This Tuesday, Activision and developer Beenox are shipping their new Spider-ManTM video game, Spider-Man: Edge of Time. Edge of Time marks the second time Beenox has tackled the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, their first outing being last year’s Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.
Between last year’s Shattered Dimensions and this year’s Edge of Time, Beenox has learned quite a bit about making Spider-Man video games. They also deserve a lot of credit for reviving the limping video game franchise after the formula ran its course in 2008’s Web of Shadows.
Starting from scratch, Beenox stripped the open-world-exploration formula that had become a staple of the franchise to instead focus on delivering a tightly-plotted narrative with Shattered Dimensions. In the end, Beenox made the right decision. The company also didn’t skimp on story depth, incorporating Spider-Men from four different dimensions into the game’s plot and actually making it work.
In Spider-Man: Edge of Time, Beenox focuses on the present and future Spider-Men to help craft a unique story where the actions of one world have an impact on the other. The narrative is further propelled by Marvel writer Peter David and voice talent Josh Keaton as Amazing Spider-Man and Christopher Daniel Barnes as Spider-Man 2099, both of whom have voiced Spider-Man in TV animated series.
For the plot of Spider-Man: Edge of Time, Beenox is tackling one heavy idea: what happens to the future if the Spider-Man of the present dies? How big of an influence does ol’ web-head have on the world? Those questions will be answered by Beenox in a story that spans nearly one hundred years with a timeline caught in flux.
Spider-Man: Edge of Time also brings out the big guns where voice acting is concerned. Joining the previously mentioned Josh Keaton (Spectacular Spider-Man) and Christopher Daniel Barnes (Spider-Man: The Animated Series) are Val Kilmer (Heat, Top Gun), Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) and Laura Vandervoort (Smallville). Each of these actors bring their own unique spin to these iconic characters. To find out how each actor is approaching their respective role, give the embedded videos below a watch.
Amazing Spider-Man – Josh Keaton
Spider-Man 2099 – Christopher Daniel Barnes
Dr. Walker Sloan – Val Kilmer
Mary Jane Watson – Laura Vandervoort
Black Cat – Katee Sackhoff
Spider-Man: Edge of Time releases on October 4, 2011 for Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii, DS and 3DS.
Full Disclosure: This article is sponsored by Activision.
