Gaming Target - Xbox: Spider-Man 2

Written by Nick Doukas on August 01, 2003

First Impressions: With great power comes great responsibilityЕ

Iаbelieve I've mentioned that when I was a child, my favorite comic book hero was Spider-Man. Since I'm now nothing more than an overgrown kid, I still love Spidey. With the success of the recent Sam Raimi film, and the excellent game conversion from last year, Spider-Man is on the upswing (UghЕthat's a truly awful punЕsorry). Now a major motion picture follow-up is on the way, there's a really cool cel-shaded CGI cartoon on MTV, andЕ..yep, Activision is bringing us a great game sequel that looks to blow away its predecessor on every level (and I loved the first game!).

Spider-Man 2 looks incredible, even at this early stage of development. Developer Treyarch have gone the way of the GTA games and crafted a huge, living, breathing model of Manhattan. An expansive environment that's some 80 times larger than a basic level from the first title, Spidey will be able to go anywhere. Quite a bit of the game is completely open-ended, and you'll be able to take to the rooftops with Spider-Man, and patrol the city at your leisure. You'll be able to leap from the tallest perch, grab a flagpole, swing around it and hit the street in one streaming, real-time motion. People and vehicles populate the avenues of New York City, and while the game will feature linear story missions, much of the replay value lies in the random events you'll encounter throughout the city. From rescuing a window-washer, to webbing your way to the hospital with an accident victim, to foiling a robbery, there'll be no shortage of mayhem to get involved in as you cast a watchful eye over the big apple.

The web-swinging has been completely retooled for the sequel, and displays physics that are much more realistic this time around. You'll be able to attach your strands to any surface, and swinging from buildings and bridges feels more like the film's high speed ricocheting than the somewhat more ponderous movement of the first game. You'll be able to grab webs in both hands and charge up a slingshot move that has to be seen to be believed. Spidey will also wall crawl anywhere and everywhere, and he'll also be able to jump in bursts up or down a wall, the mechanic that will replace the zip-lining from the first title.

Spider-Man will have the ability to charge a powerful high jump, or sprint into a long one, and will also be able to execute wicked combos, as well as acrobatic moves while fighting the bad guys. The combat system is intuitive and allows for not only the aforementioned wild combinations, but also redirection of enemy blows; high kicks, grappling, and devastating strikes. Of course, in true Spidey fashion, you'll be able to interweave web attacks with kicks and punches. Lassoing enemies, throwing them, and blinding them with webbing will be de rigueur as you make your way through the city.

As mentioned earlier, the idea of running Spider-Man through a tremendous metropolis, from rooftop to street corner, web-swinging and wall-crawling anywhere you want, looks to finally bring the feeling of actually being in Peter Parker's shoes to life. [Super-geek moment alert!] -- As a kid, I used to play with my Spider-Man action figure (remember those?) and pretend he was patrolling the cityscape (couch, end table, and easy chair. The refrigerator was the Empire State Building). Frighteningly nerdish, I know. However, the ability to work your way through Manhattan swinging, climbing, jumping and spinning (Spidey can do a full 360 in mid-air) will finally bring the superhero fantasy home with stunning realism.

It's still quite early, but the few images that have been released, along with a short demo featured at E3 2003, prove that Spider-Man 2 will look as great as it plays. The city is highly detailed, and Spidey's character model looks fantastic. Colors are vibrant, and the developers seem to have captured the proper gritty, urban feel the game needs. Stalking the heights under a full moon with street life humming along below you should go a long way towards immersing gamers in Spider-Man's world.