REVIEW -- Spider-Man: Edge of Time

Following the success of Beenox's Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Activision releases a pseudo-sequel in the form of Spider-Man: Edge of Time. Did Beenox and Activision learn their lessons from the mistakes that allowed Shattered Dimensions to fall short of the super-hero-themed greatness that Rocksteady produced with the Batman: Arkham series? Read on to find out.

Note: This is the first of SEVERAL re-posted articles that needed to be reformatted from my original blog on Tumblr.

The Plot:  (Full Spoilers)

The game begins with Peter Parker/Spider-Man battling Anti-Venom, who suddenly kills him. Rewinding back to the starting of the event, in the year 2099 Miguel O'Hara/Spider-Man 2099 investigates Alchemax's scientist Walker Sloan. While spying on him, Spider-Man 2099 discovers Sloan's plan to travel back in time and establish Alchemax in the past years before its time, allowing him to rebuild the company in his own image and prevent its rivals from ever being established. Spider-Man 2099 arrives just as Sloan enters his Gateway, but jumps through the portal too late to stop him. Trapped in the portal, Spider-Man 2099 sees visions of the original Spider-Man being killed by Anti-Venom as history alters around him.

Upon his return to 2099, Spider-Man 2099 (unaffected by the time change due to being trapped in the portal) discovers that Sloan's changes to the timeline have reduced New York City to a horrifying dystopia. Spider-Man 2099 then uses Peter Parker's DNA, stored within the company's archives, to create a chronal link with him, back in the present day. He then warns Spider-Man, now working for Alchemax in the genetics department instead of the Daily Bugle, about the events to come about his death in the Alchemax's building 66th floor. However, Spider-Man refuses to obey his orders to leave the building if innocent people are in danger and travels to the 66th floor. During their talks, the two Spider-Men discover that the wormhole between their timelines has created a 'quantum causality field', with the result that actions taken in the past automatically change the future; an example being Anti-Venom's attempt to drop a lift onto Spider-Man resulting in the lift that Spider-Man 2099 was using in the future becoming a closet. Travelling to the 66th floor, Spider-Man finds himself confronted by Anti-Venom, Sloan and Dr. Otto Octavius. Spider-Man battles Anti-Venom, but is eventually killed by him. Seconds later, Spider-Man 2099 pulls Spider-Man through the Gateway in an effort to save him.

While sending Spider-Man to the future to revive him, Spider-Man 2099 travels through the portal into the past and battles Anti-Venom, breaking the chip that allowed Sloan and Octavius to control him. Furious, Anti-Venom knocks himself, Sloan and Octavius into the time portal, merging all three into a monster that Spider-Man dubs "Atrocity". Both Spider-Men are stuck in each other's timeline, with events accruing such as Mary Jane Watson's near-death at Alchemax before Spider-Man 2099 saves her, and a confrontation with Black Cat 2099. In the future, while investigating the company's central archives to work out how to repair the portal aided by Spider-Man 2099 altering the building plans in the past to provide him with a way into the archives in the future, Spider-Man learns that he will become the CEO of Alchemax thanks to an anti-aging drug, with his future self having set up the entire crisis for his own ends. He finds the portal and returns to the present only for "Atrocity" to attack him, forcing Spider-Man to lure the creature into a trap and takes his DNA samples so Spider-Man 2099 can analyze his DNA in the future, learning the truth about its creation.

Just as Spider-Man 2099 theorizes that forcing Atrocity back into the portal would disrupt and end the time storm, he is contacted by the CEO Peter, who reveals that he intends to harness the quantum storm to rewrite his history and undo his past mistakes, remaking the entire universe in his image. After a final battle with the Atrocity and the CEO, Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099 knock both of them into the gateway, the resulting release of quantum energy collapsing the bridge and ending the time storm, which also reverses the changes brought about by Sloan and the CEO, leaving no one but the Spider-Men duo with any memory of them. Spider-Man 2099 then gives Spider-Man a lecture on time travel, ending the game.

The Verdict:

I rented this one Friday evening after work, and I started it today (Saturday) and just finished it. Spider-Man: Edge of Time is a follow-up, NOT sequel to Shattered Dimensions. Instead of four Spider-Men, you’re in control of Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099. 2099 discovers a plot in his time (roughly a century ahead of our own) to allow the head mega corporation Alchemax to take over the past and take over the world. Changing the course of history allows Miguel O’Hara (Spidey 2099’s alter ego) to see Amazing Spider-Man’s death at the hands of Anti-Venom. O’Hara takes it into his hands to assist Peter Parker in preventing his own demise and setting the past AND future to their proper dispositions. The game allows interactivity for both Spider-Men as certain actions done in the past well affect the future and vice versa.

For those who aren’t comic book savvy, Anti-Venom is simply Eddie Brock’s new persona since he doesn’t wear the original Venom symbiote anymore. Flash Thompson wears the Venom suit as a mercenary for the US Military. Go ahead and facepalm like I did when I read that news. He’s a good guy now who has the ability which can “cure” abnormalities in anyone’s bloodstream, such as Spider-Man’s radioactive DNA and neutralize his powers. Alchemax brainwashes him to serve their purposes.

Overall, this is a VERY well-written plot for a Spider-Man game or any superhero themed game to date for that matter. Beenox and Marvel definitely get props for solid storytelling to make any Webhead fans feel at home. Josh Keaton (Spectacular Spider-Man/Peter Parker in that now cancelled animated series, but he was Ultimate Spidey in Shattered Dimensions and currently Spider-Man in both MvC3 and Ultimate MvC3) and Christopher Daniel Barnes (Spider-Man Noir in Shattered Dimensions, but he’s more popularly known as Spidey/Peter Parker in the Fox Kids’ Spider-Man: The Animated Series) both do an EXCELLENT job at bringing Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099 to life with their witty banter and wise cracks that Spidey’s known for. Last year’s Shattered Dimensions blew me away on how crisp a Spidey game could look but I’m proud to say that Beenox topped themselves on making my favorite Spider-Man game visually.

On the downside, this game is EXTREMELY short. Ultimate Spider-Man on PS2 was about roughly 5-6 hrs. This one is over in about 6-7 hrs. Replayability is to be had in replaying Acts for medals on Challenges and earning points for Upgrades. Then there’s the arsenal of alternate costumes, ranging from Scarlet Spider, Iron Spider, Amazing Bagman, Future Foundation, and even the costume worn by the replacement to the deceased Peter Parker in the current comics, Miles Morales. All of this still doesn’t warrant a purchase from me. In Shattered Dimensions, everything from webswinging to each Spider-Man’s diverse combat abilities were top notch and fun to control, but in this game, a LOT of movesets and abilities were dumbed down for simplicity. On top of that webswinging is such a chore in this game whereas majority of the game’s prior to this one has made that the most fun mechanic if anything else didn’t feel right. I’m still scratching my head on why they axed the Spider-Sense ability from the last game that allowed you to evade attacks. In this game, the only thing your Spider-Sense does is show you objectives in the area. Level objectives in this game are simply beat up a ton of baddies to get a key to open the door to get to the next area. Or pulling a switch to open another said door to get to the next area. It gets old REALLY damn fast. The upgrades don’t feel like they change gameplay much either, whereas in previous Spidey titles you could definitely feel more development and progress as your Spider-Man got more powerful. Sure, Shattered Dimensions had its share of glitches and lame moments (I’m talking about you Noir levels with the shitty stealth mechanics), but it seems that this game was just rushed out to beat Batman: Arkham City and Battlefield 3 out of on the shelves before Christmas. Boy, I must say the boss fights (There’s only roughly about 3-4 of these to say the last few Spidey titles stacked numerous foes for you) go from insanely easy to cheap as fuck too. As mad as I was doing the freefall sections as 2099 and Black Cat 2099 fight, I still can’t stay too mad at Felicia Hardy’s fine ass :P Just look at her!

Catwoman eat your heart out. MEOW!! ^_^ I STILL don’t see why Peter
always prefers MJ over her… Anywho… back on topic LMAO.

All in all, Edge of Time is an enjoyable ride for only the most hardcore of Spidey fans, but the lack of lasting appeal as well as tons of gameplay flaws and glitches, I can’t recommend a purchase on this title at all. Either rent or pick it up when its DIRT cheap in the bargain bin, my fellow cheap ass gamers. There’s better things coming out in the coming weeks to spend $60 on. It sucks really, as I would have thought Beenox would have learned from their FEW mistakes with Shattered Dimensions and brought a fine-tuned product to the table in Edge of Time. Here’s to hoping they can do for Spidey what Rocksteady has done for Batman games.

I’m sorry my fellow Webheads, but saving MJ is only fun for so long. I'm giving this a 6.25 out of 10.