Activision's 2005 DS release Ultimate Spider-Man is a fantastic side-scrolling beat-em-up that's among the best third party games for the system, and thankfully, the famous publisher is attempting to build off its success with the follow up, dubbed Spider-Man: Battle for NY. It appears to be just more of the same, but considering how much I enjoy playing its predecessor, that's definitely a good thing.

The game is still a little ways from being completed, but it appears to contain most of what makes Ultimate Spider-Man so entertaining. Once again, Activision has elected to blend dimensions instead of relying on the DS's 3D capabilities, so Spider-Man moves from left to right within the environment but there are a lot of 3D effects in the background. Furthermore, all of the action is contained on the top screen while Spider-Man's special moves are displayed across the bottom one, and while I haven't had a chance to play the game, it would seem like these maneuvers can be activated by touching their respective icons, which will no doubt lead to greasy thumb prints.

Aside from his special attacks, Spider-Man has the usual assortment of punches and kicks that can be executed by pressing the Y and A buttons. He can also be forced to perform a spin dodge by pressing L, but I'll probably have the most fun web-slinging my way through the environments. This can be achieved by pressing R, and just like in the last game, Spider-Man can use his sticky webs to trap bad guys, fly all over the place, and catch a quick ride to the ceiling. But he can also crawl up and down walls, so it's not always necessary to bust out the fancy stuff, that is, unless you're playing as Green Goblin. The famous Spider-Man villain will more than likely contain his own set of moves, and being able to play as him will add extra depth to the overall experience.

Then there's the story, which up to this point has been kept under wraps. I know that Marvel artist Ron Linn is working with the developers on the cut scenes, but aside from that, I'm not sure what the narrative is about or how it'll be presented. Furthermore, the characters feature upgradeable abilities, but Activision hasn't made any announcements as to what those are, nor has it mentioned anything about the mini games and the multiplayer mode(s).

Despite this lack of information, Battle for NY is without question a game that I absolutely need to play. I just hope developer Torus Games can capture the same magic that Vicarious Visions did with Ultimate Spider-Man, as anything less won't be acceptable.