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Spider-Man 2
by Jolex Del Pilar
Sunday, August 15 2004
Can Spider Man be a blockbuster on the silver screen and consoles? Find out in our full review.
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Title:
Spider-Man 2
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Platform:
Xbox
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Publisher:
Activision |
Developer:
Treyarch |
#
of Players: 1 |
Genre:
Action
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Origin:
United States
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Expected
Release:
June 29th, 2004 |
Grapevine:
Spider-Man 2 is a great game to enjoy, especially if you were a fan of the comic books, and films. |
Regardless of what you think of Tobey McGuire, as the angst-filled Peter Parker, or Kursten Dunst as Mary Jane, it cannot be denied that the Spider-Man films have been some of the more successful comic-based films in the recent glut that hollywood has unleashed upon us, no thanks to Hulk, Dare Devil and the like.
The game lightly traces the plot of the film but doesn't feature any of the "personal" details from the movie such as Peter Parker's general despair with his hero lifestyle. However it does feature Dr. Octopus, the menacing villain in the film, as well as some extra baddies including Mysterio, Black Cat, and Rhino.
One of the more impressive aspects of the game is the scale of the game world. Treyarch has supposedly built a half-scale model of New York City spanning from Ellis Island to the Bronx. This continues a generally good trend towards realistic game worlds based on real-world data as exemplified in Sony's The Getaway and Luxoflux's True Crime: Streets of L.A. This gives the player great latitude in exploring the game world just due to its sheer size. I found myself swinging around, not solving crimes, just to explore NYC, a place I've admittedly never been to myself.
Travelling through the city "spidey-style" was pretty cool. Flinging webs isn't exactly something you can pick up on your first try, but Treyarch's intuitive controls will eventually imprint on you, and you'll be a natural web flinger in no time. The action on the ground isn't as crisp as it is in the air. While the city is bustling, the generaly detail, and sharpness isn't as high as in games like the aforementioned "Getaway". Still the game's visual appeal is great thanks to the vast gameworld, and amount of areas you can explore.
Spider-Man swings through Times Square, Happy New Year!"
The city also serves as the backdrop for the game many mini-missions. These include stopping thieves, foiling car jackings, and even saving children's toys. While the hand-to-hand combat is okay, sometimes it gets repetitive though Spider-Man can use special attacks, as well as his "Spidey Sense" to keep things interesting. Spidey Sense is like putting yourself in the Matrix. Spider Man's reflexes and overall strength go up, and you're kicking butt really quick while your "senses" are on.
During the main quest, you'll occasionally have to tackle a boss character, such as The Rhino. These battles require a different technique or style to succeed. With the Rhino, staying close, and peppering him with physical attacks usually worked best. Pressing down on the directional pad also toggles a camera lock on enemies, something to remember during the intense boss battles.
Spider-Man 2 is a great game to enjoy, especially if you were a fan of the comic books, and films. It's certainly better, or at least on par, with the Batman games from Ubisoft, and with the simple combat system, and vast game world, it wouldn't be a push to say that many gamers will enjoy their role as the web slinging wonder.
--- Jolex Del Pilar
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