Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin (Genesis) Playthrough - NintendoComplete

A playthrough of Sega's 1991 license-based action game for the Sega Genesis, Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin.

Played through on the normal difficulty with default settings.

Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin was one of the most popular games in the early years of the Sega Genesis. Spidey had shown up in games before, including in several PC games, Rare's The Amazing Spider-Man on the Game Boy, and he even made an (unauthorized) cameo in early revisions of Sega's The Revenge of Shinobi on the Genesis.

The Genesis game was a huge improvement over the character's earlier titles, though, and it was a smashing success commercially. According to Randall Reiss, a member of the game's development team at Technopop, the game was purchased by more than two-thirds of Genesis owners at the time, and the game's sales prevented Marvel from revoking Sega's rights to the IP.

The graphics are faithful to the source material in a way that wasn't possible on 8-bit platforms, featuring large, colorful sprites; attractive cutscene panels; and several fan-favorite villains from the comic, including Hobgoblin, Electro, Venom, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, Lizard, Mysterio, and (obviously) The Kingpin. The sound is somewhat less impressive, sounding like an early GEMS-based effort, but there is some charm to be found in its funky twangs.

The gameplay itself is simple. You fight, climb, and web-sling your way through several different NYC locales. The levels have some branching paths, but most of the game is linear, and you'll spend much of your time in tight corridors, climbing along ceilings and kicking rats. There are, however, big, wide-open spaces that allow Spidey to swing freely, and these moments are the best part of the entire game. As fleeting as they are, they grant a feeling of freedom rarely seen in games this old, and those spots were, for me, the most memorable parts.

I also found how they incorporated Peter Parker's day job at The Daily Bugle to be pretty neat: taking photos of enemies for the paper earns you cash that you'll need to refill your web reserves between stages. It's a small but meaningful touch in bringing the character to life.

The game is also known for its difficulty, and its reputation has been well earned. Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin is one tough cart! It's fair, but it definitely feels like it has been carved from the old-school style of design. Enemies hit hard and fast, and the collision detection can feel picky at times. Still, if you cut your gaming teeth on NES games, the challenge is steep but surmountable with enough practice. The ability to return to your apartment to recharge was a really nice touch, though, and it makes the game's difficulty a quite bit more approachable.

(And if you've played The Revenge of Shinobi, you'll already have a good idea of how to approach that last boss fight!)

It would be greatly improved upon with the remaster treatment it got for the Sega CD, but Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin on the Genesis was an excellent game that was loved by fans and critics alike. Well worth checking out if you haven't yet!

You can also find my playthrough of the 32X Spider-man game, Web of Fire, here:    • The Amazing Spider-Man: Web of Fire (...  
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

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