Spider-Man/Venom: Maximum Carnage
Developer: Software Creations
Publisher: Acclaim
System: Super NES, Genesis
Release Date: 1994

	"Thwipt!"

In 1994 Acclaim assuaged comic fans and put Spider-Man and longtime friend/nemesis Venom in the same game to help stop Cletus "the slack-jawed yokel" Kassidy from rampaging as Carnage. Not too interested in returning to the insane asylum, Cletus hooked up with Shriek, Doppelganger, and various other supergoons as he tried to squish Spidey under his boot. This title was pretty much a rip-off of Final Fight: walk, punch, kick, throw, swing. The graphics were very reminiscent of the comic series and had quite an immersive feeling. Swinging around from building to building was often more fun than actually fighting, however. Spider-Man and Venom played differently, with Spidey relying on speed and finesse and Venom on brute force. Both characters could use their webbing to attack the enemy; opponents could be momentarily restrained, pulled across the screen, or even whipped into one another. Accurate fighting gave Spidey and Venom the chance to perform power hits, which would kill opponents (and some bosses) in a single hit. Players who skillfully maneuvered their characters via webbing could take out enemies with Spidey's classic double swinging kick or a huge right hand from Venom. Buddies could be called in to help out if power-ups were found - Firestar being a popular choice. There was even the occasional scale-the-building level like in the Atari 2600 title, only much more enjoyable. The downside of the game was its difficulty: Cheating was often the only way to win.

Spider-Man/Venom: Separation Anxiety
Developer: Software Creations
Publisher: Acclaim
System: Super NES, Genesis
Release Date: 1995

	No, really, I'm new at this.

Ah, yes. Who could ever forget Acclaim back in the early 90s? One only has to play a few of its titles to see why it spiraled downhill so quickly. Wanting to repeat the success of Maximum Carnage, Acclaim released Spider-Man/Venom: Separation Anxiety. It looked, sounded, and played just like Maximum Carnage, so Acclaim put its feet up and waited for the bucks to roll in. And waited. And waited. Apparently someone forgot to tell the bigwigs at Acclaim that Separation Anxiety was so much like Maximum Carnage that no one bothered to play it. Having already terrorized evil with Spidey and Venom in 1994, players couldn't care less about a sequel that featured nothing new. If you want to read a critical review of Separation Anxiety, see the above paragraph.

Now show me Sega Spidey.