Nintendo 64

Spider-Man

It may not seem like much now, especially since the formula’s been pumped up so well by Spider-Man’s sequels. And it may not have seemed like much back then, when Spider-Man’s closest competition was Superman 64. But when you step back and look at it and realize what it accomplishes, it becomes clear: Spider-Man is simply the best.

Yet again, Edge of Reality delivers us a brilliant port. Comic-book to videogame conversions are quite popular in this industry, but plainly said, most of them suck. Activision's/Neversoft's design of Spider-Man has been "super-heroic" from the beginning. The first time I got my hands on Spider-Man, I was taken back by how true to the web-slinging action it was. Not only could you swing from building to building, but you could climb and sneak around on the sides of them. It doesn't get much better than that. On the technical side of things I think all the voice samples make this game what it is. It's perfectly in keeping with the sarcasm seen in the actual comic. Spider-Man for N64 truly delivers and gives you a chance to be Spider-Man. I highly recommend this to any fan of action/adventure.

While the game mechanics are intact, making this just as fun as the other console versions, it's important to weigh in the differences when deciding between the two. Although the Nintendo 64 version has better graphics, some features were sacrificed in its transition to cartridge form. Many die-hard Spidey fans will probably be happier with the PlayStation version, or those wanting the best of both worlds may want to wait for the Dreamcast version instead, which looks to take the strengths of both games and enhance them considerably.

This has lately become the sad mantra chanted to Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast owners...”if you haven’t, or couldn’t, get this game on PlayStation, be sure to do so now.” Spider-Man for N64 is an almost perfect translation, with the only big loss being the real-time cutscenes that occurred between every chapter being replaced by a frame-by-frame text version. Even though you won’t hear the words to the classic cartoon at the game’s opening, you can still do whatever a spider can – spin a web any size, catch thieves just like flies. Look out! Here comes the Spider-Man.

Fans of the long-running comic series and players in search of the ever-elusive novel game would do themselves a favor by checking out Spider-Man for the N64. Though the game isn't perfect, it is a wonderful accomplishment on the part of the developers, and it is simply very fun to play.

Spider-Man remains one of the best superhero games ever. However, this version lacks many of the awesome cutscenes, and is hampered by more problematic control and camerawork.

Though this game had several good points and was fun to play, it lacked long term entertainment value unless you are a die-hard Spider-Man fan. Swinging around the city loses its thrill and one can only beat up the same six bad guy so many times. It also didn't take that long to beat on normal mode and the differences in difficulty pretty much amount to how many hits it takes to drop your opponent. So, buy it if you really like Spider-Man; otherwise rent, win, and move on.

While Spider-man for the N64 has some of the snazzy spider's super skills down pat, it falls prey to some boring gameplay design. Spider-man is a rental for sure (love that web-swingin!!), but only the hardest core, Spidey-underoos wearin' nut should feel compelled to buy this game.