Spider-Man And The X-Men In Arcade’s Revenge (Game Boy)

LJN You’ve done it again. No matter how hard you try, you always find a way to take a really big poop on something that’s close to my heart. I love anything Spider-Man, and/or Marvel, but this is just a terrible experience. Why is it so hard to bring that superhero feeling to life? Instead, what’s presented is a lackluster journey through bad controls and poor level design. I really need to find some better games.

Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade’s Revenge is a game that was first released for the Super Nintendo in 1992. It was later ported to the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and Game Gear, and then finally the Game Boy. The game features Spider-Man and the X-Men from the Marvel universe as they battle their captor, the villainous Arcade. It’s also one of the first video games to incorporate a recharging health system.

The level design is overly cluttered and poorly structured, giving no true indication of what is safe to land on when traversing each stage. The characters do, however look as close as  they can be to the source material. The enemy types are varied enough to give the levels something interesting to look at. But besides those small positives the visual presentation is less than desirable.

I love when a game teaches you nothing about how to play. So instead I get to stand around like a Canucklehead for several minutes punching something that needs to receive a swift uppercut or two in order to progress any further. I came across no real issues with the sounds of this game. The background music was enjoyable enough, making me want to push on that little bit further. Every sound effect had its place and for me that’s a win.

According to real world logic you could quite easily jump through this gap. According to LJN logic NOPE!

Here is where the game truly shines. Here is a quick hint: that previous statement was full blown sarcasm. None of the characters are actually all that satisfying to play. Also, you are shown true genius when you play as Storm in water level (hmmm let’s put the character whose main powers consist of ELEC-FRICKEN-TRICITY under water).

The hit boxes are way too unforgiving, you’ll find yourself having to spend a majority of your time on your knees attacking things hoping to not lose any life. The bosses all feature exploits making the fights extremely one sided, posing no real challenge at all.

This game has not aged well. Growing up, this was one of my beloved titles on the Super Nintendo. As an adult playing it’s less than impressive Gameboy version, it makes me feel disillusioned. Look, if you love the Marvel universe, sure give it a go. But beyond that, avoid this at all costs. It’s not worth your time and hard earned money. Pick it up for Super Nintendo – its slightly more enjoyable. But only slightly.

(LJN closed in 1995. Three years after this game was released.)