Gaming Target - Xbox: Spider-Man 2

Written by Nick Doukas on July 12, 2004

Full Review: I am selfish, I am wrong. I am right, I swear I'm right. Swear I knew it all alongЕ

Spider-Man is truly an iconic character. Spanning some 35 years of comic books, his adventures have captured the imagination of generations of fans. There's just something about this particular hero's frailties and vulnerability, his angst as he's torn between his own normal life, and the need to live up to his Uncle Ben's words Ц Уwith great power, comes great responsibilityФ that make him something special. Add to that the fact that he's got some of the most graceful and uber-cool moves in all of superhero history, and that he lives and plays in one of the greatest cities in the world, and it's easy to see the appeal. Along with the release of the film sequel, Activision and developer Treyarch have given the gaming world the first truly stellar superhero game.

The big news on Spider-Man 2 is the fact that the developers have taken a page from the GTA school of game design, and given Spidey a huge living, breathing model of Manhattan as his personal sandbox, and they've included all the moves to make it endless hours of fun. Once you boot up, you'll be presented with a tutorial (voiced by the hilarious Bruce Campbell) that teaches you the basics of maneuvering around the city, as well as the web-swinging and fighting mechanics. Once that's done, you're free to roam about Manhattan -- and roam you will. Basically, each chapter in the game presents a story element, and then allows you to either continue to the next objective, or simply patrol New York City, busting random crimes, doing races, delivering pizza, picking up hint markers, collecting skyscraper tokens (found on the highest buildings) or taking on some photo missions for The Daily Bugle. You can do this for as long as you want. When you're ready, just make for the next mission to continue the story.

Treyarch has truly captured Spidey's playground, as well as all of his incredible moves. While the model of Manhattan isn't completely accurate by any means, it's done well enough to make you feel like you're in NYC (and I've lived here all my life). Major landmarks like the Empire State Building, the Statue Of Liberty, the Chrysler Building, and Times Square are faithfully recreated, but the surrounding streets and shops are more generic. Still, they capture the flavor of the city quite well, and the size of the map is simply incredible. Add to this the fact that you can swing anywhere at will Ц from the street, to the top of the tallest building Ц with no load times whatsoever, and it's really a Spidey fan's dream come true. The city has a nice day/night cycle, and watching the sunrise from the top of the ESB has become my favorite pass-time (wellЕthat, and swan diving off the sucker). From Ground Zero downtown, all the way up to Harlem, the city's yours for the taking. Incredible stuffЕ

The developers obviously spent a huge amount of time on the swinging and physics system, because it's absolutely breathtaking. Remember the last 30 seconds of the first Spidey film? Leaping off a rooftop, swinging down right alongside traffic on 5th avenue, soaring up into the air, wall running along a building face, and somersaulting off the end of a web line to nail a perfect landing 40 stories up Ц you can do all of that here, and the character animations look absolutely spot-on. To keep things interesting, Treyarch has added some light RPG elements to Spidey 2. While you will start off with plenty of great moves, there are loads of combat and acrobatic upgrades that you'll unlock as you progress through the game and earn more hero points. These include extended wall running, faster web-swinging, the slingshot move, jumping spin-kick, and many others. There are УSpidey-storesФ all over the map, and you can enter these and spend your Hero Points on whatever enhancements are available at that time. Cool stuff, since it keeps things interesting and allows for fresh content as the adventure progresses.

The swinging system is easy to pick up (you can choose from normal, or easy swinging in the options menu. I'd suggest normal, as easy limits your move set) but difficult to master. However, once you do, you'll really feel like Spidey as you soar through the city. Spider-Man can do a normal jump, or charge up his jump meter to fly 20 stories or so in the air. This is great for leaping over buildings, as well as catapulting from rooftop to rooftop, and by combining jumping with swinging and zip-lining, you can create some incredibly stylish scenarios. Clinging to walls is accomplished with a press of the B button, and you can fast-crawl, or charge jump straight up the building face as well. The camera is fantastic this time out, and follows the action very nicely. It also allows you full manual control, so hanging out on a wall, or standing on a rooftop and looking around anywhere you want is a breeze. Plus, it's a hell of a fine view.

The main story mode follows the film, but it also strays from the script plenty, including other classic Spidey villains to fight, such as Rhino, Shocker, and Mysterio. These battles give the game nice depth, and showcase some serious Spidey history. The voice acting is well done, featuring all the main players reprising their film roles for the game. Spidey has plenty of funny one-liners, and he'll respond to citizens who shout at him as he swings by (УYou the man Spidey!!Ф У No, YOU the man!!Ф). Very amusing. The NPC scripting is average at best, but it really doesn't detract from the gameplay at all. The music is solid, and pumps up as you take on crimes and other heroic type stuff. It'll also randomly pop up as you're swinging around, which lends a nice atmosphere to the proceedings.

Graphically, Spider-Man 2 looks excellentЕ.for the most part. The city looks fantastic, with convincing sunlight glinting off of the buildings, and solid car models cruising the streets below. Excellent detail is evident all over Manhattan, and the feeling of a real living metropolis is nicely captured. While there is draw-in, it's pretty minimal, and it's something you won't really even notice as you're making your way around. Spider-Man's character model looks perfect as well. Unfortunately, the NPCs are poorly done, and look terribly blocky. But that's forgivable, since everything else is of such high quality. The other issue with Spider-Man 2 is the repetitive random crimes. There are about 10 variations on the theme, but they're all pretty similar. You'll bust up armored car robberies, slap down muggers and purse-snatchers, rescue people from falling, and help a kid get their balloon back. Honestly though, it's really not much of a problem, since they do vary a bit more as you progress further through the chapters, and if you embrace the simple joy of being Spider-Man, you should find hours of fun here.

The combat system seems shallow at first, but it actually has some nice depth to it. Sure, you can just slam the X button if you're lazy, but planning your moves and thinking a bit makes for a much cooler fight. Just the other night I took on two thugs who'd robbed a woman. As they came at me, I leapt over their heads and stuck to the wall behind them, then blasted one with a web shot to tie him up. As he bobbed around helplessly, I jumped down, and grabbed his buddy with a web line, then swung him around and slammed him into the other thief, wiping them both out. It's great stuff if you take some time and think strategically. Spidey also has the option to go into slow motion, and until the meter runs out, has the drop on his opponents pretty handily. This comes into play when you try to break up a gang fight, and wind up taking on 8 guys at once. Doing tricks while swinging around will refill the meter for your next encounter. Spider-Man's УSpidey SenseФ is used as a counter move here, and you can time your button presses to not only avoid enemy blows, but also redirect them back at the attacker.

Since the city is so vast, Treyarch has implemented an excellent top down view map that shows the entire island, as well as the location of important areas, with the press of the back button. The map is invaluable for finding your way around the large and diverse areas, and everything from Soho, to Gramercy, to Mid-Town is neatly displayed and clearly labeled. You can zoom the map in or out as well, which can help you gain a sense of spatial awareness, and also locate fine details.