Spider-Man (PS1): A Spine-Tingling, Web-Swinging, Wall-Crawling Survival Horror

With Marvel's Spider-Man 2 swinging its way onto shelves and digital storefronts soon, I thought this was the best time to look back on one of my favorite horror games of all time. You might be asking yourself, why did I mention horror games and Spider-Man in the same sentence? That is a valid question indeed. Save that for later.

If you know, you know, but for those who don’t, let me take you back to a childhood favorite game of mine and countless others who grew up in the 2000s. So grab your web blasters and your favorite Spider-Man walkie-talkies, and get comfortable as I look back fondly on an unforgettable Spider-Man adventure that also gave me quite a scare!

The early 2000s was an incredible time period for any fan of Ol’ Webhead. The Sam Raimi trilogy was about to kick off, ushering in a new wave of fans and bringing the appeal of comic book characters to a broader audience. Spider-Man was prominently featured in the many crossovers Marvel had with Capcom in the 1990s and beyond with Marvel Super Heroes, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, and Marvel vs. Capcom 1 and 2.

In 2000, we would see the release of quite possibly the best Spider-Man game to date, simply titled Spider-Man. Spider-Man was released for various home consoles, including the N64 and a superior Dreamcast version. I will be focusing on the PS1 version I played growing up.

While the PS1 and N64 versions are essentially the same, the N64 cartridges could only hold so much memory. Instead of cutscenes between levels in the PS1 version, the N64 version opts instead for comic-book panels with still images and dialogue with accompanying music. It isn’t as cool as having fully voiced cutscenes, but at least the N64 version serves as a palatable alternative.

The game is stylized much like the 1990s animated series, sharing the font of the Spider-Man logo and even some of the actors from the animated series and Spider-Man Unlimited. Without even playing the game yet, I have to mention the masterfully composed remix of the original 60s cartoon that plays on the start screen.

From the jump, I knew I was in for a real treat. It is no wonder the music was so good, the music was composed by Tommy Tallarico, who worked on music for Earthworm Jim, among countless other titles. The 1960s Spider-Man intro was remixed by the English group Apolo 440.

The soundtrack is immaculate the whole way through and oozes that early 2000s charm. Each level has some sort of industrial or nu-metal-inspired track that perfectly encapsulates the era in which the game was made. This is also a Neversoft project we are talking about, you know, the guys that helped shape the music taste for many a disgruntled youth, from punk rock, ska, and the industrial sound found in Spider-Man (2000).

I can’t even tell you how many new artists I discovered thanks to Neversoft. Despite the controversies surrounding Tommy Tallarico, he knows how to make a gaming soundtrack. He successfully captured the sound of the 2000s for Spider-Man (2000) with the dirty instrumentals and industrial noise found within.

The story begins at a science expo with Doc Ock holding a keynote about his vision for the future of mankind that is cut short by an impostor Spider-Man. This was the rawest intro of any game I played up until that point. The impostor destroys Eddie Brock’s camera and frames Spidey in the process, and we see that Doc-Ock and Carnage are in cahoots. Doc-Ock then spills chemicals into the streets of NYC, clouding everything in its path.

The fog blanketing the streets was a result of the limitation of the hardware, but it also inspired the stories' direction. Since the PS1 could only render so much at a time, using the limitations of the console to create an original Spider-Man story was genius. Using the limitations of the console to create an atmosphere was famously done by other games like Silent Hill and actually worked for the benefit of the story.

The first mission begins immediately following the cutscene, and what is neat is the loading screens are comic book-style covers showcasing a well-drawn snapshot of the level. I always found these to be incredibly cool to look at. There was a nice level of detail to them that made them look like actual comic book covers.

As the camera pans around the now-polluted NYC shrouded in fog, Stan Lee delivers a spectacular narration of the events that are about to unfold in Spider-Man’s first proper 3-D outing. His voice never fails to evoke such an air of heroism, adding extra oomph to his descriptions. I love how the opening shot shows the Baxter Building from The Fantastic Four, being just one of many nods to various other Marvel properties. Now filled with determination, I was ready to deliver a good old-fashioned beat down.

Speaking of which, for Spider-Man’s first foray into 3-D, the combat was surprisingly fun! The combos are simplistic by today’s standards, no doubt, but every punch and kick has weight behind it. Spider-Man (2000) would actually lay the groundwork for future Spidey titles. The next two major ones, Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro and the 2002 movie game, would build upon the foundation that was put forth by Spider-Man (2000) with similar web swinging and combat mechanics.

The gameplay never felt boring in Spider-Man (2000). There are a plethora of unlockables as well as collectibles to be found in different nooks and crannies. You can find comic book covers that span the wall crawlers storied history, like Secret Wars #8 (1st Appearance of Symbiote Suit), Amazing Fantasy #15, and Spider-Man 2099 #1 (Debut of Miguel O’Hara).

Additionally, you can unlock various suits like the symbiote suit, Captain Universe, and the Bombastic Bagman. Some suits even come with additional perks, such as unlimited webbing, double power for attacks, or even invincibility. If you don’t feel like going through the hassle of unlocking everything the hard way, you don’t have to! To this day, I can never forget one of the most memorable cheat codes in gaming history.

When you input Stan Lee’s name backwards as EEL NATS, you unlock everything. Storyboards, comic book covers, character models, etc. For its time, this game was packed with plenty of content and replayability. The Easter eggs were also plentiful and fun to point out. Seeing as this game was developed by Neversoft, there were various ads sprinkled about for Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2, which would launch only two weeks after Spider-Man. F

Spider-Man is an absolute blast, as I’m sure most of you know if you grew up with the game. But that also means you remember the horrifying side of Spider-Man (2000). Let me paint a picture for you, in case you don’t remember. After your first encounter with Venom, you chase him into the sewers, and the unspeakable horror that awaits is enough to send a chill down the spine of any unsuspecting kid.

The Lizard’s leftover experiments reside in the sewers of New York City, and they are pissed. When the Lizardmen attack you, they begin to make some of the most horrific noises I ever heard from any enemy in gaming history. The screeches they made as they attempted to kill Spider-Man were unnerving, to say the least. You are also in a dingy sewer where sometimes there is no music, and it's just you and them.

I remember having to walk away from the game at times because of how frightening it was. The thing is, it gets scarier as you progress through the game. The symbiotes that occupy the Daily Bugle have unnatural movements in addition to their own blood-curdling noises. Eventually, Spidey can equip himself with flammable webbing to use against the symbiotes.

As you shoot them with the webbing, they writhe and scream in gruesome agony as they wither away to nothingness. It doesn’t stop there either, oh no. Carnage was pretty creepy, right? As he is attempting to murder you with those axe hands, he is laughing maniacally as he does it. It was unnerving but manageable.

Then. Then, it happens. It was a hard road for Peter throughout the entirety of the story. Cops want him dead, his wife almost drowned to death at the hands of Venom due to something he didn’t even do, Punisher almost snipes him, and that's not even all of it. There I was, little Mikey playing Spider-Man. I led Peter out of the Lizard-infested sewers, defeated the symbiotes, and took down Doc Ock and Carnage.

Then, a tentacle grabs Spidey by the throat and throws him to the floor, and Monster Ock appears. I was allowed to play practically any game I wanted growing up; it didn’t matter. I even played games like Nightmare Creatures and Eternal Darkness, but nothing could prepare me for Monster Ock. He lets out a blood-curdling scream as he chases you through a burning building, ready to blow up at any minute. All the while he is chasing you, he screams “die” in a distorted voice. That was next-level horror, man.

I remember shutting the game off before I could even complete it. I would eventually get around to it after a little while but just, wow. That was actually traumatizing, along with most other media of the day. Return the Slab, anyone? Monster Ock is the sole reason I classify this game as a survival horror. When I replayed it for this review, the chase still gave off that same level of anxiety.

I can at least laugh at Monster Ock’s PS1 model and that frightening screech nowadays. It is kind of a shame this character only appears in this game. I’d absolutely love to see this character return in some capacity, but that is probably a licensing nightmare. According to the director, Chad Findley, the licensing issues are why we haven’t gotten a remaster, which was talked about in 2019.

Replaying Spider-Man 2000 today was still a blast, even in a post-Batman: Arkham Asylum world of superhero games. Of course, Insomniacs’ Spider-Man titles are undoubtedly the best video game entries the wall-crawler has ever had, but it was still nice to see how far his games have come even since the release of Spider-Man (2000). With great sound design, music, and simplistic but fun gameplay, it is no wonder the game scored as well as it had back in the day.

Sure, the horror elements were enough to traumatize any kid who played it then, but it was still worth it. Also, Venom alone was worth the playthrough. It is easily one of my favorite portrayals of Venom, with the snappy remarks, one-liners, and other jokes. Legends say he is still waiting for Captain America’s autograph.