Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro
Score: 78% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Activision Developer: Vicarious Visions Media: CD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Action/ Platformer
Graphics & Sound: Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro makes use of the same engine as the original Spider-Man game on the PSX, and as such it looks pretty much identical. There's more cruising along the surfaces of the streets in this game, which is a nice change, but you still have the 'bottoms of buildings disappearing into the haze' like you had in the original. Ah, well. The first game looked sharp, though, and Spider-Man 2 looks quite nice as well. Unfortunately, the number one problem with the original game is still prevalent with the graphics engine--the camera and its bloody shenanigans will make you screw up time and time again, as usual. Arg. The sound production in the game is just as solid as the original; you'll even find that Stan Lee's back for another round in Spider-Man 2. The music is solid, if not particularly memorable, and the aforementioned voice acting is excellent. The sound effects are pretty standard biffs and boffs, but they work well enough for what their intentions are. The voices are what really brings the game to life, though, and you'll find yourself smirking at many of Spidey's comments as you play the game.
Gameplay: I've reviewed Spider-Man for three separate systems. Each time the flaws of the game jumped out at me more and more--the awful camera and the frustrating control scheme being the two main problems. It's a shame, then, that Vicarious Visions didn't manage to fix the two core problems with the game. While Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro is a solid title, and an enjoyable one even for someone who's burnt out on Spidey-stuff, it's still got the same frustrating issues as the original game, and people who couldn't handle the first one because of that should definitely steer clear. The storyline is strictly comic-book fare. Spider-Man starts tracking some bad guys who are getting away with a briefcase or somesuch, and of course there's a web of intrigue that involves a number of different super-villains and, of course, the head zapper himself--Electro. Like the previous game, Spider-Man 2 is broken up into a series of missions, each one encompassing five to ten minutes of gametime in general. It works out pretty well, since you never have time to get too tired of a specific environment. Each stage also generally has some sort of goal--get from one end to the other, find certain items, or defeat the requisite boss. To conquer these challenges, you're given control of Spider-Man, with many of his requisite abilites. He can climb walls and ceilings, sling web-stuff to both traverse gaps and to trap enemies, and he even has the lovely glow that is Spider Sense. This is definitely one of the best portrayals of Spider-Man in videogame history; you feel like it's really him, instead of just a generic character in a platformer that they slapped a license on. Folks who have played the original will note a few new abilites, the most important being the web-yank, which allows you to grab objects or enemies and sling them around. It's used in a number of puzzles (as well as boss fights), and can be quite handy. There are also powerups, which make your webbing even more useful. And, of course, the constant barrage of comic-book references and subtle jibes are still present. Unfortunately, by the time that you've mastered the controls and fought the camera enough to get a decent handle on it, chances are good that you'll have beaten the game. It's challenging, yes, but it's also short, and while there's a lot of hidden stuff in the game to go back and collect, it's still a bit too brief for its own good.
Difficulty: You can choose your difficulty level at the beginning of the game, and beginning players may do well to choose an easier level than the default. Some of the puzzles are challenging enough, and the time limits imposed only make it that much more difficult. Fortunately, one of the neat new additions to the game is an excellent Danger Room training area that has you learning many important moves and stealthy actions and the like. Spiff. Nonetheless, once you master the actual content of the game you'll have to contend with the controls.
Game Mechanics: Arg. Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro still borders on an unplayable title when it comes to the fast action sections. A wonky camera--triply so when you start to scale walls and ceilings--does nothing to alleviate the situation; this is one of those things that should have been fixed, oh, three iterations of the engine ago. The same goes for the control scheme, which makes pulling off web attacks more painful than it really should be. Of all the quibbles I have with Spider-Man 2, the number one beef is the lack of refinement of controls and camera since the first game. PS2: Spider-Man 2 works fine with both the Smooth graphics option, although you'll see the requisite black boxes around the sprites in the game as a result. The Fast disc load option is effectively useless, as the game already has quite minimal load times, and adjusting that doesn't seem to change much of anything. In the end, Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro is a solid foray for a video game based on a comic book, but unfortunately, along with all of the good things about the original title, Spider-Man 2 took along the bad stuff too. A few more tweaks to the game engine and this would have been a stellar title; as it is, it's merely good. Fans of the genre or the series would do well to pick it up, and those looking for an entertaining, though short romp through action-adventure land would do well to give it a try as well. For most, though, the short length and iffy controls will warrant not much more than a rental. It's good, but Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro could have been much better.
-Sunfall to-Ennien, GameVortex Communications AKA Phil Bordelon
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