Your friendly neighborhood wall crawler returns to console gaming in Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro, the sequel to last years successful Playstation release. Once again, players take on the roll of the popular Marvel comics character, battling a whole new set of evil-doers in the Big Apple with his own special brand of combat, web-slinging, and tongue in cheek humor. Sporting fast arcade-like action, authentic Spider-Man characters, and a slew of new power-ups and other in-game feature, Spider-Man 2 should not only keep fans of the original title engrossed in its gameplay for hours to come, but still entice new fans to the web head’s series of Playstation gaming.

A testament to the popularity of the Marvel arachnid styled superhero can be measured in its longevity as a franchise. For over 30 years, Spider-Man has graced the covers of multiple comic books, entertained us through several animated adventures on TV, has made several appearances on live-action made-for-TV movies, and later this year will be making his big screen debut with the help of modern day computer graphics. Spider-Man has also found new levels of popularity in the gaming world as of late, with last years’ release of Spider-Man for the Playstation and the subsequent port to the PC gaming platform. Developer Vicarious Visions along with the writers at Marvel Comics and the publishers at Activision captured the overall feel of a Spider-Man comic-book with that release blowing away both fans of the web head and console gamers alike. Well once again, the Playstation community has the chance to re-live the patented web slinging arcade-like action that the original game provided with the release of the anticipated sequel Spider-Man 2:Enter Electro, and fans of the original game as well as newcomers to the series shouldn’t be disappointed.

For those unfamiliar with the original release by Activision, Spider-Man for the Playstation was an interesting and action packed romp through the world of the Marvel comic-book hero. Utilizing an arcade style version of gameplay (well suited for Spider-Man’s unique talents) players had the ability to swing, web, and fight their way across New York City as the wall crawler himself, battling such villainous icons as Dr. Octopus, Scorpion, the Rhino, and even Venom. A well scripted storyline, voiceovers from the creator of Spider-Man Stan Lee himself, three dimensional character control, and visits from other popular Marvel hero’s in game added to the overall release and marked Spider-Man as an all time favorite for many Playstation game players. Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro isn’t remarkably different in its gaming approach to its predecessor, but instead treads down the same paths of action, storytelling, and fun that the original game paved.

  As with the original game, Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro contains the same control aspects, in-game rendered cut-scenes (to help move the plot along), and many of the same arcade power-ups and character moves/abilities. Some of the new additions to the game this time around include new villains to overcome (Electro, Shocker, and Sandman to name just a few) allowing Spider-Man to test his skills and strength against some of the most unique nasties in the comic book world. Also, several new attacks and combos have been added to the game, including Ice-Webbing (allowing you to freeze objects and enemies), Taser-Webbing, and an all new auto aim feature that helps the accuracy of attacks and web based movements. Parker’s Portfolio is another new element to the game that gives players access to pre-rendered snapshots of in game battles, as are the new costumes (including the electric insulated armor and the invulnerable Spider-Phoenix garb).

Some other elements of the original game have seen there way into Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro, including the multiple difficulty level settings, the kids gaming version, and the character dossier. The training level also returns, but has been slightly revamped from the original. This time, Spidey gets to train his skills (both old and new) in the famed X-Men’s Danger Room, with the help of Professor X and Rogue, giving new and returning players that chance to sharpen their skills before proceeding (or returning) to the main game.  

All in all, Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro is an excellent game for the Playstation console that this reviewer found entertaining to play. The same quality elements found on the original game have transitioned nicely to this sequel, adding the same great story-telling, action, and quality game playing that was found in Spider-Man from a year ago. Unfortunately, character control issues that were inherent on the original game have also made their way across to the sequel, making the overall movement of Spidey when moving from 2-D to 3-D environments slightly disconcerting. With practice, however, most players should be able to overcome this one gaming flaw at least partially, and shouldn’t hinder the overall enjoyment of the game too much.