While many of you have been climbing over one another to grab a copy of Super Mario 64 DS, take note that Nintendo's famous plumber isn't the only big name hero that launched with the system. Activision and Vicarious Visions' Spider-Man 2 is an action-packed fighting game that features everyone's favorite neighborhood web slinger, and while a few annoying issues keep his game from greatness, it's a must buy if you're a fan or just looking for a solid beat-em-up.

Fans of old school 2D fighters will find a lot to love about this all-new Spider-Man adventure. As the brave and nimble web slinger, you must save NYC from the evil Doc Ock and his army of cronies (as well as other bad buys). The game runs in 2.5D, so while you'll always be moving from left to right (and in many cases up and down), the background scrolls when you make turns, an effect that looks best when you're web slinging across the screen, but that's not Spider-Man's only cool ability. His arsenal consists of the usual punches and kicks (that can be linked together to perform combos), but he also has numerous special moves that you can access by simply touching the bottom screen, and he also makes excellent use of web-zipping. Fun to watch as well as an important part of gameplay, web-zipping allows you to zip in several directions and the effect is very cool. Spidey's invincible while doing this, so you can zip through fire or plow through some enemies. You can also use it to gain access to hard to reach areas. Lastly, when Spider-Man's spider sense is tingling, you can slow down time and beat up your enemies Matrix-style.

Having all of these abilities is definitely a good thing because you're going to come across lots of bad guys. Many of them are just the usual no name thugs that are walking the streets, but you will encounter boss fights featuring some more famous characters including a very impressive fight with Doc Ock atop a train.

Unlike some of the other DS launch titles, Spider-Man 2 has the distinct honor of being one of the few graphical showpieces for the system. Running at a consistent and speedy frame rate, the action purrs at an even pace, and the environments are fantastically detailed. The game's 3D visuals are very well done and the character animation (particularly Spider-Man's) is beautifully fluid. The gameplay's also peppered with neat effects such as the ability to crash through doors. It's truly a joy to watch.

Also impressive is the soundtrack. It perfectly fits the mood of the game and really gets the adrenaline pumping. Other sounds, such as fists sailing through the air and groans from defeated enemies are also pretty good.

Unfortunately, Spider-Man 2 is hampered by some annoying issues, most notably back tracking. Some of the levels are absolutely huge and feature multiple paths to explore, and it's easy to miss something because you were in a hurry, meaning you'll have to go back through familiar territory and possibly take damage in the process. This becomes a problem in the very first level of the game where you need to enter a burning building and rescue the people trapped inside (while kicking the snot out of some bad guys). Often times I missed people and had to go back, and sometimes I knew where to go, and other times I was quite lost. Now I don't have a problem with games that encourage exploration, but Spider-Man 2 is too action-oriented and linear to pull this off. It bogs down the gameplay and is extremely frustrating, especially since upgrades are dependant upon the grade you get for certain levels, and you certainly won't achieve an A if you're stuck someplace.

Lastly, the wind is somewhat taken out of the game's sails because it doesn't use the Nintendo DS's touch screen for anything useful. Being able to select special moves with it on the fly is convenient but by no means spectacularly innovative. This doesn't make the game worse, but as a launch title for a system that has a gimmick everyone wants to try out, its features are pretty boring.

Spider-Man 2 really surprised me. It's by no means the DS's strongest launch title, but it is very rewarding the longer you play, and for Spidey fans this is an essential purchase. I definitely give props to Activision for crafting a completely new adventure as opposed to shoehorning the console title onto the system, and if you give the game a try, you'll find that it's a great game that'll provide many hours of enjoyment.