Ultimate Spider-Man
Every decade or so, classic comic book characters go through a re-birth
of sorts. New artists are called in to gussy up the heroes, make the
villains more menacing and occasionally take the stories to different
places, even rewriting the origins entirely. It keeps things fresh and
attracts new readers while at the same time keeping the die-hards
tagging along. Such is the case with Ultimate Spider-Man. The artwork
in the series has evolved from the bright red and blue print to full
blown panel renderings with deep details, shadows and special effects.
Its unique take on the illustrations, as well as the not-so-subtle
changes in the storyline makes it a popular series.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Activision’s Ultimate
Spider-Man video game for the PS2, Xbox and Gamecube. It’s not really
possible to review this game without comparing it to Spider-Man 2
for the same consoles, also by Activision, released over a year ago.
Though I can’t say for positive, the game looks to have taken the same
engine used to create both games, though Ultimate has several elements
missing. Understandably, Ultimate doesn’t have a movie background, so
storyline, voices and game play need to seem original. They don’t. A
year’s worth of advances in graphics techniques and camera refinement
could have been used. They weren’t. Activision had the opportunity to
expand and improve on a potentially gold-mine franchise. They didn’t.
Ultimate Spider-Man scraps the traditional 3D rendered New York for a
cell-shaded one in a decent attempt to bring the panels of a comic book
alive. Cut scenes feature more detailed, but low polygon sets and
characters all with deep black outlines as if drawn by hand. The effect
severely hinders the overall graphic quality of the game, especially
during normal game play, as characters all seem anorexic and the dark
outlines quickly break-up. In effect, developers tried too hard to make
it look like a comic book. A comic book that improved on the look of
its predecessor, not degraded it.
The story centers around Spider-Man’s relationship to Venom, a special
medical suit (gone wrong) worn by childhood friend of Peter Parker,
Eddie Brock. Beyond the two major players, players will be surprised to
find other Marvel characters popping in and out of the story line
including X-Man Wolverine, Fantastic 4’s Human Torch and a half dozen
Marvel villains thrown in to pad the story.
The game feels un-cohesive and offers little in the way of variety,
whether it be the voice over quips or the side-missions. The stand out
feature of the game is the ability to play as Venom. The story takes
you back and forth from Spidey to Venom, who have slightly different
control schemes, but equally lacking fight moves
Ultimate Spider-Man just plain sucks. There are dozens of race missions
that prove to be extremely difficult to complete due to camera issues
and unrealistic times and not nearly enough side battles, a la
Spider-Man 2, to keep anyone interested after completing the initial
story. Bonus unlockables come in the form of character renders and
comic book covers that don’t provide any incentive unless you’re a
rabid fan of the comic book, in which case you probably own them anyway.
For web slinging fun, go back and replay Activision’s original game or for the free roaming style with good graphics and plenty of smashing fun, try The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.
