Ultimate Spider-Man

"Ew. I've got water in places, I didn't even know I had."

When you think of comic characters in the world of Spider-Man two names comes to mind almost immediately. The first obviously being Spidey, the second none other than Venom. Venom is definitely one of the coolest bad guys to date and when it comes to the game Ultimate Spider-Man, he's the secondary main character. Luckily this just so happens to be one of, if not thee very best Spider-Man game to date. This trendy Marvel comics game in the long line of comic based games that have been released is in the upper echelon of the pack. Definitely putting to shame the sorry excuses for movie to game projects that are the Spider-Man movie games. They were just horrid. Thankfully this one was released.

Gameplay

The game play centers on both main characters, Spider-Man and Venom. In a cel-shaded environment we see the two characters interacting with each other while having at the same time a separate agenda. Spider-Man obviously brings peace to New York and does his best to keep the community happy and healthy. As Venom you get to kill lots and lots of innocent people, and well it certainly pays off considering how ungrateful people are towards Peter Parker. The web swinging in the game is done really well, creating a really comfortable feeling for the player. Combat is fairly simplistic though. Unlike rival comic games like The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction this one has a small move set and no unlockable moves. So basically the fun of the game play lies in the boss battles being somewhat difficult and searching for hidden tokens which may give way to a few neat goodies. Venom is a bit different he doesn't use webs to fight instead having tentacles which he can also use to climb buildings similar to Spidey's web slinging. Probably the most frustrating thing in the game is a race. During these events you have to either chase down someone (if they get too far ahead it's game over) or manage to go through a bunch of target markers (which must be acquired). These are by far the most difficult things in the game. Once you get the hang of it, even then it's a bit problematic. Still the game is fun though.

8/10

Story

The story is presented in a comic fashion. Interactive screens that resemble comic book pages tell the story and proceed with the game. Through the progress of the game you meet a lot of memorable villains and heroes from the comic book series, I just wish you could play with them. Basically as Spider-Man and Venom things are going down that involve both of you. An elite military organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. is after you both while are enemies working for a higher power. Getting to the bottom line of things gives way to some surprising results for Spidey and Venom.

7/10

Graphics and Sound

I find this to be the best part of the game. The graphics beautiful cel-shading gives a very cool comic appearance and an in cartoon feeling. Environments and characters are done really well, buildings and non-playable characters look very well designed. The free roaming of such a large city shows the great detail put into the game. The sound is also fantastic. Spidey has a bunch of cool catchphrases and one-liners. Sound effects are excellent and the voice acting is great. Not a complaint here.

10/10

Playtime/Re-Playability

Unfortunately this game is really, really short. It takes less than 10 hours to complete this game and that's being generous. However getting all the hidden tokens found in the game and doing side missions adds to play time and over all value, but in the end it's a bit disappointing. Nonetheless though, it's still a fun game. As for the replay value it's a bit low. After beating the main game you're left with just free roaming looking for what you've missed or just mindless fun. Nothing really left to do. Starting a game over could be an option but losing the stuff you unlocked seems like a waste of time.

6/10

Final Verdict

I'd rent this game instead of buying it. You'll easily have your enjoyments worth by time the rental is over. Not a bad game though, just average.

7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/10/06