Spider-Man - Battle for New York Review by: Eirinn - 5.8/10
The Web crawler is backSpider-man: Battle For New York is yet another entry in a long line of video games based on one of the greatest super-heros of all time (the greatest in my personal opinion). I always enjoy playing games from a series that has several installments, but there is always the need to step it up in the next title. Did our web-slinging hero manage to do that in this particular installment? We shall soon find that out. But first, let's talk about the general overview of the game.
Spider-man: Battle For New York, follows the story of Norman Osborn and his transformation into the Goblin, but we are afforded much more than a story about his transformation and experiences, we are given an inside look at the mind of this crazy man with a serious inferiority complex, and an obvious hatred for Peter Parker. I was a bit confused when I began a game titled "Spider-man" and found myself controlling the goblin instead of Spidey, but after a few levels, when I began controlling Spider-man instead, the confusion cleared up, only to come back with a vengence when I switched
back to controlling the goblin again. Wow. This one left me wondering just how much sanity I would walk away with, and how distorted my view on life would be after I put it down. Well, not really, but it is a far cry from what some (myself included) might call "normal". It makes the player feel as though he or she has split personalities, one good, and one bad. Here's the real kicker: you level up as
both characters and so have to increase the stats of both, ultimately setting yourself up for a more difficult battle when you face off against the goblin, as Spidey, or at least one would assume so. Speaking of the inevitable face off between both of your personalities (goblin and Spidey), I found this particular battle to be the most disturbing part of the game, as I found myself as Spider-man, fighting the character I had come to perceive as my own, the goblin. Needless to say (and yet I shall), I was at the peak of my confusion at this point. Either way I lose...or do I win? In any case, this game isn't bad, and it is far more original than most games I've played, and so it is refreshing in it's own right. But is this mind twisting, fireball launching, web slinging adventure worth your time and Viz? Let's see what the ratings have to say about it.
Graphics: 7/10
Very Good.
While I don't consider myself an expert on GBA graphics by any means, I felt that these stood up well enough, with decently designed characters, but nothing about the graphics really seemed appealing to me, nor did they at any point, pull me into the game. The backgrounds lacked depth that even I know the GBA is capable of, despite my lack of experience with GBA titles. They weren't bad, just not that detailed, and they
felt like flat backdrops. A good level background gives the impression of depth and even
life beyond the surface, but this game failed to give off that feeling. Also, the color usage felt bland, despite being varied enough, they were all earthy and darker shades, and so
nothing stood out picture-wise. But all is not lost graphically, as the sprites were well made, and considerably smooth for a GBA game. The animations were
extremely impressive, with obviously large amounts of attention being given to the tiniest of details, from the crisp and fluid movements of Spider-man as he swings across the screen from his web, to the gunmen taunting you by twirling their gun after a shot hits it's mark. The running was particularly well illustrated for a game of it's size and age, with enough frames being squeezed in to make for a smooth and clean motion. So where Spider-man: Battle For New York falls short in the backgrounds and colors, it makes up for in animations and smooth design.
Sound: 5/10
Average.
I would actually rate this lower, but I'm trying to bear in mind that it was on a somewhat restricting platform. In all honesty though, I fear this rating may be a little too lenient, as the sound effects are repetitive to say the least. I felt as though the goblin only had one sound for when he took damage (not sure if this is the case or not), as I found myself struggling with the S.H.I.E.L.D. members on board the helicarrier, and getting pinned between two or three guys with lazer weapons blasting you alternately, hearing the same animal type cry (which was annoying the very first time I heard it) over and over again, was
irritating to say the least. Unfortunately, they made the same mistake with Spider-man's grunts, or should I say, Spider-man's grunt. Again, I understand system limitations, but that's really no excuse for such a problem as this. I'd attribute this to laziness on the programmers' part, really, as this system could have handled more sounds easily. Also the sounds of attacks were nothing special, but weren't bad either, just plain. I was however, rather annoyed by the goblin's fire attack sounds, but not badly enough to dock any extra points from the rating for it. The background music was pretty plain too, and mostly sounded the same throughout the game, though in reality, there were multiple tracks. Again, "plain" best describes the audio here. In the end, I found myself not regretting the moments when a quite setting required me to mute the game. The audio, for the most part, is not
bad it just isn't
good or even enjoyable on any level. With plainness being the order of the day in a selection of take-it-or-leave-it audio compilation, Spider-man: Battle For New York more than earns a rating of Five out of ten in this department.
Depth: 6/10
Good.
Again, a bit unsure of the rating here, but the twisted multi-personality approach caused me to bump it up from a five to a six. I was impressed by the unique approach in controlling both the good guy and the bad guy, to say the least. Levelling up the goblin felt like I was shooting myself in the foot, especially since I had to choose which stats to increase (max health, melee damage, fireball damage, and fireball timer, if memory serves me correctly), to make him stronger and accomodate for his weaknesses and shortcomings, knowing I was going to be forced to fight the very beast I was creating later on. I must give props to the designers on this one, as it was incredibly unique and a refreshing change of pace from the ordinary beat 'em up, and also added a touch of RPG (not to mention insanity) to an otherwise overly simplistic genre, not that beat 'em ups are bad, just typically shallow by way of gameplay. Also, there's no shortage of levels, with thirty-two levels of madness and outright insanity to make your way through, ranging from "save the hostages" to "plant the bombs" (goblin level) to "beat all enemies" endurance levels, to boss fights, and more. Also props to them for having the guts to make a "burn down the school" level. I can't think of any other game with such a level, nor another game that would
want one. Of course the very next level has you controlling Spidey and extinguishing the fires you just created as the goblin, DPD anyone? Enemy selection was also creative, with several enemies for Spider-man to deal with, and a wide variety of foes for goblin, including the "ghosts" he struggles with, that tell him how much of a failure he is, and that he can never beat Parker. Yes, you must defeat real foes as well as semi-physical manifestations of the ones inside of you as the goblin. Told you it was insanity, did I not? This game only falls short in variety by offering no power ups (other than those that restore health and web) or weapons, and offering no adjustable settings except sound and music volume. And while there may be a dencently wide variety of level objectives, almost every level is laid out exactly the same way: achieve all objectives and head to the finish. Still, it does offer far more depth than most beat 'em ups do.
Story: 9/10
Excellent.
The story here may be straight forward, classic Spider-man stuff, but come on, isn't that part of the reason you play Spider-man games? I give this one a nine of ten because of the fact that we get so many story inserts, and both sides of the story. When you play as Spider-man, you get story clips about Spider-man, and when it's time to tear up jack with the goblin, you get goblin story clips. And I still can't get past the manifestation of his inner ghosts that haunt him in the levels. That, to me, was a touch of genius. It manages to add to the story in it's own way, as well as the illusion that you're a madman. The story begins with Norman Osborn developing the Oz compound. After having another scientist inject him with it, he transforms into the goblin, and decides that he can now finish Parker off. He then takes off to find Peter, and destroy him. From this point you will foolow the story of his encounter and battle with Spidey, and see not only his outward struggles with Spider-man and S.H.I.E.L.D., but also his inward struggle with himself. As usual, Spider-man brings his humor and witty remarks to the table, as he begins wiping the floor with evil, on his way to the final showdown. Who will win the battle for New York? This is the question posed by an expectedly typical Spider-man storyline, but it isn't a boring one by any means.
Adictiveness: 2/10
Very bad.
Despite having a good story and a unique approach, Spider-man Battle For New York falls terribly short in the addictiveness factor. I doubt I will ever play this one again, not because it's so bad, but because I honestly just got bored with it about halfway through. Somehow, despite it's variety of objectives, each level felt exactly the same, and after feeling like I'd played through the same level thirty-two times, I was more than done with this one. Many levels can be a good thing, but only when each level brings a new challenge. Here, that many levels felt more like I was running a gauntlet, so repetitive and tiring. Still, this is just one gamer's opinion. I was also disappointed to see a lack of unlockables after finishing the game. Such punishing length in a game so repetitive, should be met with a reward, or so the gamer would think. I suppose the developers felt playing the game and getting to the end was reward enough, which is true with some games, but not this one.
Difficulty: 5/10
Average.
There's really no challenge here when it comes to Spider-man's scenes. The levels are constructed in a manner that Spidey can usually evade the solid majority of the enemies in each level, and the bosses are all pretty easy. The controls are all as intuitive as you could hope for when controlling Spider-man, with web swinging being as simple as pressing the jump button (A button) while in the air, webbing being a simple one button command (L button), a special web attack by holding up and pressing the B button, and wall crawling being flawlessly executed. The only issue being that your web gauge depletes far too quickly, even when upgraded to the max. Controls with the goblin however, aren't so intuitive. The "special" ability (fireball) is confusingly switched from L to R, and L now switches between three types of fireballs: a simple fireball, a fireball that splits three ways on impact, and a more powerful fireball that bounces when it hits a wall. His wall clinging ability is useful, but forced on the player too much, and it is obviously far less functional than Spider-man's wall climbing. This is something that the developers seem to have overlooked, or thought would be a good way of challenging the player. All complaints aside, the biggest challenge in this game is the controls of the goblin. No real challenges will be issued from the enemies, except for one somewhat cleverly designed shielded foe that appears during the last few levels of the game. The A.I. really is not very intelligent, and will often run into hazards that will kill them for you.
Overall: 5.8/10
Average.
Sadly, this is an accurate depiction of my impression of this game. I was very disappointed, as I am usually a big fan of Spider-man games, but this game has some serious short comings, insomuch that even the game's strong points couldn't save it from being just another face in a crowd of ordinary games. There really is nothing special about this game, nor is there anything that could cause it to be branded as being bad. It's just simply there.
In conclusion, Spider-man: Battle For New York is another web slinging adventure, that manages to present several new twists, while remaining true to it's roots, but sadly, this is the only real saving grace it has. However, while this one may be doomed to meander in the meadows of video game mediocrity, I'm sure there are many diehard Spidey fans out there who will love this one just as much as the next. The rest of us however, would probably do best to sit this one out, and wait for the next Spidey ride to come along. So, to all of you true believers out there, this one most likely will not disappoint you, so have at it.
Graphics
7 Sound
5 Addictive
2 Depth
6 Story
9 Difficulty
5
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-2-full.png "4 Games on One Game Pak (nicktoons)")
