Spawn: Armageddon

If you're not familiar with Spawn, he was originally a CIA agent who was slain when he tried to quit. He went to Hell, and made a deal with the Devil to lead their forces in exchange for seeing his loved wife again. Unfortunately for Spawn, he's sent back disfigured and without a memory, so he wears a full body outfit and only slowly remembers his past.

In the game, you start out barely remembering your wife and a burning pain. You're in New York City and an unknown attacker is causing trouble, and you decide to take it on. Soon there are legions of demons jumping through the streets for you to slay in bloody gore.

You've got a fascinating array of Hell-powers including time slowdown and chain weapons. Those familiar with the comic book tale will enjoy submersing in an atmosphere very like that world.

The gameplay is very linear and directed. You have to clear all enemies in an area before, miraculously, the way becomes clear to move on. You destroy objects near you to find health. There isn't much stealth or thought involved here. You kill, kill, destroy, and move on. Each mission gives you a rating which you can go back to try to improve. You can't save within missions - either you finish it or you have to start from the beginning again.

In between missions, you can buy ammo, upgrade weapons or in other ways enhance your character. So it really does matter to do the very best you can on a level to make sure you're ready for the next challenge.

We liked the warping effect caused by your weapons as they intersected with walls. On the other hand, we didn't like the sense of Deja Vu - that we were doing in essence the same thing over and over again. Yes, it's an interesting world - but there could have been much more variety in the levels and challenges presented.

Well worth it if you're a comic book or hack-and-slash fan, but otherwise rent rent it first to see how it appeals to you.


Spawn Fans: Time to Rejoice!   January 31, 2004
Clara B. Matte (Winter Park, FL United States)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

If you're a fan of the Spawn comic series, you'll love this game. The game virtually places you inside an issue of a Spawn comic... There is plenty of action, and plenty of familiar foes... The graphics are very crisp, and there are plenty of cool unlockables, like Spawn comic book covers... As far as the gameplay is concerned, there is plenty of action, and you can basically destroy nearly all of your surroundings in any level to gain more power-ups. This game is a must-buy if you're a fan of the comic series, or a fan of action games in general. You'll definitely spend hours playing this one, so put some time aside on your schedule. Good job, Namco...!


Fun for the low price.   August 2, 2004
Lane Fox (Huntsville, AL United States)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

Title: Spawn: Armageddon

Description: This game is based on the popular Todd McFarlane comic that chronicles the activities of once human Al Simmons whose now turned into a sorta demon. He is Hell's answer to a "fallen angel" as Simmons uses his new powers to his own ends and seeks to make sense of the madness that is his new existence. Take on the forces of Heaven and Hell as you are in the good graces of neither. 1 player.

Platform: PS2, GC, and Xbox (reviewed)

Learning Curve: 4- This title is as expected pretty linear and in tradition (well as tradition based as the past 3 years can yield) of other linear games this one doesn't require a lot of you to get the hang of it. It is mostly hack and slash but expect to see some mobility learning with the capabilities of the cape and grappling with your chains, but still learning is pretty stress free and most of it will go into familiarizing yourself with weapon icons.

Replay Value: 3- Since this is a linear title don't expect there to be a high replay value of this title. It is a good rent for people needing their fix of the hellspawn hero, but purchase for the diehard fan isn't completely discouraged. It is now an affordable price. You can pass up a few comics this month and add this title to your collection.

Difficulty: 5- Expect to see some frustration from the bosses and sometimes you can be swamped by enemies. From what I can tell so far most of your tasks aren't time based so play should be otherwise stress free. This is a fun title for casual gaming.

Guide: There is a guide available through Bradygames for $14.99. Like all guides it is helpful, but navigating the game is pretty easy and the guide acts only to map certain difficult to find secrets of the game. For maximum fun try to find these on your own after you've completed level objectives.

Pros: Price, Nice FMVs, variety of baddies, versatile battle system for a inexpensive linear game, and very fun for casual gaming.

Cons: Suffers from normal linear title problems of replay and game simplicity, Spawn graphics in game lack a bit (Spawn looks too short and stocky,) the story lacks a bit, and the chain effects could have been better.

Time Expected to Invest: About a week to give the game a decent run through.

Retail Value: $19.99. If you do some digging you can find it for $14.99 at several stores and perhaps here within Amazon itself.

Suggested Purchase Price: Under $15 used or new.

Overall: 6- For fun factor.This game has had some horrible reviews and I think it is undeserved. I came to this title expecting a total piece of crap and to be honest I found it quite enjoyable. The gameplay isn't straight linear as it does give you the option to run back through the level to explore before moving on and there are hidden areas that you can miss if you aren't watchful. I don't think this title is worth it's original $50 price tag, but for $15 I think it's worth it. If you can find it cheap I recommend this title. The gameplay is fun so don't expect the monotony of titles like Batman: Rise of the Sin Tzu and the terrible Aquaman title. If you doubt me try it as a rental, but purchase is just slightly more expensive I say you save yourself the extra gas money and time.



this game is great   November 29, 2003
3 out of 7 found this review helpful

this game is a very good game i would advise all people to get this