Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro
North American cover art
Developer(s)Vicarious Visions
Publisher(s)Activision
Producer(s)Todd Quincey Jefferson
Designer(s)Brent Boylen
Programmer(s)Chris McEvoy
David Calvin
Dmitriy Buluchevskiy
Artist(s)Yaming Di
Carl Schell
Writer(s)
  • Todd Quincey Jefferson
  • Brent Boylen
  • Marc Turndorf
Composer(s)Todd Masten
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • NA: October 18, 2001[1]
  • EU: October 26, 2001
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro is a 2001 action-adventure video game based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It was developed by Vicarious Visions and published by Activision exclusively for the PlayStation. It is the sequel to Spider-Man (2000), and directly follows the events of that game, as Spider-Man tries to stop Electro from becoming all-powerful using a mechanism called the Bio-Nexus Device. Like its predecessor, the game features several classic Spider-Man villains as bosses, including the Shocker, Hammerhead, the Lizard, Sandman, and Electro, as well as his charged-up Hyper-Electro persona, created exclusively for the game. There are also cameo appearances from several other Marvel Comics characters, including X-Men members Rogue, Professor X, and Beast; and a cutscene-only appearance of Beetle. Thor appeared in a 2001 download-exclusive epilogue cutscene that has since become lost media.

Enter Electro received average-to-favorable reviews, with most critics generally considering it a downgrade from its predecessor. The game has become notorious for having numerous details, including its entire final stage, modified after the September 11 attacks; originally set to take place on top of the World Trade Center, the setting was changed to a generic skyscraper following a release delay.

Enter Electro was followed by Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 for the home video game consoles and PlayStation Portable, based on the first two films released in 2002 and 2004, while the standalone sequel for the Game Boy Advance, Spider-Man: Mysterio's Menace, was released in September 2001.

Gameplay

One major difference between the game and its predecessor is the ability to play on ground levels. In the first game's outdoor levels, if Spider-Man swung too low below designated rooftops, he would fall into yellow mist that dominated most of the game's levels and die. This game, however, presented levels based in limited city streets. They were confined grids rather than a free-roam environment.

The enemies in Enter Electro are more realistic than the ones in the previous game, with the lizardmen and alien symbiotes being replaced by criminals, drones and robots. In this game, Spider-Man has the ability to shoot a Web Ball while in mid-air. Spider-Man can also attach electricity and ice to his webbing. This time, the training mode takes the player to the X-Men's Danger Room Simulator wherein Rogue and Professor X assist Spider-Man with everything that may be useful during the course of gameplay. The hand animation is also changed. Now, every character's hands can react instead of waving fists. The basic punch and kick combo moves are also changed, doing away with the two-handed uppercut/mule kick for the third strike. Spider-Man only has one jump animation in this game, with him having two in the predecessor. The game primarily features only four credited voice actors: Rino Romano as Spider-Man and Jennifer Hale as Dr. Watts and Rogue, meanwhile Daran Norris and Dee Bradley Baker provided the rest of the voices.

By completing certain in-game goals, new costumes can be unlocked for Spider-Man. Many of them have special powers to alter the game experience. Included are all the costumes from the first game, with the same abilities, as well as several new outfits. A new option called "Create-A-Spider" mode allows the player to apply up to three in-game powers to any unlocked costume. The game powers include enhanced strength, unlimited webbing and invincibility.

Two additional costumes designed by comic-book artist Alex Ross were also featured in the game, one of which was a prototype costume design for the then-upcoming 2002 Spider-Man movie.

Plot

Shortly after the events of Spider-Man, a series of robberies led by Electro take place throughout New York City. While out on patrol, Spider-Man spots one of the robberies taking place at a building owned by BioTech. Planting a Spider-Tracer on the head thief's motorcycle, Spider-Man follows it to an abandoned warehouse where the thief is passing off a stolen briefcase to a contact. Spider-Man takes out the thugs and interrogates one of them, before being forced to fight the head thug: The Shocker.

After defeating Shocker, Spider-Man follows the thug's tip and heads for an airfield, where the contact is headed towards. Along the way, he is forced to disable a bomb, take out a machine-gun nest, and stop a runaway airplane from crashing. As the contact escapes via helicopter, Spider-Man plants another tracer on it and tracks it to a train yard owned by Hammerhead, where he must fight through his mob-employed night staff and The Sandman to stop the contact from fleeing aboard a train. Spider-Man eventually confronts the contact, Beetle, and although the latter manages to escape with the briefcase, he unknowingly leaves behind a clue for Spider-Man: an invitation to the Science and Industry Ball.

Meanwhile, Electro explains his master plan to his accomplices: to claim the Bio-Nexus Device. In the hands of an ordinary person, it can amplify their bio-energy to power a city block, but in his hands, the device will amplify his powers to god-like levels. The villains have acquired most of the pieces that make up the device, but they still need its power source. Believing its creator, Dr. Watts, might know where it is located, Electro sends Hammerhead and his men to kidnap her at the ball. Hammerhead takes several people hostage but is foiled by Spider-Man, who rescues the hostages before facing and defeating Hammerhead. However, Sandman captures Dr. Watts during the confusion.

Looking for more information on Dr. Watts and why she is sought by the villains, Spider-Man calls Dr. Curt Connors, her colleague at BioTech, only to hear roars on the other end of the line. Fearing Connors has transformed into his monstrous alter-ego once again, Spider-Man infiltrates BioTech and makes his way past security to reach Connors' lab, where he is confronted by the Lizard. After creating an antidote to restore Connors back to normal, Spider-Man learns from him about Electro's plan. He then goes to investigate Dr. Watts' lab and discovers that the device can be powered by a hand-sized sapphire. After defeating Sandman, Spider-Man sees a newspaper article about a sapphire called the Zeus Tear on display at the Museum. Realizing it is big enough to power the Bio-Nexus Device, Spider-Man rushes to get there before Electro does.

Electro beats Spider-Man to the museum, but the latter manages to defeat him inside the planetarium and secures the sapphire. Still holding Dr. Watts hostage, Electro coerces Spider-Man into giving him the sapphire by threatening the doctor's life. Spider-Man throws the jewel into the air as Electro releases Dr. Watts, but when the former attempts to take back the sapphire with his webs, he misses, allowing Electro to grab it. With the Bio-Nexus Device complete, Electro uses it to supercharge himself into "Hyper-Electro", a being made of pure electrical energy, and flies away in a bolt of lighting. An injured Spider-Man follows him to the top of a nearby skyscraper where, unable to directly attack him, instead uses the tower's generators to disable the Bio-Nexus Device, allowing him to defeat Electro and destroy the device, ending the villain's power play for good.

The next day, Thor is credited in the Daily Bugle with saving New York from Electro, much to Spider-Man's annoyance. In prison, Electro moans over his defeat as he shares a cell with Hammerhead and Shocker, who try to ignore him and play cards. When they get bored of poker, Shocker decides to ask the villains from the first game, who are imprisoned in a nearby cell, if they know how to play Go Fish.

Development

An image of ~Enter Electro's final stage prior to the sensitivity changes, depicting the World Trade Center towers
Enter Electro's final stage prior to the sensitivity changes, depicting the Twin Towers
An image of Enter Electro's final stage in the retail version of the game, with an added bridge between the towers, and a different façade on the buildings
Enter Electro's final stage in the retail version of the game, with an added bridge between the towers, and a different façade on the buildings to remove associations with the World Trade Center

Delay and modifications

Enter Electro was originally scheduled for release on September 18th, 2001.[2] Following the September 11 attacks, Activision delayed the release of the game in order to remove references to the World Trade Center, and the game was pushed back to October 18 of that year.[3] The final level of the game originally took place atop the Twin Towers; this was changed to a generic pair of towers with an added bridge between them. An establishing shot of the Twin Towers in the preceding cutscene was deleted entirely. Other alterations made to avoid potentially insensitive references included level name changes; the levels Crash Flight!, Downward Spiral, Aces High and Top of the World became Wind Tunnel, The Corkscrew, The Gauntlet and The Best Laid Plans, respectively.[4]

After being considered lost since the game's release, the pre-9/11 version of the game was eventually uploaded online by Argentinian YouTube user 'EnVicioMan' in 2015.[5] The video under which the ISO was linked explains that the uncut version was sourced from the user's childhood copy of the game, which they suggest may have been a pirated bootleg disc. In 2017, an uncut PAL prototype copy of the game dated August 14, 2001 was uploaded to videogame preservation site Hidden Palace.[6]

It is unknown how uncut retail copies of the game have surfaced in private hands. There is a popular misconception that the game was recalled from shelves following 9/11, with some sources claiming the game actually released in August of 2001; this has never been verified and there are no contemporary sources confirming either the supposed August release date or the product recall.

Web-exclusive content

On September 28, 2001, Activision uploaded an exclusive cutscene from the game for download on the official Spider-Man game website.[7] The cutscene contained Spider-Man and Thor meeting following the game's final battle. The exact content of the scene is unknown; no download links or backups survive and the video is considered lost media.

Reception

Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro received a moderately positive reception, albeit lower than that of the first game.[8] Critics noted the choice of villains was more obscure than its predecessor, and the short length of time to complete the game was another point of criticism. The game's storyline was divisive, as some saw it as below average and not up to par with the last installment, while others enjoyed it. The graphics, voice acting, soundtrack, and gameplay received praise, however. Jeff Lundrigan of Next Generation called it "a worthy successor, if not as exceptional as the original".[20] In Japan, where the game was ported and published by Success on October 31, 2002, Famitsu gave it a score of 27 out of 40.[12]

Sequel

A standalone sequel titled Spider-Man: Mysterio's Menace was released in 2001 for the Game Boy Advance. In addition, the video game adaptation of the 2002 film shares a similar gameplay style and control scheme and could be considered a spiritual third game.

References

  1. ↑ "Spider-Man - Products". 2001-12-11. Archived from the original on 2001-12-11. Retrieved 2023-03-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ↑ I. G. N. Staff (2001-09-11). "Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro". IGN. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  3. ↑ "Spider-Man 2 Delayed". IGN. September 17, 2001. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  4. ↑ 9/11 Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro Comparison | PlayStation (PSX) September 11, 2001, retrieved 2023-08-06
  5. ↑ Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro Pre 9/11 Version LEAKED!!, retrieved 2023-12-17
  6. ↑ "Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro (Aug 14, 2001 13.49 prototype)". hiddenpalace.org. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  7. ↑ "Spider-Man - Downloads". 2001-12-12. Archived from the original on 2001-12-12. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  8. 1 2 "Spider-Man 2: Enter: Electro Critic Reviews for PlayStation". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2014-01-13.
  9. ↑ Miller, Skyler. "Spider-Man 2 -- Enter: Electro - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 2014-11-13. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  10. ↑ EGM Staff (November 2001). "Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 148. Ziff Davis. p. 218.
  11. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (2001-11-22). "Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro Review". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved 2014-01-13.
  12. 1 2 "スパイダーマン2 エンター・エレクトロ [PS]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  13. ↑ Reiner, Andrew (October 2001). "Spider-Man 2: Enter: Electro". Game Informer. No. 102. FuncoLand. Archived from the original on 2008-01-21. Retrieved 2014-01-13.
  14. ↑ Uncle Dust (2001-10-18). "Spider-Man 2 Enter: Electro [sic] Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2005-02-07. Retrieved 2014-01-13.
  15. ↑ Nash, Joe (November 2001). "Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 2015-10-01. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  16. ↑ Villoria, Gerald (2001-10-16). "Spider-Man 2 Enter: Electro Review [sic]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2014-01-13.
  17. ↑ Bub, Andrew S. (2001-10-25). "Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro (PSOne)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2001-11-20. Retrieved 2014-01-13.
  18. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (2001-11-13). "Spider-Man 2 Enter: Electro [sic] - PlayStation". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2008-12-30. Retrieved 2014-01-13.
  19. ↑ Fujita, Mark (2001-10-29). "Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 2014-01-13.
  20. 1 2 Lundrigan, Jeff (November 2001). "Spider-Man 2 Enter: Electro [sic]". Next Generation. No. 83. Imagine Media. p. 112. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  21. ↑ "Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. No. 50. Ziff Davis. November 2001. p. 168.
  22. ↑ Alt, Eric (2001-10-18). "Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro". Maxim. Biglari Holdings. Archived from the original on 2001-12-29. Retrieved 2014-11-13.
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