Minor gripes aside, though, Spider-man will thrill fans of the movie and practically everyone else as well. For once, a much-hyped game seems to live up to its billing. With the awesome gameplay, impressive graphics, and varied missions, my spidey-sense tells me that you will get your money's worth with Spider-man. Spider-Man shows a bit of promise and comes close to being up to the task. Spider-Man has wall-crawling, web-slinging action, super-strength, and even his spidey-senses in this arcade-style adventure beat-em-up. He even has Stan “the Man” Lee offering narration at the beginnings of each level!
Okay, we've all played them: cheap movie rip-offs designed and rushed to the market for the sole purpose of cashing in on whatever hype the movie has managed to generate. Luckily, Spider-Man for the PS2 is not one of these titles. Activision has gone above and beyond expectations to produce a very solid title. Spider-man boasts voiceovers performed by the actual principal cast of the movie and hilarious narration performed by Bruce Campbell (of Evil Dead fame).
The basic gameplay follows the familiar 'watch a movie, fight, watch a movie, fight'? cycle. Fortunately, the mission objectives and opponents' attack styles vary enough to keep you interested. And the graphics are everything you could hope for. In fact, you might want to think twice about buying the game if you have a fear of heights. Swinging between skyscrapers on a thin line of webbing can give you a strong sense of vertigo.
When it comes to controls, Spider-man has them in spades. After all, a game where the hero can climb up walls and traverse ceilings must be a game designer's wet dream. It takes some practice and a good memory to remember all of the fighting moves, but you'll get it down (or else). One of the coolest features is the presence of gold powerups that give you new fighting combinations, such as the Handspring or the DiveBomb. Thus, you can build the effectiveness and variety of your attacks over time.
In the 'room-for-improvement'? category, I felt the need for more save points. Especially in the tougher levels, it's pretty frustrating to have to start the entire level over when you die and then have to fight 20-30 guys before you get back to the dude that rocked you. Also, there is no multiplayer support, and replayability is a question mark with only the one difficulty level.
Minor gripes aside, though, Spider-man will thrill fans of the movie and practically everyone else as well. For once, a much-hyped game seems to live up to its billing. With the awesome gameplay, impressive graphics, and varied missions, my spidey-sense tells me that you will get your money's worth with Spider-man.
