Ultimate Spider-Man (video game)

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Ultimate Spider-Man
PAL region cover art
Developer(s)	Treyarch, Beenox, Vicarious Visions
Publisher(s)	Activision
Platform(s)	GameCube, PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Mobile phone
Release date(s)	September 19, 2005 Nintendo DS NA September 19, 2005 PAL October 14, 2005 GameCube NA September 21, 2005 PAL October 14, 2005 Game Boy Advance NA September 22, 2005 PAL October 14, 2005 PlayStation 2 NA September 22, 2005 PAL October 14, 2005 Windows NA September 22, 2005 PAL October 14, 2005 Xbox NA September 22, 2005 PAL October 14, 2005 Mobile October 2005
Genre(s)	Action, beat 'em up
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	ESRB: T OFLC: M / PGGBA, DS PEGI: 12+ / 7+GBA, DS
Media	CD, DVD, Nintendo optical disc, Game cartridge
System requirements	Microsoft Windows Windows 98 or better Pentium III 1.2GHz or AMD Athlon 1.2GHz 256MB RAM 3.5GB free hard drive space DirectX 9.0c (included on disc) DirectX 9.0c compatible true 16-bit sound card 64MB 3D hardware accelerated video card required 4X speed or better CD-ROM drive
Input methods	mouse, keyboard or gamepad

Ultimate Spider-Man is a video game based on the comic book of the same name by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley. The game was released for mostly all sixth generation consoles, including PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, and Microsoft Windows as well as a mobile phone game. Treyarch, who made the console games based on the Spider-Man movies, developed the console game, while Vicarious Visions developed the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance versions and Beenox ported the Microsoft Windows version from consoles.

Stylistically, it differs from its predecessor, Spider-Man 2, in that it employs what has been dubbed Comic Inking Animation technology, a form of cel shading intended to make the game appear as if it were a living comic-book.

The storyline of the game is semi-canonical to the Ultimate Spider-Man comics. The story arc "War of the Symbiotes" is based on the script of the game.

[edit] Story

The game starts with a recap of what happened in the Venom storyline and Peter Parker's first fight with Venom before he disappeared, which had Peter and Venom fight from the high school football field on a rainy night and before spanning over to the middle of a street where Venom is believed to be killed by a downed, live powerline.

Three months later, Peter has reassumed his normal life and has forgotten about Eddie. After a fight with the Shocker, Spider-Man is challenged to a race by the Human Torch whom Spider-Man beats.

Meanwhile, Eddie, who is actually alive, has been feeding on people randomly in a nearby park and proves his strength in a fight with Wolverine, who was the owner of a motorcycle Venom threw through a bar.

After a fight with a Version 2 of the R.H.I.N.O., Spider-Man gets his first foreshadowing of Eddie returning when his Spider-Sense overloads. That night, Silver Sable and her Wild Pack attack Venom who easily escapes. During a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Peter gets his "Eddie headaches" again and fights his former friend on the roof. However, Venom is later captured by Silver Sable.

Kept imprisoned in an energy cage, Bolivar Trask and Adrian Toomes convince Eddie to test the Suit for them as they knew Eddie and Peter's parents. His first test is going up against the recently escaped Electro where they fight over a knocked out Spider-Man in Times Square. Venom won't let Electro kill Spider-Man and ends up fighting and defeating him. Before Venom can eliminate an unconscious Spider-Man, S.H.I.E.L.D. interferes and while Venom makes his escape. Nick Fury wakes up Spider-Man who asks why S.H.I.E.L.D. can't keep Electro in jail. Spider-Man then leaves.

Venom goes back to Trask where he reveals to Silver Sable that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. He then transforms and is chased away by the Wild Pack.

Meanwhile, a mercenary who calls himself the Beetle attacks New York by freeing the Green Goblin from his prison. Spider-Man pursues the Beetle after he steals a vial containing a sample of Sandman. After a brief fight, Spider-Man loses him during the battle. When asking the nearby people if they have seen the Beetle pass by, they point to the Latverian Embassy. Later on, Fury later visits Peter at the top of the Daily Bugle warning him not to go to the Latverian Embassy. After Peter leaves, Fury tells Sharon Carter that Peter will do the opposite anyway. When Spider-Man ends up outside of the Latverian Embassy, Green Goblin emerges and Spider-Man pursues him which ends at the U.N. building. After being defeated, Green Goblin is taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody by Sharon Carter and some S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents.

Beetle is later dispatched to collect a sample of the Venom suit. Venom eventually pursues, fights, and defeats him.

While swinging through town, Silver Sable fires a tranquilizer at Peter and tries to bring him to Trask. Peter awakens and they fight above the Queensboro Bridge before Venom appears and knocks Sable out. Spider-Man and Venom fight but both go down due to Spider-Man knocking Eddie out and the tranquilizer that Silver Sable fired at Peter take effect.

Eddie awakens inside Trask Industries hearing Peter screaming as Toomes injects him with their own makeshift sample of the Venom Suit, transforming him into Carnage. After a fight, Venom then absorbs Carnage and spits Peter out again. The combination of the Carnage suit and the leftover Venom samples in Peter's blood, Eddie believes he now has complete control over the Suit (along with the white spider-symbol that appeared on Peter's version of the suit). Trask finally gives Peter files on their parents but takes them while trying to flee from an angry Venom. Venom is eventually defeated but escapes from S.H.E.I.L.D. authorities.

As S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives, Peter reads the files and discovers that the reason for their parents' plane crash was due to Eddie Brock Sr. trying on the Venom Suit onboard. There were only three survivors and one of the witnesses was Peter's mother who died in the ambulance. When Peter tells Fury that Eddie must see these files, Fury tells him that Eddie escaped, but they will find him.

[edit] Comparison with the comic

The game takes place three months after the events of the Ultimate Venom arc, and events within the game suggest the events of Ultimate Six have already passed, since the Green Goblin is found in a cryogenic cell and Sandman is in a vial. Electro is somehow free, despite having been apprehended by S.H.I.E.L.D. Kraven the Hunter's billboards can be seen around the city, which was mentioned in Ultimate Six. Eddie seems to have survived by lying low and staying away from Peter Parker, and picking off random victims to sustain his own existence.

At the time the game came out the most logical point for the game's story to take place was between the Superstars and Hobgoblin arcs (Between issues 71 and 72). A few months later Marvel.com advertised the Silver Sable arc as being the follow up to the Ultimate Spider-Man video game. However in this arc not only are no parts of the game acknowledged, but Sable kidnaps Flash Thompson thinking he's Spider-Man. In the game, Sable not only knows Peter Parker is Spider-Man, but kidnaps and fights him out of costume. Spider-Man also mentioned Scorpion though it was more of a brief reference then an actual mentioning.

Recently in an interview with Marvel found in the back of comics released in January 2008 Brian Michael Bendis is interviewed. Bendis says that the Ultimate Spider-Man video game will be adapted in to a story arc. It is assumed now all inconsistencies will be a moot point if the game has not happened yet in the comic's canon. Marvel.com June solicitations advertise the story arc's title as "War of the Symbiotes" starting with issue 123, which begins with Eddie Brock sitting on a bench at a park recounting the storyline of the game to passers-by.

[edit] Gameplay

In Ultimate Spider-Man the player can experience a free-roaming city environment that covers Manhattan and Queens. You start in story-mode where the game automatically switches between Spider-Man and Venom. Spider-Man travels by web swinging, but the player must shoot a web at an actual building to swing, much like in its previous game Spider-Man 2. Spider-Man uses acrobatic attacks. Venom travels by using his symbiote to pull himself and by performing massive jumps. Venom attacks using his claws and tendrils. Venom can also throw cars at targets and perform much more brutal attacks, including eating people in order to gain health.

As the game progresses, Parker/Spider-Man and the player will have certain City Goals to accomplish in order to continue the storyline.

There are additional activities throughout the game such as finding secret tokens, landmark tokens, comic book covers and competing in trick races.

Spider-Man (as stated previously) plays as he normally would. Using webs as his main way of transportation and in combat. While Venom has to resort to jumping for long distances. He also uses more damaging attacks. Venom's levels can be very hard as he faces huge amounts of enemies. He can fight up to an average of thirty enemies at once, on any given open city level. Most of whom are shooting at him from building tops. Venom(like Spider-Man) can also scale buildings. Venom (as previously stated) can also leech life from enemies and civilians. The player has to do this constantly, as Venom's health is continuously depleting, even when he is not being attacked.

[edit] Game Boy Advance version

The Game Boy Advance version of Ultimate Spider-Man is a side-scroller, divided into seven "issues", each containing three chapters, the game allows players to control Spider-Man and Venom.

This version features only three boss characters aside from the two leads: Shocker, Silver Sable and Carnage (technically, there are only two bosses since Shocker only briefly appears and you don't ever fight him).

Unlike the Console, PC or Nintendo DS games, this version features a limited supply of Spider-Man's web fluid, it can be refilled only by picking up special markers scattered throughout levels, or dropped by enemies.

Additionally, players may choose to collect hidden power-ups to gain more web fluid capacity or gain new moves and abilities for both Spider-Man and Venom.

[edit] Nintendo DS version

The Nintendo DS version of Ultimate Spider-Man is a side-scroller with a 3D environment. The game allows players to control Spider-Man and Venom.

The gameplay greatly differs between both characters:

• In Spider-Man levels most of the game happens on the top screen and the touch screen is only used for selecting special attacks and operating certain objects (moving heavy objects, opening broken elevator door).
• In Venom levels the game switches to the touch screen, enabling players to use Venom's tentacles to throw objects or enemies, and even attack by tapping the screen.Venom on the top screen can be changed in the Options menu.

The game features a slightly modified storyline, for example, players will face Shocker in a strangely challenging battle, despite the comical nature of the character.

The game also features a multi-player mode, where players can unlock different characters and arenas for a head-to-head fight.

[edit] Mobile phone version

The Mobile Phone version has 10 levels each one more difficult than the last. The player can choose to play as Venom or Spider-Man. Venom eats bystanders and defeats Spider-Man, while Spider-Man saves bystanders and defeats Venom. In the end Spider-Man battles Venom.

[edit] Limited Edition

Ultimate Spider-Man Limited Edition.

There is a limited edition exclusive to the Playstation 2, which contains four character biographies (Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Venom, Ultimate Carnage, and Ultimate Beetle), an interview with Stan Lee, a G4 special entitled "Making of Ultimate Spider-Man", Developer tips and tricks, and a special edition (also called "Activision Edition") Ultimate Spider-Man comic book containing scenes from issues 33-39. One of the concept arts in the special edition shows what happened when Beetle ducked into the Latverian Embassy as it shows him presenting the Sandman vial to Doctor Doom in some plot to develop Latverian super-soldiers.

The limited edition version comes in a different case sporting plain purple and red holographic sides (With a Venom symbol and Spider-Man symbol on each, respectively). The case also comes with a cardboard sleeve with a picture of Venom on it. The DVD surface itself has a new picture on it: purple instead of red, once again with Venom. The instruction manual matches this trend with the cover being a fight scene between the two. The limited edition features are accessed from a new menu titled 'Limited Edition' via the unlockables screen.

[edit] Reception

This section requires expansion.

Reception
Review scores Publication Score Eurogamer 6 out of 10[1] GamePro [2] GameSpot 7.1/10[3] GameSpy [4] GameTrailers 8.3 out of 10[5] IGN 8.4 out of 10[6] X-Play [7]

Ultimate Spider-Man received generally positive reviews, with its lowest score being a 6 out of 10, given by Eurogamer.^[1]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ultimate Spider-Man (video game)

• Spider-Man games on Marvel.com
• Official Ultimate Spider-Man Website
• PS2 version on GameSpot
• Starpulse.com: Complete review of Ultimate Spider-Man
• Ultimate Spider-Man at the Internet Movie Database
• Ultimate Spider-Man at MobyGames