Spider-Man: Edge of Time
Spider-Man: Edge of Time follows up one of the better Spider-Man games, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. With only a year of development time since last year’s release, Edge of Time makes a good case study regarding Acitivision’s annualized product cycle.
Edge of Time begins with the Spider-Man from the year 2099 trying to save the life of present day Spider-Man as he battles with Anti-Venom. Edge of Time deals heavily with the interesting concept of time travel but never manages to perfectly execute the concept. Throughout the game events that transpire in the present day with have drastic effects on the world in 2099, often warping the levels and creating obstacles for the other Spider-Man.
There are times when these changes are highly questionable, such as the destruction of gas tanks in the present day changing the gas tanks in 2099 into punctured gas tanks leaking toxins into the room. Wouldn’t someone have fixed such a problem sometime in the eighty year gap in the time line? Amazing Spider-Man questions this several times throughout the game but Spider-Man of 2099 explains it away by constantly using the term “quantum causality” and telling Peter Parker he doesn’t have time to explain it. This may be a fine explanation to continue on with the story but this should be better explained to the audience otherwise the story throughout Edge of Time is littered with gaps in logic. Perhaps time paradoxes are just part of the game when dealing with the subject of time travel.
While there are a few issues with the presentation of the story, combat in Edge of Time is great. Both Spider-Men have their similarities during combat but they have several key differences that demand a change of tactics. Jumping back and forth between both Spider-Men often creates instances where you try to execute a move only to remember your using the other Spider-Man. As you beat up enemies you earn XP to unlocked new moves and level them up. The beat em’ up combat style in Spider-Man games has always been fun and Edge of Time is no exception. I particularly enjoy playing as Spider-Man 2099, because of his advanced suit and abilities. I would welcome the next game by Beenox to be entirely based on the 2099 version of Spider-Man.
Despite taking place in two separate eras, the level design of Edge of Time is the game’s weakest point. Edge of Time takes place entirely in a building, limiting Spider-Man to swinging from wall to wall while battling enemies. The game would not be drastically different if it travelled outside the building but Spider-Man is synonymous with web slinging around the skyscrapers of New York City. Edge of Time also reuses and re-skins environments throughout the entirety of the game. There will be times when Spider-Man 2099 gets to a location only to find that he cannot proceed, you then switch to present day spidey and traverse largely the same path Spider-Man 2099 did only with a slightly more modern appearance. This sequence of events happens often throughout the game, retreading the same areas multiple times. While repeating these areas is monotonous it could be overlooked in service to the story, if not for the fact that gameplay is made up almost entirely of kill rooms.
The majority of levels in Edge of Time follow the same pattern. Enter an area with a locked door and kill every enemy until the last one drops the key that is needed to progress into the next room with a locked door. Regarding logic gaps, in the time of flying cars do people still use metal keys to open their high tech doors? While not battling through reskinned kill rooms, Spider-Man will be thrust into other situations, like the 2099 diving sequences that seem to last far too long. These sequences were used sparingly in Shattered Dimensions, and for good reason. Diving down the interior of a building at high speeds is cool at first but after dying multiple times one begins to wonder why a building’s interior has so many dangerous moving parts.
The campaign is not very long, clocking in around the five to six hour mark depending on the level of difficulty. Beenox has added a few elements to help stretch out the amount of time that can be spent with Edge of Time. Throughout the campaign there are challenge areas with specific goals that need to be met in order to achieve a gold medal. These challenge rooms can be replayed through the main menu. The more gold medals that are attained the more items can be unlocked such as alternative Spider-Man costumes. There is also a plethora of newspaper articles and action figures that unlock and provide some additional fan service.
While I may have issues with the story presented in Spider-Man: Edge of Time, I did find it to be a compelling narrative that would make an interesting read in an actual Spider-Man comic. The story is far better than that of X-Men: Destiny that was released late last month. While enjoyable, Edge of Time feels like a step back from the Shattered Dimensions. I believe the fault lies with Acitivision’s desire to annualize Spider-Man. Beenox could have used more time to polish and create a better experience. The issue of the Spider-Man movie coming out next summer may have also played a part in the development of Edge of Time. Overall Edge of Time is a serviceable Spider-Man game but I wouldn’t recommend anyone spend their hard earned cash on it.
