Volzzilla's Mugen Reviews: Spiderman by ZVitor

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ZVitor is the one to thank for such a great character to play with. He used open source sprites and some code initially, and then just built off of that for a truly customized Spiderman.

He's Spiderman, so obviously he looks good, though personally, I'm not a big fan of that stance. The look on the Sling Shot move could possibly be optimized as well. Again, the sound is awesome as well, and I think ZVitor threw in a few more clips to listen to. You'll love the Newspaper sprites during the One for J.J. Hyper that are courtesy of Aquelegordo & TenSpeed. And in this move, you will see multiple paper layouts, and never see the same pictures twice in a row...love this effect. The AI is pretty good as you will see against solid baseline competition as well, so he'll be fun to watch, seeing as he puts most of his abilities to good use there. Awesome job ZVitor!

Now some people will say that they do not like the webbing gauge meter. They probably say this as they do not want their web powers limited. I on the other hand love the concept. First of all, it adds a bit of strategy as you do not want to run out of webbing during your fight as you only get one refill during this time. Secondly, some web moves need a bit of a limit placed on them, especially the web bullets, and currently that meter is that only limit there. Most of the moves are very easy to pull off and receptive, so that is always a plus. And even me with the sometimes game issues with the laptop keyboard can pull off some combos. But the best part of his move set is not only how unique they are, but how they are accurate to Peter Parker, while still giving you a new feel for him. Awesome job there ZVitor!

*Specials*
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- Dodge: Ability to avoid projectiles
- Dive Kick: Strong kick from the air
- Spider Uppercut: Strong punch
- Spider Slide: Sliding knockdown kick
- Web Throw: Shoots a webline for a throw attack
- Web Bullets: Quick firing projectile attack. Hold button for multiple shots
- Web Pull: Use of the webbing for grabs and throws
- Web Swing: Special movement with the web, sometimes allowing an attack
- Web Fist: Creates a webbed boxing glove for a stronger punch
- Sling Shot: Web helps for a stronger kick. Hold the button down for more tension and damage
*Hypers*
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- Spider Sense: Slows down enemy attacks
- Web Refill: Fills his webbing back up when emptied
- One for J.J.: Strong hyper attack that takes pictures for the Daily Bugle
- Ultimate Web Throw: Stronger web throw attack
*Hypers to use when out of web or in Spider Sense mode*
- Maximum Spider: Strong multiple kick attack
- Spider Assault: Rush attack with multiple punches

This is an awesome character to play with, but there are quite a few small problems with him currently. The worst problem is that on occasion with the Ultimate Web Throw, Mugen will freeze and crash with a fatal error. Spider Sense can at times slow down Spidey, and sometimes it is not always slowing the opponent. Plus, can lead to some overpowering moments, so maybe it should be shortened in time a little. The Web Bullets need more limits on them, as you can basically kill your opponent by emptying a clip. They either need a cap on number of consecutive shots, or make them cost more web...or both. I'd personally like to see another couple frames of animation in the Web Pull kick move. And as I said before, I wish he had a different position for the Sling Shot move, one with his eye on the opponent. The Maximum Spider hyper seems like it does not move the opponent around enough to me. Finally, I think his AI needs some more tweaking for two reasons. One, Seth Z's version basically kicks this Spiderman's butt, so wish they were a little closer in competition wise. And secondly, the most unique thing about this character is his wallcrawling ability, and the AI does not utilize it very well, if at all. Again, all those things are mostly minor, as you will absolutely love to play with this character. He has already jumped to near the top of that line when it comes to my roster. Thanks again ZVitor!

You can download him at:
http://bmtbr.wordpress.com/2009/05/30/spiderman-by-zvitor-v1-0/

My score: 10, after ZVitor made the updates he did in v1.1. This is a great character to watch and play with. Could still use a few tweaks, but the enjoyment will still remain the same.

So you all know, this review was done prior to a quick update of v1.1 Zvitor just put online at that same link.

If you liked the stage, you can get it at:
The Unlimited

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http://cvgunited.com/index.php/topic,420.0.html

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