Review: Spider-Man 2 (XBX)
As expected the game follows the outline of the big budget movie, but embellishes here and there by throwing additional characters into the mix and providing more depth. The Chronicles of Riddick is perhaps the best exponent of Hollywood and actor involvement with a video game to provide a fulfilling experience. Spider-man 2 is not second rate in this regard as it features the vocal talents of the film itself, and yes, Bruce Campbell returns to provide a touch of humour with his helpful commentary.
At times bigger is certainly not better, but with Spider-man 2 Treyarch has thrown open the confines of the previous Spider-man release, and frankly delivered. New York city is the playground for Spider-man, and you can swing between buildings, or this time run around the streets and observe citizens going about their daily duties. The scale of the city is impressive, and memorable - certainly having been to the city, it brought back memories of the Big Apple. And whilst Gamestyle cannot vouch for its authenticity, the famous landmarks are present and correct, as is the epic size of Manhattan.
Enough of the tourist map, what of the game itself? By removing the invisible walls of the previous game, Spider-man feels like, um, Spider-man. Like Grand Theft Auto (a comparison that has to be made) you have immense freedom. You can follow the story, perform tasks such as delivering pizza, race across a circuit or just explore the city for fun or hidden tokens. Yet this is not all, citizens can request help, as New York seems to be rife with street crime, car jacking and armed thugs. When successfully completed hero points are awarded, that in turn can be spent upgrading your superpowers.
Not everything is wonderful, as the fiddly indoor sections are still in place (although not prevalent as before) and the camera struggles to really perform its task to any acceptable level. Outside, and the camera is ideally suited, but under a ceiling, constant adjustment and intervention is required. Those pesky civilians have a habit of requesting samey tasks and hero missions that soon become tiresome – Treyarch it seems lacks the subtle touch of genius that Rockstar North calls upon when littering its own city with random tasks. And unfortunately there is no escaping the grind of responding to such requests, as earned points equals new abilities. Here lies the crux of the release. Treyarch has successfully brought a city to life, but has nailed it (not to a linear structure), but to a predictable bout of character building. Without these abilities there is no hope of progression, so despite the freedom outside, you are left to toil towards vital purchases.
Combat is initially limited, but through acquisition (of those abilities again) you can really begin to explore, and experiment with the far reaches of the system. Along with the fun aspect of swinging downtown, the fighting in Spider-man 2 captures the comic book feel of the series exceptionally well – the over the top violence and subtle humour brings out the villain in you. And did we mention that it was fun?
Visually one would expect the Xbox version of Spider-man 2 to excel above rival formats in terms of visuals and audio. The game engine is extremely efficient, but the texture issues Gamestyle highlighted in its forthcoming Playstation 2 review are missing here. The level of detail and resolution is greater, and the draw distance (and solidarity of buildings) is much improved. Swinging across the city landscape is thoroughly enjoyable, and captivating as you just want to go another block to see what lies ahead.
The Dolby Digital soundtrack is somewhat disappointing, as despite having utilised many elements from the film it lacks the power and punch one could have hoped for – even the city sounds a little too quiet at times. However the quality of the voice acting, sound effects and musical accompaniment more than makes up for such deficiencies. And strangely enough, saving to the hard disk takes longer than expected.
Every video game has drawbacks, and while Spider-man 2 does have issues it represents one of the most fun filled releases Gamestyle has experienced this year. And such high jinx escapades, slapstick humour and the tangible ability to make you smile means that this is a summer blockbuster that delivers.
Rating: 7 / 10
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