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 PLATFORM: GAMECUBE
EVERYTHING A SPIDER CAN

his game is going to cash in big time on kids’ excitement over the movie, and it should. Spider-Man is a pretty solid game, and gives you what you’d expect in an Activision sequel. The new zip lines are rather useful, and having the next-gen power to fill out the city levels is a welcome sight. I also enjoyed the many training levels, which weren’t merely hand-holders, but were often fun in their own right. However, I feel that this game didn’t fully maximize the opportunity that the movie’s spotlight provided.

While I loved the wealth of combo moves and web slinging, the added flavor it gave to the title was hampered by the way levels were broken up. Several times I was excited by what I thought would be around a corner, but was instead disappointed by a cutscene and the abrupt end of the stage. This stop ‘n’ go formula  gave boss battles less bite and drama. Moreover, Spidey’s mojo was often hampered by a wonky camera and zip lines that you could never be too sure of. GameCubers should see this as an action title that’ll help fill the console’s otherwise sparse cupboards in the genre.  



LISA MASON   8.5
Spider-Man has tons of combo moves, gorgeous graphics, and great voice-over work (which is more than a little mocking at times). New York is rendered on a massive scale and the Spidey abilities are more fun, abundant, and easier to use than the PlayStation iteration.
8
CONCEPT:
A nice conjunction of another Spidey installment and movie marketing
GRAPHICS:
The city skies are a sight to swing through and explosions have some nice particle effects
SOUND:
Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe impressed, although most of the speech was repetitive
PLAYABILITY:
Spidey’s stickiness to any object can frustrate, but you’ll never run out of moves to pull
ENTERTAINMENT:
It’s a good time, but not quite “The Amazing” Spider-Man
REPLAY:
Moderate
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