Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin
System: SMS
Release Date: August 1991
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Action
The world’s favorite web-slinger is in action on the Master System in Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin! Wilson Fisk has done Spider-Man dirty and set up a bomb that will rip through New York City in a matter of 24 hours. Everyone hates the wall crawler, but he’ll have to defeat Kingpin’s six henchmen to find a number of keys to shut down the bomb. And if he runs out of time? A lot of people are going to die.
Pete begins by having to climb the Daily Bugle to find out how much people hate Spidey. The answer is “a lot.” Spider-Man punches with Button 1. If you are holding a direction while pressing Button 1, you shoot a web. These webs are not unlimited, but they will immobilize a foe that you hit so you can knock them out. Button 2 jumps. If you press Button 1 in the air, you’ll shoot a web that you can then swing from. Yeah, web swinging is fun, even if everything else is a bit hard to control. Spidey can also stick to some walls while in the air by pressing Button 2 again. Some walls are covered in goo and force you to fall.
Levels are laid out with enemies that you have to defeat. Once you find and beat them all, your Spidey Sense starts tingling and a boss enemy will appear. These guys are rough and will take you down multiple times until you figure them out. Once I realized that the sweep was about twice as strong as a normal punch, I had an easier time. After defeating the Lizard, you have to find his key in the sewers and this is NOT easy to get away with. And don’t get me started on Electro’s level, if you don’t platform in just the right sequence, you’re blasted to death with no recourse.
It’s best to have a lot of web cartridges in stock, but in order to get them, you need cash. Luckily, Jameson wants photos of the spider menace and will pay good money for them. Well, good money for photos with the boss of the level, chump change for others. You pause the action by pressing both Buttons 1 and 2 simultaneously, then choose the camera to snap a picture. A few boss pictures should keep you flush with webbing for the entire game.
There are story segments between levels and you’ll get to see Dr. Strange, who gives you a medallion to transport back to Peter’s home. Between levels, you can rest to regain lost health, but do so at your own peril, because you’ll lose time from that 24 hour count down. Most levels are easy, but the bosses really will kick your butt over and over again. This is unfortunate, because there are no continues. If you fail, Kingpin gloats and announces he will be running for mayor of New York City. If you defuse the bomb, you’re taken to a one on one with Kingpin. If he gets the upper hand, you save the city, but Fisk gets the last laugh as he disappears to fight again. Winning the battle, which is easy with the leg sweep, forces Jameson to blame Kingpin and leave Spider-Man alone… this time. But is this the end?
Graphics: 3.0
For an 8-bit title, this game looks great. Spider-Man looks like he has depth and the backgrounds are mostly interesting.
Sound: 2.0
Music and sounds are alright, but nothing I would write home about.
Gameplay: 2.5
Getting the precise attack you want is a bit difficult. We need more than 2 buttons at this point in game depth.
Difficulty: 1.5
One life, a time limit, tons of BS, but when you learn what to do, it’s super fast.
Fun Factor: 2.0
This was fun, but it would have been a lot better if the controls were a bit easier to pull off.
Overall Rating: 2.2
Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin earns a C+. This is a very hard game that is not long, but you will have to master in order to beat.