Spider-man: The Movie

Okay, we've all played them: cheap movie rip-offs designed and rushed to the market for the sole purpose of cashing in on whatever hype the movie has managed to generate. Luckily, Spider-Man for the PS2 is not one of these titles. Activision has gone above and beyond expectations to produce a very solid title. Spider-man boasts voiceovers performed by the actual principal cast of the movie and hilarious narration performed by Bruce Campbell (of Evil Dead fame).

The basic gameplay follows the familiar 'watch a movie, fight, watch a movie, fight'? cycle. Fortunately, the mission objectives and opponents' attack styles vary enough to keep you interested. And the graphics are everything you could hope for. In fact, you might want to think twice about buying the game if you have a fear of heights. Swinging between skyscrapers on a thin line of webbing can give you a strong sense of vertigo.

When it comes to controls, Spider-man has them in spades. After all, a game where the hero can climb up walls and traverse ceilings must be a game designer's wet dream. It takes some practice and a good memory to remember all of the fighting moves, but you'll get it down (or else). One of the coolest features is the presence of gold powerups that give you new fighting combinations, such as the Handspring or the DiveBomb. Thus, you can build the effectiveness and variety of your attacks over time.

In the 'room-for-improvement'? category, I felt the need for more save points. Especially in the tougher levels, it's pretty frustrating to have to start the entire level over when you die and then have to fight 20-30 guys before you get back to the dude that rocked you. Also, there is no multiplayer support, and replayability is a question mark with only the one difficulty level.

Minor gripes aside, though, Spider-man will thrill fans of the movie and practically everyone else as well. For once, a much-hyped game seems to live up to its billing. With the awesome gameplay, impressive graphics, and varied missions, my spidey-sense tells me that you will get your money's worth with Spider-man.

If you’ve felt your spider-senses tingling lately, it’s not hard to figure out why. Not only does Spider-Man make his big-screen debut on May 3, but Activision’s next game starring the webbed one hits shelves on multiple systems shortly before. Better yet, this game stands a good chance of being the best web-slinging title yet.

As you might imagine, Spider-Man’s story takes its primary basis from the upcoming movie. In order to make for a longer gaming experience, however, Treyarch has thrown other supervillains into the mix.

Although the story strays a bit from what you see in the film, extra steps were taken to maintain an identical feel to the game’s cinematic counterpart. The costumes, scenery and overall ambience stay true to the flick, even adding a sort of Hollywood touch to the guest villains. To further the authenticity, the movie’s stars, Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man) and Willem Dafoe (Green Goblin), contributed original dialogue to the game’s narrative.

Fans of the PSi releases should recognize the core gameplay right off the bat, with plenty of punching, kicking and web-slinging going on. The basic web moves serve the same purpose, too. You can also pick up icons to add some special moves not seen before, like clearing out all surrounding enemies with a punch-kick-punch combo. And though the option for the “classic” control scheme exists, Treyarch has made some improvements, most notably by reserving the D-pad for use with web attacks. You no longer have to worry about a slight timing mishap with the analog sticks, moving you somewhere you didn’t mean to go.

Missions in Spider-Man in some instances resemble those of the past, but at other times offer something completely new. For instance, you might remember saving hostages before-but this time you actually have to pick them up and swing them to safety: Or maybe they’re in danger of getting the crap beat out of them; you have to take their oppressors out of commission before it’s too late. The real highlight of the new additions, though, is the aerial combat, as found in boss fights against the Vulture and the Green Goblin. As you control Spidey swinging through the NYC skyline-streets alive with activity hundreds of feet below-don’t be surprised if you tense up a bit when he freefalls in an attempt to deliver a mid-air kick to the noggin.

We’re hoping that Spider-Man’s occasional camera imperfections improve by release. But even if they aren’t, a solid web-slinging experience awaits.

You can jump incredible distances, spin webs like a tornado, pick up very heavy items and throw them at your enemies. You wear tights and fight crime, yup, you're a superhero and in case you didn't catch the name, it's Spiderman!

For the first time in recent memory, a gaming company has released a video game on all systems simultaneously; undoubtedly to ride the coattails of what is shaping up to be one of the biggest movies of all time. But, as we all know, the majority of games spawned from movies or comic books typically stink to high heaven. In this case I am glad to report that Spider-man is the exception to the rule.

First off, the visuals in the game are quite impressive. Spiderman looks like he should (comic book superhero who defies physics) when moving around, busting bad guys' chops and spinning his web. Locales seem realistically designed, as Spiderman will be able to move through the rafters and ventilation ducts of the various buildings. In fact, how Activision tackled the whole duct exploration part of the game is both realistic and inspired. Web control, which involves moving around the city, can best be described as refreshingly simple. The controls are certainly easy to pick up and the game has a fairly neat approach to how Spiderman dispatches his foes. In fact, at the beginning of the game, Spiderman is a rookie and does not possess much of an offense. But as the game is played, icons representing new combat moves are found which show you new fighting moves. So in fact, it's more a visual way to show that Peter Parker (Spiderman) is learning how to get things done.

And speaking of foes, you will certainly have your hands full. Tons of nameless thugs will try and stop you either using weapons or their fists and the more 'recognizable'? villains will flat out try to exterminate you. All in all, Spider-man is a pretty solid title for the fans of action games, and save some slight camera issues, it is certainly one of the better action games on the market right now.