Spider-man 2: Enter Electro

Pros • Great multimedia extras for comic fans • Web-slinging and swinging among skyscrapers is downright cool, even if you have done it before	Cons • Even being Spidey gets old, and this sequel does little to add new life or interest into an albeit successful approach to transferring comics to gaming • Some of the moves are difficult to execute • The usual camera problems
Bottom Line Activision repeats the winning formula from the first in the Spidey series essentially unaltered: good pacing, a range of player moves and boss challenges, nice comic book feel, and a trove of extras on the disk. The appeal of this series is that it simulates every boyhood fantasy of being Spider-man, web-slinging around a metropolis and using your webbing in a host of novel ways. This game continues to deliver. As for comic book plotting, pace, characterization and inventiveness, the game feels a bit like a tired sequel--okay but uninspired.

If you liked Activision’s original Spider-man game, which is now available on many console platforms and the PC, then you will enjoy this second iteration of the webbed one’s adventures. But the initial thrill is gone.

The Spider-man series uses the third-person action genre to simulate very well the thrill of playing the great Marvel Comics hero. Following the defeat of Doc Octopus in the first installment, you are in hot pursuit of Electro, who has stolen a deadly device from a local scientific genius. Much of the game is spent going through two dozen missions of swinging among skyscrapers, knocking out waves of henchmen, defusing bombs, and meeting super-villains in frequent boss level contests. The basic mechanics are fun enough. Spidey can sling webbing across buildings for easy swinging and cling to any walls for climbing. He has basic fighting moves and a full catalog of special web-related moves.

The designers have done a fair job of mixing up the gameplay so that we aren’t always swinging between buildings to knock out a level of thugs. In one area you need to climb a shaft filled with lasers and crushing metal doors. In others, you run gauntlets of obstacles and gunfire. And there is an abundance of boss levels that are always challenging. Shocker electrocutes you in a warehouse. The Lizard tosses you around a laboratory by the head! And Hammerhead literally rams your butt. Finding the right defense and offense in these situations is challenging stuff, even in the game’s very helpful and extra-easy Kid Mode.

The strongest part of this series, the comic book feel, is back again but in somewhat diminished form. The game uses quick cuts and dramatic camera angles and zooms to communicate perpetual action. Stan Lee’s voiceovers are back, although he often seems to be straining to say something cute and clever. A host of familiar villains and allies from the comics themselves pop in and of course the signature of Spider-man. Peter Parker’s sarcastic asides are here in abundance. As players move from level to level, there is a sense of polish to this production, a mature regard for story continuity and characterization that many other game designs overlook. This is one comics-related game that actually benefits from trying to imitate another medium. Still there are some rough edges, some awkward transitions and character animations, as well as uninspired voiceover work and clichéd scripting.

Spidey has a full menu of possible moves. In addition to basic kicking, punching and web slinging skills, he can grab and punch foes with special key combo move. His webbing can be used to supercharge his fists or even create a protective dome around him. Some of these moves can be difficult to get down. For instance, we had trouble with the web yank move, which traps an object or person with a stream of webbing and then jerks it left, right or overhead. Getting the timing right on the simple two-key combo had us flummoxed for a while. And unfortunately, you will need to master each of Spidey’s moves, because in many instances the solution to an obstacle in a level requires using that specific skill. Unfortunately, this game engine really isn’t responsive enough for close quarter combat. Controller response can be sluggish, and in the heat of battle, we found ourselves mashing key combos that just wouldn’t do what they were supposed to.

There are also a number of other sins the developers have not corrected in this sequel. Swinging among the skyscrapers gets tedious and a bit disorienting without the help of some overhead mapping. And the game camera remains problematic, especially when battling in close quarters. Some of the bosses are hard enough to defeat without having the point of view suddenly sweep into a full screen view of a nearby wall rather than the enemy.

Back again in this sequel is the deep trove of comic fan extras. A character viewer showcases the villains and allies in the game, complete with cute descriptions and animated 3D models. The movie viewer replays any of the cut scenes you’ve seen thus far. Comic book icons are hidden throughout the game and as you collect them comic book covers fill your collection for later viewing. The game designers’ storyboards for the action are available, as are snapshots of you battling some of the game’s bosses. This is the kind of denser multimedia experience more games should copy.

All in all, Spider-man 2 is a good value title and great fun. It is considerably more challenging than the first at many points, yet it doesn’t have quite the polish of the original. For those who want more web-slinging it is a welcome continuation of Spidey’s story. For newcomers to the Spider-man games, we suggest you start with the better original.

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