- Does whatever a spider can....almostA key part of the marketting machine for summer blockbusters is a tie-in game. Usually these are horrible efforts, lacking originality, taking major liberties and expecting the license to sell the resulting mess. Amongst a sea of these, Spider-Man is a tie-in game done right.
The story of the game is similar to the film but also takes cues from the comics as well as some ideas from the game creators. You start off on the trail of Uncle Ben's killer, swinging from roof top to roof top to try and get information from local thugs (the implausibility of them all being on the rooftops as they are is nicely spoofed in the dialogue of a side quest). This leads you to a warehouse where you discover your Uncle's killer is a gang leader. You have to battle through the rest of his goons to ultimately get a showdown with him. Afterwards the game has you facing off against well known Spidey villains as well as OsCorp, who are after Spidey to study his blood for their human enhancement serum. After getting familair with all your skills and staying one step ahead of OsCorp's efforts, your greatest enemy enters onto the stage- the sinister Green Goblin.
The range of combat available is impressive. The game takes Spidey's webbing and agility into account to create some interesting attacks. Web enemies up, swing them around and even go for a piggy back ride. Your attacks can be upgraded by collecting golden spider icons hidden throughout the levels. The more attacks you unlock, the more fun you can have combining them into cool combos to take out enemies. The levels are large enough to encourage exploration and experimentation. That's not to say that there isn't problems- in the outside levels, trying to go down to the sidewalk will cost you a life. You're stuck just swinging from building to building and fighting airborne enemies. Thankfully this has been corrected for the sequel.
Completing a level requires you to fill mission objectives. For example, you may be required to help the police fight thugs, rescue civillains in peril or keep up with a fleeing villain. If you know where you're going you should have no trouble completing the neccesary tasks.
The game has some star voice talent in the form of Toby Maguire, Willem Dafoe and Bruce Campbell. Maguire's work as Spidey is a mixed bag- sometimes he nails his lines and other times he sounds like he wants to be elsewhere. Spidey will throw out random quips as you play, which your enemies will reply. Call them ugly and they'll tell you where to shove it. Sadly, the game seems to favour the same one liners over and over which can get annoying. Dafoe plays Norman/the Goblin as well as he did in the film. He really seems to be enjoying himself and makes Goblin the menacing villain he needs to be. Campbell brings his well known humour to the game. He's the narrator for the training levels and the in game tips you'll encounter early on. He brings a spirit of fun to the proceedings, coming out with some of the best lines of the game. Didn't take the training levels before you started playing the game? Campbell will put you in your place.
A fun part to the game is the cheats and unlockables. A well thought out bowling mini-game, animation tests and the ability to play the game as the Goblin are waiting for players who rack up enough points. The Goblin is well worth unlocking. Although the levels are the same as Spidey's, the Goblin (Norman's son Harry looking for answers) has different powers including super speed, pumpkin bombers and the Goblin glider.
In all, a great game and a display of how tie ins should be done. The sequel may have improved on most areas, but the original is still worth picking up.
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