SPIDER-MAN 2: THE GAME, Activision/Treyarch
This loose interpretation of the movie preserves its basic storyline -- the evil Dr. Octopus is running rampant in the city and Spider-Man has to save the day -- but gives gamers plenty of ways to depart from that path. Each chapter in the game has a specific goal, but you're allowed and encouraged to take time to do some good in the city. Rescue a civilian from danger or take an injured person to the hospital and you'll win "hero points" that yield new powers and skills. And you can do this for hours on end if you want to.
| | | | ___Personal Tech E-letter___ Washington Post personal technology columnist Rob Pegoraro answers reader e-mail and expands on themes he touches on in his weekly newspaper column. The e-mail version of this weekly feature includes links to the latest gadget and software reviews.
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Fighting has been revamped to allow such complex combinations as air juggles and multiple-hit attacks on enemies. Better yet, swinging from building to building on your spider threads feels much more natural (if that's the right word). The stiff, restrictive feel of previous Spider-Man games has been traded in for simple, responsive control of direction, height and distance.
As for graphics, the living, breathing scenery -- far below you, cars move and people mill about -- will certainly keep your interest. (Those graphics look a little sharper on the Xbox.) Voiceover work, meanwhile, was done by the original actors, including Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Alfred Molina.
-- Tom Ham
PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube, $50
DRIVER 3,
Atari, Reflections
This game shipped almost a year late but still looks and plays as if it's unfinished. The original Driver -- a creative chase-and-be-chased experience that featured '70s cars with a variety of entertaining gameplay modes -- is far superior to this re-tread of a sequel. So are the numerous other games that invite gamers to jump in and out of their vehicles to explore rich cityscapes. Here, just getting out of the car is a klutzy, ugly experience, marred by poor gun targeting, rigid animations and bad collision detection.
The artificial intelligence is even dumber than Driver 3's unpredictable, sloppy physics model. Cops will drive their cars into water (you can swim in the game, although you look like you're drowning in the process) and thugs stand in the open and ignore you until you're on top of them. The only positive in the game is the computer-generated cinematics, enhanced by Hollywood voice actors such as Mickey Rourke, Michelle Rodriguez and Michael Madsen. Die-hard fans of the franchise may be tempted to rent this one, but if they do, they'll be surprised at how little has changed since Driver 2. -- John Gaudiosi
