I've reviewed just about every version of Spider-Man 2. In fact, I own just about every version of Spider-Man 2. I have the movie on UMD and DVD, I have the console version for Xbox and PS2, the DS version and now the PSP version. So, needless to say, I'm qualified to review this one for sure.
First of all, this is a very attractive game. Spider-Man 2 is a really good way to show off your PSP to a friend. The graphics and sound in this game are top-notch. The voice acting is excellent and showcases some of the movie's stars. To be completely honest, if you were to show this game on a television instead of the PSP screen, it would be pretty easy to mistake it for the PS2 version. That's where the similarities end.
While the game is attractive, it does lack a bit in the “originality” department. Spider-Man 2 is a straight-up action game with plenty of punches and kicks, but it lacks the free-style roaming that made the console versions so great. Without the abillity to wildly swing around the city, the game loses it's charm to a certain extent. Sure, you still get to play as Spider-Man and face off with some diabolical villains, but it's a much more focused experience and that doesn't sit well.
Well, let's talk about the game itself. You, of course, play the role of Spider-Man. Surprised? I know I was. Now, in this game you punch guys and do all sorts of spider related things like suck the life out of flies and scare the living bejesus out of me. Not really, but that would be awesome. Well, as Peter Parker you really do punch some guys and fight some super villains.
Along the way you can purchase extra abilities and crazy punches, the kind of punches that could kill a man from forty paces. These punches, kicks and upgrades are added to your arsenal of moves to strike fear into the hearts of evil doers, and sometimes the hearts of evil overseers and the occasional jerk who doesn't like kittens.
Other than the punks that need a serious beating, Doc Ock and some of his flunky friends will make guest appearances and, of course, get beaten senseless by old Spides. The boss fights are pretty interesting, after you manage to bam and thwok your way through a few punks.
All in all, Spider-Man 2 isn't really gonna have you clamoring back for more, especially at it's extremely hefty retail price. There's not really that much involved in this game to really keep anyone's attention for any length of time. You won't be putting a lot of time into this one.
When all is said and done, Spider-Man 2 is pretty entertaining but not particularly worth the cost. If it were a little longer or if it encompassed some of the traits of it's console cousins then maybe. It's definitely a nice showcase for the graphic and sound quality of the PSP, but it would be better if there was a little more game involved.