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 Fans
of everything Spider-Man get their chance to tackle
the foes of the Ultimate universe on the consoles
and the DS, much like last years Spider-Man 2. The
handheld version of USM was developed by the talented
folks at Vicarious Visions who also had the unenviable
task of taking last years free roaming game and turning
it into something far more linear. Ultimate Spider-Man
for the DS keeps the 2D side-scrolling (side-swinging?)
nature of previous handheld Spidey titles but jams
it into a pseudo 3D space while ramping up the presentation
to an all time high. Keeping the general motif of
the console version, USM for the DS allows players
to play as both the wallcrawler and his arch-enemy
Venom.
Written
by Brain Michael Bendis who has currently penned the
entire run of USM for Marvel and complimented by the
artistic style of Bendis' partner in crime, Mark Bagley,
Ultimate Spider-Man is a comic fans dream come true.
Filled with characters (and a lot of little cameos)
from the Ultimate universe and retaining a very stylistic
cel-shaded comic flair on the ingame models as well
as comic panel presentation, gamers will instantly
know USM is taking place in an entirely different
setting than the game based on Spider-Man 2 the movie.
Gamers
who loved the free roaming aspect of both Spider-Man
2 and USM for the consoles should realize that the
DS version isn't capable of such ambitious design.
The game is in fact, far more linear than even the
handheld version of SM2, but that actually works to
the players advantage allowing for a snappier gameplay
experience that isn't marred by hunting out hostages
and items for hours at a time. Of course there are
areas of the game too explore, just don't expect complete
freedom.
 Controlling
Spider-Man on the upper screen requires a control
configuration gamers will be used to, while Venom's
levels take place on the touch screen which calls
the DS' various innovations into play (if you so decide,
if not you can use buttons). As Venom players will
be able to control his tendrils to attack police and
other citydwellers using the stylus. With this control
method players can grab, throw and drain various characters
with Eddie Brock's alter ego. Using the stylus is
surprisingly tactile and really makes you feel as
though you have control over the suit for the most
part. At times though when things get hectic, sometimes
the game doesn't behave and controlling Venom's tendril
attacks can be a little askew. To mix things up a
tad, at times Venom will require the use of the regular
controls while Spidey will have to open doors and
whatnot using the touchscreen. Featuring two completely
different control schemes for the characters provides
USM with a freshness that doesn't get old or feel
repetitive throughout the entire game and that impressed
me.
Visually
the game looks excellent and I think Vicarious Visions
even managed to sneak a few extra characters and effects
on screen this time out. As mentioned, the level designs
are all pseudo 3D so that each area provides the essence
of a larger environment but the players are kept on
invisible rails. The only element of the graphics
I wasn't crazy about were the extremely large "POW"
stars that appear when Spider-Man is fighting someone.
They seemed entirely too big and were totally bogarting
the screen. I wondered when I'd ever find a use for
the term "bogart" in a game review. The
comic book panel presentation which is used to embellish
events happening onscreen as well as advance the story,
is a brilliant way to tie both mediums together.
 For
the first time ever we're given the opportunity to
play a Spider-Man game with a friend, due to the addition
of a Versus mode. Players will both need a DS and
a copy of the game to play these battles, but it's
really nothing to get all that pumped about. Certain
characters are far more powerful than others (I won't
spoil it for you) and I found the fighting rather
boring. Unlockable characters can only be used in
this mode which will disappoint fans who were hoping
to play the game again with another costume. Other
than the unlockable multiplayer characters and some
other extras, the game offers no other replay value
to go through it again.
USM
on the DS remains true to the heart and soul of the
console versions and since it plays entirely different
could be considered a worthwhile endeavor even if
you already own a version for the current gen systems.
It's not a long game and the mutliplayer aspects won't
elongate your enjoyment of the title by any stretch.
At the end of the day it's just more Spider-Man and
maybe that's enough for you.
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Ultimate
Spider-Man will be taking over the gaming world when
it's released this September, across multiple platforms,
including all current gen systems, the DS, GBA and
Xbox 360. No word as yet on a PSP edition, but we
highly suspect that one will appear. 
Story:
