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Deadlines can have a major influence on the quality of a video game. The problem is especially prevalent in two areas, that of launch titles and licensed games. To a degree, this makes sense - companies want the video game tie-in of a movie to hit stores about the same time that movie hits theaters, or perhaps DVD. On the same note, if a company has committed to providing a title for release alongside new hardware, it's also a time-sensitive matter. More often than not, these games are rushed through development just to get a game out on store shelves by deadline. It's interesting to note the release of Spider-Man 2 on DS coincided not only with the launch of the Nintendo DS hardware, but also that of Spider-Man 2 on DVD. I'd like to say that this had no obvious effect on the game and that it's a wonderfully charming 2D beat 'em up, but I can’t.
Sure, Spider-Man 2 gets the basics right. Spider-Man can punch, kick and swing his way through stages. He can crawl on walls and use his webbing to throw enemies around. He'll go head to head with multiple enemies and rescue hostages, all while trying to maintain some semblance of a personal life. This all sounds nice on paper, but it falls apart in the context of the game. For starters, Spider-Man 2 makes use of several archaic gameplay devices that have fallen out of use simply because they're frustrating. Unlike many games that just require a player to reach the end of a level, Spider-Man 2 dictates certain criteria be met. There's no entertainment in combing through a burning building for five victims or hunting down the twenty-three convicts that just escaped from a bus, especially after you've spent five minutes trying to find that last victim. More infuriating is when you finally find that last victim or bad guy, only to die and have to repeat the whole process. Even worse is the occasional use of time limits, which only add to the frustration factor. Not only do you have to find and defeat twelve bad guys, but now you've got to do it in three minutes. Throughout most of this, the bottom screen on the DS is used to display the different special moves Spider-Man has at his disposal. By tapping the corresponding icon, that move is then mapped to the R trigger. During boss fights, the action sometimes switches to the bottom screen, requiring players to tap away with the stylus. It's nothing terribly original, but at the same time, it's nice to see developers making use of the touch screen instead of just ignoring it. Though Spider-Man 2 makes use of the DS' ability to render 3D graphics, the gameplay itself is limited to the 2D plane - left, right, up and down. This isn't a problem at all, but as the back of the box advertises the chance to "prowl a huge 3D New York," it's an important point to make. Most of the flaws with Spider-Man 2 lie within the afore-mentioned mission design, which is arguably the easiest aspect of a game to change, provided a developer isn't rushed. It's also this design that extends the length of the game, as meeting the objectives takes far more time than just running through a level, beating up enemies and reaching the next stage. But there's no point in playing through a game that's more frustrating than fun, regardless of length. Even the most die-hard Spidey fans will be hard-pressed to enjoy this one.
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