Spider-Man was a huge PlayStation hit (it subsequently appeared on both the Dreamcast and PC) because it finally allowed superhero action games to get out of their 2-D beat-'em-up ruts and into the 3-D world. And now the original game's sequel is more than good enough to catch PlayStation gamers in the web once more. Enter Electro's story follows the plans of that nefarious, electricity-spewing bad guy Electro, who's trying to tap an energy source that'll make him much more powerful and dangerous. After a training level that familiarizes you with the game's controls (and new abilities such as the web-grab, where Spider-Man can send out a web and pull an object back toward him), you must web-swing around New York City and stop Electro, his goons, and various other villains from Spidey's infamous rogue's gallery. The cast of heavies include the Shocker, Hammerhead, the Sandman, the Lizard, and a few others from the first game.
The plot this time out is a little tighter than the last game's mix of stories, and the game draws on the villains' well-known personas to make each encounter interesting. Again, Spider-Man creator Stan Lee narrates the story in his inimitable style, and the voice acting is strong throughout. You can also seek out a few classic Spider-Man covers hidden throughout the game.
Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro is a great sequel; it adds quite a few new tricks and villains, and succeeds in terms of story and plot. It does carry over some of the camera problems from the first game, it depends a bit too much on puzzlelike gameplay, and the save system is still stingy enough to be annoying (you can only save between levels), but webheads out there aren't going to care, and it's nice to see such strong properties are still being released for the good old PlayStation One. --Bob Andrews
Pros:
- New boss villains
- New powers, tricks, and goodies
- Same true-to-the-comic gameplay
Cons: - The camera is still erratic
- The save system can be annoying
