Spider-Man | |
Developed by: | Treyarch Digital Eclipse Software (GBA) LTI Gray Matter (Windows) |
Released by: | Activision Capcom (Japanese release) |
Release Date: | {{{release date}}} |
Available on: |
Xbox GameCube PlayStation 2 PC Game Boy Advance |
Mode(s): |
Single-player |
ESRB Rating: |
{{{ESRB rating}}} |
Predecessor: |
{{{Predecessor}}} |
Sequel: |
Spider-Man 2 (2004 video game) |
Spider-Man is a video game based upon the Marvel Comics character, Spider-Man, and is directly based upon the 2002 film Spider-Man.
It was developed by Treyarch and released in 2002 for PC and several video game consoles.
Plot[]
Peter Parker develops super-spider powers after being bitten by a genetically altered spider. The game opens with an optional tutorial, narrated by Bruce Campbell, where Peter learns to use his powers and the player learns the controls of the game and how to read the HUD. After competing in a wrestling match as Spider-Man, Peter is devastated when his Uncle Ben is killed by a car jacker. Peter uses his new powers to track down and defeat the murderer. Peter vows to use his powers for good and to fight evil in Manhattan.
Meanwhile, Norman Osborn and OSCORP are investigating the appearance of this new hero. Anxious to develop his Human Performance Enhancer Serum, the main goals of which are already exhibited by the super-hero, Osborn orders the capture of Spider-Man, deploying hunter-killer robots for this purpose. Spider-Man fights these robots and emerges victorious. Meanwhile, the Shocker has just robbed a bank, and is driving away with his thugs as Spidey lands, only to be hit by Vulture. Spider-Man goes after Shocker first. His battle with Shocker leads him through Grand Central Station, into the sewers and to a subway station, where Spider-Man defeats him in a climactic battle. Afterwards, Shocker tells Spider-Man about Vulture's lair: an old clocktower on the Lower East Side of town. Spider-Man defeats Vulture atop the Chrysler building.
Osborn's scientists tell him that now two individuals with arachnid D.N.A. are at large in Manhattan, and Osborn orders the capture of both. Spider-shaped robots pursue a desperate Scorpion through the sewers. Peter goes down to the subways to take pictures of his battle site with Shocker, when he runs into Scorpion. After Spider-Man helps Scorpion defeat the machines, the apparently paranoid and unhinged Scorpion turns on Spidey, and they fight. Spider-Man wins, but the Scorpion escapes. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn is fired from Oscorp and takes his own untested super-soldier serum to become the forever-feared Green Goblin. Spider-Man defeats the Goblin at the yearly Oscorp Unity Day Festival. Later, Goblin confronts Spider-Man again and is defeated, but tells Spider-Man of bombs planted downtown. Spidey races against time to defuse the bombs, and is attacked again by Green Goblin, this time with deadly small devices called razor bats.
In the Xbox version only, Norman hires Kraven the Hunter after the bomb threat to capture Spider-Man; having lured Spider-Man in, Kraven poisons the web-slinger with a lethal gas, forcing Spider-Man to track Kraven through zoo corridors filled with traps before he finally confronts and defeats Kraven in a cage match in the main area of the zoo.
After studying a wing of a felled razor bat and determining that it was manufactured by Oscorp, Spider-Man goes to Oscorp to research its connection with the Goblin. He discovers that the company is producing highly dangerous chemical weapons, and shuts down the operation. After finding out that the Goblin is after Mary Jane, Spider-Man chases him down to a bridge. Here, Spider-Man has his final battle with the Green Goblin, who is impaled by his own glider. Spider-Man unmasks the Goblin to reveal Norman Osborn's face. Osborn's last words are, "Tell Harry, I'm sorry." Spider-Man replies, "I'm sorry, too." Mary Jane and Spider-Man are reunited, they kiss, and Spider-Man ends the game breaking the fourth wall by telling the player to "go outside and play."
Cast[]
- Peter Parker/Spider-Man (voiced by Tobey Maguire)
- Green Goblin/Norman Osborn (voiced by Willem Dafoe )
- Mary Jane Watson (voiced by Cat O'Conner)
- Harry Osborn (voiced by Josh Keaton)
- Shocker/Herman Schultz (voiced by Michael Beattie)
- Vulture/Adrian Toomes (voiced by Dwight Schultz)
- Scorpion/Mac Gargan (voiced by Mike McColl)
- Mendel Stromm (voiced by Peter Lurie)
- Kraven the Hunter/Sergei Kravinoff (voiced by Peter Lurie)
- The Narrator (voiced by Bruce Campbell)
- J. Jonah Jameson (voiced by Jay Gordon)
- Bone Saw McGraw (voiced by Jay Gordon)
- Security Guard (voiced by Dan Gilvezan)
Gameplay[]
Half the levels are indoors, but the rest of the levels are outside among the sky-scrapers of New York and require him to web-sling from building to building, however Spider Man cannot land on the ground, as he will die if he gets too close. 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 the player combines different buttons, it makes different effects. Wall-crawling is automatic, and players are also able to lift up heavy and light objects such as cars and chairs. 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.
After completing the story mode of the game, an unlockable bonus allows the player to play any level in the video game as the New Goblin, complete with his glider and arsenal, following an alternate timeline with Harry fighting an "alternate goblin", adding a slightly new feel to the story, although you are playing the exact same levels as you do with Spider-Man. Unlockable costumes for Spider-Man include Peter Parker in his civilian clothes, the homemade wrestling outfit from the movie, and acclaimed comic book artist Alex Ross' prototype design for the movie Spider-Man costume, which also triggers the Goblin to wear Ross' early design during battles.
Enemies[]
- Bone Saw (In the training mode "Basic Combat") - It should be noted that this character is not present on the GBA version.
- The Burglar
- The Shocker
- The Vulture
- The Scorpion
- Kraven The Hunter
- The Green Goblin
- OSCORP Super Mech
- OSCORP Lite Mechs
- OSCORP Super Soldiers
- OSCORP Guards
- The Burglar's henchmen
- The Shocker's henchmen
- The Green Goblin's henchmen
Reception[]
Spider-Man received positive reviews from critics. IGN gave the game an 8.4 out of 10, and GamePro gave it a 9.3 out of 10, these proving to be the most positive reviews. GameSpy gave the game 4 out of 5 stars. Some of reviewers' criticism went to the voice acting, the shortness of the game, as well as the bad camera angles.
The game had high sales in the US, and received "Best-Sellers" on each console: PS2's Greatest Hits, Xbox's Platinum Hits, and Gamecube's Player's Choice. It was also promoted to Xbox's Best of Platinum Hits.
Trivia[]
- Josh Keaton was originally cast as the voice of Spider-Man/Peter Parker in the game. He later became the voice of Harry Osborn when Tobey Maguire took over the title role.
- The game was also released with the title of Spider-Man: The Movie.
- In the earlier releases of the game, a cheat code enabled the player to play as Mary Jane Watson. This sparked mild controversy of lesbianism from parents when the character Mary Jane is shown kissing the actual Mary Jane during the game's ending and the code was removed from later releases.
- In this game Spider-Man's web hangs from thin air and 10 years later for the reboot they did the same thing.