GDC 2012: Activision Debuts the next Amazing Spider-Man Game
David Deschênes, lead level designer at Beenox on The Amazing Spider-Man, talks about what's in store for comic book fans in this exclusive interview.
SAN FRANCISCO — Activision is returning to Hollywood with its latest Spider-Man title. The new game is set in the film universe of Sony Pictures’ summer blockbuster. In fact, the game will serve as an epilogue to the action fans see in theaters this July. The developer, Beenox, was at GDC to show off the game. David Deschênes, lead level designer at Beenox on The Amazing Spider-Man, talks about what’s in store for comic book fans in this exclusive interview.
How have the non-movie Spider-Man games in recent years, and the technology developed for them, helped with creating this Amazing Spider-Man title?
All of our experience on Spider-Man games helped us to really understand the character, what makes him tick, what constitutes a situation only Spider-Man can solve and HOW only Spider-Man could solve it. Although The Amazing Spider-Man is based in the film universe, the essence of the Spider-Man remains the same throughout. We were able to apply everything we’ve learned on our past Spider-Man games to this new game.
What have you learned from past Spider-Man movie tie-ins that you applied to this game?
This is actually our first Spider-Man film universe game at Beenox, but we’re fans of the past Spider-Man film titles. The core character of Spider-Man is at the heart of every game, and that’s something we always keep at the forefront of our mind during development. And while we’ve been working in the Spider-Man universe for a while, we really keep discovering more about Spider-Man each time. Every past game helps us to understand who Spider-Man is. He’s a superhero, but he’s also a teenager growing up and dealing with his own conflicts.
Why do you think Spider-Man works so well in the gaming realm?
Spider-Man is a very special superhero and holds a special place in a lot of people’s hearts, including mine. In addition to his great arsenal of abilities that allow us to create fun gameplay, like swinging through Manhattan at breakneck speeds, and pushing his acrobatic abilities to the max with Web Rush. He’s also a very cool character that you can really relate to, and he’s witty to boot, which means fun dialogue.
What do you think fans of the character will be most excited about when it comes to this game?
I think they’ll be love the brand new web-swinging feature that immerses you in Manhattan; a Web-Rush system that lets you see the world as Spidey sees it; and an acrobatic feel rarely achieved in previous games. Plus, they can look forward to cameos from multiple classic Marvel villains that were re-imagined specifically for the game. Essentially, they will get to play Spider-Man as never before.
How does The Amazing Spider-Man’s gameplay differentiate itself from past Spider-Man movie games?
Our goal is always to build a game that pays tribute to Spider-Man and the Spider-Man universe. As we’ve increased our experience working on the Spider-Man franchise, we’ve also tweaked and updated our tech with our learnings. That means having game mechanics that really make you feel like Spidey, whether it’s web-swinging around Manhattan or emphasizing Spidey’s acrobatic finesse in combat.
