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Ultimate Spider-Man

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 31 / 35
Date: September 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Ultimate Spider-Man (2005.)

INTRODUCTION:
Over the years, Spider-Man has been one of the coolest comic book characters around. It's hard to believe a character Stan Lee created many decades ago, much less one that everyone thought would crash and burn, has remained consistently popular. The success of the live-action films based on Spidey only boosted his popularity moreso. However, video games based on the Webslinger, as well as most comic-based games, are well below average. The Spider-Man 2 Movie video game showed serious potential, and proved comic book games might have a future after all. And in 2005, Ultimate Spider-Man arrived on various consoles. The game was based on the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book series, which was essentially a modernized retelling of the classic story. To see how the game measures up, keep reading!

OVERVIEW:
Ultimate Spider-Man was released in September 2005. The game is one player, and features full-3D objective-oriented action-adventure. There are two playable characters.

REVIEW:
I waited for this game to come out for a long time. My expectations were pretty high. Did the game meet my expectations? For the most part, it did. The game plays similar to the Spider-Man 2 game, but this game is more linear and objective-oriented. Probably the first thing you are going to notice that is different from that most recent game when you play this one is the graphics. Rather than going with that blocky, polygonal look that plagued the recent game, this one opts for cel-shading, and benefits immensely from it. The game looks better than just about any other super hero game out there. By far, what is going to draw most players into the experience, though, is the ability to play as both Spider-Man and Venom. Spider-Man plays true to his recent 3D gaming exploits, with all his classic powers. Venom, on the other hand, sacrifices agility for power, and to stay alive, must suck the life force out of civilians. There are numerous objectives along with side quests that will keep your attention, as well as plenty of things that you can unlock on the side. Another thing I enjoy about this game is that various characters from the Marvel universe show up in the game - NOT just Spider-Man characters! You'll get visits from the Fantastic Four's Human Torch, the X-Men's Wolverine, and a variety of other characters. The environment the game gives you is also great. In addition to the Manhattan environment you had in the previous game, this one adds Queens to the locales. This makes the gameplay region so much bigger and more diverse, and gives the game a big boost. Unfortunately, as much as I like this game, it isn't perfect. Play control is my first flaw. NO, the control isn't bad by any means, but I don't see why the game makers keep having to change the scheme. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! The control scheme in the Spider-Man 2 Movie game was just about perfect. Having to adjust to a different control scheme every time a game like this comes out annoys me. My other issue is with the camera. This is something this series has issues with. Personally, I thought the camera was better in the previous game. One thing bound to turn gamers off is how linear this game is compared to the previous one. I liked being able to roam around freely and participate in events on my own. Sure, you'll get to do that in this game, I just wish it had that open feeling the last game did. Walking into invisible walls and seeing that "area unavailable" message gets on my nerves. My last complaint is that, until you beat the game, you can't switch freely between Spider-Man and Venom - the game switches for you when the story demands it. This annoyed me. I personally would have liked it better if the game had separate campaigns for either character rather than all the switching. But overall, I am satisfied with the game. In a world of dud superhero games, this is one of the few worthwhile titles.

EDITION NOTES:
This game is a recent release, so it is readily available in most stores at the time I write this review. In addition to the normal versions, on the Playstation Two there is a Special Edition version. This version features bonus content right on the game disc, including character profiles and an interview with the man of Marvel himself, Stan Lee. It also includes a special edition comic book! This version is scarce and hard to come by (the only way I know to get it, for sure, was to have reserved the game at Gamestop.) If you're a die-hard Spidey fan, shell out the extra cash and hunt this editon down. Otherwise, the standard edition is just fine.

OVERALL:
Comic book fans rejoice! This is another edition to the extremely small library of good comic book games in the modern age. If you're a fan of Spider-Man, you really can't afford to pass this game up. I recommend the game, although you might want to consider renting it before you lay your cash on the line and purchase it. Four out of five stars.

This is what happens when you let actual Comic Creators make a game...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'll say it up front: I am biased. I'm a big fan of Brian Michael Bendis and an even bigger fan of Spider-Man. A month or so ago I got onto this really big Bendis kick and with that came Ultimate Spider-Man the comic. The book itself was amazing, and before long I'd read all of the 13 graphic novels out so far. Then I saw the ad for the game in one of the other Marvel Comics I subscribe to, and was floored the game needs to be gotten. Period.

So on to the game...

In the past there have been some horrible superhero games...and I mean horrible. Any of you play the X-Men for the original nintendo? Ugh. I know that it's an early game but when you essentially get a graphically ramped up version of that in X-men Legends, it's kinda dissapointing. Now I now everyone raves and loves X-Men Legends, but it wasn't exactly my radioactive cup of tea. With the greater technology coming out, the capabilites of free roaming in hugely expansive enviornments is becoming a mainstay of the video game world.And something like X-men ledgends kinda lacks that, but it's something that spider-man games recently have had in spades.

The game is almost totally immersive. You can go nearly anywhere as the webhead and never really have to run into any invisible walls that take you out of the experience. There is the instances during missions where you can't stray too far, but if that didn't happen people would be flying all over the place trying to keep on track and lose the mission. Anyway, not the point. The point is that the game is an excellent piece technology wise. Aisde from free roaming capability, it retains the TreyArch webswing system from the previous spider-man game which was so popular. It is dumbed down a bit, and there's no ability for you to go and purchase new acrobatic/fighting techniques (they're given to you as you advance throughout the game)but that makes one less thing for you to worry about. The Need for hero points has been erased and you are free to accept or ignore random missions thoughout the game. My complaint about that though is that there really aren't enough random crimes in the game for you TO ingnore. But it's made up for in storyline and Stroy Missions.

So that covers the Spidey game play, now onto Venom. Venom was a good idea for the game. whereas he's not the most major player in the ultimate Spider-man Comic arc by any means, it makes for a good gameplay character. You hvae Parker who's agile but doesn't do tons of damage, and then the behemoth of the Symbiot that's a bruiser but wickedly slow moving and a huge target. The one thing that is redeeming about Venom's gameplay is the L2 (on PS2) jump. It's like putting a cat into a catapult and pulling the lever. You can jump almost as tall as most skyscrapers in the game with that thing. So when chasing electro around, it makes it really useful to catch up to him (You'll see...).

So Far: Game environment: A, Game Play: A-...Now onto the thing sthat really matter: Audio Visual entertainment.

the visuals relaly work for the game, and may be slightly difficult to get used to at first, truly round out the experience. The style seems to be taken directly from Mark Bagely's illustrations from the comic book. in fact there are certain cutscenes that if you were to hold up the comic next to the tv screen, it would look like the comic panels were animated. And that is a big plus for anyone who loves the comic. Otherwise, the graphics are Cel-Shaded as all should know, so don't expect there to be any mind boggling realistic looking Final Fantasy-esque cut scenes here, just pure comic book heaven.

And the Audio/writing...is...genius. My favorite factor of the game is the fact that all dialogue was written by Brian Michael Bendis. And not just the mian characters, but even the passerby's on the street. I can't tell you how hard I laughed when I overhear som woman saying, "have I told you that I absolutely HATE your shoes?" But as such is Bendis. He not only knows how to formulate a story and make it very enticing, but his humor is out of this world. Spidey's quips are sidesplitting, and the characterizations of the people within the game are gladly similar to the comic. Bendis has a way of writing how you and I would talk to one another (with interruptions, non-verbals, and onomatopoetics) and not have it sould informal or awkward: it can only make the story better. The games' creators certainly did themselves a favor by getting him to write it, becuase anyone else would have made it come off as trite or pedantic.

So In my eyes I can justifiably give this game 5 stars. why? Because it's frickin' amazing!

PS: If you're interested the game runs parallel to issues 30-39 in Ultimate Spider-Man the comic series, or if you'd rather Graphic Novel Vol's 6 thruogh 8. Guet em here at amazon, they're cheap!

~JYH

Ultimate Is Right!!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is the ultimate spiderman experience, unbeleivable cast (you actualy get into bar fight with Wolverine!!!), great webslinging dynamics (no more swinging from nothing, you have to be next to the buildings to swing your webs, and when you let go the webs still hanging from the building), and the best boss battles I have ever played (better then Halos, God of war's, X-men Legends) If you enjoy the comics and/or the movies, pick this up right way.........

WOW! This game makes up for X-Men ROA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: September 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Why in the heck can't we have an X-Men game like this one?????

This game should be labeled as hypnotic by the ratings board. It's so submersive that time blows by while you are playing it. It took what I liked from Spider Man 2 and jacked it up to the tenth degree, like you're actually playing a comic book. The only way that they can top this game is to plant a VR chip right into my brain.

Oh, one other thing. I got the limited edition. It's really the only way to go, since Big Daddy Venom is on the cover of it. This game makes me wonder; why not just a Venom: Lethal Enforcer game with this kind of action?

This makes my third favorite game of the year; along with Revenge of the Sith and Marvel Nemesis. Luckily, I got somebody that's willing to buy X-Men ROA off of me. Lucky me.

Not Bad

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: September 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I liked the web slinging action from buildings better in spiderman 2 but thats the only real back step this game took,everything else is better including the story line.There some slowdown in it but not enough to make the game unplayable.The storyline in this one is its biggest strong points while free roaming as with most game that have free roaming become repetitive over time.Would like to see more variety in random events that happen on the street.With that said this is still one of the better comic character video games out there,i'd say its right up there with the most recent Hulk game that just came out.Now if developers can just make a good batman and superman translation we'll come full circle in having a great title for all the mainstream superheroes.

Quite possibly my most favorite game ever.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I loved the first Spider-Man PSOne game, it is my favorite game. The other games have been o.k. as well, but it takes a considerable amount of fun to get me to play a game for more than an hour. Spider-Man 2 (PS2) had serious potential but some crappy boss missions (i.e. Quentin Beck/Mysterio). This game, playability wise is extremely enjoyable. But as a hardcore MARVEL fan it's the visuals that are seriously astounding. It looks exactly like a 3D version of the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book. The intro movie is acyually an animated version of the first (and so far only) confrontation with Ultimate Venom.

The only complaint I have of the game is the requirement of "races" in getting to the next level. In order to get to the next objective they will require you to compete in and win a certain number of races. Not exactly what I would consider a true "virtual Spider-Man" experience, if there are villains to be fought and people to save why would you waste your time on a obstacle course? But, there are plently of easy races to start with so you can soar through the first stages.

Depending on whether or not I'm able to keep playing the game and not get sick of it, this game stands to be my most favorite game ever. Only time will tell. If you're an actual gamer though, you will probably love this game.

Not just a stupid kids video game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: September 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

this game is awesome. and its not just for little kids and if it was they would rate it e. everybody will enjoy this game. and im not just a stupid kid, ok? i know wat im talkin about. now first of all, wat is this "Ultimate" video game u people speak of? naw, just playin. this game is the best. i mean heres the pros and cons. (watever those mean)

pros:

-The graphics are one of the many great features in this game.
-The gameplay is amazing they made it much more like the comics and it looks like they took the ultimte spiderman comic book characters and stuck them rite on the screen and made them 3D.
-the controls are not the best but they are less confusing then the last game. there is a kick button, punch button, and u dont need to worry about using spider senses u just jump to avoid danger whenever his head lights up.
-the best thing is you get to play as spidey's arch nemesis, Venom. He is so cool like its just unbelievable how real and perfect he looks and preforms his moves. great character.
-there are not just spider man characters in the game! you can race against human torch, eventually fight silver sable with venom, and u can fight wolverine and beetle.
-they modified all the characters to make them look unbelievably cool. u wont believe rhino. hes much more strong and more of a challenge. shocker isnt really any different he just has no suit and hes really really easy to beat.and green goblin. wow. he looks like the hulk with pointy ears and horns and no hair on his head. im serious.
-u get to go to Queens, NY not just manhattan.

Cons:

-u cannot switch freely between Venom and Spiderman until u beat the game.
-there is no free roam with Venom.
-there are some invisible walls.

and theres my review! as u can see there are few cons and they are not that serious. the pros are awesome just like this entire game. u need to buy it. or at least play it. i bought it first day it came out. i hope u liked this review becuz IT TOOK ME FOREVER TO TYPE!!! i type with one finger. so u know. im only 12. i cant type with all my fingers yet. so anyway just play this please and enjoy it.

Waste of 50 bucks

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 9
Date: October 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

To me this game was a HUGE disappointment, I spent 50 dollars on this game and there is hardly anything to do with it. Unless your into doing the same thing over and over and over again then go ahead and waste your money. but all you do is be spider man, chase a guy, the guy hurts civilians, save the civilians, chase some more, than fight the guy. Thats all you do as spiderman. and as venom you chase, run away, and fight. Nothing more to it. sure there are the city events and races but those are boring. Not to mention the game can be beat within an hour. The only thing remotely fun is swingin around the city, and even that gets old after 15 minutes. I do have to give credit to the graphics though, they're pretty good. But if you wanna spend 50 dollars on a game that takes an hour to play go ahead, otherwise I suggest waiting until the price drops down to 10 bucks.

Ultimate spider-man ??...I think Not !!. get the movie games !!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 10
Date: October 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

i just purchashed this game yesterday..i bought the "limited edition venom" version..after getting it home and playing it for about a hour i was saying to myself What the??..i have to say this game is very lackluster...all hype no substance.. true the graphics look good for a virtual comic book, and the swinging around new york is fun..but it was done far much better in the 2 movie games !( i pulled out my spidey 2 game and was playing that later in the evening instead of this ! but are you really willing to spend 50 bucks just for good graphics? ... ok heres the lowdown, you have to run around and save people(which is fun) but it gets old quickly and then there are those stupid "Races" since when did spidey become a racer?? the first race is with the human torch in queens..and i found that it took away from the gameplay..and whats even more annoying..is the voice acting i know its the young peter parker but c mon his voice is so whiney my friend had to mute the tv sometimes..and the voice for the torch?..that whole dude surfer thing is very much played out..

But the number one gripe i have about this game is .. drum roll please!........YOU CANT PLAY AS VENOM !!!! ( you HAVE to play thru the whole game+side missions as spidey and THEN FINALLY, you can unlock venom.. which i thought was misleading..they even have it in Small print in the first few pages of the manual..how Sneaky is that?)

all that aside its fun to play as venom ! and spidey as well.. But if you really want a good spider man game? check out activisions spider-man the movie game... or the spider-man 2 games. you wont regret it they look a hundred times better, have much better music, and the gameplay is top notch!

over all here ate the pros and cons...

Pros..the stan lee interview is great(its always nice to hear stan lee talk about spidey and marvel)

great comick book feel/ good graphics

the G4 making of the game special..

the included comic book ..but if your like me u have the"real" issues already so you know the venom story:) although i like how they reinvented the "ultimate" venom saga in wich the black costume/bio suit actually being a attempt to cure cancer..the original venom "origin" is MUCH better with the alien symbiote costume(from the secret wars series) and eddie brock as a disgrunted photog for the bugle...who is out to get peter parker..

swinging around new york (although its not as open as the movie games)

Cons..

YOU CANT PLAY AS VENOM (unless you complete the whole game first then he is "unlockable" ...which is very misleading to the consumer..its even in small print inside the manual..thats a rip off to the fans that want to play as venom right away...the way this game was advertises..depending on who you chose to play it will be a great time~) this game is just filler material until the spider man 3 movie game comes along :) which we all know venom will be in the third movie which will rock !!.. but topher grace as eddie brock/venom?? i dont know about that one .. thats another review for later :)

voice acting is..poor..peter sounds like a whiney brat sometimes and dont get me started on the dopey sounding human torch.. but venom in my opinion is the star of the show here ...

bottom line its a fun game. dont get me wrong,..but a real let down it could have been MUCH better.. and thats why its also out in a special verson to dress it up and sell more copies but if u have to have this game the" special version "is the way to go....let the buyer beware though there are BETTER spider man games out there.. im a huge spider- man fan and i feel that this game could have been a better homage to a legendary character than this all fuff and no substance marketing gimmick.. ill be returning mine today.. hmm then again i can always put it up on ebay...somebody will buy it...

A great game ruined by bugs

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 6
Date: October 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The game continuously freezes up in boss battles. This could just be the PS2 version, but it occured with multiple discs. After researching this online I've found it is a very common problem. If a little more effort was put into debugging the game it would be a 4 star game, but as it stands it is practically unplayable.

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