The Game Dame™

In September, Activision released Ultimate Spider-Man – an original story featuring a huge cast, clever dialogue and unique visuals. Using 3D Comic Inking Technology(TM), the developers created a comic book-paneled playground where characters leap out of their formerly captive borders, zipping across pages from one frame to the next.

You begin game play as 15-year-old Peter Parker who, other than his spidey abilities, is just your typical smart-ass teenaged boy. Between battling the bad guys and spending time with his red-hot girlfriend, Mary Jane, Parker holds a job as – (get ready to roll your eyes) – a web designer. The game is filled with quirky one-liners and puns that remain true to typical Marvel style. That makes sense considering Activision hired Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, the creators of the original comic, to make sure this title met every Spider-Man fan’s expectation.

On the up-side, you’ve got great graphics and excellent sound (if your computer is adequately equipped). On the down-side, it’s going to take a rockin’ gamepad and some serious patience to get Spider-Man into the swing of things. I’m not sure what drugs the developers were on when they set the default controls for this game, but they must’ve been expensive. Camera controls are annoyingly jumpy and unpredictable and there’s a good chance they’ll drive you nuts. Save yourself from some of the drama and create your own control settings in the options menu.

In addition to playing the nice guy in tights, you’ll also take on the role of Venom. Playing this tentacle-thrashing bad boy is a nice break from Spider-Man. By the time you get to play the purple people eater, you’ll be ready to start bashing in windows and throwing cars.