Spiderman 2: Whose interested?

[foogledricks]

I know this comes off as a mainstream game, like "The Day After Tomorrow" is a mainstream movie... thus we hardcore gamers give it doubt over benefit, but this game is looking good. As always I'll wait for the reviews. I have never bought a movie license game, besides KOTOR, in recent years. But this looks like it could be an exception. Anyones else looking at this game:

http://xbox.ign.com/articles/525/525175p1.html

[dogbert]

I'm really interested in it. One of the designers/coders on the team runs a very informative gamedev blog, and he has a lot of good solid ideas on development & games. I'm interested to see it in practice

[Big Daddy Bling Bling]

I'm pretty interested in the concept behind the game design. It sounds like a lot of fun, but it's also pretty ambitious and could turn out to be a disaster. I don't even look down on movie liscensed games anymore, as there have been quite a few great ones lately and many more that are pretty decent. In particular, I like LOTR:ROTK, Riddick, and 007:EON.

[iainl]

I really like the free-form nature of solving random crime little side-quests inbetween the main plot ones, and the graphics are showing a pretty reasonable draw distance. But I can see them either getting too ambitious, and failing to get it running smoothly, or on the other hand not doing quite enough, and so it feeling a bit empty.

 

We'll see.

[Mark E]

Treyarch did the last Spider-Man game, did they not? At any rate, the Spider-Man video games have been pretty damn fun on the whole, so I don't have any problem giving this a shot. Especially with the new system going all GTA style.

 

And also Bruce freaking' Campbell.

[dogbert]

Treyarch did the last Spider-Man game, did they not?

 

Yes.

[Carlucci]

A favorable hands-on review here.

 

This is cool:

 

Activision has created an entirely accurate scale model of the island of Manhattan. Nearly every aspect of the island has been recreated in the game, from the Empire State Building to the World Trade Center lights that shine straight up into the sky. If you take the time to climb up onto any tall building, you?ll be faced with a spectacular view. The most amazing thing about that feature is the fact that you can travel to pretty much any area that you can see.

 

The kids and I never finished the first one, so we will probably just rent this one to give it a whirl.

 

Carlos.

[General Zot]

Be keeping an eye open for the reviews once Spidey2 hits shelves.

 

Bruce Campbell is involved with this game?

[Angry the Clown]

Bruce Campbell is involved with this game?

 

Yes. He provided some voice work for the last last one too in which he narrated the training missions with some rather good humour. The IGN Preview linked in the first post notes that he is back for the same again. He's in the movie as well, but a different part to the role he played in the first one.

 

Does anyone know if they're using any of Elfman's score from the first film in the second game at all?

 

Daniel

[Calvin]

I am interested,especially since the last two Spiderman games have been good. Probably now right away though...

[Derrik Draven]

I think it looks pretty good, at this point. I'm interested in picking it up but, I'll wait for a few reviews just to see the final opinions on the game. Sort of off topic, the trailers for the movie look kick ass!!!! :tu:

[Adam Tyner]

I'm just hoping they don't shoehorn in those stealth levels that I thought really dragged the previous Spidey console game down. The game looks much more impressive in action than you'd think from the screenshots that have been floating around.

[Big Daddy Bling Bling]

IGN posted some impressions of a hands on with the final version. They weren't really raving about the game, but the overall tone seemed positive.

 

My thoughts: since when does Spiderman deliver pizza? Hopefully the sidequests stay more along the lines of vigilante justice.

[Robot Monkey]

For a while now, I should think. (May require login; membership to Worth1000 is free).

 

-j

[Andy Sheets]

Originally posted by Big Daddy Bling Bling@Jun 23 2004, 05:22 PM

My thoughts: since when does Spiderman deliver pizza?

It's his job in the movie

[Big Daddy Bling Bling]

Ahh, makes sense then and I really can't fault its inclusion. I've actually never seen the movies, I just have a lot of Spidey comics from the late 80's/early 90's

[Big Daddy Bling Bling]

I picked up the Xbox version, so far it pwnz. There were so many ways that such an ambitious project could have gone wrong, but Spiderman 2 succeeds on just about every level.

 

The graphics are great and have an incredible draw distance and smooth framerate. It's not a glossy 60FPS, but it's still smooth. 480p is supported. The opening city flyby in the intro showcases some nasty problems with level of detail management, but they fortunately aren't noticeable during gameplay. The character models could be better, but it's forgiveable given the scope of the city. During the daytime, all windows are reflective, and it looks a bit odd given the overall look of the game. During the nighttime, the reflections are replaced by colorful textures. The nighttime city looks like one of the levels in the original Jet Grind Radio, and you can prepare to be wowed by the cityscape if you climb on top of the tallest building. There is also a very cool effect used on the grass. When viewed from the normal camera angle, it looks like all the tiny blades are drawn. However, making the camera parallel to the ground reveals a flat surface. It's not bump-mapping, in fact, it's an effect I've never seen used before. It's quite wicked and I failed a mission the first time I came across it because I stopped to try to figure out how it was done. On the whole, it's hard to compare the graphics to something like Riddick, but they're definately better than other Xbox games that offer a similar scale (or attempt to offer a similar scale, as I think Spidey has the most massive draw distance yet).

 

I haven't heard enough of the music yet to pass judgement. Most of the stuff I've heard so far is good, although a couple of the tracks were a bit generic. The best has been a dramatic tune that sounds like it was ripped from Crimson Skies, as well as a tune that would best be described as "pizza music". So far there is solid variety and they've done a good job of matching suitable music to each event.

 

The controls are fantastic. All of my concerns were quelled within the first 5 minutes of play. Everything feels like second nature and I'm impressed with how it all came together. The swinging mechanics are great, in fact they're much better than I expected. The game is very intelligent in terms of where it attaches your web rope, which makes it easy to perform your desired maneuvers. If you happen to miss a turn, you can get going in the opposite direction in a snap. Jumping is well done since you can hold down the button to charge a meter that dictates your jump height. Whether you need to make a small hop or a 3 story leap, it's pretty easy to deal with. I was expecting combat to be a simple affair, but that's not the case. In addition to combos with the attack button, you can also execute elaborate moves with your web, including swinging enemies into each other. From the upgrades section in the pause menu, it appears that some pretty complex moves will be available. It's no Devil May Cry, but it works well and is satisfying.

 

I also haven't seen enough of the gameplay structure to know how it will pan out. So far I've been through a quick tutorial, foiled random street crimes, and finished a few missions. One part I like is that sometimes during gameplay, Spidey will remember that he needs to be a certain place (go to class, meet MJ, etc.) and you'll have to hustle over there. It adds a bit of spontenuity and does a nice job of blurring the line of being "in a mission" and "randomly roaming" that is present in other GTA type games. Chasing super-villains is handled in a user-friendly manner. Rather than just an arrow on your map pointing which way they went, there is also a translucent trail in-game that shows the path they took. This makes them a lot easier to follow than they'd otherwise be. It's tough to judge the main game since I'm only a few hours in, but there's definately a good framework.

 

Overall, I'm very enthusiastic about Spiderman. Although it borrows a few elements from GTA, it's innovative and provides a very different experience. Just getting around the city is a blast and swinging around is quite surreal. This is a case where the developers could have taken the easy way out and made a crap game, knowing it would sell regardless, so I'm glad to see a very solid game.

 

Edit: other reviews are in

 

9.0 from IGN

7.2 from Jeff "Tony Hawk 2 = 10.0" Gerstman at Gamespot

[bickle]

The first hour was a helluva lot of fun. I just went webslinging through New York & was amazed at the controls and the size of the city. As I started playing missions and tackling the street missions, the honeymoon ended. It looks like there are 5 or 6 types of random street missions that just keep cycling around & vary only in time alotted. This is going to get very, very, mind-numbingly repetitive.

 

It sounds like Gerstman at Gamespot reviewed it perfectly, IMO (just like THPS2). He sums it up with "its terrific first impression doesn't hold up throughout the entire length of the experience", which is where I'm currently leaning.

[Big Daddy Bling Bling]

I finished the game at the 9 hour mark. I estimate that getting 100% could take 30 hours or more since some of the things you need to do are very difficult. I'll probably go for 100% since the game is so damn fun.

 

There are 14 types of street missions. They seem to be more of a diversion than something the devs intended for you to sit there and do over and over, as there are other ways to get the hero points needed to move on much faster. There was never a time where I needed to spend more than 10 minutes scouring the city for points to move on, as most of what you need is awarded when you follow the storyline of each chapter. I think the main draw is the challenges instead.

 

It could be repetitive to do the missions over and over, but I don't think that the game was meant to be played that way. Then again, I'm not sure how variety would be added. The other standout free-roaming game, GTA, boils down to "drive here while being chased", or "chase down this car and immobilize it". In this and other respects, I think Gerstman plays favorites by ignoring a flaw in one game, then taking another game to the task for the exact same flaw. Inconsistency between reviews is a huge sign of sloppiness in my opinion. He also marked the sound down because "Bruce Campbell annoys him", how petty can you get?

 

Based on a 7 being average (since that's Gamespot's average score for Xbox games), I would score Spiderman 2 an 8.5, with the caveat that it's probably not for someone who won't get intrinsic enjoyment from running around a city doing Spidermanish things.

[bickle]

Originally posted by Big Daddy Bling Bling@Jun 30 2004, 08:32 AM

Then again, I'm not sure how variety would be added. The other standout free-roaming game, GTA, boils down to "drive here while being chased", or "chase down this car and immobilize it". In this and other respects, I think Gerstman plays favorites by ignoring a flaw in one game, then taking another game to the task for the exact same flaw.

Simple. By not making them exactly the same. GTA has similar-styled missions, but they all have a different take on the action. You may have a bunch of chase missions, but they are all uniquely different. Spidey has exactly the same missions, repeated over and over. Even the short cutscenes are exactly the same. They could mix it up a little bit with different scenarios & locales. Instead of picking up some guy in the middle of the street & rushing him to a hospital - it could play out in different ways. Maybe there is an ambulance in a traffic jam, or somehow unable to get the guy to the hospital fast enough. Maybe Spidey has to save someone from some disaster, such as a fire, then rush him to the hospital. There are many, many, possibilities that could've been explored.

[EnemaEms]

Originally posted by bickle+Jul 4 2004, 09:58 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (bickle @ Jul 4 2004, 09:58 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Big Daddy Bling Bling@Jun 30 2004, 08:32 AM

Then again, I'm not sure how variety would be added. The other standout free-roaming game, GTA, boils down to "drive here while being chased", or "chase down this car and immobilize it". In this and other respects, I think Gerstman plays favorites by ignoring a flaw in one game, then taking another game to the task for the exact same flaw.

Simple. By not making them exactly the same. GTA has similar-styled missions, but they all have a different take on the action. You may have a bunch of chase missions, but they are all uniquely different. Spidey has exactly the same missions, repeated over and over. Even the short cutscenes are exactly the same. They could mix it up a little bit with different scenarios & locales. Instead of picking up some guy in the middle of the street & rushing him to a hospital - it could play out in different ways. Maybe there is an ambulance in a traffic jam, or somehow unable to get the guy to the hospital fast enough. Maybe Spidey has to save someone from some disaster, such as a fire, then rush him to the hospital. There are many, many, possibilities that could've been explored. [/b]

Dave,

 

You could of not said what you said any better than how you said it. (I've gone cross-eyed :shock: )

 

I'm playing through Spider-Man 2 now (rental) and i am loving it, but I am glad I did not buy it. I just can't see myself wanting to get 100% in the game. I really don't like the challenges and finding all the tokens is kind of boring since they really don't yield anything that I know of.

 

However, what this game has done really well is the feeling that you really are Spider-man. The swinging, the fighting, the use of the Spider Sense is done so well. i can just swing around the city and do nothing but that.

 

I believe if the game didn't have to be released by the movie release date, we could of seen a much better game. I think more variation in the street missions would have been implemented and it would of become a must own game right off the bat. However, since this didn't happen, I will wait for this to hit the Greatest Hits/Platinum status and will purchase it then. That way I can swing around NYC whenever I get the need.

 

-Dean-

[JoeyN]

After playing most of the game ive got kind of bored redoing the same street missions all the time. Its fun swinging around and stuff, but think im gonna sell this one

 

 

capt

[FLYING SE7EN]

Bought. Beaten. Sold.

 

Great first impression, swinging around the city was awesome and really made you feel like a superhero, but I made a major error in how I played the game.

 

Example:

Chapter to do list -

Go to the Daily Bugle

Earn 3,000 Hero Points

 

I would stupidly go about getting the hero points BEFORE going to pick up the mission at the Bugle. After succesfully completing the mission, you might earn 1,500 - 2,000 HP's. Then you'd only have to get the remaining HP's to finish the chapter from foiling street crimes. Not me. I wasted time getting the hp's first, only to get even more (that I couldn't apply to the next mission) after finishing the chapter. So it would be safe to say that in addition to feeling like an idiot, I'm got really tired of the street crimes.

 

The only upside is that I might have been able to purchase upgrades more quickly, but it added a few hours of redundant and boring gameplay to the experience.

 

Had some fun, glad I could get $30 for it.

 

J.