The PlayStation 1 was a great retro console. It’s home to some of the most beloved, fan-favorite games ever. There are tons of classic games and series on this system. When I think of these stellar games, my mind goes to series like Final Fantasy, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and Metal Gear Solid, to name a few. One game that doesn’t get enough love has got to be Neversoft’s 2000 classic, Spider-Man. Aptly called Spider-Man PS1 or Spider-Man 2000, this old-school classic is a pillar of the character’s games.
This era of gaming was formative for the industry. This was due to the fact that 3D gaming was new at this point. Many game series, like Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, and Mega Man, started in 2D. Once the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation generation started, these game series made the transition. Spider-Man has also had many games in this era, and Spider-Man 2000 was his first 3D entry in his series.
Spider-Man 2000 and Neversoft
This game is a very comic book-inspired endeavor. It was created by Neversoft, the developer of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater games. These guys love fast, energetic games; you can tell because of how much heart and soul this game has. One thing that needs to be mentioned for this game is the story and voice cast. The story for this game is very much set in time. It takes place seemingly in the world of the mainline 616 comic books.
This game has a very Saturday-morning cartoon feeling. The voice cast is so perfect here, as well. There are tons of classic, legendary voice actors from this era of cartoons and gaming, like Rino Romano, Jennifer Hale, and Darren Norris. The story revolves around Spidey stopping a mysterious villain’s secret plan to destroy all of New York. This story knows when to take itself seriously, but it’s also full of fun easter eggs and references to the character that you can’t help but have a wide grin on your face every second of the runtime.
3D Web-Slinging
The gameplay and combat of this game pretty much created the foundation that many Spidey games would follow. Spider-Man 2000 has a very simple yet satisfying gameplay loop and design to it. It was the first 3D Spider-Man game, so it had much going for it. Web swinging is the basis for the character, and Neversoft nailed it here. It’s hilarious because you can only swing twice before you fall, but it’s still super fun and intuitive.
There’s also combat and platforming in Spider-Man 2000. The platforming is mostly revolving around Spidey swinging and web zipping. It’s, again, pretty simple but fun and charming. It adds a lot of variety to the game’s levels. And these levels are excellent. There are a ton of different locations. The skyscrapers of New York, the sewers, a bank undergoing a robbery, and a super-secret supervillain base that’s underwater are all there, and it feels like a comic book.
A Comic Comes to Life
An underrated aspect of many games nowadays is replayability. I feel like a game having levels and moments that are made to be replayed is super important. This game was designed to be played over and over again. Not only are the levels super tightly designed and linear, but they have so many unlockables. Throughout the levels, there are comic books scattered in secret locations. These comic books give you secret unlockables, like comic book covers.
Speaking of unlockables, there are tons and tons of super cool costumes and modes to unlock. Some comic-classic costumes, like the Symbiote Suit, the Spider-Man suit, and even Ben Reilly’s costume, found their way into this game. Not to mention, there’s a new mode called “what-if” that completely remixes the game’s enemies and level design with cool comic easter eggs and references. This game has it all, and it came out at the start of the new millennium. Spider-Man 2000 is a classic. If more games nowadays were like Spider-Man 2000, gaming would be a much more enjoyable place.
About The Author
Nicolas Scagnelli is a young and ambitious writer. He graduated with a degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing at Binghamton University. As an undergrad, he published over 60 op-eds for the campus newspaper, Pipe Dream. Nicolas has his own personal blog, Lunch with Nick, where he posts daily about various topics ranging from entertainment to music to mental health. Other than writing, Nicolas loves to spend time in the gym, reading, listening to music, and hanging out with family and friends.
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