Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin

For the Mega-CD version, see Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin (Mega-CD). For the Game Gear and Master System versions, see Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin (8-bit).

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Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Sega of America (US), Sega Europe (EU), Sega Enterprises (JP)
Developer: Sega of America, Technopop, Recreational Brainware
Distributor: Ecofilmes (PT) Hent Gruppen (SE rental) Tec Toy (BR) Samsung (KR)
Licensor: Marvel Entertainment Group
Sound driver: Sega Music Development System
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code JP 1991-10-18 ¥6,0006,000 G-4058 US 1991-08 $54.9554.95 1016 EU 1991-09 1016 EU ▼ (Sega Channel) 199x SUBsub PT 199x MDJ1016 UK 1991-09 £29.9929.99 1016 SE (Rental) 199x CZ 199x AU 1991 CA 1991 BR 199x BR (Red) 199x KR 199x GM4018JG UK 199x £? ?

Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin (スパイダーマン), commonly referred to as just Spider-Man, is a platform video game based on the Spider-Man Marvel comic book series. It was originally released in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive (alongside a differing Master System version).

Story

Crime boss Wilson Fisk, known as the Kingpin, has stolen a nuclear bomb and plans to detonate it in twenty-four hours, destroying New York City. Moreover, he has sent a broadcast framing Spider-Man for the deed, turning the city against him. In order to clear his name, Spider-Man must fight six sinister supervillains, who have been hired by the Kingpin, to obtain the keys necessary to disarm the bomb before time runs out.

Gameplay

Pause menu

Peter Parker's apartment

The game is an action platformer where players control the superhero Spider-Man. He walks with and . He jumps with and jumps off platforms with +. He squats with and crawls with and . He can stick to walls and ceilings by holding and then crawl along them with the D-pad. Spider-Man can cling to walls, buildings, and ladders in the background. He attacks by punching or kicking with , which can be done while crouching or jumping.

Spider-Man has 24 hours to collect the five keys needed to disarm the bomb. Time ticks down faster than real time. Keys are dropped by bosses when they are defeated. Spider-Man has a life meter that diminishes as he takes damage from foes. If he runs out of life, the game ends. It can be continued from the beginning of the current stage, but this costs two hours of time. If time runs out, the game ends and cannot be continued.

Spider-Man performs special abilities with . The player can change to a different ability by pausing the game with  START . The special abilities are:

• Webbing, the default ability, allows Spider-Man to shoot webbing, which works as a projectile attack against enemies. Hitting a single enemy several times binds the enemy in webbing. Spider-Man can swing from webbing by jumping and holding while in midair, which allows him to traverse longer distances than simply jumping. Using webbing costs a portion of Spider-Man's web meter.
• Web Shield protects Spider-Man from damage for a certain number of hits. Activating Web Shield costs a portion of Spider-Man's web meter.
• Camera is used to take pictures of Spider-Man fighting crime to sell to the Daily Bugle. Pictures of basic thugs are only worth $5. Spider-Man's Spider Sense alerts the player before tougher enemies or bosses appear, which are worth more. Only humanoid enemies are worth money; pictures of bat, rats, and other animals do not pay anything. Money is automatically exchanged for web in the score screen at the end of each stage. Spider-Man can take three pictures per stage.
• Peter Parker returns to Spider-Man's apartment, where he replenishes life. However, time runs down quickly while he is recovering. Spider-Man can exit at any time and return to the same part of the stage that he just left.

Items

	Small Restore
	Replenishes a small amount of the life or web meter.
	Large Restore
	Replenishes a large amount of the life meter.
	Camera
	Lets Spider-Man take another picture.

Stages

	Daily Bugle
	Spider-Man saves an old lady from a thief with the police hot on his tail. Enter the Daily Bugle building from the top floor to complete the stage.
	Warehouse
	Investigate a nearby warehouse and search for clues before facing Dr. Octopus.
	Sewers
	Navigate deadly traps and pitfalls in the sewers before facing the Lizard and Venom.
	Power Station
	Evade lightning bolts and gun-toting thugs and confront Electro in his domain.
	Central Park
	Defeat muggers and look for Sandman, who can only be defeated by luring him to the fire hydrant, and Venom.
	Streets of New York
	Criminals are wreaking havoc in the streets, including the Hobgoblin and Venom.
	Underground
	Venom captures Spider-Man's wife, Mary Jane.
	Final
	Spider-Man fights Electro, the Lizard, the Hobgoblin, and Venom again. He must then disarm the bomb by inserting the keys into it. Finally, Spider-Man must defeat the Kingpin before Mary Jane is dropped into a pit of acid. The game ends if Mary Jane is killed. When completed on Nightmare mode, players are presented with an eight-digit code which allowed entry into The Secret Challenge Contest.

History

Development

“	We were immersed in Spider-Man everything during the project. We had every kind of poster, doll, figure etc around us. The key for the game was twofold, artwork and fluidity of the character. The guys that did the engine did a great job getting the system in place where the character movement was very smooth. Given the limitations on the CPU, we ended up using tables instead of true physics calculations for things like the arc of the swing. Another innovation was the level and sprite tools that started to form during the project. We did everything on the MAC, with sprite/animation tools that let us preview the animations on the MAC, and then we could do builds right from MPW and download to the Genesis. The level tools also allowed for creation and editing of not only the level artwork, but also the enemy placement and parameters, letting us play with the level designs in a short time cycle. We also had great artists making the images look very true to the property.	„
— David Foley

Release

If players complete the game in Nightmare mode, they will be presented with an eight-digit code, which if sent to Sega of America (alongside the high score and remaining time using the form included in the game's box), would enter players into The Secret Challenge Contest. In order to be eligible to win the grand prize - collectible reprints of the first ten issues of the comic The Amazing Spider-Man - entries had to reach Sega by 31st January 1992.

Legacy

Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin was the first of several Mega Drive games to be released on the system with a Marvel Comics license (although it is not the first Mega Drive appearance of Spider-Man; he was a boss in 1989's The Revenge of Shinobi without Marvel's consent). It was a successful game for Sega, with sources claiming that two-thirds of Mega Drive owners owned a copy of this game in some form or another at the time.

The success lead to Marvel Comics continuing their licensing deal they had with Sega of America (mostly in the form of X-Men games), with Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin being updated for the Sega Mega-CD release, with refined levels, graphics and a CD audio soundtrack in 1993.

Production credits

Sega of America, Inc.

• Programming: Burt Sloane, Jonathan Miller
• Produced By: Ed Annunziata
• Game Design: Christopher Erhardt
• Art: Scott Haile, Joe Ellen Reiss, Jennifer Martin, Susan Greene
• Music and Effects: Mark Steven Miller, John Karr, Dave Javelosa
• Testing: Richard Fishman, Casey Grimm, Mark Lindstrom, Bert Mauricio, Michael Tyau
• Thanks To: Dave Foley, Clyde Grossman

Source:

In-game credits

Magazine articles

Main article: Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

MX advert (1991)

Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #1: "June/July 1990" (1990-xx-xx)
also published in:

• GamePro (US) #12: "July 1990" (1990-xx-xx)
• VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (US) #18: "July 1990" (1990-0x-xx)
• Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #13: "August 1990" (1990-xx-xx)

Print advert in GamePro (US) #29: "December 1991" (1991-xx-xx)

Print advert in Computer & Video Games (UK) #118: "September 1991" (1991-08-15)
also published in:

• Computer & Video Games (UK) #119: "October 1991" (1991-09-15)

Print advert in Mean Machines Sega (UK) #11: "September 1993" (1993-07-30)

Print advert in Hobby Consolas (ES) #2: "Noviembre 1991" (1991-1x-xx)

File:Spider-ManvsTheKingpin StreetsofRage US TV ad.wmv

US TV advert (also featuring Streets of Rage)

File:Spider-ManvsTheKingpin StreetsofRage US TV ad.wmv

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 50 Aktueller Software Markt (DE) 43 Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J 63 Console XS (UK) PAL 85 Cool Gamer (RU) 50 Dragon (US) NTSC-U 100 Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK) 86 Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J 60 Game Power (IT) 79 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 100 Games-X (UK) 80 Hippon Super (JP) NTSC-J 60 Joypad (FR) PAL 92 Joystick (FR) 86 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL 64 Mega Drive Fan (JP) NTSC-J 63 Mega (UK) PAL 89 Mega (UK) PAL 92 MegaTech (UK) PAL 91 MegaTech (UK) PAL 88 Mean Machines (UK) 90 Mean Machines Sega (UK) 91 Megazone (AU) 82 Player One (FR) 86 Power Play (DE) 59 Power Unlimited (NL) 70 Sega Power (UK) PAL 78 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 85 Sega Opisaniy i sekretov (RU) 65 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 61 VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (US) NTSC-U 80

	76
Based on 31 reviews

Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin

Mega Drive, JP
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual Contest form

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual PCB

Mega Drive, PT
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, SE (rental; Hent; black)
Cover

Mega Drive, CZ (Datart)
Manual

Mega Drive, AU (Horizontal manual)
Cover

Mega Drive, AU (Vertical manual)
Cover

Mega Drive, BR
Cover

Mega Drive, BR (red)
Cover

Mega Drive, CA
Cover

Mega Drive, KR
Cover
Cart

Technical information

Main article: Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin/Technical information.

External links

• Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin: How combat classic Shinobi inspired one of the best superhero games of the 16-bit era article by Rory Milne at Retro Gamer