Ultimate Spider-Man on Xbox (2005)

Brief synopsis of Ultimate Spider-Man

When bitten by spiders on planet Earth, you can normally expect one of the following to happen: mild discomfort, but otherwise no ill effects; illness; horrific rotting of the skin; an unpleasant and feverish death, even. But, when mild mannered orphan Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider, something much better followed: the creation of surely the greatest hero ever to grace the pages of a comic book. Sam Raimi's recent films and the resulting flurry of games have brought Stan Lee's greatest creation to life once again for a new generation. The first two Spider-Man games far exceeded what we have unfortunately come to expect from games of film licenses. Now, shrugging off the restrictive creative shackles of a film's plot, comes what may be the greatest Spider-Man game yet. This time inspiration is drawn from Spider-Man's true home ? the comic book. Spidey comics are a confusing maze for the uninitiated, with series prefixed with different superlatives following totally different storylines: The Amazing Spider-Man, the Incredible Spider-Man. This game, as you might guess, is based on the Ultimate Spider-Man series, written and illustrated by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, and these two stellar comic book creators have lent their creative powers to Activision, providing the script and look for this videogame. The game picks up where the story of the comic book left off, and features an unprecedented number of characters from Spidey's native New York. With comic book-style frames and artwork, the look of the game complements Spider-Man's fluid grace as he swings through the streets of Queens and Manhattan. Just as exciting, is the chance to play as surely one of the most recognisable Spidey villains of recent years: Venom. A bodybuilder possessed by a moon alien inhabiting Spidey's old black suit, Venom is everything Spidey is not: evil, raging, lumbering powerhouse to his upright, wisecracking, nimble webslinger. It gives the game an added, welcome dimension to the gameplay developers Treyarch honed in the last title. Spidey fans should look no further for their next fix.