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Everyone knows The Amazing Spider-Man. Created by comic book legend Stan Lee, Spider-Man is Peter Parker, a hapless teen once bitten by a radioactive spider while on a class field trip. This of course causes an odd mutation, and nerdy Parker takes on spider attributes (the ability to shoot webs, climb walls, etc.). After the death of his Uncle Ben, Peter adopts the Spider-Man persona, swinging around New York on his webs, saving folks from both simple thugs and nefarious master criminals. The man with radioactive blood becomes a hero; action his only reward.
Spider-Man the movie (starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst) was released in 2002, with a sequel, Spider-Man 2, released this past summer. Spider-Man 2 was not only one of 2004's biggest summer blockbusters, but was also critically acclaimed. A game based on the film was inevitable. Sadly, while Aspyr's Spider-Man 2 may also end up a blockbuster, it most likely won't rack up the same sort of kudos; and that's a shame, as it's a fundamentally sound game, just hampered by a serious lack of features.
The game starts promisingly enough, with Bruce Campbell (of Evil Dead fame) voicing the snarky tutorial. Learn to swing, zip and disable opponents using webs; become comfortable with wall walking and fight some bad guys (using only two moves, punch and jump kick). Finish the tutorial and the game begins.
The first level features Rhino, a classic Marvel Comics villian not showcased in the film. Right away, a sign that while the game will follow Spider- Man 2's general storyline (eventually defeating super villian Doc Ock), the details will be quite different. In this first level you get a taste of what is to come: if you like it, you'll probably like the game. Fight thugs, super thugs and "master criminals," swing and zip around the city on webs and collect coins. That's pretty much it.
The game seems to be of two minds. First, is to follow the arrows, defeat bad guys and move on to the next objective. The second is to collect points by finding hidden elements (like escaped convicts) using your "spidey sense" and successfully complete events (like collecting a certain number of coins in a given time frame). The first is straightforward and entertaining. Bam! Punch 'em out and move on. The second is less compelling. Collecting points is great, but not exactly thrilling (some may even call it redundant or boring). Not to mention that high point totals don't even seem to matter in the end, as there is no Hall of Fame in which to record your glory with three little letters. There's also no difficulty setting, it's one-challengefits- all, which may mean young kids and grizzled gamers will feel frustrated for different reasons. Finally, there is no multiplayer component. The single-player campaign is it, and if you're halfway decent with games, you'll zip through this one in a day or two tops. An extra something would have added much needed value.
The film's stars voice the main characters (Spider-Man, Mary Jane and Doc Ock), and there's a certain novelty in hearing them. Most dialogue is groan worthy, but in a fun, comic book way.
The graphics are as amazing as the game's namesake, with the characters expertly rendered in both the cut-away films and during gameplay, and we defy anyone not to be amazed at the floating city in the sky. There are numerous sweaty-palm occasions thanks to the graphics; repetitive game elements are made better by the distracting view.
In the end, we'd recommend the game for newbies and younger kids (the violence is definitely cartoony). Experienced game players looking for a challenge will be disappointed by the brief single-player campaign, and frustrated by the lack of extras. Maybe the developers should have spent less money on the stars' vocal talent and more on extra game features.
-AMY R. WOOD
SPIDER-MAN 2: 
Aspyr | www.aspyr.com | 512-708-8100 | $30
Pros: Outstanding graphics, entertaining singleplayer campaign, faithful to movie and comic book characters.
Cons: No difficulty settings, no quick save, no multiplayer, no Hall of Fame, kind of short.
Requires: OS 10.2.8 or later, 700MHz G3, G4 or G5, 256MB RAM, 1GB free hard disk space, ATI Radeon 7500/nVidia GeForce 2 card or better
macHOME recommends: Sense of humor when you finish the game the same day you bring it home from the store
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