Spider-Man: The Movie Preview

By Miguel Lopez, GameSpotPosted Apr 11, 2002 2:44 pm PT

The movie adaptation is also getting a GBA version. Read all about it.

It shouldn't come as any surprise that a game based on the upcoming Spider-Man movie is coming to the Game Boy Advance. What does come as a pleasant surprise, however, is the fact that the game seems to be shaping up quite nicely. Developed by Digital Eclipse, the game seems to successfully re-create all the cool things that have made modern Spider-Man games fun in the context of a classic side-scroller game design. A bunch of neat aesthetic touches further bring the world, the characters, and their actions to life, making the game undeniably feel like a genuine part of the modern Spider-Man canon.

Spider-Man: The Movie on the GBA doesn't follow the movie as closely as the home console versions. And since said movie hasn't been released in theatres, we won't talk too much about the game's story. Suffice it to say that you'll fight a whole bunch of Spider-Man's famous foes (including Vulture, Shocker, Kraven, Scorpion, and the Green Goblin, among others) and visit lots of settings that you've come to associate with the arachknight. It all boils down to an action game in the most classic sense, with large sprawling levels, linear level progression, and battles galore.

A little web swinging action is always a good thing.

You'll be happy to hear that Spider-Man is as mobile as he can be, given the lack of a third dimension. All the cool abilities that appear in the recent console versions are represented in this one, and they're represented quite faithfully. Of foremost import, of course, is webswinging, which is totally covered in this GBA version. You simply have to press the jump button again when you're in the air, and Spidey will shoot out a web line and enjoy a nice, wide swing. What's cool about this is that the timing has been very nicely tuned, and you're able to gain and lose altitude nicely as a result. You can also use the neat zip line ability introduced in the original game--in eight directions, no less. You execute it by hitting the R button and pointing in the direction you want to "zip." It's not as quick as the one in the console versions, but it gets the job done more than effectively. Wallcrawling is just as easy as you've probably imagined--you simply jump close enough to a surface and you'll instantly stick to it. Getting down is a little trickier than it should be, but if you press the jump button enough, chances are you'll be able to. And if you attempt to drop from the ceiling, something especially neat happens: Spider-Man will lower himself by means of his web, in that famous flealike position he sometimes assumes in the comics. The rate of descent is slower than a straight-up jump would be, so sometimes it's not a good idea. But it looks cool, so it's fine.

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