Hello again and welcome back to the next “D.G.M.’s Gaming Life Before Gaming Respawn”. Part 8 will begin with me taking a look back at all the Spider-Man games I’ve played starting with the PS1 up to the PS3. Even before that though I played the very popular and incredibly challenging Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage on the Sega Genesis. I never beat it of course since back in those days my gaming skills were average at best, but it was still a damn fun game to play. Even my dad would play it every now and then, making Maximum Carnage the only Spider-Man game he ever played.
But starting with the PlayStation, I played almost every Spider-Man game released, with the exceptions of Ultimate Spider-Man (since I neither follow nor care for the Ultimate Marvel comics series), Spider-Man: Friend or Foe (which looked like some silly, kiddy type of Spidey game featuring the movie versions of Spidey and other characters), and the more recent movie-based game The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (I figure renting this one might be better than buying it). Spider-Man has been my favorite Marvel superhero since my very early teens. He’s not a badass like Wolverine nor is he as powerful as the Hulk (another favorite of mine), but he’s encountered pretty much every Marvel hero and villain in existence, plus he’s got a great sense of humor even in the face of extreme danger. These qualities combined with his awesome powers and one hell of a rogues gallery make Spider-Man the most entertaining superhero for me to follow, so naturally the games based off him are a dream come true for me, right? Let us now begin going over the Spider-Man games I did play, and still own.
Spider-Man (PS1)
This was definitely one of my all time favorite games back when the original PlayStation reigned supreme. Spider-Man was a somewhat short and linear game, but it was lots of fun and had a pretty good story. Spidey not only has to deal with some of his most dangerous enemies, but also with a symbiote invasion of New York. The number of different villains and supporting characters was a dream come true for a Spidey fan such as myself. The roster includes the likes of Venom, Carnage, Dr. Octopus, Rhino, Daredevil, Human Torch, Captain America, and more.
For its time, the combat and controls for this game were awesome. Spider-Man could climb walls and along ceilings to avoid enemy detection in stealth-based missions. When it came to combat, Spidey could clobber his enemies with punches and kicks, as well as incorporate his webbing to ensnare or fling enemies into each other, and even shoot impact webbing to damage enemies from a distance. This game is generally less interesting compared to a lot of the later Spidey games and hasn’t aged quite as well as other PS1 games like the first Metal Gear Solid. Still, it’s plenty of fun and is a pleasant reminder of the simpler days of video gaming, before all the bells and whistles that would be added into later games. Spider-Man gets a score of 83%.
Spider-Man 2- Enter: Electro (PS1)
This sequel is basically just like its predecessor, but with slightly improved graphics. The gameplay is pretty much an exact copy of the previous game’s, with Spidey’s combat moves, jumping, wall climbing, and web swinging functioning just like before. The story was actually somewhat less interesting than the first game’s since it revolves around Spidey trying to stop Electro from getting a hold of some device that will greatly boost his power. Spidey again has to deal with more of his classic list of villains including Shocker, Sandman, Hammerhead, and the previously mentioned Electro. Guest appearances by other heroes like Professor X, Beast, and Rogue help round out the roster, though the collection of villains and characters in this game was ultimately less impressive than the previous game’s. This game was still fun, it was just too similar to the first Spider-Man game and did almost nothing new. Spider-Man 2- Enter: Electro gets a score of 79%.
Spider-Man (PS2)
Now we come to the game based off the first Spider-Man movie starring Tobey Maguire, and believe it or not, it was pretty good for a movie-based video game. It actually played a lot like an updated version of the two previous Spider-Man games, with the combat and especially web swinging controls operating considerably more smoothly. Spidey had access to a larger number of unlockable combos that let him pummel enemies with style, and unlike in the previous games, Spidey could web swing continuously in the larger environments without automatically dropping out of his swing animation after the second swing. This also translated to the addition of decent aerial combat. Graphics of course were another improvement due to the PS2’s superior engine.
And much like before, Spidey faced off against a few of his classic villains that were included in the game’s campaign to add to the story of the movie, namely Shocker, Vulture, and Scorpion, on top of movie baddie Green Goblin. Despite these improvements and additions, this game was really not much better than the two previous games, but it wasn’t worse either. It was pretty much more of the same, just better looking and with some expanded gameplay. Another good, solid Spidey game. The movie based game Spider-Man gets a score of 80%.
This concludes the first portion of my discussion of the Spider-Man video game saga. If you’re interested in finding out my opinion on the following games based on my favorite web swinging hero in red and blue tights, then join me next week for part 9 of “D.G.M.’s Gaming Life Before Gaming Respawn”. While you wait, check out some more of our site’s reading material:
Apparently Mr. Stephen Jackson, the big man himself, was a fan of Call of Duty once upon a time before he eventually grew out of it. However, in a most heroic display of self-sacrifice, and much to the immense relief of original volunteer Michael, Stephen has volunteered himself to review Call of Duty: Black Ops III, the latest game in the very long-running series. Have Stephen’s past experiences with the series left him irreparably shell shocked, or will this latest title remind him how wonderful it is to shower his enemies in a hail of bullets? Find out by taking a look at his review here.
Most of us here at Gaming Respawn have been spending time playing old favorite video game titles for the past couple of weeks (let’s face it, there currently aren’t many new releases out there worth getting too excited about). Find out what games have our attention by checking out our most recent “Gaming Respawn Plays” right over here.
