This is a short and simple but fun and stylish game that may be the best bet for Spider-Fans.
Spider-Man is an oddity in that he has inspired a long string of decent 3D games, but none have been quite as fun and memorable as Ultimate Spider-Man, a game rooted in the hip, popular comic book series of the same name. If you aren't familiar with the "Ultimate" line, then you should know that these are neither the classic nor the film versions of the characters. The Ultimate Spider-Man series is a hugely successful revamping of the Spider-Man legend for a new generation of readers, and it returns Peter Parker to his roots, introducing re-imagined versions of all of Spider-Man's classic allies and enemies. Of all the characters featured in this game, the Green Goblin is the most radically altered from his classic incarnation - so much so as to be virtually unrecognizable. Most of the other characters here are more or less faithful to their counterparts.
Speaking of characters, there are a ton of them in this game. In Spider-Man's camp is Mary Jane, Wolverine, the Human Torch, and Nick Fury among others. You'll also encounter enemies aplenty, including the rampaging Rhino, the ever endearing Shocker, the ever shocking Electro, and as Spider-Man's nemesis, Venom. The story itself is surprisingly solid and engaging, although short, and revolves around Bolivar Trask's attempt to control the Venom suit - which has bonded to Pete's friend Eddie Brock and doesn't want to be controlled. The story moves right along and serves as a fine vehicle for introducing scores of Marvel characters, but it's short, and the game can be completed in four to six hours if you're not intent on unlocking all that there is to unlock.
The gameplay is quite simple, which is both a blessing and a curse. It's easy to pick up, and the tutorial stage is all that you'll need to become comfortable with all the controls. However, though the combat is fast and flashy, you'll find yourself using the same combos over and over, even on bosses. Spider-Man's web attacks are not particularly versatile either. Swinging through the city and crawling on buildings is still pretty fun, even if you've done it before in previous Spider-Man games, but more because of the design of the city than the design of the gameplay mechanics. Playing as Venom is fun and new, and his movement and combat tend to focus more on brute strength and simplicity of motion. The story missions are primarily comprised of chase sequences, which can be fun or frustrating depending on the target, and boss fights. I think this is a really cool feature. Instead of spending most of his time in the story missions beating up thugs, Spider-Man fights super-villains, just as he should. The boss fights are dynamic, fun, and stylish.
At the time of this writing the game has been out for some time, so the graphics are somewhat dated, but their cell-shaded, colorful quality, focusing on style over realism, mean that this game's graphics hold up better than those of the Spider-Man movie games. Ultimate Spider-Man goes to great lengths to emulate the look and feel of a comic book. There are some pop-in issues, and some occasional frame rate problems, but generally this is a good game graphically. The music is fairly appealing, and the sound effects get the job done, particularly the sounds related to Venom's attacks and movement. But the voice acting is where the game really shines. The biggest names in the cast are Jennifer Hale as Silver Sable and James Arnold Taylor as Electro, both video game veterans, but everybody successfully brings their characters to life. In particular, Sean Marquette does probably the best portrayal of Spider-Man in any video game to date, although I admit that Quinton Flynn was probably better suited to voice him in MUA, given that game's less comical tone. The writing in this game is sharp and snappy. Spidey's quips during gameplay are perfectly adapted from the comics, and it's even worth your while to walk among the pedestrians for a while, just to hear what they have to say. Overall, the game looks and sounds great.
Although there is plenty of stuff to unlock, not much of it will interest anyone but die-hard comic fans. The unlockable costumes are somewhat enticing, but they really aren't worth the effort... especially since you can unlock them with a simple code. Unless you want to go to the trouble of doing all the somewhat repetitive side-missions in the game, this can easily be completed in an afternoon - in fact I've done so twice. It's a simple, short experience, but it's a FUN experience as well, and I've played it multiple times. If you're looking for a Spider-Man game, this is probably the best one out there.
Gameplay: 7
Graphics: 9
Sound: 9
Value: 7
Tilt: 8