30.9.2007

This is a game that i have just completed, and one worthy of a review. There have been quite a few Spiderman games on both the playstation one and the playstation 2. And where does this one rank?Well, in my opinion it is pretty good, though not perfect.Ultimate Spiderman has a lot going for it though.First of all it is great in terms of style. If anyone out there has read the graphic novels entitled Ultimate Spiderman from volume one right through to the most recent one, you will recognise the style straight away. It is exactly the same sort of artwork, and with the same styling - it is highly influenced by the comic Spiderman, and not so much of the film. When this game goes into FMV sequences and cinematics,it is like watching a living, breathing comic! All the classic comic book tools are here - the individual boxes for each scene etc...... In the game itself the graphics are good for the main characters, but you have to say that the New York landscape is a little bit bland.There are only so many buildings you really want to climb up, because most look the same! There are some recognisable landmarks though - the Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty can be seen in the harbour off the south of one of the islands. Spiderman and Venom are nicely drawn, if a little basic.The playability is pretty good too. Both Spiderman and Venom have slightly different characteristics when you are playing as them. Venom is all about power and brute force. He has a huge leap, and tentacles are his main attack, whilst he can replenish energy by consuming various members of the public! Spidey is a joy to play. He is slick and stylish. And as you progress you get a few more additions to his moves - though, maybe not enough for the hardened gamer. These moves are really basic punch and kick moves.The voices for all the characters are superb too. Not one of them is poor. Peter Parker is excellent, and Spidey has a full list of comic characters to meet in this game such as Johnny Storm from the Fantastic Four, Nick Fury, Mary Jane Watson,Green Goblin, Carnage, Electro and Rhino to name but a few. The only characters missing to really make this superb are Jonah Jamieson and Aunt May.There are lots of hidden extras to collect too. The token system from many of the other games are here again - such as the landmark tokens, comic book covers and secret tokens. These all open up costumes and artwork in the menu.The story surrounds the invention of the Venom suit, by Peter Parker's and Eddie Brock' fathers. We then fast forward to the present and we see how people want to gain the Venom suit for themselves and harness its power. The story is pretty good too - it has stayed true to the comic books, so that fans and people new to the series will be happy.So far, i have covered all the things that make this a great game, so now i have to balance up the review and tell you what makes this a flawed game - and i always hate doing this!Firstly, it is way too short. I completed this in next to no time. If you concentrate on the plot and none of the side missions or collecting hidden tokens you will get through it very quickly. And there is not a huge amount of variety to completing the side missions. Rescuing someone hanging off a ledge, or saving people from muggers isn't too gripping after you have done it for the 5th time - let alone the hundredth! As for the races against the clock and Johnny Storm - they are so repetitive that you never want to try and earn all the medals, and extras they earn you. The main story is great, but the side missions all feel 'bolted on' and in my opinion will not keep you hooked long enough.The other thing i really disliked is the camera. It is fine in free-roaming mode, but when you are fighting a boss it almost gives you a headache! The thing is so awkward! There is a boss battle in Time Square where you play as Venom going up against Electro, and the camera drove me to despair!In balance though, this game is very well done, but the developers didn't really take Ultimate Spiderman to the next level. I had a lot of fun playing it - it is easy to pick up and play - but there was very little reason to keep playing it once the main mission was over.Where does this come in relation to the other Spiderman games? It is hard to place, but if you can get your hands on the first Activision Spiderman game on the playstation one, THAT is the best one in my opinion. It has loads of extras, great pacing, great side missions, and the action has lots of variations. Admittedly it is graphically a bit dated now, but it is the best by a long way in my view. I would put Ultimate Spiderman in joint second with Spiderman 2 on the playstation 2. They are both flawed in quite important ways, but both have their strengths. Ultimate Spiderman is way more stylish and fun, but Spiderman 2 has a bigger feel to it, and captures the films much better. If you like the comics, definitely go for Ultimate Spiderman. If you prefer the films, then go for Spiderman 2.Who would i recommend this too? I would recommend this to fans of the comics and the films, and probably to anyone over the age of 10. It is not violent at all - it is comic violence, as opposed to blood and gore!It is fun and stylish too! But it won't keep the hardened gamer occupied for weeks and months..........So, all in all - it is great fun whilst it lasts! If the developers took the good points of the game and worked on the weaker elements, there could be a really great sequel to Ultimate Spiderman, and i for one would snap up a copy straight away! The advantage of this game now is that it is quite cheap, and the amount you pay reflects the length of the game, so i didn't feel too hard done by!

6.2.2006

Spider-Man games have been somewhat of a blessing in recent years. No doubt thanks to the fact that because our friendly neighbourhood web head has had phenomenal movies, and that game developers have actually cared about creating tie-in games that would not shame the wall-crawler.With the next Spider-Man film not set for release until 2007, Activision have once again made a smart move by having their latest game focus on the Ultimate Spider-Man comic instead.Now, if this game was going to succeed, the only logical thing to do was to bring the driving force of the comic, Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, on aboard to provide the story and visuals. And just as they deliver in the comic,they more than deliver for the game.The game breaks new ground, somewhat, as it’s the first-ever game based on a comic where the story events here actually roll into the continuity of the comic.Three months after the events of the Venom arc, Eddie Brock has returned, still struggling desperately to maintain control over the Venom suit and not be consumed by it. It’s not long at all until Spider-Man and Venom lock horns once more, except this time, they both find themselves targeted by all sides, the biggest threat being Bolivar Trask, the man who conned Peter and Eddie’s fathers over the Venom Suit for his own evil purposes.Having never played any of the previous Spidey games for PS2 before, I can’t really make a comparison. But I can say that playing this game is a treat. The graphics are beautifully unique. Mark Bagley’s style transfers so well from comic to game and the whole feel of the game is truly that of a comic brought to life, thanks to the brilliant animations used.Music and sound can’t be criticised that much. While the music is far from classic, they still remain totally enjoyable, nevertheless. Voice-acting is always key in a game such as this, and the cast is certainly well chosen. I was unsure about Peter Parker’s voice at first, but after hearing it again and again, I realised that Sean Marquette was a very good choice, after all. The same can be said for all the other voice actors and the characters they portray.Gameplay is always the most important aspect in every game, and here, you really feel as though you are playing as Spider-Man. I know this review is coming from a guy who has never played a Spider-Man PS2 game before but it doesn’t change the fact that all of Spidey’s moves have been recreated so perfectly. You can scale buildings, leap spectacularly, swing from buildings (NOT the air!), spider-sense lets you know when you’re in trouble, and you can punch/kick and web up bad guys in typical Spidey fashion.Another treat is definitely the option to play as Venom. This was always a popular feature of Maximum Carnage for the SNES back in 1994, but despite the obvious strength/speed differences between the two, it still felt like playing as the same guy. In Ultimate Spider-Man, however, the differences are immediately noticeable, in the sense that they go beyond the obvious strength/speed levels. Each character fights and performs in a similar but different fashion that separates the two.The game plays in a way similar to that of the Grand Theft Auto games. Based in New York, the city has been recreated very well, and there are all sorts of missions to complete, and many comic covers and secret costumes to unlock, meaning that this is just right for fans of both Marvel and Grand Theft Auto.Unfortunately, Ultimate Spider-Man feels a bit condensed at times. It only took me a few days to complete all the main story missions, and what really irritated me was the fact that I was unable to explore certain areas of the city. Don’t get me wrong, the size of the game to explore is huge and satisfying but once you’ve explored all that there is to explore, and find yourself unable to venture further, it can be infuriating and makes you think, “Now what do I do?”There is a lot of compensation still present, though. There are still hundreds of tokens to collect to unlock the all the goodies and the story is truly a rewarding experience. In typical Bendis fashion, the writer really brings his ‘A’ game and gives us a phenomenal follow-up to the much beloved Venom saga. He really wheels out the big guns here, and that’s the ultimate debuts of Silver Sable and the Beetle, Venom’s long awaited Ultimate confrontations with Wolverine and Carnage, and a deeper dive into the details of the Venom suit, the Parker/Brock situation with Trask Industries and the deaths of Peter and Eddie’s fathers. What’s more, the events here tie-in perfectly with the events in the comic. The game is set in-between the ‘Irresponsible’ and ‘Cats & Kings’ arcs, so it respects the comic continuity and doesn’t contradict with the events following those arcs either.Ultimate Spider-Man is a great game, no doubt about it. From what I’ve seen and heard about Spider-Man 2, you’re most likely going to be disappointed over the city exploration differences between that game and this one. Still, both the story and visuals are out of this world and will amaze any Ultimate Spider-Man fan. The replay factors are plentiful and will keep you coming back for the more.On the whole, flawed, but still a worthwhile experience that will satisfy die-hard fans.

23.10.2005

The first thing that enticed me about this game is that it isn't another movie tie in; this game has its own (very good) plot, taken from the Ultimate Spiderman comic series. You play as Spiderman (bet that shocked you) but you also play as one of the best villains in the books history, Venom. He has his own abilities, qualities and probably smell, and this adition makes the game go another few miles past the standard set by Spiderman 2: The Game. The game has also changed its look, with cel-shaded graphics adding to the comic book feel, and this allows the graphics to flow seamlessly. The new look city is also bigger, with Spidey's home of Queens added,

14.9.2007

When i game my priority is to have fun and get in to the game enough to enjoy a few hours passing but not enough to feel as if my whole life is being taken over by the quest to complete the game, and this game does the former, it is immensely fun and has an old school kind of sega megadrive feel about it, especially the guardian fights, which i think are just awesome, the difficulty factor is just right, challenging enough and engaging enough to keep you playing but not so hard that you throw down the controler and want to give up, graphics wise it is awesome, this is the first cell shader i had played and i loved it . it made me wonder why all video games aren't cell shading (

22.9.2014

Game was in great condition. Great free roaming and to be honest still my favourite spidey game to his day! There is no other game like spiderman! And playing as Venom while free roaming is AMAZING!When playing as Venom while free roaming, after a while of blowing things up and eating people the army will come and make the experience a little less fun (For some people) and unless you want to spend the rest of the time fighting the army you may want to follow these instructions:1. While playing as Venom (In free roam mode only!) throw a car and make sure it explodes to start the army mini game (Numbers will appear at the top of the screen when this happens)2. When the mini game has started,

4.6.2007

Ultimate Spiderman has got to be one of those games that, although has loads to do upon playing it, only holds your interest for a few hours or at least until when the story missions are over.I must say that the graphics are beautiful but sadly this game isn't as good as Spiderman 2 because it's a little too wacky (alright I know it's a comic book based game but I still like a sort of realistic feel about them) in that Spidey looks as skinny as Victoria Beckham and the villains he takes on are sometimes almost King Kong huge (Green Goblin is an example and he doesn't even have a hover board!) There is the plus side that you get to not only play as web-head but also long term arch nemesis Venom but in my view he really isn't worth crying home about as,

10.11.2013

I certainly enjoyed this game, as I really like spider man.There's a huge free roam new york and queens to explore, and the game was an okay length. It was fun to web sling around the city, and you can go anywhere, and climb any building you like. There were some cool villans, like the rhino, the green goblin, and the beetle. And of course venom. Half the story you play as venom, and the other half spider man. once you have completed the story, you unlock venom for use in free play.But, you also have to do a load of stuff around new york. You have to find nearly 200 tokens which are located in random places, but with nothing to help you find them. I never found them all, and so never unlocked everything.

16.10.2005

You play as a 15 year old Spiderman which means that it is differant than the previous game: Spiderman 2. The web swinging isnt as good as the last game, but the combat system is, there isnt as many combo's, but I thought there were too many in the last game. There is now lots of Marvel Landmarks such as the Baxter Building - the Fantastic 4's home, you can visit Dr Stranges castle and many more. You can also visit queens which is a suprising change from the tall city. The Venom parts arealso excellent. The differences are big. You are bigger and have better attacks. I can't wait to complete it and play as him when I want. I still miss the fact that you can't swim.

26.9.2006

This is a good game and I liked the idea of also switching to Venom for some missions as he is fun to play. In the game you have to complete missions which are made up of generally timed chases and boss fights. I found the boss fights not too tough - you just need to use a good strategy for each one, but the timed chases can be a little frustrating at times. There are also side missions collecting tokens, timed races and and assisting citizens, similar to Spiderman 2.The only thing I found really annoying in this game were the Human torch races which is why I'm only giving it a 4! The later races are very frustating and this ruined the game a little for me.

2.2.2013

In my opinion this the best spiderman game ever. Let me tell why.The graphics are more comic wise. This game lets you play as venom and spiderman. Venom is stronger and causes a lot of destruction venom allows you to throw vehicles lift up the bad guys and throw'em across the road(wow). Spiderman is 10 times faster and has a hole load of special moves.This game is very fun and quite difficult giving you a long time of play without getting frustrated. This games levels are quite long and gives a lot to do. The story is very interesting and amusing. (No spoiler alert). I forgot to tell you can also play as CARNAGE!!!!!!!!!!.Story 10/10graphics 7/10gameplay 10/10overall 9.5/10

5.12.2005

As a big Venom fan I couldn't wait to get this game when I first heard about it.Although the comic-book style did put me off slightly I grew to like it. But what was a constant annoyance was the fact that the storyline was nothing like it comic booksFor the most part the storyline is quite intresting and keeps you intrested in the game, but it is far too easy, I was through it in only hours. While the side missions do become very repetiviteSo all in all not a bad game, but don't expect more than a couple of hours gamplay from it, unless you want to find every token and complete every race, challenege and stop every crime in new york city

3.9.2007

Ultimate Spiderman is well and truely ultimate! Fighting enimeis with Spiderman is great but with Venom aswell is brill. The lvls were great because you had a big enemy in every lvl. When you complete the game you fight the gangs in tours or play races or just wonder around collecting to tokens unlock costumesor do it all by helping the city by helping them and police by stoping the villans that are terrorising them. You can allso change into venom and fight the police! I recomend this game because now it is it is not expensive and ive played spiderman and its allot better for the price.

12.9.2006

It's a great game, but I managed to complete it in 3 days. Although I never played the others, I know this is the best. Playing as Venom Was Brilliant, And there was a great selection of Bosses. But, It Kind of ended on a Open Note. I wont tell you the ending, but it seems like they could be hinting at a Ultimate Spider-man 2. Although the game might be short, Theres a lot to blast through, and Tons of side missions, and bonuses to collect. If you complete the game you can unlock a Venom-Spidey Suit!

3.4.2020

Arrived in good time and perfect condition for a playstation 2 game that has been around for a while. The booklet inside look as though it had never been used. I bought the game for my 6 year old son after he constantly pestered me for it... We play Marvel Spiderman on the PS4 but says this one is his favourite... Would recommend if you like Spiderman and want to collect all the retro games... Would also recommend Chillout Games...

6.7.2016

Nothing ground-breaking here, but still an enjoyable game. My only major complaints would be the controls can be slippery at times, which causes me to occasionally web-zip in completely the wrong direction. Also the camera can be a hindrance at times, but not enough to ruin the game. It may make the challenge side-missions more difficult, however.

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