Movie tie-ins rarely succeed. More often than not, they are
simply there to cash in on the name. Yet, since the release of
landmark Nintendo 64 shooter “Goldeneye 007,” videogame
companies seem to be making an extra effort to create an immersive
experience emulating the film. Activision’s “Spider-Man
2” not only adequately recreates the movie, but also dares to
challenge the conventional action genre with innovative game
mechanics and a large interactive world.

The game follows the storyline from the film, albeit with a few
alterations to enhance the action. Peter Parker’s life is
falling apart at the seams, as his friends, work and school all
become secondary to being Spider-Man. Exacerbating these problems
is the growing public animosity towards the web-head and the
appearance of a new super-villain, Doctor Octopus. In addition to
the menace of Doc Ock, villains from the Spider-Man comics like
Rhino and the Shocker arrive on the scene to give the videogame
Spidey an added headache. There is also a subplot introducing the
Black Cat, an intriguing female cat burglar, who creates a love
triangle between her, Peter and Mary Jane that was not found in the
film.

The standard game mechanics found in “Spider-Man 2”
have been around since the first installment on the original
Playstation. Running around the city and web-slinging should be
second nature to veterans of the series, though they are improved
greatly. The developers took their time in making the swinging and
aerial combat look and feel like they do in the film and comics.
Spidey zips through the city on his webbing, but now it’s the
major mode of transportation from one end of the city to the other.
Spider-Man can also do tricks in the air, and while they are not
quite as impressive as those found in “Tony Hawk’s Pro
Skater,” they still add to the excitement.

The biggest change to the series is the more open-ended nature
of the game structure. Gamers must now earn “hero
points” and complete jobs at both the Daily Bugle and the
pizza parlor in order to unlock story chapters. At first this
concept seems novel, and it actually provides a lot of entertaining
situations, as Spidey must talk to citizens to help solve crimes or
save civilians. However, these sequences grow tedious as most of
the missions require relatively the same basic tasks of either
foiling a robbery or arriving at a destination just in the nick of
time to catch someone from falling.

While not everything about the larger structure works, the sheer
size of the city is impressive. To swing from one end of the city
to the other takes a great deal of time and the buildings and
scenery change noticeably, depending on what district the player is
in. And even though it becomes repetitive, stopping holdups and
following police chases is initially quite fun.

The fighting itself relies strongly on special moves, which are
purchased with “hero points,” and the use of
“spider powers.” Borrowing a page from the “Max
Payne” series, “Spider-Man 2” now has its own
form of “bullet time.” With the press of a button,
everything slows down so that Spidey can battle his unwitting foes
with increased reflexes. This ability is limited, as indicated by a
powers bar, which is also shared with his web-shooting powers.
These skills enable players to dispose — almost too easily
— of most foes. During the boss battles, those super-villains
follow a pattern in their attacks, making them simple to defeat
once the gamer discovers the necessary strategy and timing.

Graphically, player models feature the likenesses from the film,
and even characters that don’t appear in the movie are
remodeled to look as if they do. Even though the big name talent
like Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst provides the voices and
appearances for their characters, they still don’t look that
much like their big-screen counterparts. Furthermore, the city
looks a little sloppy, with jagged edges and little detail on some
of the edifices. Interiors are not only poorly designed, but also
create awkward situations for combat with the webhead.
Spidey’s powers better suit the outdoor environments, which
make the inside fights seem cumbersome and clumsy.

“Spider-Man 2” shows a lot of promise, but
ultimately falls short of becoming a classic. Everyone’s
friendly neighborhood Spider-Man actually moves and acts just like
gamers would want, but there are still a few kinks to iron out. For
the web-slinging and ambitious ideas alone, “Spider-Man
2” is worth a play.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.