If you've ever delved into the world of Spider-Man games, you will be well aware that they are very hit or miss. Marvel as an organization generally has a pretty poor track record transforming their franchises into playable games. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions was one of those rare occasions where a decent game was produced. Naturally, they've commissioned a spiritual successor in Spider-Man: Edge of Time.
The game itself does not follow too much from the previous narrative or feature the same characters. It does attempt to build on the gameplay and mechanics that made Shattered Dimensions so successful. Could Marvel do the impossible and deliver two decent Spider-Man games in a row? Let's find out.
Living on the Edge of Time
So what's happening on the Edge of Time? This Spider-Man game takes a dive into a futuristic narrative where not one - but two Spider-Men serve as the protagonists. One Spider-Man from the future of 2099 is a playable character and a Spider-Man one in the present. The scene is set one present Spider-Man - Peter Parker is killed by Anti-Venom. Only to be revived in an alternate timeline where futuristic Spider-Man Miguel O'Hara comes back investigating the evil ambitions of antagonist Walker Sloan.Did you follow all that? No? Well, buckle-in - the game doesn't make it any easier to follow. In stark contrast to Shattered Dimensions - Spider-Man: Edge of Time gets very little right in the narrative, gameplay, and overall entertainment. Gone are the intriguing characters, the varied mechanics, and an easy-to-follow story.
Spider-Man: Edge of Time (Video Game 2011) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Spider-Man: Edge of Time is a focused, action-packed adventure set in two connected and evolving timelines, from the contemporary times of the Amazing Spider-Man to the corrupted future world of Spider-Man 2099, against the backdrop of a rich, tightly crafted narrative by acclaimed Marvel veteran Peter David (co-creator of the comic book series Spider-Man 2099). Peter Parker (formerly known as Spider-Man) is from an alternate timeline and the main antagonist of Spider-Man: Edge of Time. He is the alternative future version of Peter Parker/Spider-Man who turns out to be the CEO of Alchemax. He is intent on fixing the timeline so no one he loved will ever die and destroying the new 2099 Spider-Man.
The pretty looking environments and well-rendered models serve as assets to climb, grapple, swing, and do all the things a Spider-Man does. Both combat and obstacles become monotonous very quickly, however. Enemies are the same, puzzles don't vary too much, and you'll find yourself free-falling more than Tom Petty. The futuristic setting could lead to a potentially strong output - but the issue is the confusing storyline really challenges gameplay execution without it becoming muddled. The simple approach of smash and grab was undertaken to be safe.
What's Done Can Be Undone
What Shattered Dimensions got right has seemingly been undone in Spider-Man: Edge of Time. What we have is a lot of focus on good looking visuals and seamless animations. But does not present anything enticing or rewarding in terms of gameplay. The whole 6 to 7-hour campaign will be spent just slugging through enemies and facing some very uninspired boss fights with the same set of skills.
Honestly, the game is passable on the merit that it looks good and polished. When you're making comparisons with its predecessor, though - your expectations are higher than usual. It's by no means as bad as other third-person time-rippers like Quantum Theory - but it is a game that I wouldn't recommend. It's just far too mixed up.
Pros
- Good looking models and environments
- The voice acting is a fantastic element of engagement
Cons
- Confusing storyline
- Monotonous gameplay
- Combat and puzzles never change much
If you'd like to support our preservation efforts (and this wasn't cheap), please consider donating or supporting us on Patreon. Thank you!
Spider-Man: Edge of Time |
---|
Developer: Beenox This game has unused text. |
This page is rather stubbly and could use some expansion. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue this article? |
Spider-man Edge Of Time
Spider-Man: Edge of Time is about two Man-Spiders being on the edge... the edge of time!
Spider-man Edge Of Time 3ds
This game was generally met with mixed reactions when released and often gets compared to and/or eclipsed by Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.
Build Dates
Various files have the following text below in one form or another.
This suggests that the final version of the game was created on August 4, 2011, about two months before the retail release. There is also a file called BuildVersionNumber.txt that displays text in the following column format:
The first 3 rows can be seen to represent August 4, 2011 which matches up with the information found above. It's unknown what the other rows represent.
Unused Text
While not as entertaining as its older PC brother, each of these texts appear once in the ROM.
It isn't clear what these texts refer to besides some generic timer. There is a bit of irony of these texts being unused, though... I'm just saying, Beenox...
The Spider-Man series | |
---|---|
Arcade | The Videogame |
Game Boy (Color) | The Amazing Spider-Man • Spider-Man 3: Invasion of the Spider-Slayers (Prototype) • Spider-Man • The Sinister Six |
NES | Return of the Sinister Six |
Genesis | Maximum Carnage • Separation Anxiety Spider-Man • Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade's Revenge |
SNES | Maximum Carnage • Separation Anxiety Spider-Man • Lethal Foes |
32X | Web of Fire |
PlayStation | Spider-Man • Enter Electro |
Nintendo 64 | Spider-Man |
Dreamcast | Spider-Man |
Windows / Mac OS | Spider-Man |
Game Boy Advance | Spider-Man • Mysterio's Menace • Battle for New York |
GameCube | Spider-Man • Spider-Man 2 |
PlayStation 2 | Spider-Man 2 • Spider-Man 3 |
Plug & Play | Spider-Man • Great Math Caper |
Nintendo 3DS | Edge of Time |