Overall, it can be an entertaining game for children as I was once one of them and enjoyed it when I played it at the age of 7. Now, however, this doesn’t hold up very well, and just comes across as kind of mediocre.
2005
Other than some of the problematic elements that don’t hold up today, Gun managed to surpass my expectations in just about every way.
This was a proto Red Dead Redemption, and it created so many of the staples that the Red Dead series would inevitably adopt. The gun play is exhilarating, and I loved that I was able to continuously upgrade my weapons. Every side mission was consistently entertaining, and it rarely became boring because each one was almost entirely unique.
The weapon selection is also fantastic! I loved how many weapons I had to chose from. It made the combat great all throughout. Especially since you receive new weapons as you go along.
The open world may be kind of weak for today’s standards… but this is the first western video game that comes to mind that actually included one… and it’s actually really good! There’s so many little details I could gush about, but to save time, I’ll move onto the story.
The story plays out cinematically, and it’s larger than life in many ways or even over the top. This was never something that bothered me. In fact, I think for a video game, it works perfect. The set pieces in game are awesome, and make for really cool level design most of the time. The bosses are challenging, but not in a way that makes you want to stop playing or anything.
While I was usually able to predict things, I particularly liked the story here. It’s probably some of the best storytelling I’ve seen so far from this era of gaming, but that could just be because of my lack of experience so far. I thought Colton was a great protagonist, and I liked his backstory and lineage.
Overall, there are many memorable moments in Gun, and because of its superb gameplay and well executed storytelling… it’s a game I can definitely see myself revisiting in the future!
This was a proto Red Dead Redemption, and it created so many of the staples that the Red Dead series would inevitably adopt. The gun play is exhilarating, and I loved that I was able to continuously upgrade my weapons. Every side mission was consistently entertaining, and it rarely became boring because each one was almost entirely unique.
The weapon selection is also fantastic! I loved how many weapons I had to chose from. It made the combat great all throughout. Especially since you receive new weapons as you go along.
The open world may be kind of weak for today’s standards… but this is the first western video game that comes to mind that actually included one… and it’s actually really good! There’s so many little details I could gush about, but to save time, I’ll move onto the story.
The story plays out cinematically, and it’s larger than life in many ways or even over the top. This was never something that bothered me. In fact, I think for a video game, it works perfect. The set pieces in game are awesome, and make for really cool level design most of the time. The bosses are challenging, but not in a way that makes you want to stop playing or anything.
While I was usually able to predict things, I particularly liked the story here. It’s probably some of the best storytelling I’ve seen so far from this era of gaming, but that could just be because of my lack of experience so far. I thought Colton was a great protagonist, and I liked his backstory and lineage.
Overall, there are many memorable moments in Gun, and because of its superb gameplay and well executed storytelling… it’s a game I can definitely see myself revisiting in the future!
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.
2005
It’s worth saying now that none of the Spider-Man games that came out before the 2010’s came near perfect.
Almost all of them had unique qualities that worked so well and really made the play through experiences fun. The problem is that while each had some sort of uniqueness, they also had their own standard set of issues.
Ultimate Spider-Man nailed the visual style for the year it was released. The cel shaded art popped, and the exaggerated character designs finally gave fans like myself what they wanted from a Spider-Man game. There was no longer bland, ugly textures in an effort of achieving some sense of realism like the Raimi Spider-Man games did.
The music in the game is also a lot of fun. Not quite on par with Elfman’s theme, yet it’s still utilized at all of the points it should be. So the music about evens out with the Spider-Man 2 game. Thank goodness for that because Spider-Man 3 was so awkward and quiet. The story is easily the best of all of the Spider-Man games of this era and that’s because it is literally ripped out of the Ultimate Comics line (my favorite of the spider Canon).
The voice acting is fantastic, and the cameos from familiar faces is sooo much fun. You can even occasionally race Johnny Storm of the Fantastic 4. One thing I wish this game had more of, is side missions. While the main story is really good, the rest could have benefited from giving players more to do than just combat tasks and races. It gets repetitive and boring after a while. I do like the inclusion of picking up different tokens for unlockables, and one thing this game nailed that is still included in Spider-Man games today is the costumes variations you can wear.
As for other things this game gets right, we are able to play as Venom for almost half of the missions. And once you beat the game as a whole, you can unlock him as a playable character in the open world. The gameplay feels distinguishable and natural enough to really have fun.
I also liked that I was now able to climb up my web. It was a feature that really came in handy when I needed it and made web swinging more enjoyable. The level designs were also great; especially when stacked against Spider-Man 3. The level design in that game was so bland and underdeveloped. Here you can actually interact more with the environments and levels that you play throughout the game can effect the look of the open world.
It’s amazing how much regression happened from this to Spider-Man 3. As for things that rubbed me the wrong way, I didn’t like how many foot chases there were. They became tedious and a bit obnoxious after a while. I don’t understand why they were such a fundamental part of almost every mission.
I also didn’t love the difficulty spike that happens about halfway through the game. It feels like the entire game goes from being overly easy to incredibly difficult in the matter of seconds. Especially the fight with goblin. That one felt like it was designed with the soul purpose of pissing me off. The combat could’ve used some more work as well, as I’d say even Spider-Man 3 had a bit of an edge over it considering you could choose what you wanted to upgrade.
The choice of removing the upgrade system kind of hurt the gameplay here. It would’ve been nice to have the options of what to work on. I also miss the charged jump from Spider-Man 2. The jumping here is pretty okay, but it doesn’t work quite as well.
A small detail that kept bothering me was when I would try to jump near a building, it would instead push me off of the building away from where I was trying to go. Luckily the web zip came in handy for moments like that despite how shotty it could be.
Overall it’s a really fun game with a lot of promise… but it doesn’t quite reach the heights I think it had the potential to. Between this and Spider-Man 3, I’ve also grown a stronger appreciation for Spider-Man 2, which is why I also think it’s worth 3 and a half stars now. But if I’m being honest, both games are on the lower half of the 3 and a half star range and just squeak in.
Almost all of them had unique qualities that worked so well and really made the play through experiences fun. The problem is that while each had some sort of uniqueness, they also had their own standard set of issues.
Ultimate Spider-Man nailed the visual style for the year it was released. The cel shaded art popped, and the exaggerated character designs finally gave fans like myself what they wanted from a Spider-Man game. There was no longer bland, ugly textures in an effort of achieving some sense of realism like the Raimi Spider-Man games did.
The music in the game is also a lot of fun. Not quite on par with Elfman’s theme, yet it’s still utilized at all of the points it should be. So the music about evens out with the Spider-Man 2 game. Thank goodness for that because Spider-Man 3 was so awkward and quiet. The story is easily the best of all of the Spider-Man games of this era and that’s because it is literally ripped out of the Ultimate Comics line (my favorite of the spider Canon).
The voice acting is fantastic, and the cameos from familiar faces is sooo much fun. You can even occasionally race Johnny Storm of the Fantastic 4. One thing I wish this game had more of, is side missions. While the main story is really good, the rest could have benefited from giving players more to do than just combat tasks and races. It gets repetitive and boring after a while. I do like the inclusion of picking up different tokens for unlockables, and one thing this game nailed that is still included in Spider-Man games today is the costumes variations you can wear.
As for other things this game gets right, we are able to play as Venom for almost half of the missions. And once you beat the game as a whole, you can unlock him as a playable character in the open world. The gameplay feels distinguishable and natural enough to really have fun.
I also liked that I was now able to climb up my web. It was a feature that really came in handy when I needed it and made web swinging more enjoyable. The level designs were also great; especially when stacked against Spider-Man 3. The level design in that game was so bland and underdeveloped. Here you can actually interact more with the environments and levels that you play throughout the game can effect the look of the open world.
It’s amazing how much regression happened from this to Spider-Man 3. As for things that rubbed me the wrong way, I didn’t like how many foot chases there were. They became tedious and a bit obnoxious after a while. I don’t understand why they were such a fundamental part of almost every mission.
I also didn’t love the difficulty spike that happens about halfway through the game. It feels like the entire game goes from being overly easy to incredibly difficult in the matter of seconds. Especially the fight with goblin. That one felt like it was designed with the soul purpose of pissing me off. The combat could’ve used some more work as well, as I’d say even Spider-Man 3 had a bit of an edge over it considering you could choose what you wanted to upgrade.
The choice of removing the upgrade system kind of hurt the gameplay here. It would’ve been nice to have the options of what to work on. I also miss the charged jump from Spider-Man 2. The jumping here is pretty okay, but it doesn’t work quite as well.
A small detail that kept bothering me was when I would try to jump near a building, it would instead push me off of the building away from where I was trying to go. Luckily the web zip came in handy for moments like that despite how shotty it could be.
Overall it’s a really fun game with a lot of promise… but it doesn’t quite reach the heights I think it had the potential to. Between this and Spider-Man 3, I’ve also grown a stronger appreciation for Spider-Man 2, which is why I also think it’s worth 3 and a half stars now. But if I’m being honest, both games are on the lower half of the 3 and a half star range and just squeak in.
1998
I don’t want to make a habit out of abandoning games, but my god is this game almost unplayable. It wouldn’t be so rough if the controls were even slightly responsive.
Or if the way you interact with objects actually fucking worked. But no. This game is so broken that almost nothing happened the way it was supposed to, and it punishes you so damn hard for its own mistakes.
Like, if you’ve saved your game early on with one life left, you better hope you can make that shit stretch. Or else you’re gonna pay the price the entire game as you have to watch the death animation play out a billion times.
What a load of Kaka. Absolute dookie.
Or if the way you interact with objects actually fucking worked. But no. This game is so broken that almost nothing happened the way it was supposed to, and it punishes you so damn hard for its own mistakes.
Like, if you’ve saved your game early on with one life left, you better hope you can make that shit stretch. Or else you’re gonna pay the price the entire game as you have to watch the death animation play out a billion times.
What a load of Kaka. Absolute dookie.
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.