Spider-Man 2

"On the DS, this Spider-Man ain't so Amazing"

Synopsis Spider-Man 2 comes to the DS with a few new gameplay new and lots of old ones.

Gameplay: 6 - The gameplay in Spider-Man 2 is al ot of straight forward run, jump, swing, kick and punch. There are about 12+ level where Spider-Man is basically doing the same things over and over but in different areas of the city. Lots of times you'll be fighting in the open and swinging across the same exact areas, with a few minor variations here and there. All of the missions are timed and require you to beat them while accomplishing other goals in a short amount of time. This wouldn't be so bad if there was a map of some kind of map or at least radar but since there are none it can be frustrating at times. Missions vary from disarming bombs, saving hostages, and simply killing everything on screen. Unfortunately the game can have a few problems with collision detection when fighting bad guys.

So what makes this Spidey game different on the DS? Well, they have a neat little feature where Spidey can change on the fly what type of special moves he can use. This sounds cool at first but then you realize how limiting it makes the gameplay. You won't be pulling off any fancy fighting unless you like tapping the screen between every move you do. Also there are some levels where you play little mini games with the touch screen where you must tap the screen to web items being hurled at you, or to disarm bombs. Its nice, but nothing that really shows off the DS' capabilities. All in all its a good little beat'em up with solid gameplay but that's about it.

Graphics: 7 - Much like Super Mario 64 DS, when you first see the graphics on this game you'll be very surprised and pleased. Although the game is a side scroller, it's presented in a fully 3d world, much like Smash Bros on the GameCube. Crisp colors, decent character models and backgrounds, all moving at a silky framerate. To put it simply, this is a very nice looking game. There are about 6 distinctly different looking areas, my favorite being the docks. The animations for Spider-Man are pretty good but after playing the console versions, sometimes his swinging can look a bit off. Nicely included are some great looking FMVs throughout the game along with some ugly still picture cutscenes, usually the ones involving Peter.

Sound: 6 - There isn't too much to say about the music except that it does it's basic job. It's something for you to listen to while playing. It doesn't draw you in but then again it doesn't make your ears bleed. There are a few good tracks but those are usually found during the FMVs. Sometimes the bosses may say a line or two but those can get very repetitive, very fast.

Replayability: 5 - Once you beat the game you may want to kill a little time redoing a mission or two to come out with better results and hopefully unlock a new special move, but since the time limits are very strict you'll probably end up giving up altogether. I know I have. Other than unlocking moves, there's not much for ou to come back to.

Final Score: 6.0

Buy/Rent - I'd have to go with rent on this one. Maybe if it offered better replay I could suggest a buy. However, if you happen to be a DS owner who's a HUGE Spidey fan and can find the game for cheap, then go ahead and buy it.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 01/24/05