Common Sense Media Review
By Marc Saltzman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Fight as two different web-slingers in time-travel romp.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Spider-Man: Edge of Time
What's It About?
In Activision's latest Marvel adventure -- SPIDER-MAN: EDGE OF TIME –- gamers can assume the role of not one but two different web-slingers: the Amazing Spider-Man of today and Spider-Man 2099 of the future. Both Spideys need to work together -- across two different parallel universes -- to save each other from a mysterious villain capable of traveling back through time in order to change the future. Penned by acclaimed Marvel writer Peter David (co-creator of Spider-Man 2099), these two distinct timelines have a \"cause and effect\" impact as your actions today might trigger an event for Spider-Man in the future -- and the immediate effects can be seen via a picture-in-picture view. Each Spider-Man has his own unique abilities and fighting styles; the acrobatic Amazing Spider-Man enjoys a new \"hyper sense\" mode, for example, while the technologically-enhanced Spider-Man 2099 has an \"accelerated decoy\" capability to fool enemies.
Is It Any Good?
While Spider-Man: Edge of Time presents an interesting concept about time travel, the execution is just so-so. This single-player game has a few exciting moments and enjoys high-quality production (including sharp graphics and solid voice-acting), but the story is convoluted, environments are bland, and most enemies don't pose much of a challenge. Sure, the controls are responsive while engaging in combat against thugs, cyborgs, and mutant baddies, and the repertoire of moves between both Spideys adds some variety, but once you play for an hour or two the action grows repetitive. Plus, there aren't that many boss battles to look forward to either. For an 8- to 10-hour campaign -- with little incentive to play again and no multiplayer support –- it's hard to recommend this game as $60 purchase. Instead, Spider-Man fans should rent it for a couple of bucks over a weekend. A better gaming pick is last year's Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.
Note: The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions are the same, while the Nintendo Wii game has a different control scheme and doesn't offer HD graphics.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether video game violence is more acceptable when it's good fighting against evil, rather than having the ability to hurt or kill innocent civilians. Does it matter?
This game is based on a comic book universe that has a lot of fantasy violence. How would you respond if the game had no violence?
Game Details
- Platforms : Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 , Nintendo Wii , Nintendo 3DS , Nintendo DS
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Activision
- Release date : October 4, 2011
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Superheroes
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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