Spider-Man 2

"Best Spiderman game ever"

Dear True Believers,
Behold the greatest incarnation of Spider-Man in gaming form is now here and after completing the main task at hand I will offer my prospectives of the game. Hopefully this unbiased review of Spider-Man 2 will guide people to make their own decision.

First, the most important aspect of the game (no not the graphics), the gameplay. This game easily makes you really feel like Spider-Man. From swinging around corners and down to the streets between cars to webbing enemies from street lights this game has it all. The game moves fast and fluid like it should. The only downside is the fighting system. It is just button mashing. Indeed there are button combos but most of the time Spidey just gets pummeled while trying to perform the maneuver. The Spidey Sense feature is a neat addition but nearly completely useless. The only time it is really needed is in boss battles...sometimes.

Spider-Man 2 just average on the aspect of sound. For being a bustling New York City it is eerily quiet. NYC is a loud place but this game just does not even come close to conveying it. Also sometimes the sound levels waver, mostly in cut scenes. One scene is really loud and the next may be too quiet. Bruce Campbell will make you laugh with his witty tutorials and help which is always a plus. The score is taken directly from the movie but is not used enough. Most times the only thing you will hear is the fwip of Spidey's web slinging.

The story in the game is based on the main sections of the movie (of course) so I will not go into detail in order to keep from spoiling it for you. But I will tell you that a few of Spidey's other villains make appearances in the game as well.

Finally, lets talk about graphics. Indeed the graphics of Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus' character models are done very as well as are the buildings, other things could be, for a lack of a better word, better. I understand that creating a free roaming, busy city this large is difficult but you can tell that this is just a direct port from the Playstation 2. There is little graphical difference between the two. Don't get me wrong the graphics are good but nowhere near X-Box quality. That is disappointing.

So Spidey fans although I may sound harsh on the game, I do recommend this to any Spider-Man fan or for anybody who enjoyed the first game. This is the first step in the next-generation of Spider-Man games. Good thing it is a strong step.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/30/04