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Long-time fans of Spidey will immediately recognize Bagley, who took over The Amazing Spider-Man for Erik Larsen. His take on the wall-crawler was refreshing and energetic, and he was regarded by many as the definitive Spider-Man artist of the late 1990s. Bendis is known for his masterful dialogue and has amassed a handful of Eisner Awards. The two, along with Treyarch, have created a near-perfect example of an interactive comic book, and Spidey fans will gobble up every nook and cranny of the many hidden items in the game.
The main story segments are what makes Ultimate Spider-Man a true gem. It turns back the clock, strips away years of story branches and subplots, and drops us right into an adolescent boy's world. For the videogame, the static panels come alive to tell the story of a special suit that the parents of both Peter Parker and Eddie Brock (guess who he becomes?) created. From there, you are thrown into the adventure headfirst, forced into a legendary showdown between Spidey and Venom.
In the Spider-Man universe, there are a number of key players who help make Peter Parker the hero he is. While J. Jonah Jameson and Aunt May don't make appearances in the game, Mary Jane, Wolverine, Human Torch, Green Goblin, Rhino, and a host of others do.
I used to have this action figure of Venom that would say things such as "Die, Spider-Man!" and "I want to eat your brain!" So cute! Well this is exactly your mindset when you moonlight as the anti-hero archetype Venom. In fact, the Venom subplot is very dark, a bit over the top some might say, as no one is spared from his wrath, be it child or old lady.
The unstable, ever-hungry savage doesn't play like Spider-Man nor does he care to. He leaps, claws, and devours people on the spot--so be prepared to spare no one in your quest for vengeance. Controlling Venom is even less intensive than Spidey, where after a few hits, most thugs can be devoured in no time. For boss battles, heavy use of the triangle button unleashes a long-distance attack with your suit. I used this early on to beat the tar out of Wolverine.
As with every great attempt, there are bound to be areas for improvement. Controls are a tad simplistic, swinging through New York and saving grannies from gangsters becomes repetitive, and moving from checkpoint to checkpoint is sometimes burdensome. Even some of the events, such as racing the Human Torch, are a bit lame; however, the overall experience is so compelling that most of the faults can be forgiven in hopes that this game will serve as a benchmark for future endeavors in the comic to videogame market.
To comic book fans, Ultimate Spider-Man is a wonderful acknowledgement of the man behind the mask and for action fans it's an easy to pick up adventure. In the next iteration, I hope that Treyarch can improve the hands-on experience to match the presentation so that we have a true masterpiece on our hands. It's a delicate balance though, because too much technicality will shut off the vibrant, accessible world Treyarch created. As it stands, Lee and Ditko can sleep comfortably at night knowing their creation is still inspiring us all.
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