Spider-Man: Edge of Time

Spider-Man: Edge of Time is a direct sequel to Shattered Dimensions and again builds on the idea of tying multiple versions of the wall-crawling hero into a single story. This time, though, it's not about alternate dimensions but about time - the player switches between the classic, present-day Amazing Spider-Man and the futuristic Spider-Man 2099, Miguel O'Hara, while trying to stop the criminal corporation Alchemax from rewriting history so that no Spider-Man ever existed in it. The only link between the two heroes is a call across time, through which they advise and warn each other of danger.

The key element of the game is how the two timelines are interconnected - decisions and actions in one era immediately affect the other, so Spider-Man 2099 can reprogram the security of the Alchemax building in the future, and his predecessor can then walk through a door in the past that would otherwise have stayed locked. Unlike the series' more open entries, the game keeps the player on linear paths inside Alchemax's high-rise buildings, which allows it to build its puzzles more consistently around this temporal link. Combat remains fast and acrobatic, with a distinct fighting style for each version of the hero - the classic Spider-Man relies on webs and agility, while Spider-Man 2099 attacks with claws and is tougher. Studio Beenox thus offered, for the last time before moving to an open world with The Amazing Spider-Man, the purely linear, level-based structure it knew from previous entries in the series. Besides combat, the game also builds on stealth and tailing sections, where the future version of the hero must stay unseen by Alchemax's cameras, while his older counterpart in the past deals more with direct confrontation against guards and hired hunters.

Why play: This game will appeal to fans of comic-book Spider-Man who enjoyed Shattered Dimensions and want another dose of acrobatic combat with an interesting time-linked puzzle mechanic between the two playable versions of the hero, before the series moved on to an open world.