http://xbox.ign.com/articles/652/652926p1.html
9.0 Presentation
The use of comic-book panels and a total faithfulness to the source material turn this into a living graphic novel.
8.0 Graphics
Though there's some slowdown that chips away just a bit at the overall polish, Spidey and his foes look spectacular. Venom in Times Square at night is like a carnivorous velvet painting come to life.
8.0 Sound
Filled with unknowns, the voice-acting pool is solid. The score is an acceptable watered-down techno, but it lacks range and doesn't add much to the scenes.
8.0 Gameplay
High marks for the story missions and a tepid thumbs up for the exploration. The combat system is frenetic, the boss battles a hoot and Venom is a delightful terror.
8.0 Lasting Appeal
The story mode is incredibly short, but the quest to 100% all of the city events will take at least 20 hours, even for a veteran player.
8.4 OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)
Oddly enough, Ultimate Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 flip-flop in terms of strengths and problems. Where Spidey 2's story mode was atrocious, USM's is awesome. But the free-roaming mode and the swinging were the real strengths of Spider-Man 2 and conversely the one mild disappointment in USM. In the free roaming mode, there are spots of slowdown, both with swinging and in combat.
I felt Spider-Man 2 was a 7.0, redeemed only by its awesome swing mechanics and open city. So in my books, 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.
From a comics geek standpoint, outside of gameplay issues, this is the Holy Grail of comic-book videogames. While X-Men Legends, Hulk and The Punisher are all fine games in their own right, none of them are so perfectly tuned into the source material. The slick style is brilliant, the story mode a complete (albeit brief) joy.
9.0 Presentation
The use of comic-book panels and a total faithfulness to the source material turn this into a living graphic novel.
8.0 Graphics
Though there's some slowdown that chips away just a bit at the overall polish, Spidey and his foes look spectacular. Venom in Times Square at night is like a carnivorous velvet painting come to life.
8.0 Sound
Filled with unknowns, the voice-acting pool is solid. The score is an acceptable watered-down techno, but it lacks range and doesn't add much to the scenes.
8.0 Gameplay
High marks for the story missions and a tepid thumbs up for the exploration. The combat system is frenetic, the boss battles a hoot and Venom is a delightful terror.
8.0 Lasting Appeal
The story mode is incredibly short, but the quest to 100% all of the city events will take at least 20 hours, even for a veteran player.
8.4 OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)
Oddly enough, Ultimate Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 flip-flop in terms of strengths and problems. Where Spidey 2's story mode was atrocious, USM's is awesome. But the free-roaming mode and the swinging were the real strengths of Spider-Man 2 and conversely the one mild disappointment in USM. In the free roaming mode, there are spots of slowdown, both with swinging and in combat.
I felt Spider-Man 2 was a 7.0, redeemed only by its awesome swing mechanics and open city. So in my books, 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.
From a comics geek standpoint, outside of gameplay issues, this is the Holy Grail of comic-book videogames. While X-Men Legends, Hulk and The Punisher are all fine games in their own right, none of them are so perfectly tuned into the source material. The slick style is brilliant, the story mode a complete (albeit brief) joy.