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Message: [QUOTE="Jediuser, post: 181846, member: 338790"] [ATTACH type="full" width="725px" size="400x300"]61529[/ATTACH] [I]Spider-Man 2[/I] is the debut of the wall-crawler on Sony's ambitious new handheld. For those hoping the PSP would provide the full console experience on a handheld, prepare to be disappointed: with devs being on a crunch to release the game as a PSP launch title, combined with the open-world design likely being too ambitious to be released this early in the console's lifespan, the PSP version is instead a more linear, stage-based game more akin to the first movie-based [I]Spider-Man[/I] game on consoles. Ultimately, this makes it a short and simple action game that isn't likely to hold interest for much longer than the four-or-so hours it'll take to complete it. That said, it's not a bad showcase for what the handheld can do, and is still pretty fun for as long as it lasts. Let's get to the most impressive aspect of the game first: the graphics. The game is certainly a great showcase for the graphical power of the handheld, with the outdoor missions featuring richly detailed buildings with some excellent lighting showing the sun reflected off the windows. The indoor levels aren't as stunning, with some fairly drab hallways, but there's still solid texture work and variation to the locales. Spidey himself looks great, and has tons of great animations, and all of the bosses are equally sharp. The standard enemies don't look so hot, and the framerate does sometimes dip when lots of enemies are on screen, but these are minor blemishes on an otherwise great-looking game. The one area where it really falters is in the pre-rendered cutscenes. They're technically impressive on the PSP's wide screen, but the characters look strangely stiff and plastic-looking, not to mention have some odd facial animations. [ATTACH type="full" width="600px" size="299x169"]61552[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3]Spidey and the Vulture clash high up above the gorgeous looking city[/SIZE] As for the gameplay, it's essentially an enhanced version of the previous Spider-Man games on PS1 and PS2 (minus the console version of [I]Spider-Man 2[/I], of course). The game progresses in stages, which come in one of two varieties: outdoor missions, where you swing through a large New York skyline, and indoor missions, which are much smaller and more confined. Like previous games, [I]Spider-Man 2[/I] is at its best in the outdoor levels, which give you a wide-open area to swing through just like in the movie. The indoor levels, which are much more linear, corridor-based levels, aren't as much fun, though to their credit, they do a good job of mixing things up from level to level. One level has you rescuing hostages from animatronic mummies and suits of armor, while another has you racing to unlock a vault door to save the good people trapped inside. One of the more interesting ones is a variation of the train fight from the movie, in which Spidey takes on foes 2D side-scroller style. You'll also be doing a lot of fighting against the thugs that are running amok throughout New York. Most combat encounters are fairly simple affairs of mixing punches and kicks to form combos, as well as making use of the occasional web attack. It's nothing particularly deep, and while you can purchase some cool combos in between levels, you won't need to use that many of them. Still, the combat manages to be pretty entertaining thanks to Spidey's fluid animations and the myriad of ways you can put down your opponents. Easily the highlights are the bosses, all of which are unique and challenging, if not especially difficult (although, I did find it a bit irritating how they show the methods of beating them in the cutscenes before every boss, when I would have preferred to figure it out on my own). That said, certain aspects of the game suffer from the handheld's limitations. For the most part, the controls have translated well from the consoles. Spidey can lock on to enemies, hop around them with ease, and, of course, web-swing in all directions as well as zip around in a flash. The problem lies with the camera. It's always been a sticking point in the games, often shifting around to try to keep up with Spidey's agile movements. On PSP, it's essentially the same, only this version has the added problem of lacking a second analog stick for control. Instead, players will be using the directional buttons to control the camera, meaning they'll be forced to let go of the thumbstick whenever they need to adjust the perspective. It's a particularly pressing issue during the indoor levels, and it's certainly not ideal when you're surrounded by thugs who will take advantage of the brief delay. Aurally, [I]Spider-Man 2[/I] is also an impressive showcase. The game reuses the cinematic score from the first game, although this is sometimes a liability as the music won't always fit the scene. Players will especially love the authenticity offered by the use of voices from actors like Tobey Maguire, Alfred Molina and even JK Simmons, who didn't lend his talents to the console versions. The sound effects are also golden. The gunfire, smashing objects and [I]thwip[/I] of firing webs all sound great, making for quite the immersive aural experience. [I]Spider-Man 2[/I]'s biggest shortcoming is its length: the 20 bite-sized missions make it ideal for handheld gaming, but seasoned players will be able to plow through it in just a scant four hours. Multiple difficulties and a handful of secrets at least give some incentive to play through it again, but even these aren't likely to hold interest for too much longer. Still, for as long as it lasts, [I]Spider-Man 2[/I] provides some good bite-sized web-slinging thrills, and fans of the titular wall-crawler would do well to check it out. [ATTACH type="full" width="790px" size="420x232"]61553[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3]The power of the sun[/SIZE] [/QUOTE]

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