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It seems that this one is a game (Spider-Man 2: The Game being the full title) unlike its prequel (Spider-Man: The Movie being the full title of the first game). I’ve wanted to question the first movie-based game’s title for a while now, so it is nice to get that out of the way. One of the best things about being Spider-Man is being able to swing anywhere you want; it is a very effective method of transportation since you get a nice workout and very environment-friendly. Unfortunately, previous games always limited your swinging ability. Spider-Man 2 allows you to swing through anywhere you want in Manhattan (New York City) and builds on the gameplay additions of its predecessors.
Just like the movie, Spider-Man 2 has you controlling Peter Parker and Spider-Man as you battle movie villain Doc. Ock as well as comic-favorites Black Cat, Rhino, Shocker and Mysterio. Doc. Ock wasn’t always a bad guy and was at one point as idolized by Peter but unfortunately a freak accident changed him from the friendly Doctor Octavius to the menacing Doc. Ock. The story is told through cut-scenes and works effectively.
Most of the game’s missions consist of going to a certain location to gather photos and the like while fighting street thugs and helping the numerous citizens. Although the fights aren’t too hard due to less than stellar AI, they remain a challenge if only because of the amount of enemies the game throws at you. You can punch and kick your opponent but you can also do Spider-Man-specific moves like capturing them in your web, shooting a web shot at them or swinging them toward you. These fights give you mission-required Hero Points that you can then use to upgrade your fighting and swinging (which you can also get completing the objectives and helping out citizens). A good idea is to spend your first few hours getting a ton, so you can buy as many upgrades right from the start.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Spider-Man if you didn’t fight some of the wackiest villains in existence. Since this is based on the movie, you’ll fight Doc Ock quite a bit of times, including an awesome train-top fight. You’ll also chase Black Cat around the city and go head-to-head with Rhino, Shocker and Mysterio. The boss fights are challenging although never frustrating and offer an appreciated change of pace.
Developer Treyarch spent a whole quarter of their development time working on the web-slinging aspect of the game and it really shows. The web slinging is what makes the game excel from simply being good to being excellent. All of those fancy moves Spidey can do in the film are perfectly replicated in the game, albeit with a few upgrades. The swinging feels responsive and natural and you’ll quickly be able to soar through the sky like only a spider can. If you ever feel that swinging is too difficult, there is also an easier swing method but you won’t get the same feeling or speed with the “kiddie” swing. For the first time ever, you can reach the streets or swing from a skyscraper and swing right before you touch the ground. You can also stick to the buildings, and are able to Spidey jump and dash.
I’m very impressed that the PS2 can keep up with this game. As impressed as I was by True Crime’s recreation of Los, Spider-Man 2 surpasses it because even though it is about half the size of the real New York City, everything is so distinct (the streets’ repetitiveness plagued True Crime) that I am grateful for that decision. There are notable instances of pop-up even compared to the Gamecube build but they are only noticeable when really high, so it isn’t a big deal. The non-primary characters in the game are rough around the edges, but the main ones look great including the bosses. Spider-Man looks awesome and animates with amazing flexibility. Unfortunately, the character models are dampened by aliasing. The reflections found in the windows across the city are decent although they appear much less frequently than in the other two versions. Thankfully, you’ll never get lost in the city thanks to an excellent map system. As expected, the PS2 version doesn’t support Progressive Scan.
The Dolby Pro Logic II-powered score is fitting but the voice-acting steals the show. The stars from the movie voiced their characters so Kirsten Dunst plays Mary-Jane, Alfred Molina plays Doc Ock and Tobey Maguire plays Spider-Man. Bruce Campbell serves as narrator and does a great job moving the story forward and explaining game mechanics.
Spider-Man 2 is incredibly fun. I finished the story mode and spent almost an hour continuing to explore the city. Personally, I love games in which I am given a city to explore but being able to swing places certainly makes it more fun since your can go awfully fast and reach insane altitudes. Now that Treyarch has the swinging system in place, the next Spider-Man games (a comic-based one next year, and a movie-based one in 2007) will be even better.
BradyGames Guide Available -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Jul 9, 2004
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