Spiderman: Edge of Time Review

Posted on 20. Oct, 2011 by Freak_c in Games, News, Reviews

The latest Spiderman game from Activision is sort of a sequel to the previous game, Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions. Though this time round we are only dealing with two Spidermen both 100 years apart yet working together at the same time, following The Amazing Spiderman and Spiderman 2099. However the game though simplified has becoming shockingly repetitive.

Shocking because that pretty much the only thing Spiderman 2099 says, instead of swearing. Repetitive because after the first chapter you would have worked out the formula for each stage. The story as well seems to repeat it self a few time in the attempt to prolong the game. In 2099, crazed scientist Walker Sloan, using experimental technology, travels back in time to establish the nefarious Alchemax corporation back in the 1970′s. He succeeds and time splinters, creating an alternate universe. In the process the original Peter Parker dies at the hands of Anti-Venom. So Spider-Man 2099 gets hold of Peter Parker from the alternate time line to help him rectify reality.

The Amazing Spiderman

This is where the repetitiveness begins as the majority of the game will have you brawling enemies in similar bland corridors, while switching between the two universes. You’ll deactivate switches, destroy generators, collect keys etc. Having to do the same things over and over quickly disengages you from what could have been a dramatic premise. No matter which Spiderman you are it follows the same process, crawl in a vent to a large area to fight and clear out the enemies to collect keys to move on to the next area and then repeat.

The controls for battling are simple enough and is more like button mashing than actual moves. You get to upgrade each of the Spidermans abilities with blue orbs which fall from fallen enemies while performing combos on them and breaking the various creates. Aside from Spider-Man 2099′s free-falling sections (of which there are so, so many), there are very few differences in gameplay between the two Spidermen. Unlike in Shattered Dimensions, where each Spiderman was different and great in their own way. There are no stealth-based missions, no sequences that rely heavily on web-slinging, it’s just hours of repetitive combat.

Spiderman 2099

Edge of Time fails to make it feel as though you are Spiderman. You’ll web-zip to the wrong location on more than one occasion, and on countless occasions you’ll tussle with the camera, especially when walking on walls and the ceilings. Which brings me to the presentation of the game which is passable at best. There isn’t a major difference in art styles between the two universes and the environments can get a little boring. The CG cut-scenes however are fairly well done and great to watch. Voice acting can get a little much and The Amazing Spiderman starts to get a little annoying as he complains about the whole situation you’re in.

Conclusion
It seems as though Spiderman: Edge of Time was quickly put together so that there would be a Spiderman game on the shelves. The game has huge potential yet it never really delivers on the full experience. Weak story and very repetitive gameplay will have you wondering why you are playing this game. After all this I will admit that the game is fun at the beginning stages and the kids will love it.

@IGN #xboxreveal revealed nothing major but will be interesting to see what the 2 console houses show at #e3. Was hoping for more gameplay.

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