spiderman vergelijking xbox ps2 cube ign insider

Head-to-Head: Spider-Man
Which of the three next-generation console versions would director Sam Raimi be most proud of? Zoom in and find out.

April 17, 2002 - When we first came up with IGNinsider, we took a long look at all our existing IGN channels to find topics and areas we don't already cover -- and that would be interesting to die-hard gamers and IGN fans like yourself. If there is one major trend that emerged with the release of the new gaming consoles, it's that more and more developers are trying to release their titles on multiple consoles. The editors at IGN try to do their best to write about each gaming system and objectively review all the major titles, but there is one thing we don't often do: compare games across platforms. Is Starfighter for Xbox an improvement over the PS2 version  or a step back? Is Madden for GameCube just as fun as the other versions? Should you buy Crazy Taxi for PS2 even though you already own the Dreamcast version? Or, for that matter, is a GameCube game that gets an 8 in graphics necessarily less impressive looking than a PS2 game that gets a 9 in the same category?

If you're at conflict every time a game debuts on multiple platforms, this column is for you. The Head-to-Head series of articles cuts through all the different takes the editors have on the games, compares the facts, and presents you with one uniform opinion on all the versions.






Spider-Man (PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox)

Treyarch is a busy, busy company. It seems like it was just yesterday that the developer's Tony Hawk compilation lit up our Xboxes and now there's already a completely new Treyarch title on the market -- and on three consoles and PC, no less. Though rooted in the gameplay of Neversoft's Spider-Man (the game that broke the string of bad superhero games on the old consoles -- no pun intended), Treyarch's game stays true to the look and plot of the new movie, while adding plenty of additional side stories and enemies to defeat. Is it a good game worth buying? Yep, anyone with a hankering for good-looking action platformers won't be disappointed. You'll be able to read in-depth reviews of all three console versions (as well as the PC and Game Boy Advance Spider-Man) by hopping over to the respective channels, but if you want the dirt on which version plays, looks, and sounds best, you've come to the right place.

Control

Spider-Man offers two basic control schemes, no matter which version you're playing: Classic and Enhanced. Both setups are very similar, but enhanced offers the ability to do instant swing turns and a less complicated way of yanking enemies with your web. The face buttons on all three versions are used for punch/action, kick, web, and jump, while simple two-button combinations let Spidey pull off all sorts of web attacks. Camera controls are mainly assigned to the right analog sticks, and the shoulder buttons are used for web swinging, with GameCube/Xbox L doubling up for look-around and as a web move modifier. Interestingly, the GameCube version omits the "force crawl" function that's triggered by clicking the left thumbstick on the Xbox and L3 on the PS2 (enhanced setup, only). It's a curious omission, considering that it could have been included via double-tapping down on the D-Pad or a similar combination -- but once you start to play the game you actually realize how meaningless the function really is. Let's just say that if we didn't tell you about it, you wouldn't have noticed that it was gone.



Spidey is poisoned in one of the exclusive Xbox levels.



In case of the Xbox and GameCube versions, the enhanced setting also moves the all-important zip function to another button (Black Button on Xbox and Z on GameCube), whereas it stays on R1 on the PS2. This translates into easier-to-learn controls on PS2 than on Xbox and GameCube simply because all buttons on the PS2 controller are easy to reach. Given their location, the Z trigger and white/black buttons are better used for toggling less important functions in games. Still, after a little bit of practice the controls on all three versions work equally well.

Overall, the PS2 version has a tiny, tiny advantage over the other two in the control department -- but it's too minute of a difference to, er, really make a difference.

Winner: PS2

 

Features

Chalk it up to the fact that Treyarch is more familiar with the Xbox hardware -- or start hatching conspiracy theories about Bill paying off Activision -- whatever the reason, the Xbox version of Spider-Man features two additional levels. Even though both levels deal with spider-villain Kraven the Hunter (who does not appear in the movie), they're woven seamlessly into the main storyline. The first extra level has Spidey trying to avoid getting hit by sniper fire, while the second one has you confront Kraven himself in a surprisingly easy boss battle. Together, the two missions add about 30 minutes of playtime to the overall 10-12 hour game. They're not exactly worth buying an Xbox for, but if you've got multiple systems at home already, the longer gameplay of the Xbox version is definitely one decisive factor why that version is the one to get.



An impressive looking level, exclusive to Xbox.



All three versions feature unlockable bonus content, such as Spidey bowling and movie clips. Activision swears that it didn't pull an SSX Tricky, either: GameCube owners get the same stuff as the PS2 and Xbox players.

Winner: Xbox

Sound

Hats off to Activision for not only making the game look like the movie it's based on, but also sound like it. Spider-Man features the voice talents of Tobey Maguire (Spidey/Peter Parker), Willem Dafoe (Green Goblin/Norman Osborn), and cult-favorite Bruce Campbell as the tour guide/narrator. Maguire's constant quips and comments may annoy some of you out there, but fans of the comic book series will appreciate the fact that Spider-Man is just as vocal as in the comic. In addition to the movie villains, Activision also hired accomplished voice actors for the other characters, including Dwight Schultz (Star Trek's Reginald Barclay) as the Vulture. The music, on the other hand, is not the Danny Elfman movie score, but very similar sounding stuff by Michael McCuistion

The three console versions of Spider-Man all use the same samples and music, but there are some marked differences in sound quality across the board. At the risk of repeating ourselves in this column, the Xbox version once again features the cleanest and punchiest sound. Running in five-channel Dolby Digital, the surround separation during gameplay is noticeably better on Xbox if you're using a 5.1 receiver and appropriate speaker setup. We tested all three versions in our demo room using the best possible connections (optical for Xbox and PS2), RCA stereo for GameCube -- and the results are very clear-cut. The Xbox version sounds best, followed by the PlayStation 2 version, which supports Dolby Pro-Logic II (DPLII offers enhanced rear-channel separation, among other things). The standard Dolby Pro Logic of the GameCube Spider-Man, while still impressive, sounds a tad more tinny and the surround sound separation isn't quite as nice. Now that more PS2 games support DPLII, the question has to be asked whether Rogue Leader will remain the sole DPLII game in GameCube's library. Nintendo?

Winner: Xbox

 

Graphics

This latest 3D Spider-Man is visually impressive on all three next-generation consoles. The once foggy and almost lifeless cityscapes are now totally fleshed out thanks to a strong draw distance and much higher polygon count than seen in the last generation. The art design is also quite dazzling with remarkably vibrant sky textures and subtle lighting. Additionally, all of these buildings are equipped with reflection maps and crisp textures. Under the revealing sunlight you can really see a step-by-step difference between the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox versions. Without a doubt the Xbox version has a considerably smoother framerate and certainly higher quality textures. The golden glass windows that reflect a crisp city texture (it does not reflect you or the city around it) on Xbox are blurred slightly on GameCube and even more so on PlayStation 2. As you move from Xbox to GameCube to PS2 the quality descends in that order. In the screenshots below you can clearly see this. Also, while you may not be able to see it in screenshots, Xbox also features better lighting and hands-down the best shadows, with GameCube and PS2 casting ones more jagged.

This is the general theme for the whole of the game. Xbox outshines the rest with an overall more vibrant look and considerably more solid framerate. In particular, the GameCube offers up some smooth 60 visuals, but very often drops to 30. The PlayStation 2 is absolutely the worst of the three due to its perpetual battle with a more jagged look and distracting flicker. In fact, once you've seen the Xbox version, Spider-Man on PS2 just looks "noisy." Taken by themselves, all three games are visually impressive, but once you put them side by side the choppier PS2 Spider-Man pales in comparison with the other two. All of the titles seem to feature the same quality FMV clips, however, which is a plus given the fact that GameCube has historically seen more compressed CG video




As for extra visual goodies, there really are none. There is no true 16 support and no letterbox display for those interested in it. Thanks to the Xbox's special liking to run every game in progressive scan it certainly supports that, but PlayStation and, surprisingly, GameCube do not

WINNAAR UITERAARD XBOX!!!

 

Final Verdict

It doesn't happen very often that a game debuts simultaneously on all three console platforms, but Activision and Treyarch somehow pulled it off. All three play equally well, but the Xbox version is just a little longer. All three have good sound, but the Xbox sounds just a little better. And finally, all three look nice, but the Xbox version just looks a whole lot nicer. The differences are more pronounced if you're an audio/videophile and you've got a nice setup. Xbox Spider-Man really shines on DTVs (though the lack of 16x9 support is a little disappointing) and the audio requires a Dolby Digital receiver to really rock the house. If you've got a standard TV set, you can still tell the difference because of the smoother framerate.

If you own all three consoles, the choice is clear: Xbox Spider-Man is the best of the bunch. If you've got a GameCube and a PS2, get the GameCube version for its smoother and more vibrant visuals -- unless you can't live without the PS2 version's DPLII support. Each version has its strengths, but the Xbox Spider-Man stands heads and shoulders above the other two.


-- Peer Schneider and Fran Mirabella III

 

heerlijk om te horen hoe de xboxversie asskickend de ps2 verslaat zalig gewoon

 

Damn he, heb jij ign insider?
Ik ga toch echt niet dokken voor zooi die je ook wel ergens anders kan krijgen!

 

het is wel handig hoor waar kun je ergens anders ingame filmpjes downloaden die in 640x480 zijn daar komt bij dat ign gewoon retevet echt wel het geld waard voor een gamesblad betaal je toch ook?

 

ik zal je maar weer bedanken giorgio voor je IGN INSIDER info !!

THNX

 

Tuurlijk winner Xbox

 

YEAH!

 

eej relaxt man, cool van je dat je dit post!

 

Hey Giorgio

licht het aan mij of kun je de march 15 edition van ign unplugged niet downloaden Staan alleen maar links van the sample edition

 

Weet je giorgio waarom maak je niet gewoon een kleine website met php shit en dan knal je iedere keer een paar dingen van ign insider op.

Dat zou pas cool wezen.

 

Nee want dan wordt die keihard gepakt door IGN > Auteursrechten. Nu merkt IGn dat niet

 

+ Nu is het eig. ook een beetje reclame voor hun sait, je kan nu lezen dat er wat te lezen valt, vinden ze vast niet erg. Damn, wat een lange zin.

 

en een inhoudelijke post van xenior

Nee das flauw

 

ik hoef nix te downloaden mij sturen ze gewoon netjes een echt blad op

kost 6 dollar ofzo wel heel tof staat veel in ook veel wat je niet op de site leest ign.com magazine zo heet ie

ing roeleerd ( xboxworld ook wel een klein beetje )

 

Had me vandaag even geregistreerd op ign en dacht laat ik eens kijken wat er al verschenen is tot nu toe, maar dat lukt dus niet met de maart editie, de overige weer wel, weird. Dat laten opsturen is inderdaad kewl, moet ik ook maar eens naar kijken.

Thanx voor de tip

 

had je anders verwacht dan

 

wtf!! Respect my authoritaa!!!!!!!!

Xbw rulez meer