Spider-Man and the X-Men: Arcade's Revenge

"Great graphics, great controls, great sound, great gameplay, but TERRIBLE level design. Terrible."

Great graphics, great controls, great sound, great gameplay, but TERRIBLE level design. Terrible.

When you turn your SNES on, with this little cartridge riding it like a cowboy, you always have to play the first stage (Spiderman's stage) which is just a "go to the left of the map, now right, now up, now left, now right again, now down, then enter the room, go left, go up, go down, go right, exit room, go back up..." collecting bull-****. It's truly terrible, terrible level design.

Once you beat that fetch-quest, which makes Metroid seem like the most linear game ever created, you can choose too play as either Storm, Wolverine, Cyclops, Spider-Man or Gambit in their unique stages.

Gambit's level is just, woah. I have no idea what I'm doing. I throw cars at some chess pieces or something while escaping something. Gambit's my favourite X-Man.

Storm's has you swimming underwater. Jesus christ. "Hey, let's put the heroine famed for conjuring storms, of which she is named, and who can produce a lot of electricity, in an underwater swimming level!" "BRILLIANT, HERE HAVE A PROMOTION!"

Spider-Man's secondary level is freaking difficult, but pretty fun. A lot better than the first stage.

Wolverines is the best. I have only got to the boss once, and I died, because Wolverine doesn't recieve health packs. You have to sheath his claws to re-generate. BUT, I think there's a limited amount, and I don't know if I'm gonna heal or not. So I stand around, clawless, waiting to re-generate, when there may be nothing to re-generate with. I think that's how it works.

Terrible level design in every stage, except maybe Wolverine's. I assume there are more levels, but these levels are hard. Seriously, hard. OH YEAH, when you lose the four lives (which you share with every hero. Also, you only have three lives to begin with, but if you play Wolverine's stage, there's an easy life) You get a game over. THEN you have to start from the start. Spider-Man's level one. Goddammit that's aggravating. No continue, no second chances, nothing.

Graphics - 8/10
Music - 8/10 (although I can't recognise any theme songs, it's pretty memorable)
Controls - 10/10 (only one issue with Spider-Man, is when you attempt jumping from walls. It's a little stiff)
Story - ???
Re-Playability - 7/10 (You have an itch to play it again, to experience the other levels, to beat this devil-spawned abominations)

Overall - 6/10. The level design, lack of continues, immense difficulty and terrible story (some guy steals the X-Men, and Spider-Man saves them, I think? Also, the villain's name is Arcade. Jesus H. Christ)

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/11/08

Game Release: Spider-Man and the X-Men: Arcade's Revenge (EU, 08/19/93)