Spider-Man 2

"Spiderman Rocks"

Spiderman 2 is the exciting sequel to Spidermen for the Playstation 2, Gamecube, and X-Box. Based on the comics and movie, this game was well received by gamers and critics alike. Seeing that I enjoyed Spiderman in general from the comics to the movies, I decided to pick this game up. Enter Spiderman 2, the game that would change the word, "Web Swinging", forever.

Gameplay (8/10): As you might have expected, you control the one and only Spiderman. As Spiderman, your the local hero who fights the bad guys and saves the city from destruction. Pretty cool huh? First, moving Spiderman is not that hard to get used to for new beginners and gamers alike. A nice tutorial voiced by Bruce Cambell, makes the gamer feel right at home while controlling your favorite webhead.The biggest aspect of this game is the web swinging that has gotten a large overhaul from it's previous counterpart. There are two styles of web swinging that you can choose. One of them is basic which allows you to swing more easily without using the camera as much compared to camera mode, which allows more accurate swinging. Since your Spiderman, you can swing against a miniature version of New York City. Much like the style of GTA , you can go anywhere at any time during the game. Missions range from helping a children retain their lost balloons from saving passengers from a sinking ship. Some of the missions can be a bit repetitive though after awhile. Boss battles are a nice welcome and actually make you feel that your Spiderman or Peter Parker in his universe for the first time. The only compliant I had with Spiderman 2 in terms of overall gameplay was the combat system. Your combos and web shooting at the only ways to defeat random enemies. However, for some odd reason, the enemies are able to doge your shooting like Neo in Matrix. It seems unreal and frustrating that they are able to do that and can beat you to a pulp in terms of numbers. There is a nice Spider sense mode in which everything slows down except Spiderman but than again, it runs out faster than what you would expect.

Sound (7/10): The voices of Tobey Maguire, Alfred Molina, Kirsten Dunst are truly the high point of this game. I felt that it was nice feature to have the cast members of the movie also voice their animated counterparts in the video game. From the sound of hearing each web shot shoot out and stick to a building to the pedestrians calling out names to you, it's a nice feeling to listen to. The only downside is that it can get a bit repetitive to listen to various pedestrians as they call out to you.

Storyline (8/10): The storyline is that your Spiderman trying to juggle the responsibility of Peter Parker and a superhero at the same time. Of course certain accidents occur that cause you to become Spiderman in order to save the city. Dr. Octavious is a genius trying to fuse nuclear fusion until a horrible accident occurs and turns him into Doc Oct or Dr. Octopus .As such, your run into various encounters of him as he attempts to recreate his grand experiment that endangers the city. If you watched the movie, it follows the game plot fairly closely which isn't a bad thing. The storyline is easy to follow and somewhat enjoyable. However, it can be a bit short in terms of completion.

Graphics (7/10): Swinging as Spiderman around New York City has never been better. However there are a number of problems that cause this to get a low score. One being that Spiderman's surroundings are a bit dull and gritty looking. Buildings look extremely bland and gray whenver your swinging past them. People down below you are nicely animated and detailed. The cut scenes are also nicely animated though can get a bit repetitive once a side mission occurs from a civilian on the street. Finally, Spiderman looks as good as ever in his red and blue outfit and you can actually see much of detail put in his character creation. The random attacks and Spider moves are well animated to a certain extent. Webbing actually sticks to a certain part of the building compared to it's previous counterparts where it was an invisible service. Overall, I would have to give the graphics this score mostly because that I felt some of the buildings and areas are dull or lifeless. A few clippings can occur during gameplay also.

Replay Value (6/10): There are a number of side missions like delivering pizzas, taking photographs, challenges, Mary Jane, and various skyscraper or tokens to be found for 100 percent completion. Overall, finding these side missions can be fun for awhile if your really hardcore of getting everything done in the game but for others, it'll be somewhat boring and unsatisfying to complete. Once the main storyline is over, there really isn't that much to do afterwards. You can still access the city doing missions or helping out the pedestrians in stopping crime but it still gets boring after awhile. The only positive feature is that you can build the Battle Arena in which you can fight bosses again and again.

Closing Comments: Spiderman 2 is an excellent game based off the movie and comics. I honestly loved swinging around New York City and fighting through the main storyline. Though incredibly short to complete and lack of replay value, it still makes up with a great storyline and cast of characters.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/19/07

Game Release: Spider-Man 2 (US, 06/28/04)