With the Nintendo 3DS line-up looking as frail as it is, it never hurts to have a superhero in your arsenal. That’s why the timing behind the release of Spider-Man: Edge of Time couldn’t be better for the format, as the hero comes swinging to the 3D platform in two forms – as both the Amazing Spider-Man and 2099. While the game isn’t as technically sound as we were expecting it to be, it’s still a better superhero affair than, say, Thor: God of Blunder…er, Thunder, sorry.
In the game, Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099 team up unexpectedly when a villainous scientist named Walker Sloan vows to travel back in time in an attempt to create his corporation years ahead of his time, cleaning up the cash in the process. The problem is, his actions lead to Amazing’s ultimate demise, not to mention a harsh twist on 2099’s future. The two heroes team up in an attempt to set things right before Sloan’s actions get too far out of hand.
Though Spider-Man: Shattered Dimension, last year’s release, was a better game when it came to diversity and level design, Edge of Time still has a lot to offer. Both Amazing and 2099 get their fair share of combat, combos, and web-zipping techniques, and they’re fairly easy to execute with the 3DS between regular and touch-screen controls. There are also some free-falling segments for 2099 that are truly dazzling in 3D, though something you need split-second timing to avoid taking a nasty collision with, well, anything. The more you play these, the better you’ll get at them.
There are times, though, that the game gets slightly frustrating, slapping time limits on you when a partner is in danger in another part of time. However, that just adds to the challenge and forces you to better your techniques in order to keep them from succumbing to the odds. This “time effect” leaves an interesting effect on the story as well, so we’ll forgive the minor pains it can bring.
Though Edge of Time isn’t quite the visual powerhouse it can be on the 3DS (it’s a port of the Wii version, rather than its own high-def beast), the 3D effects are pretty good, and the animations have their moments, particularly when 2099 and Amazing use their hyper senses to get out of a tight jam and get the jump on their enemies. The “blur” effect is rather cool, though slightly disorienting at first.
Even if the 3DS isn’t the best audio system out there (unless you’re wearing headphones), it’s about on the same level as the console version. The voice acting is superb, especially the word play between 2099 and Amazing when they go back and forth (they’re featured in a picture-and-picture display between the two screens). Keep an ear open for Val “Real Genius” Kilmer as well, playing the role of Sloan. The music is decent, but it repeats way too often, and the sound effects are about what you’d expect from a comic book game.
So, no, Edge of Time isn’t amazing, and more could’ve been done with the 3DS platform, rather than a straight port, but if you’re a comic book fan and need something suitable for your system, this game should be picked up in a Time-ly fashion.
