Spider-Man 2 is based on the big-budget movie that was released earlier this year. Rather than being just a port of a Game Boy Advance game, Vicarious Visions has created something specifically for the Nintendo DS. The DS version of the game features 3D graphics with a fixed camera, similar to Viewtiful Joe or Kirby 64. The great thing about this style is that it gives a modern 3D look in addition to classic 2D gameplay.

For the main game, the top screen features the 2D platforming/beat-em-up action, while the bottom screen has special Spidey-specific buttons. These buttons allow Spider-Man to do many things, including shoot webbing, pull thugs and other enemies towards Spidey and shoot a small glob of webbing. All the player needs to do is touch the area on the screen that has that button (the buttons are fairly big and square, so they're not easy to miss) to select the ability that Spider-Man will perform when the special action button is pressed. Players can apparently earn more special moves as they progress through the game. The middle of the bottom screen contains details such as mission objectives and the current time.

There are different things to do with the touch screen in addition to the Spider-buttons. In boss battles, the Spider-buttons are gone, and are replaced with a boss-specific screen. For example, in one Doc Ock battle, players will need to touch debris as it comes flying towards Spider-Man in a first person view on the bottom screen to web it away. In another mission, The Vulture has hidden bombs around the city and it's up to Spider-Man (and the player) to diffuse the bombs by carefully using the touch screen.

Spider-Man 2 is shaping up to be a great-looking launch title for the Nintendo DS, as well as using the dual screens and the touch screens to their fullest. The variety of the gameplay, as well as the traditional platform brawling, makes Spider-Man 2 sound like a lot of fun for gamers.