Gaming Ultimate Spider-Man

[JCBaggee]

[color=darkred][size=1]Anybody picked this up yet?

I've got to say, I'm not as impressed as I'd hoped to be. Yeah, the new 3D inking technology is great. This matches the comic book source material wonderfully. Its great to see the geeky, big-head Spidey we all know and love in a game for once, and Venom looks great.

The web swing mechanics look and feel the same as Spider-Man 2, but that's where it ends. The game starts out in an area full of low buildings, and you're there for a long, long time. You don't spend a lot of time in larger areas, so you're going to have to zip-line from place to place. Not even half as much fun as racing along NYC on a frail webline like in SM2.

Combat is the same, with the added combo attacks. Tilt the left analog stick towards a different enemy for an attack that causes more damage. Enemies don't just KO and drop this time, though, they have to be webbed up.

Which, by the way, why are there no webbing attacks? No web balls? Web gloves? Web domes? A stunning web blast that ties them up is all you can do. Granted, I haven't gotten very far in the game, but it seems he should have at least one of the abilities from the beginning of the game.

Sound comes out crystal clear, and we get some great audio tracks. The voice acting is terrific, and there's not a lot of same phrase repetition throughout.

The big mechanic everyone wants to know about, though, is "Hero Switch", allowing you to play as Spidy nemesis Venom. Be Legendary, Be Predatory, be Both....occasionally. The story missions alternate from Spidey to Venom. All city exploration is done with Spidey, until the game is beaten, at which point you can switch between the two at will.

The problem is, this is Ultimate Spider-Man, so this is the Ultimate Venom. No Spider powers, just a big, black suit with tendrils and claws. Hardly the Venom we know and love. Yes, I know, its great that you're just not a bigger Spider-Man, but traveling that massive NYC is much harder with just a super high jump and tentacles that pull you to the closest building.

One cool aspect of Venom is that the suit has to be fed. Bystanders and enemies can be grabbed and energy can be absorbed. However, this loses the cool factor when you learn you [i]have[/i] to do it. Venom's health slowly drains unless you feed him periodically. Its a nice concept that's very cool, but it also almost cost me the first boss fight.

Its still a comic game at heart, and that's why fans will love it. With cameos including Human Torch, Wolverine, and many more, you're bound to find something you love. And the load screens this time around are nifty collages of USM covers art.

The unlockables are pretty spiffy too. Costumes, production art, character renders, and comic book covers. There's also an X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocolypse game trailer unlocked from the get-go.

Ultimate Spider-Man is still a fun game. You do still get to travel a larger NYC than before, and the web swinging (once you get into higher buildings) is still just as much fun. But its the small details that really set this one apart. Rent this one first, especially if you're a fan of Spider-Man 2, and you may find you enjoy it. It was a fun experience, but I think I'll hold this one off for the bargain bin myself.

--Chris[/color][/size]

[Killer7]

From what I have seen and played, everything in the game is dumbed down fro SM2. Less web attacks and swinging, less exploration, and less fun. I do like how they arent tied to the movie (even though I don't really read american comic books), as it allows more freedom, but it looks like they didn't make much use of it.

By the way, if you formatted your post a little differently, it could've been a nice little review, too bad they don't have a game review system on theotaku.

[Monkeyfeet63]

[QUOTE=Killer7]From what I have seen and played, everything in the game is dumbed down fro SM2. Less web attacks and swinging, less exploration, and less fun. I do like how they arent tied to the movie (even though I don't really read american comic books), as it allows more freedom, but it looks like they didn't make much use of it.

By the way, if you formatted your post a little differently, it could've been a nice little review, too bad they don't have a game review system on theotaku.[/QUOTE]

I quite agree on this aspect. The story was great, as it was written by comic hero brian micheal bendis. The cutscenes were just as good. However the only upgrade from SM2 is the combat is a little deeper and more fun.

However in many other areas it was downgraded. They must simply take the uscceses of each game, ram their heads together, and wipe away the blood. Here is to what could have been.

[satan665]

I'm thinking that this one is going to be a rental. I actually really like the Ultimate Spiderman comic, so hopefully the writing from that comic translates through to the game. I have never played the movie-based games, so maybe I won't mind if its a dumbed down version. I would think its better to have an original game than one based on a movie, mostly because you won't know whats going to happen next.

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]I don't know anything about this game, but judging by a few screenshots I saw online, the graphics look absolutely wild. However, I've pretty much lost hope in superhero based games, seeing as all they're composed of these days are destructible environments and repetitive gameplay systems.[/color]

[JCBaggee]

[color=darkred][size=1]Actually Satan665, the Spider-Man 2 game had some deviations from the original storyline. Also, since the game was free-roaming and allowed you to complete story missions at your discretion, there really wasn't an issue of what happens next.

--Chris[/color][/size]

[DotHackerX]

Hi yea, idk if any1 knos what is goin on with this, but after i beat the game, all the City Events under just stopped comin up, and i still have like, 40 to go, so if any1 can help me with this lil thang i got goin on, thatd be awsome

P.S. What the HELL si this thing? :catgirl:

[r2vq]

[quote name='DotHackerX']but after i beat the game, all the City Events under just stopped comin up,[/quote]

What I noticed was that if I left a specific area too fast, I would never get the City Event notification. So... What I did was I stood on top of a car and enjoyed the scenery as it drove by. The City Events would come eventually. I completed about 40 city events in about two hours.

[quote name='JCBaggee']Anybody picked this up yet?[/quote] I have to admit that I'm biased for Spider-man. I can't help myself and I don't know why.

I really liked this game. Like the others said earlier, it has a great story (since it was written by the same guy who did the comic) and the graphics are stellar. The problem I have with the game was diagnosed by Killer7. Everything is simplified.

I can get used to the "Area Unavailable" sign, but what I noticed first was the simplified swinging. Also, the combos that were in Spider-man 2 are no longer available. There is [i]no[/i] impact webbing, only tie-em-up-and-throw-em-around webbing. There are no more wrestling moves, just punch, kick, and grab.

In a way that's good.

It's still fun to play without having to memorize lists of combos, but in a way it's more hollow. Swinging around New York doesn't have that stress-reducing therapeutic effect SM2 gave me, but I can get places faster and with less buttons.

For me it's worth the buy, but like I said, I'm a Spider-fan forever. xD

-ArV

ps. Oh yeah! The banner from my signature is from the game. xD