"Welcome, true believers and newcomers alike! Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee here!"
Done as a tribute to Stan Lee, following his recent passing. What a better way to pay him tribute than by hearing him in his very first video game cameo?
In this video, I show most of what the game has to offer in a single playthrough that I skip in speedruns otherwise (admittedly, some of them I observed for the very first time myself). Altough, I did not completely dumb down my gameplay, I used SOME speed tech, as long as it is either accessible to newcomers or cool to watch.
Ben Reilly, Scarlet Spider and Symbiote costumes are simply unlocked throughout the story. 2099 costume is unlocked by collecting all comics. Captain Universe costume is unlocked by completing the story on hard mode, rendering completely the need to unlock any other costume.
The rest of the costumes cannot be unlocked in a single playthrough. Unlimited costume is unlocked by replaying the story for a second time (you must choose "Continue" in the main menu). Peter Parker and Quick-Change costumes are unlocked by completing specific challenges in the Training section. Amazing Bag-Man costume can only be unlocked via a cheat code ("AMZBGMAN" for PS version, "KICK ME" for PC/Dreamcast versions, unavailable in the N64 version).
This playthrough made me appreciate the game more than ever. Controls show their age, due to the camera mainly, though they are far from terrible. On the other hand, the level design is just fantastic. I always find myself mixing different actions without feeling overwhelmed on one side or becoming bored on the other. Not to mention the many nods and references to other Marvel and Neversoft properties. "Subway" sucks no matter what, but that's acceptable. In the end, the game is still very fun to play, both casually and speedrunning-wise. I easily recommend it to anyone, as long as you can tolerate the aging controls.
The PC and Dreamcast versions provide enhanced graphics over the PS1 and N64 versions, the PC version in particular has little to no loading times. However, getting it to run properly on modern systems is quite the task. Even then, you might still stumble upon a game crash or glitched graphics here and there, which was a problem even on systems of the time. Still, I recommend either the PC or DC versions if you can play those.
Stan Lee provided one of his finer cameos in his career by narrating the game's plot with his legendary voice. This was the first time I was exposed to him as a kid. I liked this voice even when I couldn't understand a single word in English.
Stan lived a great life to its fullest. While he may be gone, no doubt his legacy will stay strong forever.
Until next time, Excelsior!
