The Amazing Spider-Man (handheld video game)

Last updated
The Amazing Spider-Man
Gameboy-AmazingSpiderMan.jpg
European cover art
Developer(s) Rare
Publisher(s)
Programmer(s) Chris Sutherland [1]
Composer(s) David Wise [2]
SeriesSpider-Man
Platform(s) Game Boy
Release
  • NA: July 1990
  • EU: 1990
Genre(s) Beat 'em up, action
Mode(s) Single-player

The Amazing Spider-Man is a side scrolling platform action video game released for the Nintendo Game Boy in 1990, published by LJN and developed by Rare [3] based on the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man.

Contents

Gameplay

A typical left-to-right panning interlude between levels. Spider-Man is on the left and Scorpion on the right. GB Spider-Man 1 cutscene.png
A typical left-to-right panning interlude between levels. Spider-Man is on the left and Scorpion on the right.
One of the wallcrawling sections. GB Spider-Man 1 climbing.png
One of the wallcrawling sections.

Spider-Man has three extra lives and three continues. The intermission scenes between each level feature Spider-Man trading catchy barbs with a supervillain on a cell phone or walkie-talkie to find out where he should go next.

Spider-Man can jump a normal and a double height. When he double-jumps, he can swing on a web. This can only be done for a short time until the web-meter runs out. Spider-Man's primary standing attack is a punch to the jaw. While crouching, Spider-Man can do a low, side kick. While jumping in the air, Spider-Man can do a side kick. While standing still, Spider-Man can shoot a glob of webbing from his wrists. This slightly depletes his web-meter.

In the two vertical levels, Spider-Man climbs up the side of a building, and will "buzz" with his spider sense, indicating that the player should move Spider-Man out of the way of possible falling objects.

Web vials are used to restore Spider-Man's web-meter, since his webbing is in limited supply. They are dropped by henchmen throughout the levels. Hamburgers restore some of Spider-Man's health meter.

Storyline

Spider-Man's most dangerous supervillains have discovered his secret identity, Peter Parker, and kidnapped his wife, Mary Jane. The action game takes the player through various city locations, battling an assortment of minor thugs, animals, and a supervillain (Mysterio, Hobgoblin, Scorpion, Rhino, Dr. Octopus, Venom) at the end of each level who, through intermission scenes, will taunt Spider-Man as to the whereabouts of his wife. [4]

Sequels

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Coverart.png

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (released as Spider-Man 2 in North America) was developed by Bits Studios and published by Acclaim Entertainment and released in 1992. [14] The game is different from the original game, in that along with its action-adventure theme, Spider-Man also has to collect various objects located in each level in order to solve puzzles.

The game's story follows a collection of supervillains (the Hobgoblin, Lizard, Graviton, Carnage, and Mysterio) who have framed Spider-Man for a bank robbery. He must survive several side scrolling levels, battling various thugs and supervillains in order to clear his name. [14]

The Amazing Spider-Man 3: Invasion of the Spider-Slayers

Spider Slayers.jpg

The Amazing Spider-Man 3: Invasion of the Spider-Slayers (release as Spider-Man 3: Invasion of the Spider-Slayers in North America) was developed by Bits Studios and published by Acclaim Entertainment and released in 1993. The game is based loosely on the comic book storyline of the same name, with Spider-Man being attacked by an assortment of high-tech robot Spider-Slayers. [15]

The player controls Spider-Man through various levels, fighting enemies and supervillains while solving various types of puzzles. The game features various enemies such as Electro, Scorpion, and ultimately the game's main antagonist Alistair Smythe.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hobgoblin (comics)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

The Hobgoblin is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most of whom are depicted as enemies of the superhero Spider-Man and belong to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery, most of whom are brainwashed by the Winkler Device into becoming Hobgoblins. Created by writer Roger Stern and artist John Romita Jr., the first incarnation of the Hobgoblin was introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #238 as a criminal mastermind equipped with Halloween-themed weapons similar to those used by the Green Goblin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mysterio</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Mysterio is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #13. He is primarily depicted as an adversary of the superheroes Spider-Man and Daredevil. While Mysterio does not possess any superhuman abilities, he is a former special effects artist, illusionist and actor who uses his talents to commit crimes. He is a founding member of the supervillain team the Sinister Six.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac Gargan</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

MacDonald "Mac" Gargan is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #19. Mac Gargan is a recurring antagonist of the superhero Peter Parker / Spider-Man. He debuted as a private investigator hired by J. Jonah Jameson to learn how Peter Parker took pictures of Spider-Man. In the following issue, Jameson decided to turn Gargan into a deadly adversary for Spider-Man through a barely-tested procedure, which left Gargan with an irremovable scorpion-themed armor and the predatory instincts of the arachnid. Driven insane by his mutation, Gargan instead turned to a life of crime as the Scorpion, and went on to menace both Spider-Man and Jameson, whom he held responsible for his transformation. Since then, having finally removed the armor, Gargan has also served as the third host of the Venom symbiote, and a member of the Dark Avengers as Spider-Man, but eventually returned to his Scorpion alias as it kept him alive due to the strain both the neural-armors and symbiote put on his body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ned Leeds</span> Comic book character

Edward "Ned" Leeds is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A supporting character in stories featuring the superhero Spider-Man, he has been a reporter for the Daily Bugle, and husband of Betty Brant. Leeds is one of the characters that appears under the mantle of the supervillain Hobgoblin. For a long time believed to be his true identity. However, ten years following his assassination, he is retroactively established to have been brainwashed to serve as a stand-in for Roderick Kingsley and later left to be killed when he was no longer deemed necessary. The character was revived in a 2018–2022 storyline, with both Ned and Roderick brainwashed again by the Queen Goblin to serve as Hobgoblins once more, in service to her. Synergetic with his MCU adaptation, Ned's Hobgoblin was revealed to be a sorcerer, having trained under Baron Mordo in the art of reality-altering chaos magic in Symbiote Spider-Man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinister Six</span> Comic book supervillains

The Sinister Six are a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, mainly those featuring Spider-Man. The members are drawn from the character's list of enemies, with the original members forming the team in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. Led by Doctor Octopus, the team in its premiere followed swiftly the very early appearances of many of the most enduring members of Spider-Man's rogue's gallery: Vulture, Sandman, Electro, Mysterio, and Kraven the Hunter. While Doctor Octopus has generally remained its leader, the Sinister Six has had multiple variations of composition.

<i>The Amazing Spider-Man and Captain America in Dr. Dooms Revenge!</i> 1989 video game

The Amazing Spider-Man and Captain America in Dr. Doom's Revenge! is a side-scrolling video game starring Marvel Comics' superheroes Spider-Man and Captain America battling a host of supervillains led by Doctor Doom. The player alternately controls Spider-Man and Captain America; the character being controlled switches after each battle.

<i>Spider-Man 2</i> (2004 video game) 2004 superhero video game

Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 action-adventure game based on the 2004 film of the same name. The game is the sequel to 2002's Spider-Man, itself based on the 2002 film of the same name. It was released on June 29, 2004, for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Microsoft Windows, and Game Boy Advance, followed by N-Gage and Nintendo DS versions later the same year. A PlayStation Portable version was released almost one year later, on March 23, 2005. The Game Boy Advance version, developed by Digital Eclipse, was re-released on a twin pack cartridge and bundled with that system's version of the 2002 Spider-Man game in 2005. A tie-in game, titled Spider-Man 2: Activity Center, was also released in June 2004. Published by Activision, the console versions were developed by Treyarch, while the others had different developers and are drastically different as a result. The Treyarch-developed versions are considered a landmark title in the industry for being the first superhero video game to incorporate a full open world design.

<i>Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin</i> 1991 video game

Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin is a video game produced by Sega and developed by Technopop initially on the Mega Drive/Genesis. It was ported internally by Sega for the Master System and Game Gear consoles, the latter being published by Acclaim Entertainment through its Flying Edge division. An updated version was also released for the Sega CD was also done internally at Sega under the name of The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin.

<i>Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six</i> 1992 video game

Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six is a video game featuring the Marvel Comics characters Spider-Man and the Sinister Six. It was developed by Bits Studios and published by Acclaim Entertainment under the LJN banner for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992. Versions of the game were also released for the Master System and Game Gear by Acclaim's Flying Edge division. The game is loosely based on the story arc of the same name, which was published in The Amazing Spider-Man #334-339 in the early 1990s.

Jack O'Lantern is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tinkerer (Marvel Comics)</span> Fictional character, adversary of Spider-Man

The Tinkerer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an adversary of the superhero Spider-Man and the father of Rick Mason. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and made his first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #2. The Tinkerer is generally depicted as a genius in engineering who is able to create gadgets and other devices from nothing more than spare parts left over from ordinary household appliances. While in his initial appearances he sought to personally eliminate Spider-Man, more recent storylines depict him under the employ of other supervillains, whom he supplies with his gadgets for their personal vendettas against Spider-Man or other heroes.

<i>Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcades Revenge</i> 1992 video game

Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade's Revenge is a video game released for the Super NES in 1992 by LJN. It was released for the Genesis and Game Gear as well as the Game Boy. The game features Marvel Comics characters Spider-Man and the X-Men as they battle their captor, the villainous Arcade to escape Murderworld.

<i>Spider-Man: Mysterios Menace</i> 2001 video game

Spider-Man: Mysterio's Menace is a 2001 action video game based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It was developed by Vicarious Visions and published by Activision for the Game Boy Advance. The game is a standalone sequel to Spider-Man (2000) and Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro (2001). It was released on September 18, 2001 in North America, and on April 26, 2002 in Japan. The game was later re-released on a Twin Pack cartridge bundled with X2: Wolverine's Revenge in 2005.

<i>The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes</i> 1995 video game

The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes is a 1995 action game for the Super Famicom featuring the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, released in Japan. The game's name appears to have been inspired by the 1993 limited series The Lethal Foes of Spider-Man, though its plot does not resemble that of the comic beyond including multiple Spider-Man villains.

<i>Spider-Man</i> (2000 video game) 2000 video game

Spider-Man is a 2000 action-adventure game based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision for the PlayStation. The game was later ported by different developers to various systems, including the Game Boy Color and Nintendo 64 that same year, as well as the Dreamcast and Microsoft Windows in 2001.

<i>Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions</i> 2010 video game

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is a 2010 action-adventure video game based on the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man, developed by Beenox and published by Activision. Players control four different versions of Spider-Man, each originating from a different universe in the Marvel Comics multiverse. Previous Spider-Man voice actors Neil Patrick Harris, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Dan Gilvezan, and Josh Keaton each voice one of the four Spider-Men. The Nintendo DS version of the game was developed by Griptonite Games and features only three Spider-Man variants.

<i>The Amazing Spider-Man</i> (2012 video game) 2012 open world action-adventure video game

The Amazing Spider-Man is an open world video game based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man and the 2012 film of the same name. It was developed by Beenox and published by Activision. It was released on June 26 in North America and on June 29, 2012 in Europe for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Android, iOS, and Microsoft Windows. A version for the Wii U was released in March 2013 in North America and Europe known as The Amazing Spider-Man: Ultimate Edition in both regions. A PlayStation Vita version was released in November 2013. A sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, was released in April 2014, itself based on the film.

References

  1. "Chris Sutherland Works". Archived from the original on 2018-09-26. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
  2. Composer information for The Amazing Spider-Man at Portable Music History
  3. "The Amazing Spider-Man [1990]". IGN. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  4. UGO.com Spider-Man Game Guide Archived 2014-03-17 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Marc. "Spiderman 2". Consoles + (in French). No. 14. p. 146. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  6. Gideon (September 1992). "Game Boy Pro Review: Spider-man 2". GamePro . No. 38. p. 125.
  7. Griffiths, Nick (November 1992). "Spider-Man 2". Nintendo Game Zone . No. 1. pp. 35–36. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  8. Olivier (December 1992). "Superman 2". Joystick (in French). No. 33. p. 178. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  9. Markus (May 1993). "Spiderman 2". Mega Fun (in German). p. 98. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  10. George; Rob; Jade (November 1992). "Now Playing". Nintendo Power . Vol. 42. pp. 102–107. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  11. Knauf, Andreas (October 1992). "Spider-Man 2". Video Games (in German). p. 106. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  12. Jason; Sharon (September 1992). "The Amazing Spider-Man 2". GB Action . No. 5. pp. 24–25. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  13. "Spiderman 2". Power Play (in German). November 1992. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  14. 1 2 "The Amazing Spider-Man 2 [1992]". IGN. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  15. "Spider-Man 3: Invasion of the Spider-Slayers (Game)". Giant Bomb. Retrieved 2022-06-18.