This was released for the Game Boy(how I played it, I don't account for version differences), and presumably the NES. Mary Jane is abducted, because... such is the role of the love interest in simplistic plots like this. Peter suits up and gets on the... walkie-talkie? Giant, brick-sized old-time cell-phone? Anyway, before every level(all of them logical choices, such as an alley and on top of a subway train(moving from one station to another, with the space between it and the ceiling not remaining constant...!), culminating in a sewer... right again, Spoony), he converses(with his well-known wit, so whoever did direct these cut-scenes, it wasn't Sam Raimi) with whoever(every last one of them being among his all-time biggest foes(who have evidently teamed up here, to take care of our hero once and for all), Mysterio who teleports and uses toxic smoke, Green Goblin who flies around throwing pumpkin bombs, Scorpion who whips at you with the tail, etc.) will be the boss(and the fight will be your average "they travel a set path, attacking along the way, and eventually coming to a vulnerable position for just a moment that you must take advantage of", and locations, tactics and weaponry all makes sense) in that one. This is a side-scrolling... beat-'em-up? Though usually one hit is enough... anyway, that's what I'd classify it as. You're walking left to right, not able to backtrack, with the one stock thug(quickly increasing in number, this really throws the kitchen sink at you) they drew appearing(armed with steel pipes, switchblades, or a gun that they'll fire at a fixed rate(some will respond to which side of them you're on), typically ducking when they're not), something reaching up out of a briefly uncovered manhole to get at you(I think it may be The Lizard... and since he keeps appearing, only stunned by before, and considering where he is) as well as bats(...maybe he ticked off Bruce Wayne recently?), and, in Central Park, deadly birds(is Tippi Hedren around? Well, they appear later, as well) and... hand-sized, WWII-era submersible mines dangling from tree-tops that fall when you pass under them... NY's a strange place. Also, given the setting, it's no surprise that hamburgers are what you pick up to get better... obviously the healthiest thing around there. Other than this main type, there are also ones where you climb a tall building, watching out for windows that suddenly open to reveal someone with a bat, or a pistol(as mentioned before), and either winged animals things fly around, or objects fall from up high(with the Spidey Sense integrated nicely to warn you, so you can move out of the way... though it will keep you very busy). This is really short... it has a high score table allowing you to compete with your friends, but there's essentially no replayability. To keep you playing for longer, they made it difficult(reaching hair-pulling heights of frustration, especially near the end), so the first many times you try this, you get some of the way and then have to start over(no password system, saving progress, nothing), eventually reaching the point where you can go through the entire thing, something that is undeniably satisfying. This doesn't balance force well... your own strength means that you can take out others with just one(I can understand that) of those weird, "talk to the hand" kind of punches, with the caveat that you're extremely easily hurt(just touching someone else, whether they're doing something or not), take a ridiculous amount of damage(five times being harmed, you lose one of the only two lives you start with, and, as far as I can tell(operating without a manual here), there's no way to increase that number), and, to top it all off, there's next to no "grace period", so if you're standing still somewhere dangerous to you, you'll die within moments. Your strikes lack range; when standing, it doesn't go far enough to take out those on your platform before they take chunks out of you, whereas crouched(read: the only way to get through this) goes a little further and can keep you protected(those who oppose you tend not to go downwards). While the kick you can do when hopping looks awkward, it's fairly useful, as is the one you do while swinging(and since you'll drop, potentially to your death, if you're grazed, that's vital). Ah, yes, as you might expect given the titular character(and sadly not a given for games starring him(especially from this period), for some reason), you can travel through the air(sometimes helpful in avoiding hazards, at times downright necessary) like that, and remaining still like that won't cost the web(and you do need to conserve that for the right situations, or you won't be able to get through this, period) that you can also shoot(I suppose that's why you can't otherwise reach far... again, bad call, it's too finite), by holding down the melee key, good system, I can't recall a time where I was trying to do one and did the other. Unfortunately, that's not true of the jumping in this. Whether trying to go a long way to the side or upwards, both of them required to get further without losing half of the extra chances at this(no, I have neither forgotten nor forgiven that!), it honestly just doesn't seem to properly respond on any kind of consistent basis. Add to that the steep learning curve to it, and the fact that you won't get past the half-way point of this without mastering it, and this is where many give up on this, an entirely understandable reaction(man, I'm glad we've left this type of VG behind years ago). The music and sound FX aren't bad. There is no offensive content in this(violence is non-existent, people blink rather than bleed). I recommend this to any fan of Spider-Man(not to mention his awesome rogues gallery!), and those who have his reflexes and determination, as those are the only way you'll get all the way through it. 7/10
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