by
Ted Kritsonis
Faze Video Game Editor

As one of the first Nintendo DS games to come out, Spider-Man 2 had a big act to follow. For one, starting out on a new handheld platform is pressure enough, but when you add in the fact that Activision’s Spider-Man games have stumbled every time, the jury certainly was out on this one.

Spider-Man 2 truly does sparkle on the DS screens, and is a great looking game throughout its course, giving an honest impression of what we can expect in the visual power of the DS. That’s really nice and all, but it also represents the limitations of what’s offered here.

What you have in Spider-Man 2 is a classic side-scrolling 2D game, which does an adequate job of invoking memories of old Spidey games from the early 90s, but there’s no touch-screen functionality and no multiplayer of any kind. The lack of multiplayer could be slightly tolerable if the touch-screen played an active role in the game, but other than acting as a menu screen, it doesn’t do much of anything. Okay, it does allow you to select a special move to use here and there, but it still feels like an add-on.

This is a shame because the DS holds its niche in touch-screen functionality, and a game like Spider-Man 2 could’ve really benefited from it. Instead, you’ll feel like you’re playing a game on the Game Boy Advance, albeit with graphics that you’d never see on the GBA.

The gameplay consists of a standard and formulaic setup where you encounter an enemy, beat him up, and rescue civilians. Sure, it’s Spidey’s MO, but it gets a little tired here. And let’s face it, a guy with a baseball bat isn’t really going to be able to hurt Spider-Man, or even be able to hit him one-on-one, but that’s how it often goes in this game. Given his apparent weakness, it’s good that the developers put plenty of power-ups in there.

The bosses make for tougher battles, where you’ll have to be quick and try to outmaneuver them. Plus, there are some pretty tough missions that are based on time limits, so you’ll find yourself scurrying around to cover every inch of the level in order to find all the bad guys and rescue civilians. It’s tedious, to say the least, and it certainly isn’t one of the game’s strong points.

Spider-Man 2 isn’t a bad game for the DS, but it’s lacking in extras. The touch-screen could’ve played a better role and the gameplay could’ve been less tedious. But as it is, Spider-Man 2 still is a decent way to immerse yourself in the Nintendo DS.

Publisher:
Activision
Developer:
Vicarious Visions

Platform:
Nintendo DS

Rating: 7/10