Once Reggie-Fils Aime of Nintendo claimed that his favorite Nintendo DS launch title would be the Vicarious Vision developed Spider-Man 2, I have been eagerly awaiting to see what the fuss is all about. Spider-Man 2 is not a port of any already existing versions out there, but is a fresh game built from the ground up on the Nintendo DS. While there is plenty here that will wow you, other things may leave you scratching your head.

Facts and Features

• Developed by Vicarious Visions and Published by Activision
  
• 16 levels with primary and secondary objectives
  
• Gorgeous 3D/2D hybrid graphics and gameplay
  
• 3 seperate save slots
  
• Uses GBA slot to access unlockables
  
• Available on the DS launch date
  

The city

Presentation
With gorgeous full-motion video and well placed cutscenes, Spider-Man 2 is very well presented on the Nintendo DS. The menus are easily navigable and use of the touch screen isn't limited to the stylus exclusively. It's nice that Vicarious Visions realized that buttons need to be larger if gamers are going to use their finger instead of reaching for the stylus each time. In short, the presentation is very sleek and manages to keep itself from interfering with the overall experience of the game.

Gameplay
Gameplay in Spider-Man 2 is a mixed bag. While zipping around New York city as Spider-Man, sometimes beating up the bad guys can be a lesson in frustration. While there is a simple combo system found in the game, it's often very hard to chain together attacks due to the limited range of Spidey's reach. It's dissapointing when you lose a one-on-one fight with a gunman because you can't get near him and pull off a strong combo. Still, beating up enemies is still good fun even with its frustrating moments. One cool aspect during combat is Spider-Man's spider sense. When the trademark squiggles appear over Spider-Man's head, the action can be slowed down by pressing the L button initiating the spider sense. This is particularly useful for getting out of tight jams, but it is often times a little tough to pull off when surrounded.

The majority of the game is comprised of one of four things: beating up thugs, saving hostages, beating the clock, or fighting a boss. All four elements are pretty fun, but they tend to be recycled often. Spider-Man has several special moves that must be unlocked as you progress through the 16 chapters. Special moves are selected during gameplay by touching a symbol of the move that appears on the touch screen as you unlock them. In addition to Spider-Man's special moves, he also has the ability to zip from wall to wall and from floor to ceiling at any given time. Zipping around is a lot of fun and you'll find yourself swinging and zipping around as opposed to running or crawling whenever possible.


Swingin'!

Spider-Man has the ability to crawl on any surface, and you're really going to need it to pass each chapter. Because each chapter requires you to either A) defeat all the enemies, B) find all the hostages, or C) both, you'll find that you will need to check out every nook and cranny to uproot the villains and save the innocent. This can be tedious at times and does require frequent backtracking, so levels may need to be played mulitiple times to be passed quickly.