Spider-Man 2

"Setting the standard for future Spider-Man games"

Like the tag-lines say: "Take New York for a Spin" and "Do whatever a Spider can". That could not be more accurate, with a pretty decent re-creation of New York City and all of the amazing maneuvers of Spidey at your disposal. Two new elements in this game that make it fun and gives it replay value are the GTA-inspired free-roam game engine and the new and much improved web-slinging function. Web Slinging here is easy and fun and the player is given an option from the beginning to choose their desired type of web-swinging control (Easy & Normal). The ability to go where ever and do whatever you want with Spider-Man is simply awesome. Feel like heading to the top of the ESB (Empire State Building)? Knock yourself out. Wanna head out to the Statue of Liberty? Latch a webline to a helicopter and go for it. If you hear Trouble nearby just head on over and stop the crime, or talk to a citizen in distress.

All of these sweet gifts don't come without a few faults though, but thankfully the positives outweigh the negatives. Any Spider-Man fan should have this game in their XBOX library.

STORY: The game and the movie are not exactly identical but they are very similar. As with the first Spider-Man movie game, the developers easily blended the other super-villains into the story (which revolves around Doc Ock). My only complaint with it is that while the quality is relatively high, the quantity suffers a bit.

CONTROL/GAMEPLAY: This is the meat of the game, you're given so much to do. Everything from stopping petty crimes to helping citizens in need, to doing the main story missions. It's not just crime busting that you can do though. There are various kinds of missions you can tackle (i.e. Daily Bugle missions, Mary Jane missions, Pizza Delivery missions, etc...). While the storyline is a little short, doing these missions in between chapters and searching for hidden tokens throughout the city can extend the story play and up the replay value.

With a new Spider-Man game engine, must also come a new control scheme. The addition of a sprint button, dodge button, Spider-Sense mode, and manually sticking to walls with the "B" button will take some gettin' used to, but worry not, the learning curve is not steep in the slightest. Besides the improved web--slinging mechanics, the Spider-Sense mode/dodge feature makes fights not only easier but much more Spider-Stylish, and handy(sometimes required!) in fights with bosses throughout the game. Earlier I mentioned that there are two types of web-slinging modes (Easy & Normal). Easy has a control layout similar to that of the first game, whereas Normal swinging allows for more precision and more control.

GRAPHICS: Graphics-whores need not apply. Having to scale NYC to nearly half its size and detail it didn't leave too much room for spectacular graphics. Don't get me wrong, the night/day changes are great, shadow casting and light effects are pretty good too. The main characters look decent, but could've been better. The environment is highly detailed but the criminals and citizens all look pretty much generic. On one or two occasions I've noticed some minor clipping but nothing to hinder the fun factor. Camera can get in the way sometimes, that still needs fixin'. Overall I think the graphics are only slightly better than the first game.

SOUND: Not only do we do what the web-head can but we can say what he can too....in a way I guess. Spidey encounters thug, thug makes a really stale insult, Spider-Man responds with a quip of his own and a right hook, then said thug gives out the corresponding "Uggh". The Spider's insults sound believable too, thanks to the slightly-above-par voice acting by Tobey Maguire. Kirsten Dunst and Alfred Molina lend their voices to the game as well, also did a good job (Alfred probably the best). What disappoints me most about the music in the game??? NO CUSTOM SOUNDTRACK!!! The in game music is ho-hum, but I'd much prefer listening to some tracks from the soundtrack of the film or other artists....ah well a beggar can't be a chooser, right?

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/06/04