The first thing that strikes you about this game will be the graphics. Unlike the previous two movie related Spider Man titles, this game is different, yet the same and the graphics are one of the main changes.Done in true comic book style, the colours are bold, bright and vivid. Enemy muscles and body proportions are ridiculously over the top and the subtle shading of the previous titles is replaced by blatantly contrasting colours and thick outlines, just as if you’d picked it up at a news stand.
The controls have minor changes from previous games and a lot of the combos have been simplified or removed, giving it a much rawer feel. The storyline itself is of a reasonable quality but the main thing people need to realise is that this is set in Marvel Comic’s ‘Ultimate’ universe. The Ultimate universe is subtly yet noticeably different to the spidey comics and movies with Spidey himself being a lot younger.
Much of the gameplay is a little repetitive, especially for those who’ve played the previous games with the same city based missions of getting guys to hospitals, stopping runaway cars etc so something was needed to make this one a little different, and boy did they achieve that.
As the story unfolds, you find yourself switching between Spidey and one of his main enemies in the form of Venom and this adds a new level to the gameplay. Venom plays very differently from spidey with superpowered leaps and brute force replacing the webswinging and agility making for a great distraction
Overall, Ultimate Spiderman could have been better. Once the novelty of playing as Venom and the new graphic style have worn off, there is the distinct ‘deja vue’ feeling for those who’ve played the previous games and it is lacking in originality. Despite this, it’s still a fun game with a good storyline and plenty of action. It will certainly fill a few hours but is unlikely to be a game you come back to again and again.
