SNES REVIEWS: Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage
Most of the superhero licensed games in the SNES era were brawlers. In part, because it allowed the titular superheroes to unabashedly punch their way through scores of enemies. In another, because brawlers are ridiculously easy to make. Most brawlers use the same format, the same moves, and the same tropes.
For such a stagnant genre, it is no surprise that the eccentricities and special powers of the comic book heroes would shake things up positively. We see that in Batman and Superman games, and we see it in this Spider-Man and Venom game (S&V).
#85: Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage:-
Year: 1994
Genre: Beat 'em Up
Publisher: LJN
Developer: Software Creations
"You should never trust a raving lunatic"
Based on the famous Maximum Carnage Spider-Man comic, this game benefits from a fan-favorite story. Not content with just sharing the name, S&V actually goes the extra mile in giving a story to this brawler. True, the still comic-book screens that tell the story are not revolutionary in any way. However, it does offer us a glimpse of the amazing comic, with many quotable lines and some hilarious quips by Carnage.
Carnage is not known for his subtlety
In fact, the game not only lifts the main characters of the comic, but every supporting member which fans of Marvel would surely appreciate. On one side, you have Carnage and his "family," including Doppelganger and Shriek. On the other, you have the uneasy alliance between Spidey and Venom along with some other heroes and anti-heroes of the Marvel universe.
Taking inspiration from the comics, the game uses facets of its art, including punch and pow words for hits. Even though these visual word effects repeat themselves, they give a unique flavor to this brawler. It is unfortunate that the bland backgrounds contrast with the brisk animation of the main characters.
"I sincerely hope I can return the courtesy by slaughtering you quickly with minimal agony"
With the superpowers of Spidey and Venom, you would expect the familiar brawler formula to change. Well, it doesn't change much, but suddenly, the usually super repetitive brawler combat becomes peppered with web-slinging tactics.
Both heroes can shoot webs to trap an enemy for 4 seconds, or use the web to pull an enemy nearer for a grab. Suddenly, the tactics of brawlers go upside down. Now instead of jumping around like a fool trying to isolate a strong enemy, you could just pull them towards you and beat them to a pulp.
Or just "THWAK" them around
While Spider-Man and Venom both have the same web-slinging moves, both fight differently. While Peter Parker's alter ego fights faster, Eddie Brock's of course hits harder. Unlike other games with two characters, you can choose either at some points in the game. Depending on the character, the story and locations change a little bit, which makes different playthroughs a little bit different.
Besides regular combat, the duo can use their webs to sling around for some light platforming, and uncover some obtusely hidden secret rooms.
"Tandyyy"
With many superheroes in the game, it would be a waste for S&V not to use them outside of story screens. Sure enough, they function as summons to use when the going gets tough. Each hero has his/her own summon move, which gets filled by grabbing icons for each character.
Each move can be used in different ways, and knowing when to use each hero is pivotal for success. It is surprising the level of care that went into these summons, and I found them to be necessary to use in the later stages. More than their utility, however, is the fact that their presence further grounds the game into Marvel lore, specifically with the Maximum Carnage storyline.
"Every enemy I defeat seems to return"
It is a running joke how every superhero faces the same villains hundreds of times. We can imagine it to be a terrible feeling for Spider-Man facing Doppelganger again and again and again. In S&V, we don't need to imagine, because we do face the villains again and again and again.
While the core combat and levels don't reach the level of boring repetition, the unimaginative repeat of the same gang of bosses does get on your nerves. You would imagine fights with these super-villains to be more exciting, but after maybe five fights with the same villain duo it gets boring.
How many times do I have to chase you?
Yet, the final fight with Carnage was in some ways brilliant. With access to a tag-team of the titular heroes for the first time, it was a different fight that should have been an influence for other boss fights in the game.
"Green Jellÿ"
Green Jellÿ is the pseudo-rock band that wrote the music for the game. Surprisingly, they did a great job.
Starting from the opening theme chords, you realize that you are into a seriously good game. The music both fits the title and accentuates it. While it is rare for the game's tunes to reach the heights of its opening theme, they are consistently very good.
Is something wrong with Spidey?
Unfortunately, there are not very many tracks, and they do repeat themselves after a while. However, there is nothing to complain about besides the cut in the music whenever a summon happens, which is annoying but not experience-wrecking.
In Conclusion:
I am not a fan of brawlers in general, as I find them devoid of personality and dependent on repetitive, mundane mechanics. However, S&V proves that when the genre is mashed with the personality of comic book heroes, it produces a good game.
This one game puts all the "best" brawlers such as Final Fight and Double Dragon to shame, and is only ignored because of the license stigma to its name. Still, the brawler genre is not a high standard in and of itself.
Final: 7/10 (Recommended for genre and Spider-Man fans)
 |
| Web, web, and away |
Pro Points:
- Classic Characters and Story: +3
- Great Comic Aesthetic: +4
- Decent Brawler Gameplay: +3
- Great Music: +3
Con Points:
- Repetitive: -2
- Weak Bosses: -1
Tips:
- Search for secret rooms.
- Save the summons for bosses and such.
- Search the levels for 1ups.
- When tagging in the final boss, you gain some invincibility frames.
Series:
I remember having a lot of fun times playing the SNES in my childhood, but I only played or bought about 10 to 15 games, and many games that I played I couldn't go far into owing to my inability to read basic instructions in English.
As I grew up, I played more SNES games that came my way, as well as others released on other platforms. Due to the sheer quality of those titles that I played years later (such as Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger) and those I remember playing (Donkey Kong's Country, Super Mario World), I was always curious about the quality of all those titles I did not play.
Three years before starting this review series, IGN released a list of their top 100 SNES games. Reading that list, I got excited and wanted to play all of them. However, I realized that just playing them wouldn't be enough. I wanted to study that list, and hence decided to review most games on the list.
Carrion is about to be eaten or something
Next Game:
After actually enjoying a brawler, I find myself about to play another one. After Batman (DC) and Spider-Man (Marvel), it is only right to go back to DC comics. It is none other than the man in blue himself in #81, The Death and Return of Superman.
Stay Tuned.
For Previous Genesis Game Reviews:
This blog was originally posted in Destructoid Community Blogs on April 27th, 2014. The blog was slightly edited to fit my newer review format.
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