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How Metascores Are Calculated
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Play both sides as Ultimate Spider-Man allows players to take on the role of super hero Spider-Man AND super villain Venom. Penned and illustrated by famed comic book creators Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, the game picks up right where the story left off. Dive into an immersive adventure as you experience a living comic book illustrated with 3D Comic Inking Technology that literally brings the comic to life in every action-packed frame. The game's expanded, free-roaming environments deliver a deep adventure with a variety of challenging missions, diverse game play and an improved combat system that allows players to face off against the largest number of characters from the Spider-Man universe ever assembled in one video game. [Activision]
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more... 95
Stuff
A vibrant, eye-popping superhero disc that has more style, wit and compelling gameplay in its first 10 minutes than most games have in their entirety.
 93
GamingTrend
The fun of this game is that you can pick it up at any time and swing around for a while and then shelf the title for the day. It is a rare game that you can do that sort of thing. Even the full missions are short enough where you can plow through one or two on a lunch break.
90
Nintendo Power
As a complete package, it is simply (to use a word that goes way back with Spidey) amazing. [Dec 2005, p.108]
89
PGNx Media
Though the game isn’t perfect, the addicting story line and amazing presentation are definitely welcomed. If Treyarch had kept the bigger city and more advanced web swinging techniques, Ultimate Spider-Man would have been the definitive Spider-Man game.
88
Next Level Gaming
It brings the comic book to life right in front of your eyes.
88
Game Chronicles
This is a comic lovers dream come true; the perfect marriage of comics and video games, and with so many comic-inspired games already out and more on the way, I can say without reservation that Ultimate Spider-Man will rule them all with ultimate gameplay and ultimate style.
88
Cincinnati Enquirer
The true letdown, though, is that the master villains can still be supremely frustrating to defeat, requiring several replays and exhaustive bouts of highly patterned attacks.
86
eToychest
A fun title that stands on the cusp of greatness, one step away from achieving something special.
85
Gaming Nexus
Ultimate Spider-Man did a lot to improve on its predecessors, but it still isn’t as deep as it could’ve been. The story was good if incredibly brief, and Venom injects some replay value, but it feels like the last pages of this book are mere pencil sketches, much less inked and colored.
84
IGN
USM is a major improvement overall, with a stellar story mode and decent free-roaming system. I enjoyed swinging around enough to invest 25 hours in the game, but the first third remain the most memorable and most enjoyable.
82
Ferrago
Couple this with the brilliant voice acting throughout and quirky comments from the public as you glide by, ('He looks thinner on T.V!') and Treyarch are definitely onto a winner.
80
G4 TV
The short length and repetitive sequences make it more of a rental for non-believers, but overall, excellent gameplay, a great presentation, and familiar characters make this the best superhero-based game since, well, "Spider-Man 2."
80
Game Informer
Spidey's acrobatic moves are also captured perfectly, and experimenting with his powers is the most enjoyable aspect of this adventure. [Nov 2005, p.142]
80
Play Magazine
Quotation forthcoming. [Nov 2005]
80
GameSpy
The biggest drawback of this game is the inclusion of Venom as a playable character. He draaaags. He can't web swing (but he can cover vast distances with his leaps), he relies on brute strength rather than finesse, and you must also devour people in order to keep the suit from killing the man inside.
80
1UP
It's a strange situation when one of the weakest elements of a game -- in Spider-Man 2's case, the story -- can massively improve in a follow-up, and yet the overall quality of the games can remain roughly the same, but that's exactly what's happened here.
80
GameZone
The videogame version is a good product that comes close in matching the ultimate legacy that is Spider-Man.
80
Game Over Online
The action is fun, but a couple of the vagaries of gameplay kill that. This is a case of an otherwise high-quality game being hindered by a few iffy additions that wreck the whole experience.
80
Total Video Games
Manages to take the web-crawler to new heights thanks to the great visual style, the variety in gameplay (which is certainly an improvement over Spider-Man 2), and a tweaked combat/control system. The game looks phenomenal and really does bring the characters out of the comic book and in the consoles successfully.
75
Gaming Age
While the game is beautiful, and the story mode is a lot more engaging and interesting than that presented in "Spider-Man 2," some of the lackluster combat options and changes to web-slinging keep it from being amazing.
75
NintendoWorldReport
There isn’t much incentive to continue playing – it simply feels old by the time you’ve completed the story mode.
75
Jolt Online Gaming UK
While it undoubtedly falls short in certain key areas – the imperfect controls, the repetitive side missions, the slightly bland engine... – it will certainly be more than adequate for any Spidey fan feeling the need for some web-slinging.
73
The New York Times
Ultimate is very entertaining, and the addition of Nemesis creates some interesting new situations, but over all there isn't a lot of variety; you fight, you race, you ramble around the city, and then you do it all again.
72
Nintendojo
For SM2 veterans, the story mode is just too short for a full recommendation.
71
GameSpot
A better game than Treyarch's previous efforts, but it still relies too heavily on the novelty of swinging around the city and beating up the same bad guys over and over again--a novelty made less so by the simplification of both mechanics.
70
Cheat Code Central
The blockbuster production values make this one of the best comic book to videogame adaptations ever made. The control is equally as impressive which may not be apparent initially as I mentioned. The only things holding this game back from absolute greatness are basically the same flaws that held SM2 back from greatness: repetitive random missions, relentless chase missions, relatively short story mode and the lack of imagination in terms of game structure.
70
Gamenikki
Ultimate Spider-Man is best enjoyed when viewed as a separate path for the franchise, one whose bright graphics and teenybopper storyline add a refreshing parallel to the realist movie versions.
70
BonusStage
It’s best to go at these extra missions and goals in moderation though, as playing them for an extended amount of time can get boring.
70
N-Europe
Worth buying for fans of the Spider-Man series, but lacking anything really original to make it a stand out to the average gamer.
66
N-Insanity
I feel as though $50 in an overcharge for what you’re getting. The game itself is under ten hours long (just including the story missions).
62
My Gamer
In the end, the story mode of Ultimate Spider-Man and the incredible boss fights make it worth a rental. The repetition of missions and short length of the game do not justify a purchase.
60
WHAM! Gaming
The realisation that there's a great deal of repetitive gameplay here sets in all too quickly with samey fight sequences and perpetual chasing.
60
AceGamez
Ultimate Spider-Man may look very stylish and visually capture the essence of a comic perfectly, but the gameplay feels like a swing backwards in almost every department.
58
Nintendophiles
A fun game that's worth a play through but is brought down by a lack of variety in the game play.
50
Edge Magazine
Did a purse-holder at Activision one day grapple fruitlessly with the last game's control system and scrawl in their subsequent notes “Make the next one so that I can play it”? Speculation aside, someone sure messed-up Spider-Man. [Dec 2005, p.108]
50
Game Revolution
The new style is breathtaking, although the heavily tweaked gameplay will leave most Spider-fans hanging and the horrible pace will make them want to cut the thread.
Shane S. gave it a5: Mike G. gave it a6: Josh H. gave it a3: Draeke L. gave it a9: Firat A. gave it a9: D. Robert gave it a6: |
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