Thursday, July 28, 2011

Preview: Spider-Man: Edge of Time




Superheroes are everywhere. Between the multiple blockbuster movies released every summer and the powerful momentum of comic books, society has recently acknowledged the significance of the superhero genre again, allowing the theme to completely blow up. The Avengers may be taking the spotlight in 2012, but Marvel has certainly not forgotten their other representatives like Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: Edge of Time, a new game developed by Beenox, features two incarnations of the titular hero, both of whom behave quite differently. While the original, "classic" Spider-Man, Peter Parker, is playable throughout the game, the futuristic Spider-Man 2099, Miguel O'hara, acts as his counterpart (For those who are unfamiliar, Spider-Man 2099 stars in his own line of comics which acts as a futuristic reimagining of the original series).


Spider-Man 2099 in his city of future Nueva York.


Spider-Man: Edge of Time focuses on both "Spider-Men" and their teamwork to prevent the Alchemax corporation from striking the world with its iron fist, which would imminently lead to a dark, dystopian future. A scientist goes into the past to help the Alchemax corporation develop at a much faster pace, killing Peter Parker in the process. Miguel O'Hara, a geneticist, becomes aware of the devastation that would ensue and goes into the past to save Parker from his demise. In order to prevent the grim future from occurring, O'Hara and Parker cooperate between different timelines, applying their abilities, strategy, and teamwork to every situation along the way.

Modern Spider-Man using his speed to confuse enemies.


In Edge of Time, Both incarnations of Spider-Man play similarly, yet have unique specialties in combat. Spider-Man 2099 is melee-oriented, equipped with a battle suit that allows him to fight similar to classic Spider-Man. Additionally, due to this suit, 2099 can both accelerate rapidly and zip around to confuse enemies. On the other hand, classic Spider-Man can use his webs to spin together weapons and grab enemies from afar. Reliant upon his web and speed, his "spider-sense" also gives him an edge when fighting a large number of opponents.

Arguably the most unique feature within Edge of Time is the cooperative actions that can take place between both versions of Spider-Man. For instance, Spider-Man 2099 would be facing a giant robot that he is incapable of taking down. However, classic Spider-Man may be within the factory that created the robot, able to demolish it before its construction is complete. Thus, Spider-Man 2099 can continue on with little trouble.


That situation may not be as hypothetical as I said.


Spider-Man Edge of Time comes out October 4 for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii, PC, DS, and 3DS.

Short Version: Due to the unique gameplay style, Spider-Man: Edge of Time promises to be an enjoyable and exciting experience. Anyone who likes Spider-Man will love this game.

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