Hey, before you start reading the article, I need to address something. When I started sending out interview requests for this article in January, I didn’t know about the stuff with Tommy Tallarico, which is that he allegedly steals and takes credit for other people’s work and lies.
After talking to a few people, I have decided to keep his interview, mainly because another interview that features in this article wouldn’t make any sense if I removed Tommy’s, and I did think about scrapping the whole article, but then the stories of the other people that feature in this article won’t be seen, and they shouldn’t suffer because of one person’s shitty behaviour.
24 years ago this year, in the year 2000, on August 30th, “Spider-Man” was released for the PS1.
It would also be released for the Dreamcast, N64, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X in 2001–2002.
The game sees Spider-Man getting framed by a doppelganger for a crime he didn’t commit. The PlayStation version, which was developed by Neversoft, received good reviews, while the other versions for different platforms, made by different developers, got mixed reviews.
In this article, I interviewed people who worked on the PlayStation version of the game and asked them about their favourite memories working on the game and more. I hope you enjoy it.
Tommy Tallarico (Composer for the game)
How do you feel knowing “Spider-man” is 24 Years old this year
Really?!? Wow. Amazing how time flies. I hope Activision does a high definition remake for the 25th Anniversary. That would be incredible!
What is your favourite memory of working on the game
Meeting and recording Stan Lee’s voice was definitely my favorite memory. I’ve been a huge Spider-Man fan since I was a kid and very much remained so during my adulthood. So, to meet the man behind it all, was really something special and a memory I’ll cherish forever. We actually became acquaintances after that. He came to my very first Video Games Live concert in 2005 at the Hollywood Bowl and appeared a few times on our Electric Playground video game TV show.
The other memory that really sticks out is when me and my sound designer Joey Kuras were coming up with the web-shooting sound. We were at his house mixing all these different types of ingredients and squishing & shooting them through different things to see what we felt sounded the best. If I remember correctly, I’m pretty sure the final sound we used was some unhardened Jello mix shot through a turkey baster, then pitch-shifted to a higher rate (but keeping the same length) to give it a more higher pitched sound. We sure made a mess that day!
What was it like working with Stan Lee
He was everything you would expect him to be… and more! Funny, creative, charming, giving, over-the-top and kind. Whenever the word “EXCELSIOR!” came out of his mouth (especially when directed to me personally), it sent shivers up my spine! And he loved telling stories when asked.
Would you like to see a remaster /remake of the game happen.
Heck yeah! It would be Amazing, Spectacular, Astonishing and Sensational!! (see what I did there?)
😋
I remember the first time I saw the Spider-Man animation when he pulls himself up by his web and hovers upside down. I couldn’t believe my eyes! The talented folks at Neversoft really nailed it and brought the character to life in a video game that hadn’t really been done before to that extent. It was really next level stuff at the time.
Howard Ulyate (composer for the game)
How do you you feel about the game being 24 Years old
in a way it seems like yesterday, other ways, it’s two lifetimes ago. Definitely a bright chapter in my life.
Favourite memory of working on the game
Back in the day I would deliver mixes to Tommy on a DAT Tape, (a very old form of ditigal recording on tape cartridges) I would go to his home studio and we would listed to the mixes on his studio monitors, he would have notes for updates and changes. He would tell me about the game, I could tell Tommy was excited about the project, I think he truly loved the music parts of the games he worked on. As I left his house, I would pass by his Father’s office, I would always dip in and say hi, He always had a second to say hi and chat for a bit. I felt truly lucky to play the part that I played.
What was it like making music for the game
I was living in Tustin, CA during that time, I had a small room in my house that held my music gear, I would stay in there for days at a time making music, sounds, noise, it was my little man cave/office.
Tommy would call me and he would have all the info I needed to get started making music. the number of tracks, and lengths. With many notes for stylistic direction and instrumentation. I would have my pencil and paper, taking as many notes as quickly as possible.
I would go off and start making demos, back then, you couldn’t send audio over the internet, (at least I couldn’t) so, sometimes I could call Tommy and play stuff to him over the phone, to make sure I was on the right track. Tommy was great, while he was never one to pull punches, always honest, yet, he was encouraging with his notes.
Would you like to see a remaster/remake of the game
It would be pretty wild to see that game come out again,
Christen Gossett (Artist for the game)
How do you feel hearing the game released 24 Years ago this year
Really pleased that it is still remembered. For those of us who were making games for PSX, most of the titles we made were forgettable and rightly so. To have had the opportunity to work on one that is as fondly regarded as this one, the pride is immeasurable. It makes it worth all the sacrifices any of us make to be in games
what was it like making art for the game
It was excellent and the first and foremost reason is because Joel and Sandy Jewett were two of the greatest game executives of the era. Neversoft was a vibe completely unlike the typical corporate clone laden environment in Los Angeles at that time, and that vibe was defined by them and who they are as people. They set the tone. Respect. Support. Fun. You were treated well at Neversoft. Hell yes you’d better work your ass off, but the reward was being part of a team that took no shit from anybody. True Leadership is more rare than the most precious metal on earth, and I know that first hand because of the clear contrast between Joel and nearly (not all, but nearly) every other game executive I worked for. I could go on with example after example, but your article isn’t long enough. The second reason was lead designer Chad Findley. Chad was another great person to work for, and he knew Spider-Man and the Marvel feel so incredibly well. Let’s be clear: This was the Next Gen debut of Spidey. He knew what that meant, and he took that pressure on fully. He knew how to make that game feel like you’d gotten the wish you’d always wanted: to enter the Marvel Universe in a whole new way. He knew this was a chance to not just read about Spider-Man, but be him.
Favourite memory while making art for the game
Man, this is a tough question because there are so many. Working with Chad on the script and storyboards, being in the room as Joel and Chad and the Neversoft Brain Trust stared at the game on the monitor in the conference room and engaged each other as to how to make it better than the day before. But my favorite I’ll mention here is, in one such meeting, Joel says “we should have like, a kid mode. My kid doesn’t care about unlocking the level. He should be able to just swing around the city for as long as he wants and have a blast.” Not gonna lie, I can’t say for certain that this was the first time kid mode had been mentioned or thought about or even discussed, but it sure felt like it was. That right there was Neversoft. The boldness. The exploration. It was like being on the baddest ass pirate ship in the business and its flag stood for creative freedom. If it was a cool idea, it had a legitimate shot of getting into the game. And originality was what we were after. Sure, sometimes we had to give the devil his due, but we fought and scrapped and clawed to make a game that would pleasantly surprise the player as many times as possible.
Would you like to see a remaster/remake of the game happen
Absolutely. This is one of those games that has proven its value as a milestone of its time. How many of today’s game makers claim it as one of the titles that inspired them to pursue this as a career? That being the case, it should be carried forward in a remaster so we can all give it another run, and a whole new generation can see for themselves. I’m working mostly in film and tv now, and I love silent films. Most people don’t know it, but so many silent film storytelling methods are still in play today. And some of the things we’re missing in movies these days, the silents knew how to do with ease. This is why it’s important to remaster great games after their time has passed. They are case studies full of priceless solutions earned by their teams by giving countless hours of devotion. Fundamentals are fundamentals and when they are applied well, they can inform and inspire for generations after they were first released. Neversoft’s Spider-Man PSX is a fundamentally solid game, and as time goes by, the awesomeness of it will always shine through.
Spider-Man News 