Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage

"Spider Sense is tingling!"

The game is a side scrolling game like Final Fight, Streets of Rage etc. The game is based on the comic book storyline Maximum Carnage. Spider-Man must save the world against Cletus Kasady known as Carnage. Spider-Man gets help from his arch enemy Venom. Together the pair team up in order to stop Carnage and his gang of bad guys. What made the game unique was that it came in a red cartridge.

Story (9/10)
Spider-Man and Venom team up along with Captain America, Black Cat, Morbius, etc. tangle against Carnage, Shriek, Doppleganger and others. Carnage is on the loose and has recruited a bunch of bad guys to take over New York City. Spider-Man and Venom must stop them at all cost. They do get some help as well so the odds are even. Its an all out fight in order to save the world from this lunatic.

Gameplay (8/10)
Your basic beat em ups. Reach from point A to point B and move on. The game is accurate to its comic book counterpart. By playing the game you will see comic style cut scenes explaining the story as if you were reading the comic book itself.

Graphics (9/10)
Drawn really well. Also has the comic book sounds you would expect in the game such as kapow, thwip, boom, etc. For a 16 bit game they did a damn good job with it.

Music (9/10)
Green Jelly did the main theme which by far was superb. The music in the game suited well with the story. One of the greatest soundtracks in the SNES era.

Controls (8/10)
You have your punch, jump, and 2 variations of webbing. One lets you web swing around. The other lets you make a shield and tie up people. If you get 2 bad guys on each side that are near by you can get a double KO if timed correctly. The web swinging in the game is fun you can hit people if timed right.

Replay Value (8/10)
They made the game challenging so don't expect this game to be a walk in the park. There are no options in the game to change the difficulty or amount of lives and continues. Carnage can be difficult and frustrating at times.

Overall
Highly recommend this game if you enjoy Spider-Man or action games in general. Gameplay and music is well done. The only bad thing about the game is no multiplayer and it does get repetitive at times, but overall a great game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/17/08

Game Release: Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage (US, September 1994)