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The first 3D Spider-Man game is a huge leap for the wall crawler in games

August is Super Hero Month for Retro Game of the Week. Join us each week as we look at different oldschool super hero games, good and bad alike.

There were plenty of Spider-Man games on the SNES and Genesis, but this game changed everything. This is, of course, due to the fact that it was the first 3D SM game. Developed by Neversoft and published by Activision, this 3D action game was released in 2000 for the PS1 and N64 (it was also released for the Game Boy Color, but that version is drastically different). For this review, I played the PS1 version, which is the superior version.

Right away we're introduced to notable Spider-Man characters such as Peter Parker, Eddie Brock, Doctor Octopus, and Carnage. In the opening story, Doc Ock is unveiling his latest invention when it is stolen by Spider-Man! But this is a phony Spidey. So the real Spider-Man sets off to find out who it is. You'll tangle with many villains in this game, including Doc Ock, Venom, Carnage, Rhino, Lizard, Scorpion, and Mysterio. Some allies also make guest appearances, such as Black Cat, Daredevil, Johnny Storm, and Punisher.

The whole game is voiced, which was a big deal back then. Luckily, not all of them are terrible, especially since some of the voices come from the original voice actors from the 90s Spider-Man cartoon. Spider-Man's charm comes out well in his talking and taunting; some of the dialogue is really great. Some of the voices can be really cheesy, such as Venom, Scorpion, and Mysterio. Cutscenes play out between levels, which feel a little like watching a cartoon. Best of all, Stan Lee himself narrates throughout the game, and hearing his voice is awesome.

More than previous Spider-Man games, this one lets you really use Spider-Man's abilities in great ways. As Spidey, you can punch, kick, and web up enemies. You can also crawl on walls and ceilings, use impact webbing, and web swing. As you move through levels, your spider sense will warn you of upcoming danger. Learning the controls is easy and the opening tutorial is short. Your webbing is limited, so you'll need to grab web cartidges throughout the levels. Also keep an eye out for health.

Levels are broken up into sections. Some levels are action-based, while others put more of an emphasis on stealth. The first level, the bank heist, has Spidey crawling on the ceilings in order to drop down on unsuspecting enemies and take them out; going in with all guns blazing would be foolish since the enemies are holding hostages. Other levels have you chasing a bad guy or running from shoot-happy helicopters, which teaches you how to swing under pressure. These chase levels can be intense and challenging. Some villains, such as Scorpion and Rhino, are there simply to be boss battles. Overall, the game does a great job of giving you good variety throughout so that it never feels redundant.

Since this is the first 3D Spider-Man game, it's not surprising that the camera is a pain at times. The camera does its best to stay behind Spidey, but sometimes it will randomly shift around, causing you to fall to your doom or walk into a wall or just be frustrated. Also, if you don't jump just right, Spidey won't shoot out a web to swing, and when you're on the rooftops, if you don't swing, you'll fall to the creepy mist below. This can be a real pain, especially in the last level, in which you have a swinging gauntlet.

The game is also pretty tough. I would have appreciated it if Spidey's lifebar was a little longer. Bosses have three times the size of his life, and their attacks can take a big chunk out of his life. Health does appear in boss arenas, but it will also disappear and reappear in other spots, which can be frustrating. Some enemies in the game hurt you way too much, such as the symbiotes, which can hit you from a distance with some serious spitting. The bosses aren't too difficult except for the Myserious boss battle, which is long and grueling mostly because of the trickiness of hitting targets with impact webbing. So prepare to be challenged in a variety of ways.

Outside the main game, there's plenty of other things to do. You can do Training, which includes Time Attack, Survival Mode, Speed Training, Target Practice, and Item Collection. You can look at Records, which includes all of your scores from Training. Special lets you look at costumes, view the credits, input cheats, and do Level Select. Finally, Gallery includes Character Viewer, Movie Viewer, Comic Collection, Game Covers, and Storyboards (these are all things you need to find or unlock). This amount of stuff would please any Spidey fan.

Final Verdict--4 Stars: Recommended

A lot of care and attention was put into this game. It could have just been a lazy effort to get out a Spider-Man game, such as was the case with Superman 64. But the developers crafted a wonderful game filled with great gameplay, cheesy dialogue, lots of classic villains, and plenty of collectibles. Sure, the game hasn't aged well (characters are very jagged and their faces look horribly ugly), but it's still fun to play. The title screen even plays a remixed version of the '67 theme song! So there's plenty to love here, even with its problems and challenging difficulty. This game would pave the way for the excellent movie-based Spider-Man games.

Join me all month long as we look at retro super hero games, good and bad.