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Spider-Man 2
“I will not die a monster!”
No Spider-Man game will
ever come closer to evoking
that joyous feeling of
webbing through New York
Once we’d dive-bombed
off of the Empire State
Building, twirled in midair
and popped a web just before
we hit the oncoming New York
traffic, we knew that Spider-Man
2 was a delightful step-up from
its predecessor. The blissful
free-roaming sections may have
been truncated by repetitive
side-missions, frustrating story
elements and fairly awkward
controls, but Spider-Man 2 is one of
the few movie tie-ins that has ever
shown a single ounce of ambition.
As we said at the time, Spider-
Man 2 is the closest a game
has ever come to being bipolar.
True, there are some absolutely
atrocious levels in the game – Doc
Ock’s ‘fluctuating’ lab being a
fine example – but with mild
disappointment, comes exceptional
rewards. No Spider-Man game will
ever come closer to evoking that
joyous, free feeling of webbing
through New York at a throbbing,
Peter Parker-level pace. Granted,
Spider-Man 2 didn’t have nearly
the same amount of detail as
contemporary sandbox titles, but it
had its own neat twists that made
the game an absolute thrill to play.
It actually feels quite sordid, to
talk up the game in such a way. We
were just so taken aback when we
first saw the engine in action; to us,
it seemed like Treyarch had spent
years perfecting the web shooters,
which now attached on to buildings
instead of thin air. Therefore, we
genuinely felt like we were part of
Peter Parker’s world, both in his
abilities, as well as his restrictions.
A neat RPG-style system added
substance to it all, so we don’t think
that Spider-Man 2 is universally
devoid of credibility.
Alright, you can only fetch
balloons for so long before the
suicidal impulses kick in, but Spider-
Man 2 is interesting enough to drag
you through to its annoying, switchhitting
end. Besides, completing the
game lets you live happily ever after
with Mary Jane, the ginger sexpot
who whines attractively for the
duration of the game.
Outside of its web swinging, as
well as the relentless stalking of
the massively honked Black Cat,
we’ll admit that Spider-Man 2 was
rather lacking. Then again, how
much time did you spend on the
story, in comparison to plummeting
off buildings, flying over to Liberty
Island and perfecting your speed
webbing? We can’t imagine it was
too long: Spider-Man 2 just dribbles
appeal out of its stupid, accessible
mouth. Still, with the occasional
smarts to go with it, there will never
be a more indulgent, lifelike webswinging
game than this.
Spider-Man 2 is a common sight
in the pre-owned section of your
local games emporium, and you
can pick it up for around a fiver.
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