Spider-Man (2002 video game)
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| Spider-Man: The Movie | |
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| Developer(s) | Treyarch (consoles) Digital Eclipse Software (Game Boy Advance) |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Designer(s) | Tomo Moriwaki (creative dir.), Akihiro Akaike (lead designer) |
| Engine | Treyarch proprietary |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, PC, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance |
| Release date | April 15, 2002 |
| Genre(s) | Action game, Beat 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Everyone (E) |
Spider-Man is an action game based upon the Marvel Comics character, Spider-Man, and is directly based on the first feature film starring the character. It was developed by Treyarch and released in 2002 for PC and several video game consoles. The game has many scenes and villains that did not appear in the film.
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[edit] Plot
Peter Parker develops super-spider powers after being bitten by a genetically altered spider. Peter's uncle Ben is killed by the leader of the skulls gang. Peter uses his new powers to track down, and kill the murderer. Peter vows to use his powers for good and put an end to evil in Manhattan. Suddenly he is attacked by mysterious flying machines and spider-shaped robots(Hero and Super-hero difficulties only) Spider-Man comes victorious. Meanwhile, Shocker is driving away with his thugs as Spidey lands, only to be hit by Vulture. Spider-Man goes after Shocker first. Spider-Man's battle with shocker leads him through the sewers and to a subway station, where Spider-Man has a "flashy climactic" battle with Shocker. Afterwards, Shocker tells Spider-Man about Vulture hiding in an old clocktower on the Lowereast Side of town. Spider-Man defeats Vulture atop the Chrysler building. Peter goes down to take pictures of his battle site with Shocker when he runs into Scorpion. After helping Scorpion defeat the machines, he defeats a paranoid Scorpion. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn is fired from Oscorp and takes his gas-bath to become the forever-feared Green Goblin. Spider-Man defeats the Goblin at the yearly Oscorp Unity Day Festival. Once again defeats him at a nearby exhibit and electrical room where Spider-Man learns of bombs planted downtown. He stops the bombs and fights the Razor Bats. After studying a wing of the Razor Bat, Spider-Man goes to Oscorp to research its connection with the Goblin. Along with that, he stops the threat of chemical weapons. After finding out about the Goblins plot to capture and kill Mary Jane, Spider-Man chases him down to a bridge. Here, Spider-Man has his final battlle with the Green Goblin, when he gets run over by his own glider, to which his last words are, "Tell Harry, I'm sorry." To which Spider-Man replies, "I'm sorry, too." When Mary Jane and Spider-Man kiss, thus ending the game.
[edit] Gameplay
Spider-Man is a level based action game, with you playing as Spider-Man. Most levels are indoors, but some levels require you to web-sling from building to building. Levels are in "sections" with a different enemy for each, each section lasting about 3 levels. Each level, except for the last two, has a bonus screen after it. Generally, there are the bonuses "Time" (clear level in a set time), "Perfect" (Not take damage/detected) and "Style" (use as many combos as possible). Other level-specific ones are "Secrets" (Uncover a secret area), "Combat" (Defeat all enemies). Players can gain, depending on difficulty, points on completing these tasks. On Easy mode, each bonus is 500 points, Normal is 700, and Super-Hero is 1000 each.
The basic abilities are swinging, zipping, punching and kicking, web, camera lock, and the Web Mode in Enhanced Mode. Depending on how you combine different buttons, it makes different effects. Wall-crawling is automatic, and players are also able to lift up heavy and light objects. There are 21 different combat combos which Gold Spiders are used to gain these combos, with 4 web controls, each having a type of "upgrade" to each. There is also "stealth mode", where Spider-Man is in shadow, and therefore is undetectable by enemies. This is necessary to gain extra points in the game.
[edit] Enemies
- BoneSaw (In the training mode "Basic Combat")
- Dennis "Spike" Carradine
- Herman Shultz/Shocker
- Adrian Toomes/Vulture
- Mac Gargan/Scorpion
- Sergie Kravenoff/Kraven The Hunter (Xbox Version Only)
- Norman Osborn/Green Goblin
- OsCorp Lite Mechs
- OsCorp Super Soldiers
[edit] Reception
The critical reviews were good, with many critics at the time considering it the best Spider-Man game yet.[1] However, criticism fell on the indoor levels,[2] Tobey Maguire's voice acting[3] and bad camera.[4] Even for these flaws, this game was good enough to get an 8.4 from IGN, a 9.3 from gamepro, 80/100 from gamespy and a 9 worldwide.
High sales (two million copies of the PlayStation 2 version[5] and over 400,000 on the GameCube and Xbox[6]) were sold in North America alone, allowing the game to enter the "Best-Sellers" of each console (PS2's Greatest Hits, GameCube's Player's Choice and Xbox's Platinum Hits). (Recently promoted to " Best of Platinum Hits " on the Xbox.
[edit] Differences from the film
- In the game, the man who killed Uncle Ben is a member of a gang of thugs known as the Skulls gang. In the movie, he appeared to operate alone, although Spider-Man 3 revealed he was in league with Flint Marko. In the game, he is referred to by gang members only as Spike, and in the game's artwork galleries as Butch. Spider-Man 3 refers to him as Dennis 'Spike' Carradine.
- In the game, Norman sees Spider-Man as the key to completing the company's Human-Performance Enhancers, and sends Hunter Killer Drones to capture him. In the movie, this does not happen, and they both get their powers at around the same time.
- In the game, the board fires Norman after he tests the Oz Serum on himself, after which he takes the serum. In the movie, Norman became the Green Goblin when he tested the Oz Serum on himself after he is fired from the board when the board decides to sell the company.
- In the game, Spider-Man must rescue Mary Jane from a balloon at the World Unity Day Festival (there seems to be nothing wrong because MJ is just standing on the balloon). In the film, she's trapped on a crumbling balcony of the Oscorp building. Also, it is night in the game, although the cinematic that introduces the level takes place during the day, which is the time the festival took place in the movie.
- In the game, Norman never finds out who Spider-Man is, and kidnaps Mary Jane because one of his robots took a picture of her kissing Spider-Man. In the movie, Norman finds out Peter is Spider-Man when he sees the cut on his arm from the razor bat, and kidnaps Mary Jane after Harry tells him that Peter is in love with her.
- In the game, Spider-Man was pursued by razor bats while swinging above the city. In the movie, he faces them in a burning building after being tricked by the Green Goblin.
- Oscorp plays a bigger role in the game than it does in the film, as Spider-Man must investigate the company itself after discovering a connection between it and the Green Goblin.
- At the end of the game, the Green Goblin is killed on the Queensboro Bridge by being run over at a fast speed by his glider. In the movie, he and Spider-Man fight first on the bridge, and then go to an abandoned building where the Green Goblin is impaled by the glider. The Roosevelt Island cable cars in the movie are also absent in the game. As he dies in the game, Norman tells Spider-Man to "Tell Harry I'm sorry". This is in stark contrast to the movie, in which Norman's last words are "Peter, Don't tell Harry".
- The GBA version of the game is a little more controversial: The final battle has Goblin being decked by Spider-Man first (in the playable boss level). Then the cutscene shows the Goblin get up and try to flee just as the glider swoops in and knocks him off the bridge, apparently killing him. But when Spider-Man and MJ hug at the end, MJ says that "Goblin and his cronies are in jail", implying that Goblin was recovered and arrested.
[edit] References to comic books
- If one webswings low to the streets in City levels, people on the ground will see him and note his presence. One of these people will say "Look! It's The Spider-Man!", and Spider-Man will say "It's just Spider-Man, there's no The," an apparent reference to the line in the 1960s Spider-Man theme song "Look out, Here comes The Spider-Man!" Also, two men again reference the theme by going "Whoa, it's Spider-Man!" "Spider-Man? Is he strong?" "'Strong?' Listen bud, I heard he's got radioactive blood!"
- Additionally, a civilian may say "Look, look up there, it's...Spider-Man" then Spider-Man says "Just stay away from that bird and plane metaphors, that's that other guy." in reference to the phrase commonly associated with Superman, "Look up in the sky. It's a bird, it's a plane... It's Superman!"
- In the Xbox version, Spider-Man complains about people setting things on fire to get his attention and muses that he should "get a Spider-Signal". This is a reference to both Batman and the classic piece of equipment Spider-Man uses in the comics.
[edit] Deleted idea
According to an interview with a member of the Treyarch team in the Spider-Man BradyGames strategy guide, there was a level created for this game that involved the player rescuing civilians from a burning building. However, due to the events of September 11, the team scrapped it, so they didn't appear insensitive when the game was released.This was rumored to be the first level in Spider Man 3.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Spider-Man at GameSpot
- Spider-Man games on Marvel.com
- Spider-Man at the Internet Movie Database
- Spider-Man: The Movie at MobyGames
- Game reviews at Game Rankings
