Reviewed: September 22, 2005
Reviewed by: Mat Houghton

Publisher
Activision

Developer
Treyarch

Released: September 22, 2005
Genre: Action
Players: 1
ESRB: Teen

9
10
9
10
9.0

Supported Features

With an original story by Brian Michael Bendis and characters designed by Mark Bagley, hours of free roaming game play, and the chance to take on the mantle of Venom? Do you need to ask for more?

The fighting interface seems to have been given a little bit of touch-up as well, with Spidey bouncing off of every near-by object you can get in touch with, and the more you bounce and switch from kicks to punches, the more damage you do. Though a lot of the bounce moves were hard to pull off consistently, it was nice to emphasize Spidey as a fast, mobile sort of fighter, especially with Venom acting like almost the exact opposite.

Speaking of things big, dark, and evil, Venom in this title is equally fun to bust around the Big Apple with. He doesn’t shoot webs, but boy, does he have ups, and he ignores that pesky falling damage.

In fact the only bad thing I would have to say about the controls for either of these characters is the actual wall crawling. It’s not bad, just it isn’t terribly good either, and there were many times when I lost a race, or a chase sequence because I got stuck at some weird angle on a wall, or went around a corner when I meant to go up.

Another neat little trick they’ve installed in the game is a button mashing car lift. In many of the game sequences you’ll have to save civilians from certain doom, be that falling from a high ledge, being trapped in or under a burning car, or any number of other villain induced miseries. To get them out you’ll have to keep a pointer in a certain area on a dial by alternately pounding the L and R buttons. Fortunately, instead of just making it get the pointer to the top of the dial, they change the target around a lot so you don’t get too bored with it.

Speaking of style on of the things that I love about this game is that the city changes as you progress through the story. No, it’s not some long epic, where you can see buildings erected, and watch the styles change.

What is nice here is that after someone like, say, Rhino, goes tearing through Queens, tearing up the concrete and blowing holes through buildings they stay torn up after the fight. If you swing back through that section of town, the damage is being repaired, but some buildings still have chunks taken out of them. It isn’t anything that really adds to the game play, but it’s a nice touch to make the city feel a little more real.

If that’s not enough for you USM also sports some great special effects, especially in the speed department. Just swing through town, or jump off the Baxter Building, you’ll see what I mean. Blur effects aren’t the only horn worth tooting either, the explosions and fire effects add just the proper punch to boss fights (Bull in a china shop? No, Rhino in a car lot) and Times Square at night glows like the neon spectacle that it should be (that is until Venom and Electro get there).

The animation is a little on the stiff side in some sequences, especially ones that are broken up by the “civilian rescue” mechanic. This is a minor part of the game though, and usually only on the screen for a few seconds. Where the animation excels though is with Spidey and all of his web slinging antics. This game really brings out the acrobatic side of Spidey with flips, springs, and slingshots that end up swinging you around the city at incredible speed. Don’t worry; Venom gets his lovin’ too, gouging the sides of buildings as he climbs them, and leaving craters in the ground where he lands.

The hate part is that while there is a large amount of dialogue in the game, especially during chases and boss fights, you still get treated to the same lines over and over and over, so if you end up repeating any missions or Johnny Storm races you’ll end up getting tired of hearing the same thing three or four times in a row. (Though I will say kudos for the Madam Web and Moon Knight references, they’re funny the first time you hear them).

Music in USM is good, with a nice sort of techno/hip-hop thing going on that gets your head nodding. Is it worth making a soundtrack album for? No, but it’s great background and suits the feel of the city very well.

Top all of that off with being able to unlock a Venom rampage mode after you finish the story, with its own races, etc. and you have one gigantic game. Not to mention the unlockable costumes, increased swing speed, comic book covers, and dozens of character cameos. There’s more than enough content in this game for you to get your money’s worth, with enough change left over for a bag of chips.