In short
You got to hand it to Beenox, they really saved our beloved hero from terrible games and created an interesting platform with Shattered Dimension. The team are back with Edge of Time, again allowing you to play as different versions of Spiderman in an interesting setting, and with engaging gameplay. Just falls short of being truly amazing, but a good game nonetheless.
Developer: Beenox
Publisher: Activision
For fans of: Spiderman, Shattered Dimensions
Reviewed on: Xbox 360
Also available on: Playstation 3
If we had to give it a numerical score: 7.9/10
What I loved
- Fast gameplay
- Huge arsenal of skills or moves
- Artistic visual design
- Voice-acting
- Storyline
Not so much
- Fighting mechanics susceptible to ‘mashing’
- Peter Parker is such a ‘fine’ young man
- Some corny banter
Overview
Spiderman Edge of Time is a comic adventure where you play as two version of Spiderman – the Amazing Spider-Man who is Peter Parker and Spider-Man 2099 who is Miguel O’ Hara. Each share skill-sets and each have their own [long] list of unique skill-sets. The game is set in 2099 where Walker Sloan, a crazed scientist is using experimental technology which allows time-travelling which he will obviously use for no good.
New to the series is the new ‘cause-and-effect’ system where each of the Spider-Man’s actions in their respective time period affects the other and vice versa. With Edge of Time the game begins in n the present day but Parker is battling Anti-Venom which robs Peter of his powers and so the two versions need to work through each of the time-periods to save Peter and stop Sloan.
Gameplay and Features
The controls are well layed-out and fluid which makes the super-fast gameplay an absolute pleasure. As you progress and unlock new moves for each of the versions of Spiderman, you can string together splendours of combos. There are shared moves or actions and ‘Spider Sense’ will show your path or objectives with both versions. The fighting moves differ between the two characters and so have different advantages.
The action gameplay is broken up by some basic puzzle-solving and platforming – you crawl up wall or on ceilings; swing around using your webs; darting around to highlighted areas, again using the web, and then free-falling dodging objects along the corridor you are free-falling down.
Collectables include special gold spiders which you use to purchase upgrades, and collect throughout the game [think PROTOTYPE]. For the ‘Spidey’ fanatics there are really cool goodies to collect for later viewing throughout the game including costumes, newspapers. Spiderman Trivia during loading sequences will expand your knowledge of the hero – a nice touch.
One reservation I have with the gameplay is that button-mashing can generally get the job done as opposed to finesse or co-ordinated attacking. You unlock a heap of different moves and by mashing away in any sequence generally get the job done. The enemies mostly don’t require any particular combinations to be taken down. That said, it’s still a ton of fun thanks to the comic like visuals and fluid controls and slick gameplay.
Sound and Graphics
Edge of Time’s graphics and sound are of a very high quality, just about flawless, so the game-engine did the job nicely. I did manage to stick Spiderman’s head or limbs through some walls but nothing game-breaking and overall the graphical design is superb. The settings’ designs are all functional and diverse, making for an interesting journey through the game. Then the cinematic scenes are engrossing and of a high quality to, aiding in getting you into the story.
The polished animations and the look as a whole of the characters are true to the comic-book origins and elevate the experience – fanatics will be well pleased on this front. The combat animations mostly happen at lightning speed and can be a blur at times, but again, the comic-book style suits the game nicely.
While Amazing Spiderman’s sense of humour is generally not to my taste – I find his banter a little too corny, the voice-acting is well suited to his cocky persona and Josh Keaton did a sterling job. Christopher Daniel Barnes is Spiderman 2099 and a little gruffer and totally contrasts Peter Parker’s character. The two voice-actors bounce off each other with banter throughout the game, but the connection to each other is also clear throughout the story. The two actors really do take the experience up a notch while all the other character cannot be faulted either.
The soundtrack, like the visuals, is polished and well designed as are the sound effects. As a whole the effects are like something straight out of an animated comic story.
Conclusion
I cannot hold it against Beenox for what let me down about Edge of Time – it just falls short of being a really great gaming experience for me because of how ‘wholesome’ Spiderman is for my tainted self. I can’t hold it against Beenox because Peter Parker, or Spiderman, is the clean-cut superhero, there’s nothing even slightly sinister about his persona [as I would have loved]. Spiderman appeals to the young and old and so no Spiderman game can ever have a darker, more edgy or jaded theme to it – it has to appeal to young and old. Spiderman 2099 did however sell me a bit more on the character.
That said Edge of Time is a polished, interesting and a rewarding gaming experience thanks to the fast and fluid action and the well crafted design. So I for one am glad that one of the most beloved superhero has quality titles available for the fans thanks to Beenox’s reworking of the franchise.
In the end I actually hate to admit just how much I enjoyed Edge of Time.
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