Reviewed: July 19, 2004
Reviewed by: Mike Gonzales
Publisher
Activision
Developer
Treyarch
Released: June 28, 2004
Genre: Action
Players: 1
ESRB: Teen
9
8
7
9
9.0
Supported Features
When Treyarch released Spider-Man: The Movie in April of 2002, they took us on a classic third person, action-based joyride as everyone’s favorite web-slinging hero, Spider-Man swinging across New York City. It was exactly what you would have expected for a Spidey console game, sticking to the standard 3-D linear formula of Playstation games like Tomb Raider and the first two Spider-Man games. Well, apparently the development team at Treyarch had different plans for Spider-Man 2.
Spider-Man 2 having been THE biggest movie of the year; they could have had good results simply by using the same engine, complete with new storylines and the ol’ graphics spit-shine. But lucky for us, they didn’t. In fact, Treyarch not only delivered the best Spider-Man game ever, but also one of the most addicting comic book games ever made. Don’t believe me? Read on.
Now what makes Spider-Man 2 so incredible isn’t what you would expect out of today’s games. It’s not a visual masterpiece like Chronicles of Riddick, nor does it introduce any new online interfaces or ranking systems. Actually, the game doesn’t look that good and it doesn’t do a single thing online. But this game does give Spider-Man the most appropriate platform yet with a GTA-inspired “open-ended” format that’ll have you web-swinging across the largest virtual New York City ever created without suffering through a single load screen.
Not only is the entire city your playground, but there is also a great collection of Spidey moves, consisting of both ground and air combos that have our hero whippin’ some serious thug butt. I’m also very pleased to say the development team has done their homework this time and improved Spider-Man’s ultimate feature, his web swinging, by far the most addicting aspect of the game.
Treyarch has abandoned their dull, Tarzan vine swinging from the first installment and has truly taken our hero “back to formula.” In this latest effort, you need something to attach to or else that 200-foot drop isn’t going to feel too good on the old noggin. Although the game has some flaws, like mediocre voice acting and the usual uninspired boss battle, the gameplay itself is simply unmatched and is without a doubt, 100% Spider-man. Want the details? Let’s get started.
Like I said before, Spider-Man 2 is all about the gameplay. Treyarch has worked very hard to capture the essence of our hero; and believe me, it shows. Even as the game begins, you’ll find Spidey in full costume atop a skyscraper in the middle of Manhattan. After a brief tutorial showing you the basics (how to climb, jump and swing) you’re cut loose to begin your heroic journey. Almost right away you’ll notice green marks on your radar that show where trouble has occurred. This usually means a stick-up or a car chase. Either way, it will involve beating the pulp out of some bad guys. And while you may choose where to go and who to help, you must do heroic deeds to gain “hero points.”
Only after Spidey has received a certain amount of hero points can he proceed to the next level or “chapter” in the game. This provides the most realistic super hero experience ever made. You see, the path of a super-hero is not a linear series of events. True super-heroes like Spider-Man save whomever they can, wherever they can; and for the first time ever, gamers can feel like they’ve put in an honest days work fighting crime.
There must be at least 50 crime scenarios you can activate at any given time simply by talking to a nearby civilian who’ll give you the scoop. After you’ve collected a specified amount of hero points, you may continue through the storyline by swinging to a checkpoint on the map, although I wouldn’t be surprised if you wanted to do a little extra-curricular thug beatin’ just for kicks.
Another aspect of gameplay that makes this game so much fun is the simple yet effective combat system. A game as big as Spider-Man 2 can’t pull off combat like Tekken without massive slowdowns or at least long load times. Knowing this, Treyarch stayed within their boundaries and gave Spider-Man all of the moves he needs with an easy-to-use attack/jump system.
By using a combination of only 3 buttons, Spidey can punch, kick, toss, and even bind his adversaries, just seconds after swinging into their vicinity. It all feels very easy and flows together, allowing us to stay into character without getting distracted. Also, additional moves can be purchased with hero points at a certain store on the map. I like this system. While it may seem old fashion, it at least allows the gamer to set their own pace at learning the 30 different combos the game offers which makes for a better gaming experience. Well done.
In terms of graphics, this game tends to look less “next-generation” than most. Now what makes this acceptable is the scale of the game, which is enormous. If you want to fly across a city filled with cars and people on every road without any pauses, you have to sacrifice a little of the overall appearance of the game.
This being said, what we do get is actually quite impressive. The main characters like Spider-man, Doctor Octopus, and Black Cat are all very solid. In fact, every character taken from a Spider-Man comic book talks and moves like they were meant to. A perfect example is Spidey’s flexibility as he zips through the air. The movement is so dead on; it’s like watching a scene from the movie.
Unfortunately, the civilians are the exact opposite, as every common New Yorker tends to look extremely stiff. Their lips don’t even move while they’re asking Spidey for help. Then again, because there are hundreds of them actively moving around simultaneously, this is forgivable.
One of my favorite facets of Spider-Man 2 has to be the overall environment. The entire city of New York feels alive. It’s colorful enough to be eye-catching, with tons of neon signs lit at night as well as shops around every corner. It still has that classic dark atmosphere however, important for any super-hero story. The perfect blending of bright colors and gothic alleyways bring out the best in a comic book based game and is also aesthetically pleasing.
The sky is also something that the development team did well, using gorgeous hues of red and orange to depict both dusk and dawn. I was even very impressed with the night sky, as I caught myself staring at the moon over and over again, just to see the perfect shot of clouds passing by.
Once again, we have a talented and expensive cast lending their voices in order to make a more cinematic gaming experience. However, even though this game packs more star punch than the previous title, the results are still the same. All of the voices are very dull and uninspiring. It helps that the voices are from the same actors from the movies, but when their lines are delivered so poorly, it makes you wonder if it’s even worth it. None of the lines sound even slightly emotional. In fact, most of them sound like they were recorded in a public library. Speak up!
Luckily, the civilians are a little more convincing. Everyone who is waiting to assist Spider-Man has a thick New York accent, which is very entertaining. Even better, they call to Spidey as he swings by, just like in the films. And while these lines may not be well thought out or extremely funny, they definitely add to the overall atmosphere of the population. I also don’t think anything warms the heart more than hearing, “Look, it’s Spider-Man” or “Help us, Spider-Man.” Once again, it’s Treyarch’s clever subtleties that bring out the best in the game.
Most movie-based games offer little replay value since most are just a linear series of events that follow that of the motion picture. Well, I’m extremely happy to say that Spider-Man 2 finally breaks that mold and offers an incredible amount of replay. Sure, those of you in a big hurry to defeat Doc Ock and watch those action packed credits roll by can probably finish the game in about 10 hours. Those of you who actually want to live as Spider-Man and save the entire city will probably be spending closer to 25 hours.
Personally, I recommend the latter option. Explore as much as you can. For once, moving across town isn’t some boring task like in some of those Driv3r missions. With Treyarch’s new web-swing control, sight seeing and travel have never been so much fun and for those of you who haven’t seen New York with their own eyes, now’s your chance.
Now I’ll be the first to admit that I was skeptical when I first heard that Spider-Man 2 was going to offer open-ended gameplay. It’s not often that a game based on a blockbuster hit pulls off something addicting, let alone something innovative. But fortunately for us, that’s precisely what Treyarch’s development team did. Despite some minor issues, Spider-Man 2 proves to be an excellent look into the life of our favorite web-slinging pal. Using the simple control dynamics to soar through a living, breathing, virtual New York City is as much fun and exhilarating as watching it on the big screen.
So for those of you who are fans of a great Spider-Man game, this is definitely for you. If you liked the Spider-Man movies and you would like to give being old web-head a try, you should definitely give this game a rental. And finally, for those of you who….wait, is there anyone left?