Ultimate Spider-Man [PS2]

Sometimes, for even the greatest superhero mythos -- or indeed any fictional universe -- it's simply time to start over. Patch the weaker bits, rejuvenate the dramatic whole, ditch selected narrative baggage, and generally pretend that things turned out a different way. It's recently done wonders for Batman's movie-career street-cred, and now Spider-Man gets what is arguably his coolest, most stylish video game outing to date: Ultimate Spider-Man.

Set in the present day and starring a re-visioned, 15-year-old Peter Parker -- friendly neighborhood web designer for the Daily Bugle -- Ultimate Spider-Man takes the already-excellent, free-webslinging approach of Spider-Man 2 and tightens down all its functional bolts, while simultaneously offering a new layer of eye-goggling, comic-style cool to the proceedings.

At least half of the core Spider-Man experience is about effortlessly, stylishly flinging oneself from building to building on a web and a wisecrack... and this game nails the sensation damn-near perfectly. Ultimate Spider-Man plays with remarkable fluidity, and players can easily web-sling all over a fully roamable Manhattan.

While the tallest buildings of Spider-Man 2's more towering Manhattan aren't necessarily available for purpose of transit, a web-zipline function instantly anchors to even the most far-off low structures, hauling Spidey long lateral distances in seconds. Of course, Spider-Man can also climb any surfaces, survive drops from hideous heights, and do an impossible -- but tremendously useful -- mid-air double-jump

On the ground, he punches, kicks, and immobilizes his foes with web-shooters. Once they're down, another special command can hang them from lampposts and other objects, like so many sacks of outgoing mail. For vets of the previous games, it definitely feels different. The web-as-Swiss-army-knife thing so prevalent in Spider-Man 2 is largely eschewed here in favor of more straightforward (but nimble) Spidey-brand acrobatics in combat.

It's all about being a moving (almost spastic) target, jumping out of harm's way, bouncing off walls, making the occasional insulting crack, and switching up your attacks from opponent to opponent even as your foes go out of their minds trying to nail your wiry ass to the wall. Keep the combos going to the Amazing and Ultimate levels, and you'll hand out more and more effective beatings; before long, you'll think nothing of brazenly windmilling your way into a gaggle of bad guys; Spider-Man is that much of a badass.

If an enemy or boss is about to unload with some particularly harmful special attack, the ever-useful Spider-Sense appears as a visible aura and cue to make a high, evasive jump to the enemy's flank, a nearby wall, or almost any other available surface. Throughout all of this, the camera does a solid job of keeping everything in view; the same applies to the free-roaming, web-slinging exploration of the city. Once players accept the new control scheme, they can make the crosstown commute with remarkable speed (good thing too, because there are some relentless race challenges).

Ultimate Spider-Man isn't just a good game, it's a loving tribute to comic-book art. The new cel-shaded visuals and comic book panel presentation is amazingly faithful to the look (and color palette) of the comics. Just as in the books, Peter's friend Eddie is consumed by the cure-for-cancer-gone-mad which is called simply "the suit," and presto-slobbero, Venom is born... as a playable character.

And brother, is he nasty. Where Spider-Man is speed and agility and even something like spazzy grace, Venom is all oily blackness and ugly, brute force. When he clambers up the side of a building, he leaves craters and divots with his every step and clutch. He can attack carloads of heavily armed enemies at the end of the street with other cars. Spidey cavorts for news-crew helicopters, but Venom can punch out helicopters. And when his considerable health-gauge gets low, he can swallow up his victims/foes whole. And if you think Spider-Man can jump, just wait until you get a load of Venom in your gaming veins.

Ultimate Spider-Man has an impressive list of other walk-on stars as well. As Venom, expect to trash most of a pool hall in a battle with the ill-tempered Wolverine, and to square off with boss-baddie Electro. There's also Beetle, a buffed-up Rhino, a scarier Green Goblin, Nick Fury, and a certain singular, silvery acquaintance... the list goes on, and so does the gameplay.

The dialogue and voicework, for Parker/Spidey in particular, are priceless. His 15-year-old voice has just enough crack and strain to hint at the trials of teendom, while his tutorial commentary and one-liners have the wiseacre oh-so-nerdy flow we expect from the (Ultimate) Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

Are there any downsides to this game? Yes, and they're largely sins of omission. For starters, there's the trimmed-down combat. There's still plenty to do in the game, but it doesn't mean veterans won't feel a little something missing. Some of those chase or "timed" missions barely rise above "try-and-die," that most egregious of game-design slaps. Finally, the overarching story elements are a bit on the skimpy side in terms of required game hours -- but the impetus for replay is there, with cool comic geek unlockables.

Bottom web-line: If you liked the previous Spider-Man outings but wanted more fluidity and flash, you're gonna dig this game. If you're only so-so on your Spider-Man fandom and care more about a solid, intuitive experience than comic-styled minutia, you're still gonna dig this game. The old web-head gets so much from this new outing, you can almost hear J. Jonah Jameson grinding cigar butts to gristle between his teeth.