Superhero Hype! got a chance to talk to Karthik Bala, CEO of Vicarious Visions, the company which developed the new Spider-Man 2 PSP game. The game will be on store shelves for the launch of the PSP handheld entertainment system in North America next week.
SHH!: For the Superhero Hype! readers that have already seen the film, bought the DVD and possibly played one or more of the Spider-Man 2 movie games over the past year on the consoles, the GBA or the Nintendo DS: We know Spidey wins and Doc Ock loses, what’s new about this game?
Bala: From the start of this project, our goal was to create a new Spider-Man 2 game that was specifically designed for the PSP and showcased its graphical power. Spider-Man 2 for the PSP is an all-new action/adventure game that follows the story arc of the movie, but expands far beyond with all new sub plots featuring a host of classic Spider-Man villains. The game features brand new levels and game play, new CG sequences and all new voiceover from the movie’s main cast.
SHH!: What kinds of things can you do now that you couldn’t on previous portable systems?
Bala: This is the first fully 3D Spider-Man game on a handheld with the production value that is comparable to the console games. The media rich capabilities of the hardware allowed us to create a very cinematic experience and intuitive game play. You really get the feeling of being Spider-Man like never before on a handheld.
SHH!: Were any of the film’s actors brought in to record new lines for the PSP version?
Bala: We brought back the main cast including Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Alfred Molina and brought JK Simmons to do voice over exclusively to this game. The new scenes between JJ and Peter are absolutely hilarious! We had a lot of fun with the script, especially with some classic villains who were weaved into the storyline.
SHH!: How many levels are in the game?
Bala: There are 19 brand new levels to explore in the game. Some of the levels are recreations of key scenes from the movie such as the reactor, the intense train sequence and of course the final showdown with Doc Ock. They look amazing on the PSP’s wide screen!
SHH!: Does Spidey have any new moves for the PSP game?
Bala: Absolutely. Spider-Man has a host of new moves through an enhanced combo system. Beyond Spider-Man’s signature moves like wall crawling, swinging, web yanking and capture webbing, he has new moves such as the web cocoon, web nets and heavy web balls. Spider-Man can even yank weapons out of the bad guys’ hands forcing them to engage in hand to hand melee combat. One of our favorite new moves is actually during a boss fight with Rhino. Spider-Man can ride Rhino like a bull and it’s very cool!
SHH!: Which villians made it into this game?
Bala: In addition to Doc Ock, Spider-Man squares off against Mysterio, Vulture, Shocker and Rhino. In an interesting twist, Shocker and Rhino team up to try and defeat Spider-Man. This dual boss fight led to some interesting gameplay and combat tactics that we haven’t seen before in a Spider-Man game.
SHH!: Finally, simply tell us when the game will be in stores.
Bala: Spider-Man 2 for the PSP will be on store shelves for the launch of the PSP handheld entertainment system in North America next week!
Source: Activision
