Written by Matt Swider  on August 12, 2002

Accessories: Has a little black and blue and red all over.

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At the start of the summer, nothing was bigger than Spider-Man. After releasing into theatres, the web-headed superhero enjoyed more publicity and hype than in any of the past several years starring in comics. Of course with the huge success of any movie like this comes tons of merchandise, and Spider-Man is no stranger to this end of the spectrum. Recently, Naki acquired the licensing to produce a string of Marvel videogame accessories and has released a lineup of products for the next-generation consoles and portable systems. As always, within the assemble of third party hardware we usually see controllers that resemble the Dual Shock 2 pad. Differences vary between them, but the real change with the Marvel Spider-Pad is the inclusion of a controller designed in vein of Spidey's sense; fashion sense that is.

Naki improves upon the Dual Shock 2 controller by giving gamers something to replace the traditional black color that we are used to seeing. Instead of the usual design, we receive a pad that is stands out from the rest and is sure to impress friends with great envy. The Spider-Pad features a stylish design taken straight from Spider-Man's traditional attire with the red and blue color scheme from his costume. Along with these colors is tons of webbing to complete the Spider-Man theme for the controller. Thrown into the mix are black buttons that take effect as the regular Dual Shock 2 triggers. All of the buttons look the same for the most part except the X trigger. Here, the icon is replaced by a spider symbol representing its shape. This may not be the biggest change found in the controller, but it adds a nice touch of detail, adding to the Spider-Man effect.

The rest of the face buttons found on the Spider-Pad remain identical to the Dual Shock 2 only with a more plastic feel to them. This is especially true in the four shoulder buttons on top of the controller. It's a surprising difference between the Dual Shock 2 and will take some time getting used to. Both of the R and L buttons take a thinner design making them feel like a more cheap plastic, however since the do rise out of the pad more so than in the Dual Shock 2, they give off a more springy sense. This makes it so that when you press down on one of the shoulder buttons you are aware, as it's very affirmative. This may be more comfortable in the end for some, yet still seems odd for those already accustomed to the Dual Shock 2 presentation of things.

Another big change in the Spider-Pad is in the direction pad. We see so often third party controllers differ from the mainstream pad by offering an eight directional circular D-Pad. This works particularly well with great performance stemming from an ease of movement. This is a definite advantage for fighting games as well as other titles that required a great deal of quick movement. While this piece receives a lot of pressure from the thumb and can wear easily as shown by past experiences in only being a single part, Naki seems to have rooted the directional pad into the pad to prevent this sort of thing from happening.

Although the D-Pad received a big overhaul, the analog remains close to what the Dual Shock brings only with slightly less stiffness. However this doesn't mean it's as loose as many of the other third party entries often seen these days. One minor difference that will take a small amount of time to become adjusted to is pressing down on the analog sticks to activate the L3 and R3 buttons. Due to the position of your hands, this buttons takes a little more effort to press down upon. The Dual Shock 2 has player's hands ready for action with thumbs on top of the analog, letting you press down with little ease. Because the Spider-Pad gives gamers a more relaxed feel from it's extended grips, players will need to use a little more strength than what's normally needed. The longer handles on the Spider-Pad are a great benefit in the comfort area. Now gamers will be able to wrap they're entire hand around the grips and still be able to reach the buttons with no trouble. The fiberglass material also is molded to fit snuggly in the palm of your hand for a nice feel.

The traditional Dual Shock 2 pads stop with the start and select in the middle of the controller, however more times than none we find additional options within the third party pads for further appeal. The Spider-Pad retains the most basic functions in featuring turbo and slow motion options. The turbo function does a great deal of good the rare times it can be used since it can help with titles that require the constant pressing of the same button. A prime example of this would be any old school styled shooter like the recently released Men in Black II game from Infogrames. You won't be able to find a whole bunch of titles that it can be used with, but those that do will be happy that Naki kept the option handy.

The other available function on the Spider-Pad is the ability to set the same in a slow motion type mode. This isn't anything more than the game repeatedly pausing and unpausing over and over to slow down the gameplay process. This supposedly helps in seeing the game progress at a reduced rate, however with titles nowadays, tons of options and other pause screen features appear on and off making it more annoying that useful. Overall, the extra abilities won't make a world of difference, but the turbo function should be able to add to any experience during the few times it may be needed.

Time has told us that third party controllers and other accessories can wear faster than most first party products out there, however the Spider-Pad hasn't run into any immediate problems in testing its durability. While the MSRP sets the price for the Spider-Pad at a higher rate than the standard controller, it's not the longer cord gamers are paying extra for. The Spider-Pad is an officially licensed products, so its limited edition state and stylish design sets the bar five dollars above the normal price. Nevertheless, deals are still out there, like at buy.com where consumers will be able to pick it up at a discounted rate. Even though a couple of unusual button modifications will take some time to become comfortable with, players won't be able to keep they're hands on the Spider-Pad with its stylish appearance over the bland original Dual Shock 2. Plus, it goes extremely well along with the new Spider-Man game for the system!