Much of the Same

Since Spider-Man 2 was released, and we all got to swing around an actual living model of real-life New York City, everyone has been eagerly awaiting the next installment. And why not, that was arguably the best superhero/movie game of all time. And if you want more swinging, web slinging, bad guy bringing to justice, then this is the game for you. And if you were hoping for something a little more, you're in luck, because good ol' Venom is on the roster this time around. And while swinging through the city as Spider-Man, gracefully pulling off the most acrobatic moves, and storming through the city, crushing everything that moves, and then crushing everything that doesn't move is fun; it gets old, really fast. The same thing that has plagued movie games and superhero games since they began, is still here. This game is short. And not like "fifty meter sprint" short, more like the life span of "The Jeff Foxworthy Show", short. There is only about 2-5 hours of story here, and after that, you can finally get what the developers promised. You can play as Venom any time your heart desires. But since all there is to do is destroy the same things, and brutalize the same unintelligent police officers, and unsuspecting public. This game does what it set out to do, which was to make another good Spider-Man game, but what made the previous Spider-Man game great, was the fact that it tried something new. Ultimate Spider-Man doesn't try much new, but it pulls it off with grace. And even though cell-shading has been done so much it makes me want to cry, it only fits with spider man. If you're a fan of Spider-Man, pick this up; if you loved Spider-Man 2, chances are you'll love this; if you like mindlessly destroying things, well why not you too, pick this up; but if you're looking for inovation, you won't find it here.