Be Spider-Man, Play in New York

Author's Rating:

Pros: Easy to learn, hard to master web-swinging. Full size New York

Cons: extremely repetitive missions, a step backward aesthetically

The Bottom Line: 
Get this game, play this game, realize why you play games in the first place.

Author's Review
I've enjoyed this game from the first time I rented it...and the second and third...and the seventeenth. I finally bought it not too long ago and after only a few days I've come to a conclusion slightly different than my previous review. So here it goes

This game is the most fun I've ever had that didn't involve a female. It's really that simple. It's not a perfect game. If the rating scale had more than five points, then I'd give it something in the low 80% range. But it's still the most fun I've ever had.

Why? Because we've all seen the movies. We cheered when Peter Parker first jumped off a building, caught his web on a high corner, and swung through the air. There's something about that particular mode of transportation, something even more freeing than Superman's ability to fly. Its what Spider-Man 2 is all about. For the first time, you can jump off a six-hundred foot building, hold yourself until you can't take it anymore, and then shoot out a web-line to a nearby building, swing through a low arch that takes you right between the cars on the street, then shoot out another.

Graphically, the game is not the revolution of it's predecessor. Hell, with the exception of Spider-Man himself and his ally Black Cat, I'd dare say they're actually inferior to Spider-Man: The Movie. Spider-Man is extremely mobile and the light reflects off his costume beautifully, showing off the little hexagons in the blue fabric. Other details include the movement of his fingers, which are all individually animated. Black Cat's costume also reflects while her curves and fluid movement are perfectly realistic. Her hair even moves.

However, other characters are not so good. The supporting characters, including Doc Ock, Mary Jane, Harry, Quentin Beck, and JJJ, look blocky and move poorly. Their skins range from ok (Doc Ock) to unrecognizable (Mary Jane). The citizens on the street are even worse. They look almost right out of an N64 game, with unbelievably fake and exagerrated movement, simple polygon bodies, and static skins (no lips moving here).

The city itself is quite simple graphically. The buildings are simple polygons with skins put on almost as an afterthought. The flags don't move, the trees don't sway, and even the water doesn't move. Not that it doesn't have it's great points. All of the major landmarks are easy to recognize and the Statue of Liberty even looks beautiful.

The sound effects are great, albeit minimal largely because the sound of web and wind are really all there is to hear hundreds of feet above the ground. The music is extremely minimal, non existant for most of the time spent playing. It picks up occasionally during an exciting combat or every fifteen minutes or so spent webswinging.

The voice work includes Tobey MaGuire, Alfred Molina, and since she plays a far greater role in the story of the game, Kirsten Dunst takes Mary Jane. Alfred Molina comes off as very real and is extremely good. Tobey on the other hand seems a little distanced from his character, as if he really didn't want to do it. Kirsten is absolutely horrendous, barely recognizable and totally uninteresting. The star is Bruce Campbell doing the tutorial and giving you hints from 200+ hint markers located through the city. His humor and wit make searching for them a real reward.

The gameplay has it's ups and downs. Control is responsive and suits both Spidey and the PS2 controller well, far better than even the first one. Webswinging is easy to understand even without the easy swinging option. A tap of the R2 button shoots a web out to the nearest point. If the control stick is pressed in a direction, a web will shoot out on that side, making it possible to direct Spidey around corners and etc.

All other powers are faithfully represented. Spidey's ability to stick to walls has been improved in a small but important way; the O button enables it. Don't want to stick to a wall? Don't press the button. That idea should have been implemented on Spidey's first 3D endeavor. Even better, this allows the running along the wall thing seen so often when combined witht he sprint button. The O button also control's the spider-sense. When Spidey's head flashes, press it and he'll dodge whatever attack is coming.

Webbing has changed a little. It never runs out but it can't do as much as before. It's not a long range weapon anymore. Even the impact web simply ties up the thug, and they will eventually break free. But you can toss them into the air, grab them at long range, even tie them to lamp posts. It may not be as powerful as be for, it's not instead far more useful.

Another power is the ability to enter Spider-reflexes, this game's version of bullet-time. Enemies move far slower and are easy to dodge. Using it though, uses up a blue meter under the health bar. That meter is replenished by doing stunts, dodging attacks, and fighting. While it seems cool, it’s really only useful during the boss battles.

Combat is both simpler and more exciting than before. With the O button occupied, attacking is primarily done with simply the square, with punches first and kicks coming primarily as combos. More combos can be purchased at Spidey stores located throughout the city.

The camera was a major problem in the previous game and this one really improves on it. One of the biggest improvements is that there are so few inside levels and walls for the camera to get stuck on in the first place. Plus a simple tap of the R1 button places it right behind him, making it a quick thought to do even in mid air.

The story loosely follows the movie, deviating from it greatly as games do. But at least this game follows the idea in the movie, that of Spider-Man deciding who he is both as Peter Parker and the wall crawler. After a fifteen minute tutorial, the game shows Spider-Man constantly late and getting into trouble with his social life. Along the way, he meets Black Cat, fights two supervillains, and has to outsmart a third before the ultimate showdown with the tentacled terror.

But the real meat and potatoes of progressing through the game is absolutly wretched. The game uses chapters and most of those chapters require 'Hero Points' to finish. There three ways to get hero points; Complete missions and boss battles, find exploration tokens, or fight crime. The boss battles are usually worth half the points required to progress and the exploration tokens are really hard to find so that leaves fighting crime. The problem with fighting crime is that there are only about 10 different crimes happening and after only a couple of hours playing you've seen all of them and have mastered at least two. What's worse is that during the explanation of the crime, the game goes to a close up of the nasty civilians. It could be debated that this is the single worst attribute and for many, it totally ruins the game.

But I've left the best for last. What makes it so great? You have the core of the capital of the world to play in as only Spider-Man can. Fully four square miles of places to swing. You can climb to the top of the Empire State Building, you can swing through the trees of Central Park, you can hitch a ride on the L-Train, you can sit on the head of Lady Liberty. You can even go to the simple memorial at Ground Zero and pay your respects in a way that those of us who haven't been to New York since that horrible day haven't really been able to. Thanks to the super powers available to you, there is nowhere you can't go.

So at the end of the day and the end of this review, what place does Spider-Man 2 serve in my video game collection? I've long beaten it and my patience for finding all those exploration tokens has worn out. But when I'm stressed or tired, I can just pop that disc in and experience a level of freedom unlike any in the world. For a little while I'm Spider-Man and that's good.