Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man, Spider-Man, doing what a spider can...

Let's face it, Spider-Man is one the most beloved super heroes of all time, so it is only fitting that his latest video game adventure attempt to live up to his lofty reputation. To this end, developer Treyarch has built Spider-Man 2 from the ground up to provide the most seamless and accurate Spidey experience ever -- and after spending a few hours of quality controller time with it, it is clear that even the harshest of critics will have little to complain about.

Do the locomotion.
The folks at Treyarch learned a lot of lessons from their efforts on the first Spider-Man, not the least of which was that web-slinging is an integral part of the play system -- in order for Spider-Man 2 to truly rock your socks off, it would have to provide a delicate balance of realistic web-physics and forgiving controls. To say that Treyarch has succeeded in its endeavor is a gross understatement; in fact, swinging from building to building is one of the most gratifying gaming experiences one could hope for.

The Arach-knight seamlessly leaps from web to web with the grace of a dancer and performs a staggering variety of aerial gymnastics at the touch of the X button. Webs spring from Spidey's wrists and actually attach to buildings, lampposts, helicopters, and virtually everything else using each anchor as a basis for calculating Spidey's path through Manhattan.

The general experience of Treyarch's achievement is shear freedom of movement -- the player is bound only by their imagination as the library of moves from wall-running to wall-crawling to double-web slingshot maneuvers captures nearly every permutation of travel the web-slinger could want. The controls are relatively simple to pick up, but persistent technicians will find delight in epic acrobatics that rival the CG renders from the first film -- indeed, all of the aerial moves depicted in the first film are present in this game.

The Big Apple, and a tiny 3D version thereof.
Another of Spider-Man 2's astonishing nods to accuracy exists in the nearly perfect rendering of Manhattan, Liberty Island (accessible only by helicopter), and Roosevelt Island. Those familiar with the beating heart of NYC will find numerous familiar sites including the Empire State Building, the Twin Towers Memorial, and the Statue of Liberty. While not every building is meticulously recreated, it is obvious that Treyarch has done its homework -- the developers researched NYC zoning in order to adequately depict commercial, residential, and industrial districts.

In addition to the remarkable fidelity of the game city, the in-game map provides an exact scale replica of the entire map that makes navigation a breeze -- and looks really cool as it zooms out to show an overhead of Spidey's position. The transition from real-time to in-game map has been smoothed in order to allow gamers to never leave the game world -- Treyarch wants gamers to remain immersed in Spider-Man's world, focusing on his goals, trials, and tribulations, not on how to get to them.

Beware the Spider's sting!
Spider-Man 2 boasts a huge library of fighting combos that players can purchase using the new "hero points" system. Whenever Spidey successfully completes an objective (anything from retrieving a carjacked ride to rescuing a hapless window washer dangling from a ledge) he receives "hero points" as a reward which can be redeemed for both combat techniques and locomotive upgrades. While the numerous combos are relatively easy to learn, the accidental combinations of moves that happen organically -- stringing together complex juxtapositions of web-attacks and brute force pummeling attacks -- will delight players. Spidey can even hang thugs from lampposts and beat them like a pi?ata! Gamers will have plenty of foes on which to practice as some of Spider-Man's most infamous rivals appear in this game, including the Rhino, Mysterio, Shocker (yes, again), and Doc Ock (oh come on, you knew he had to be in it!). In addition to the baddies, Spidey is joined by a new dubious chum, Black Cat, who definitely wins top honors for superb costume design!

Every hero has a weakness.
For all of Spider-Man 2's obvious charms, our preview build was not without a few rough spots. While Spider-Man's in-game character model is a flawless recreation of the web-slinger, some of the other characters like J.J. Jameson and Mary Jane could have used some polishing and look somewhat funky and blocky when viewed up close. Also, after a few hours of play, many gamers are likely to find the interstitial missions (those not directly related to the story) somewhat repetitive and may find themselves saying things like, "not another lost balloon!" or "armored car robbery AGAIN?!". It also would have been nice to be able to smash more objects in Spidey's world, but, sadly, destructible objects are at a premium (read: almost non-existent). Although the complaints are minor, we're hoping that Treyarch will be able to address some of these issues before release.

"Hella good game" sense is tingling!
With solid, intuitive controls, a camera that beautifully follows Spidey's every move, some decent tunes and sound effects, and the incomparable awesomeness of Spider-Man himself, Spider-Man 2 is primed to take the summer by storm. This game is, quite simply, as close to being Spider-Man as many of us are likely to get and Treyarch should be proud of its achievement as it is sure to result in many a satisfied Spider-fan.

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