Ultimate Spider-Man - 18 Years Later

After 18 years and with Spider-Man 2 just around the corner, there is no better time to look back at a classic Spider-Man game!
Edited by Playstayshaun
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Ultimate Spider-Man was released 18 years ago. Feel old yet? The early 2000s were a great time to be a spider-man fan. We received two excellent games from neversoft, a solid movie tie-in game for the newly released Sam Raimi directed Spider-Man, and its sequel Spider-Man 2 solidified itself as the best movie and game in the characters history for years to come. The next Spider-Man game would have a lot to live up to, and in the case of Activision's next Spider-Man title, they would already be at a disadvantage. Their new title was not tied to any mainstream film under the same name, and rather an, arguably more niche, comic book run. As we approach the release of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, there is an ever increasing chance that we will see the greatest portrayal of Venom in a video game. So to refresh our memory let's look back at what I believe to be the best video game portrayal of Venom in one of the better Spider-Man games; Ultimate Spider-Man. And of course, spoilers ahead.
Spider-Man 2 broke the mould in many ways for the wall crawler, and Ultimate Spider-Man aims to refine the fundamental advancements made in that game, while also moving in a new direction. The result is a game that succeeds in many areas, fails in some, and most importantly, has such a sense of identity that it has become timeless. After 18 years, Ultimate Spider-Man is still one of the greatest Spider-Man games out there, with its largest flaw being just how little of it there is. This is a Spider-Man game that is mechanically dense, but prioritises quality over quantity to a detrimental degree, which these days seems backwards to many. Personally, I would prefer a game to be short and sweet than long and boring, but this discussion means nothing, because we can’t buy the game. Due to Activision losing the licence to their Spider-Man games, they can no longer be sold, which means getting your hands on this game is impossible. Of course, pirates are still able to access the game with ease but I won’t condone any of that.
Ultimate Spider-Man takes place within the Ultimate comic universe, and while at first being a canon story likely taking place in between issues 71 and 72, the plot of the game was later reworked and adapted to issues 123 to 128, so this game is in a strange limbo between canon and non canon. Regardless, while having the backstory of the comic series will further contextualise the plot here, it is not needed to understand the simple story. Keeping with its comic book roots, this game boasts a unique visual style that looks like a playable comic all the way from its cel shaded art style to its cutscenes which feature comic panels, onomatopoeias, and other visual styles that are otherwise associated with comics. This allows the game to have an identifiable visual flair that ages at a snail's pace.
Something important to note about Ultimate Spider-Man is that it is building off of the precedents set in Spider-Man 2. It has enough to separate itself, but this game does not get the same slack Spider-Man 2 got because it is not the first to attempt an open world with physics based swinging and organic city events. Now in a poorly made Spider-Man game this would be a problem, but this is no ordinary Spider-Man game, and that is visible through every single frame. The visual style of Ultimate Spider-Man is timeless.
Spider-Man is one of my favourite characters whether its Peter Parker or Miles Morales, both of which are Spiderman and Ultimate Spider-Man to me. The Ultimate Spiderman game which is discussed in this Ultimate Spider-Man review is one of the best games from my childhood. This Ultimate Spiderman review will look at Ultimate Spider-Man 18 years later, and see if 18 years later, it still holds up. This Ultimate Spider-Man retrospective will be of the game and not a comic Ultimate Spiderman retrospective. While we will never get an Ultimate Spider-Man 2, we can at least look forward to Spider-Man 2, and if there never is an Ultimate Spiderman 2, then maybe we can hope for an Ultimate Spider-Man remaster, as an Ultimate Spiderman remaster would make me lose my mind. This is one of many Spider-Man reviews on the That Boy Aqua channel, and this Ultimate Spider-Man analysis will not be the last review before Spider-Man 2, which may be the best Spider-Man game. I'm excited for the new Spider-Man game, and I hope you are too.

[@Jozombies115]

One cool thing about the Venom boss fights is since you can heal, they almost always put you against someone who else can heal. Wolverine, Electro with the TV's, Carnage all restore their health too so it doesn't feel like you have an unfair advantage. And Beetle locks you into a building so you're even against him as well.

[@TheArgentinianStealer]

Except Sable

[@Jozombies115]

@@TheArgentinianStealer I should've let Eddie eat that crazy silver hottie.

[@badpiggy4177]

never realised this tbh lol

[@dimancor2925]

Smart developers

[@Bluewolfzer]

sable heals in another way ;)

[@zXMorph]

9:14 "Sure, it defies the laws of physics, but so do the most things you do." I see what you did there.

[@nobodyfamousX]

The nostalgia rush i got from that one line is indescribable.

[@Paul-ke2hg]

Yeah had shot me back some 19 odd years

[@jcal1274]

Yes someone else noticed lol. Weird how a simple line can take me back.

[@abominationxl6244]

What was he referencing?

[@nobodyfamousX]

@@abominationxl6244 in the tutorial part of this game Peter says that when you learn how to double jump.

[@starrgazzing99]

One thing that freaked me out as a kid was when Venom blinks his eyes actually change shape each time. This is my favorite iteration of the symbiote!

[@ThatBoyAqua]

Wow I’ve played the game countless times and I never noticed that, that’s awesome

[@thuglaza4728]

Never knew, but I noticed it happened at 5:17 after reading your comment.

[@ImmortalLlama]

Wow, that's awesome

[@twall91]

Climbing UP the web is such an underrated mechanic that I greatly hope to see again someday

[@deepflare1028]

I believe you can do something similar in PS4 SM

[@ACIDOLATTlCO]

​@@deepflare1028don't know about sm 2 but you can't in sm PS4

[@deepflare1028]

@@ACIDOLATTlCO you can do something similar while climbing up balconies of apartments

[@baba9609]

@@deepflare1028you can droop down a ceiling and go up and down i think

[@kaxcommentssomethingREAL]

remind me if i'm wrong, but i _do_ remember that Web of Shadows allowed you to do the same thing

[@marcusgaray7782]

When playing as venom, if you go to the “unlockables” part of the pause menu, it will give you a message along the lines of “doing this will cancel your current mission.” If you hit accept then exit the menu, you can cause all the damage you want without having having the cops, shield, or anyone chasing you at all.

[@BatarangBelt]

As someone in their formative years...that final Johnny race is a whole new level of pain. I still haven't beaten it tho I've only tried a few times

[@w33bghoulsan79]

i struggled alot with those Johnny races when i first played the game. i managed to beat them all recently when i got the game again

[@TheWhoniversalMan]

One of the only nigh-impossible gaming challenges I played again and again as a kid and eventually actually succeeded at. The final Johnny Storm race might be my proudest gaming accomplishment! :P

[@JohtoLad64]

I tried a couple of years ago before the first insomniac spiderman game came out and I just couldn’t do it. Was at it for like a week straight

[@isopropyltoxicity]

Dude It took me grinding the final race for like 3 days to beat it, and you don't eleven really get anything for it besides 100% completion

[@ItWatchesWithoutEyes]

Yall forgot to climb and boost 😂

[@HishamA.N_Comicbroe]

This game's aesthetic remain as some of my favorite in the medium. Perfect adaptation of the comics.

[@TheWhoniversalMan]

That final Johnny Storm race is one of those ridiculously tough gaming challenges that I was stuck on for ages as a kid, but I actually managed to beat it at some point. Haven't been tempted to challenge Johnny again during the 15+ years since, but it might just be my proudest gaming accomplishment anyway!

[@marlonromero4181]

If u tried it today, its just as hard as when u were a kid, never doubt a kids ability lol

[@liam6157]

“Sure it breaks the laws of physics, but so do most things it do.” My favorite line from the game, so happy you remembered too

[@zacharyharris2177]

To this day I still adore how they did the cutscenes with the moving panels and comic bookiness effects. I really want to know how they did it because I’ve tried editing videos like that myself and even doing it at a rudimentary level is kind of a pain in the ass

[@dcamaag709]

That final race against human torch was the hardest shit ever

[@Xwansier]

9:15 "Sure it defies the laws of physics, but so do most things you do." Perfect nod to that line in the game. Even showed the exact gameplay part where he says it lol

[@tomjames9681]

The Insomniac series is visually stunning and has such a brilliant art direction, but I do love stylised graphics for games, particularly comic book games. A style that harkens back to the source material of where these characters come from is a great choice. Games like this, Marvel vs Capcom and ultimate alliance 3 have a great timeless nature to them.

[@matthewbraith0411]

Ultimate alliance 3 is GARBAGE!

[@tomjames9681]

@@matthewbraith0411 Even visually? Do you not like how the game looks?

[@arthurfleck629]

Ultimate Spider-Man is the one Spidey game I wish I had the chance to play growing up as a kid, it’s so unique

[@Marco-wp9kw]

It really was something else when it came out.

[@flyingplantwhale545]

This was my definitive Spider-man experience. As a kid I was too poor to own a console, but I did have a barely competent family PC. When I found out this was also released there, I lost my sh*t. Spent an entire night playing and faked being sick in the morning so I wouldn't have to go to school, and kept playing. The visuals, story, music, animations. I love every bit of this game, and I really wish they'd make a straight up sequel in a similar style.

[@Leo-yn5fx]

bruh he's climbing up the web line?!?!?!?!? FUCKING DO IT INSOMNIAC!

[@TevyaSmolka]

I loved ultimate Spider-Man it was such a amazing game and freaking fantastic in my opinion.

[@thiagopina4258]

Another great vid aqua , and i keep seeing improvements in your video formats so keep it up ❤

[@ThatBoyAqua]

Thank you, I’m happy to hear that!

[@loser99134]

I was literally thinking about playing this on the original xbox and this video pops up. other than the new insomniac games, this was my favorite..

[@friendlyneighborhoodmenace7041]

My entire channel is literally dedicated to this beautiful game. I love seeing videos covering the game to this day!

[@superkiller232games4]

Love your vids mate, keep it up 💪

[@jmz2144]

Will there ever be a remaster?

[@SirLordHatCawk]

​​@@jmz2144With how much of a licensing nightmare this game is....highly unlikely.

[@cosmicreader1312]

The one thing that I’ve noticed playing the game that no one has ever bothered talked about. Is that one cut scene after Spider-Man defeats venom at the museum and when silver sable captures Venom. There’s not one part of that sentence where venom throws Spider-Man at one of sables goons then as the goon says you’re in the way to Peter the goon’s skintone changes. I was one of the many few glitches in the game. I found funny, and I had yet to hear anybody talk about that.

[@cryguy0000]

This is still probably my favorite Spider-Man game. The swinging is superb with a fair amount of depth with web climbing, zipping and even the double jump. Venom is so cool, legit terrifying and playing as him is so fun. The game still looks great and Peter is really well characterized. This game deserves so much more praise than its gotten. One of the best Spider-Man games out there

[@jonahbrown5669]

I've played a lot of spiderman games, with this game being my favorite of them all (until Spiderman PS4 came out.) This game honestly still looks great even today thanks to the art style aging much better than what "realistic graphics" from older years would have

[@DarthCovider]

They should start approaching superhero games that way again, focus on the comic book feel more. It is a unique form of aesthetic that makes a lot of sense to use for Spiderman.

[@F1lthy_Frank]

That “where is cage and his search party” was perfect 👌

[@shardsoftime0952]

THE CIVILIAN VOLONTIERS, PRETTY RED HEAD ARM IN A GAS, GAH YOU ARE NO HELP!

[@grimmitachi]

The Venom gameplay in this game sounds more fun than the current Spiderman 2 Venom gameplay.

[@reality7078]

Crazy that i searched up for a retrospective for this game not too long ago and surprisingly, there is not too many and the ones that do exists are so short. Thanks so much this was a great video

[@st.altair4936]

This game was my childhood. So good and such unique visuals with the comic artstyle.

[@nickclark1815]

That final Johnny Storm race was the bane of my existence as a kid... and young teenager. It took me ten years from when I got the game at the young age of four, but I was determined to get that black suit. It took try after try, but I eventually did it, and man, it is to this day, one of my proudest gaming moments.

[@jessemillan1385]

The Ultimate Spider-Man Video Game is one of the greatest spider-man games of all times. I enjoyed playing the game on my PS2. Now, I have an obsession with reading the Ultimate Universe. I still listen to the music from the game because it has the best OSTs ever. It feels like it fits so well into the Ultimate Spider-Man comics.

[@yungfirefly]

9:16 That line is always my favorite from this game

[@ninemugetsu]

9:44 Just wanted to say thank you for explaining the inputs on how to wall eject/run! Been goin back to the game and wanted to try the maneuver, feels awesome when done right

[@RokuteIevision]

This video was a really entertaining watch, genuinely thank you

[@dankspiderman579]

Hey Aqua, never watched your videos before, but after hearing you describe you settling your score with the final Human Torch race, I immediately subscribed because I knew I was watching something magical. Can't wait to see what else you're cooking!

[@luispagan9170]

I remember as a kid trying to get to the highest point of the map as venom and try to reach the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier

[@ArmanRafique]

Man, this spiderman swings with the exaggerated swagger of a black teen. It gives me goosebumps every tune I see him.

[@TheGodofweak]

Ultimate Spider-man just hit the right notes for 10-year old me, I loved Spider-Man 2 as well, but the game I would revisit for years after was Ultimate, it definitely held my spot for favorite Spider-man game until the Insomniac game released. Only thing that bummed me out was unlocking the black suit after you've likely done everything. And playing as venom with a genuinely unique gameplay style was awesome. I just felt that it was a tighter, more polished experience than Spider-Man 2 and was more fun to replay. Spider-Man 2 still had more complex web swinging, and was much faster, but the style and physics and wall jumps in Ultimate was so satisfying! I'll also take Ultimate's combat over Spider-man 2 anyday. Always good to have a Nostalgia trip, though having the Insomniac games and their Spidey 2 around the corner, its hard to look back at that era with rose tinted glasses, even if they made up a huge part of my childhood. The Story, and traversal and combat and the suits and the city design and the set pieces... I love the Insomniac Spidey games, say what you will about swinging being less complex than the old Spider-man 2, I still find Insomniac's swinging far more exhilerating, and it helps that the rest of the game around the traversal is really good too, whearas in Spider-man 2... The swing mechanics are the ONLY thing to go back to it for.

[@cajg1988]

Every now and again the KZbin algorithm is spot on. Loved your video and will subscribe to enjoy you others. Cheers😊

[@dApOnTe145]

This game always held a special place in my heart. Was also able to procure from a..vendor, was able to scratch that nostalgic itch I had. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the modern Insomniac games, but it did so many other things right that you could lose yourself for chunks of time just swinging around.

[@Nick_261]

An Aqua upload is like going to your grandma's for dinner. It doesn't happen too often but when it does, you already know it's gonna be incredible before you even start eating.

[@gabevillarrealedits]

So glad I still have this and my GameCube so I can play it before the 20th

[@Silverman160Zero]

I played this so much back then in the GameCube, alongside the Spider-Man 1 tie-in. Just swinging around and playing as Venom once I finished the story were always fun.

[@GT_Mr.C]

we need a remaster/remake ASAP

[@willcone9964]

Great video as always Aqua! Keep up the good work. We have it on the ps2 i might need to check it out :)

[@picoriboi9099]

Just discovered this channel and I love this review. Non biased where it matters and reflects heavy on games after and leading to the discussed one. Such a brilliant review and I wish more journalist went with this formula of going into a game that they have experience with rather than being face valued.

[@arthurdurham]

The reason why we care so much about webs connecting to buildings is that's the one of the defining features of the fantasy and the main difference between it being a skill to master and just an animation. The limitation of where they can stick and how that interacts with your route and what you do is half the fun. When they can just go anywhere it's basically flying. Ironically Spider-Man PS4 did the opposite, where webs accurately stick to buildings but you have significantly less input in the actual web mechanics. Yet people loved it because it still makes you IGN review like Spider-Man. You still need to be conscious of where you're going even if Spidey does most of the hard stuff himself.

[@Burner-td4cu]

No it was a HUGE point of contention. Spider-Man ps4 and miles morales don’t have web swinging. You just hold R2 and push forward. Spider-Man will fly to where you’re pointing and do web animations on the way. Hit a wall? No problem, Peter/miles can apparently run 2368kmph up a vertical wall now. Haven’t played the new one yet, apparently they fixed this issue with swing assist. But man SMPS4 was a failure and disappointed. I like the devs, I like the vibe of the games. But I detest the glazing done by Ps fan boys. Pathetic nerds who bring the whole industry down. But seeing as my ps5 does nothing but collect dust atm, I wanna get the new one. They’re enjoyable games but the fanboys over hype them beyond belief. The stealth sucks, character faces are disgustingly ugly, combat isn’t great either. Overall it can’t compete to Arkham, but still enjoyable games with a real fun vibe. Just very flawed and deservedly need to be called out.

[@noodle_Cx]

i still have this game on ps2, still play it sometimes, maybe once or twice a year, love it.

[@georgesandoval307]

14:50 yes. Fucking slaughtered is the perfect description for that Johnny Storm race 😭😭 going back to play US on my PS2. thanks for this video mate 🙏🏽

[@tyrodl038]

I got this game on eBay (best birthday present from my aunt) and my cousin gave me his ps2 plus a couple of games including star-wars battlefront 1 and 2. Needless to say I had an awesome summer. Sadly I never finished the game, and now I don’t know where the ps2 and games went. This was a blast from the past thank you for covering this game.

[@devourerinthemist]

There are now mods for this game, one of which allows you to play as carnage finally. A dream come true after many years.

[@idiot_city5244]

I love the skybox/clouds. They look amazing haha

[@MorbidVoid]

The Johnny race takes up 90% of my memory of this game

[@blametheghost]

HELL YEAH AN ULTIMATE SPIDERMAN REVIEW man this game means so much to me, my first ever Spiderman game, it's just as old as I am, man, I love this game so much

[@jimothie64]

My birthday is literally September 19th, 2005. And Ultimate Spider-Man stands to be one of my ultimate all time favorite Spidey games ever, love seeing it get some love and attention it very much deserves.

[@protagonist426]

Thank you for making this. Haven’t played this game in so many years. Flooded with nostalgia 😅

[@godkilla1001]

Your take on the pirates/activision bit was spot on, haha! You’ve earned a new subscriber

[@josephmontelongo3787]

Those races were the bane of my existence as a kid I can’t tell you how many times I would come just a second or 2 from the gold metal after countless tries lmaooo good memories

[@topsipper]

1st spiderman & even ps2 game in general for me Christmas gr1. The cell shading holds up well & I always loved the tone

[@badpiggy4177]

" enemy's like the rhino probably take shits bigger than Peter " Laughed a little too hard here

[@elmirdays]

This game was such a big part of my childhood I got it as a gift from my cousins for the PS2 and I loved it! & I still have it ❤️💙🙌🏻🖤💜 🕸🕷

[@incrediblecaptain]

The monologue going from 14:25 is brilliant

[@shadowbanned1999]

I love this game. Best spider man game ever. I played it so much struggled so hard with the final mission finished it once after 2 weeks of trying and my playstation froze at the credits. It didnt save.

[@deathbringerswill2066]

These soundtracks bring so many memories dude

[@phasmidgaming99]

I played ultimate spiderman earlier this year and absolutely loved every second of it! This review does the game justice!

[@felixoyola-rosa923]

U:SM was my second spider-man game. This whole experience is a core memory experience. Man, the memories

[@Jlopezocasio]

I love the soundtrack. Venom Throw down makes me feel like I’m rampaging and causing horrible tragedies.

[@mateocortanage]

Great review bro

[@Sirekraven]

Great video

[@samuel-mx3oq]

i miss playing this game as a kid so much. the venom playability was so fun too. really wish i hadn’t have lost the game

[@ItWatchesWithoutEyes]

9:10 Nice tutorial reference lmao

[@TheBlackKakashi]

I hope this game gets a remaster one day because that’s my favorite Spider-Man game of all time and is the first one I’ve ever played

[@Ruush_]

Another W Aqua video

[@haarisajmeri9811]

I don't know why I didn't get the notification of this video even though I put the notification to all but yeah glad I found the video because I've seen your community and I was excited.

[@MChedderbeef]

This is my absolute favorite Spider-man game, it introduced me to the Ultimate universe and I absolutely love the presentation and voice acting.

[@JoelsMusicChannel710]

I like how Ultimate Spider-Man is a very boss focused game, I think that many of the boss fights are really cool.

[@kaidenwanna3209]

The amount of years I waited for someone to make a in depth review of ultimate Spider-Man

[@ClericalError87]

This game is one of the major reasons I still have my PS2 and I'm very happy that I still have my copy.

[@netlovesorangejuice9847]

I understood that reference "sure it defies the laws of physics, but so do most things you do". Very smart, very subtle.

[@paulsciancalepore8650]

I wish I was able to play this game when I was younger, at least I have the new ones.

[@terrellthaddies7867]

I mean u can still play it, but with other means

[@GxrGaMel]

I really really enjoy your reviews. Binge watched your whole channel, even games I wasnt interested in

[@gaynarchist]

00:33 Well, it was certainly a portrayal. Not one I'd like to think about too much.

[@nursenic03]

Ultimate spider man is the goat spider man game pre-MCU. Amazing swinging, a timeless art style and not over saturated with repetitive gameplay.

[@nightstrikestudios9883]

I am proud of you for the final race.

[@devinsiriwardena7296]

One of the best games I've ever played. Glad I was able to enjoy this masterpiece when I was a kid.

[@NoNathan]

That Boy Aqua is easily in my top five KZbinrs, every video scratches my gaming itch

[@DakNJaxter]

Hearing you gush about this game, especially the intricacies of the web slinging (which totally lined up with some reactivated memories) made me really wanna bust out my old PS2 copy again.

[@spankey1288]

I'm thankful i have my gamecube and this game still. One of my favorite games from when i was 10. I gotta play it again now

[@KajianTemp]

I love how the Electro Times Square fight got a nice nod from the Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie.

[@puppylord5459]

the double jump quote got me :)

[@noah_canada_6933]

Same, as I kid I would be doing those human torch races for so long. The quips are etched into my brain at this point

[@PerkolatorTheTerminator]

Thank you! Finally somebody talks about this game lol! Playing as Venom just rampaging around and eating people was my life for like a year or so as a kid haha!

[@MegaDrainProductions]

I love how you mentioned the difficulty of the later Human Torch races. It's like even though the previous races teach you these new skills, the later ones just sorta spike in difficulty and seems unbearably hard. It's the only thing keeping me from repeat playthroughs of this game, because it can seriously kill the flow of a playthrough when they throw these at you and you have to be seriously dialed in if you're not already experienced at this game.

[@handsomezack1075]

This video hit me with that final johnny storm race ptsd. I don't know how many attempts it took me as a kid...

[@shadowjoker285]

I was not expect Chad Aqua boy XD Absolutely deserved

[@alch_emist]

I beat that last Jhonny race a few months ago and lemme tell you I never felt so much joy in my life since I graduated and I'm not kidding.

[@ihuboo6244]

Literally 18 myself and when I played this over a decade ago, I had the hardest time ever trying to web swing. However, looking back it this game again this game looks amazingly and mechanically complex which I hope to play some day in the future. I remember giving the controller to my big brother cuz I couldnt beat wolverine on my own. Now thats a core memory

[@marcust478]

Still one of my favorite games ever! The cel shaded graphic still look fresh and so stylish! I stand by my opinion that this kind of art style makes the games age better and not look so dated! And if this awesome video didn't remembered me, I wouldn't be able to tell it's a game from 2005! Great video! Got a new sub!

[@arbknight12]

I loved the Wolverine boss fight. Ooh! Maybe we'll see Wolverine in Spidey 2!

[@srijanmishra4713]

races were tough ... you mastered it

[@FroBoy696]

God I have fond memories renting this game from blockbuster and playing it nonstop. Since the new Spiderman 2 came out this game come up as a topic for fantastic Spiderman games and boy seeing this video makes me happy I am not the only one who appericiates it.

[@wander7812]

32:31 Peak foreshadowing for a future video.