Why Ultimate Spider-man is the Best Game Adaptation | An Essay
There are games with better combat than Ultimate Spider-Man. There are games with better worlds. There are games with a greater plurality of these elements than Ultimate Spider-Man has. Ultimate Spider-Man may not be the best game of all time. However, I think it’s the best game ADAPTATION of a property that I’ve ever played, and I can’t think of a whole lot that come particularly close.
Ultimate Spider-Man feels like it is ripped straight from the comics and coded into 3D form.
I am going to go over this game and break down all of the little details that go into it. I'm going to explain just how it manages to bring the comics to life in a brand-new form.
This video is a love letter to a game that I love, a set of stories that I love, and a superhero that I love.
My name is Calvin B. Fisher, and I do retrospectives and longform game critiques. I'm also the author of the Northfield Saga, a post-apocalyptic science fiction series set in a gas-infested wasteland. Mark Northfield faces death or the sacrifice of his soul, when he is blackmailed into an assassination mission. What he doesn't know is that his target holds the key to saving the world.
To view more of my content, check out my link tree: linktr.ee/calv...
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20:54 Honestly I didn’t know there was a kid ballon mission in Spider-Man 2 video game (2004) as I wasn’t born till 2006, a year after Ultimate Spider Man came out in consoles. So this discovery was kinda dark, but at the same time hilarious.
@calvinfishermedia
2 ай бұрын
It’s for sure a dose of dark humor! Thanks for checking out the video!
I never managed to beat this game as a kid... The Carnage boss got me stuck on the second door because I wasn't able to mash the bumpers fast enough so I never got to the end despite playing through it so many times.
@calvinfishermedia
Ай бұрын
Darn! Yeah some of those bumper mashes can be pretty intense haha. Thanks for watching!
@Sully..
6 күн бұрын
I could barley do that that as a kid lol but I do remember somehow managing to get passed the last door mini game but could never beat the final boss lmao went back about a year ago and 100% the entire game and got the black suit the suit itself isn’t really worth it neither was beating all the human torch races that probably took years off of my life but the feeling of finally beating my favorite childhood game I could never finish as a kid was worth it all in the end
@SithYuta
4 күн бұрын
I got stuck on green goblin boss at the church fire was too hard
Thanks to everyone who watched the premiere! This game holds a special place in my heart, as I'm sure you can tell from this video. What is your favorite superhero game?
@fadedraider1705
Жыл бұрын
My favorite has got to be spider man games or batman games especially the arkham series
@calvinfishermedia
Жыл бұрын
@@fadedraider1705 good choices!! The Arkham games are classics
@MZFKDL
Жыл бұрын
@@fadedraider1705 same) I would also add X-Men Origins: Wolverine
With only 5k subs, your channel is underrated, considering the exceptional quality of your video!, this appeared on my feed and u love it Keep up the excellent work!
@calvinfishermedia
22 күн бұрын
Thanks that means a lot! I appreciate your support.
Up before I watch this, just got done with your Halo Reach essay, can't wait to see this one considering Ultimate is one of my favourite adaptations of all time. Hope to see more from you in the future.
@calvinfishermedia
Жыл бұрын
Thanks I appreciate it! I hope you enjoy the USM video. Glad to see others appreciate this game too.
Great video, this game's art direction and comic inspiration makes it truly timeless, I find myself replaying it once every few years
@calvinfishermedia
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching! Definitely agree, it held up to all my memories this last playthrough.
He did it again :’) another great video! I really appreciate your passion with this one!
@calvinfishermedia
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!!
Well done that you confessed to your mom, I couldn't do that)) And great respect to her that she understood how much this game is dear to you) Thanks for the video! I played this game on PC)
@calvinfishermedia
Жыл бұрын
I appreciate it. For sure, I am lucky! Thanks for watching.
@fadedraider1705
Жыл бұрын
@@calvinfishermediadang that was a wholesome moment
This was such a great vid. I related to the story bout your mom and the t rated game. Had a similar experience with Tony Hawk 3 as a kid
@calvinfishermedia
2 күн бұрын
Thanks for watching! Glad you could relate to the story. The Tony Hawk games were so fun!
Low key you are a good person for real lol, not a lot of people would have probably told their mom the truth. There is a lot of respect with that.
@calvinfishermedia
5 күн бұрын
Thanks I appreciate that haha! The guilt was real!
Honestly, I don't understand why this game didn't become a series. Despite having a somewhat simple gameplay, the world, art style and story were great. They could just improve on it in later installments. And they still had a lot of material to use. Even if it was the same formula where you had to complete races and random events to progress the story, I am sure people would have still bought the next game.
@calvinfishermedia
8 күн бұрын
It's tragic because Treyarch actually did have a sequel in the works, but it got cancelled. It would have been awesome to see how that game had turned out.
This game does hold up btw. Bought it about a year ago after not playing it for a good 10 years and it's still great
@calvinfishermedia
Күн бұрын
I was surprised at how well it held up when I played it! The controls are still great and the graphics look good due to the cell shading artstyle.
Your spec-ops video was great so I’m excited about this. I played this again a few months ago cause I remembered liking it as a kid. The webswinging is so fun that I spend a couple hours just swinging around the city.
@calvinfishermedia
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for checking out the video! Such a great game, definitely held up to my memories
@jhallo1851
Жыл бұрын
@@calvinfishermedia video was great was telling my girlfriend about it earlier LOL. Thanks again be safe bro!
@calvinfishermedia
Жыл бұрын
@@jhallo1851 appreciate the kind words man! Have a great day!
Really though, Spider-Man fans are blessed to be spoiled for choice on great games. It's really just about taste, but you can't go wrong with the Activision, Beenox, or Insomniac eras. Daredevil, on the other hand... Well, the files for the canceled game are available at least, lol PS- Your claim for this being the best adaptation isn't hurt by the fact that Bendis wrote the narrative for this game
@calvinfishermedia
2 ай бұрын
I'm with you there! From Web of Shadows to Edge of Time to Insomniac's games, we have a ton to choose from. A Daredevil game would be so rad, it's a shame that one got cancelled. I think Daredevil is such a great character for the Arkham-style format too. Bendis writing the USM game is definitely a big reason why the dialog and characters feel so authentic! Thanks for watching the video!
Amazing video, this is one of, if not the best Ultimate Spider-Man game review I've ever watched, especially since you actually read the Ultimate comics, and know all of the little easter eggs and references. This is in my top three of favorite Spider-Man games along with Spider-Man Web of Shadows and Insomniac's Spider-Man 2. I loved the comic book cell shaded graphics, the story, bosses, playing as Venom, and especially the soundtrack, its just si good. Only thing was I wish unlocking the costumes was easier. I used a PC new game + mod to give me all the costumes from the start, since I was so close to 100%ing the game, getting all the tokens, doing all the combat challenges and all the races up to, the 4th Johnny Storm race to ESU and back was too difficult for me, and to unlock the Ultimate races, which I don't even know if I could've completed if I could. Speaking of, a new game + would've been cool. I will always see this as the Canon second 2nd Venom story arc of the Ultimate run, instead of War Of The Symbiotes which was pretty lackluster compared to this and in general. I'd really be interested to see you review Web of Shadows, Shattered Dimensions, or Edge Of Time and see what your thoughts are on those games if you care too or even like them lol. There was also originally supposed to be a Ultimate Spider-Man sequel game that got cancelled, which would have taken place in the winter and be a Spider-Man vs Green Goblin story, and you'd get to play as Green Goblin in some missions like with Venom in this game, if there are only being some concept art of the game now. If only I lived in a world where that was a reality lol. One more thing, I noticed a minor easter egg on a billboard advertisement of a black dress, which was a reference to a black dress MJ wore in issue 70. It's not anything like the Kraven ad, but I really like the attention to detail. But yeah, thats all about it, good video 👍
@calvinfishermedia
9 ай бұрын
Hey thanks man, this comment seriously made my day! I’m glad somebody who also read and enjoyed the comments liked the video! I definitely agree on your points, the last Johnny Storm race was too tough for me and kept me from 100 percent, even after getting all the tokens. My biggest wish was a level replay option, it would have been fun to replay some of the boss fights at will. I see the game the same way, it’s superior to the War of Symbiotes storyline and I wish we had just gotten a straight adaptation from the game if anything. I plan on covering those other Spider-Man games at some point for sure! I absolutely love all of them, especially Web of Shadows which is my favorite Spider-Man game of all time. I think I may go all the way back to the 2000 spider-man game and work my way up from there
@calvinfishermedia
9 ай бұрын
You have great taste in Spider-Man games lol! Spider-Man WOS, Insomniac’s SM2, and this game are my top 3 as well. Thanks for the heads up on the black dress! That is an awesome detail and I will keep an eye out for it next time I play
Hey man! I haven't played a single Spider-Man game before unfortunately but I still wanted to come out an show support on the video! By the way I shot you a DM on the Twitter. Keep it going man!🙏
@calvinfishermedia
Жыл бұрын
Hey thanks man!! I just hopped over to twitter, I really appreciate it dude! I have been enjoying your content a lot lately, I look forward to seeing what is in store
@OrionInSpace
Жыл бұрын
@@calvinfishermedia hopefully with Starfield coming you and me can enjoy that world from it's sci-fi angle
@calvinfishermedia
Жыл бұрын
@@OrionInSpace for sure! I’m pretty hyped for the game. We’ll be able to make cool content for sure
@OrionInSpace
Жыл бұрын
@@calvinfishermedia I hope so! That's what I am trying to put my channel on next and hopefully people come and watch!
Cel shaded comic cartoon video games like TMNT look awesome!
@calvinfishermedia
8 күн бұрын
Yes, I love the artstyle so much! I wish more games used a cel-shaded style.
I'd love to see you do something on Portal. Also, your passion for this is the same passion I have for Halo. It's why I criticize 343 so heavily. So yeah, I kinda understand what you meant when you said you notice when something is wrong Also damn. Treyarch developed this? No wonder the writing is good
@calvinfishermedia
Жыл бұрын
That makes a lot of sense, I hope Halo ends up getting another entry with a great story soon. It's tough when your beloved franchise isn't up to par with recent games. Yeah! Treyarch developed all of the old spider-man games. They did this one and the Sam Raimi movie tie-in games. Hard to believe they moved onto call of duty shortly after and it is the same studio. Thanks for watching!
@intuitionedits2.032
Жыл бұрын
@calvinfishermedia Your passion really drew me in. It's always fun watching videos when the KZreadr is passionate about and loves the subject they're talking about Also same. I don't hate 343, I'm just severely disappointed in what they've done with Halo. I almost ALWAYS buy full Halo games but with Infinite I had gamepass so I played some of the campaign that way and was really disappointed. I still go back and play the older Halo games on MCC because they were so fun. 343i isn't the best when it comes to Halo, and it says a lot when I consider Halo 4 the best Halo project they've ever worked on (excluding MCC because a lot of the work was done by Bungie since it was their games)
@calvinfishermedia
Жыл бұрын
@@intuitionedits2.032 For sure! I'm super glad MCC exists, because it makes playing the older Halo games much more accessible.
@intuitionedits2.032
Жыл бұрын
@calvinfishermedia It's one of the few reasons I'll give 343 some slack. Yeah MCC was pretty notoriously bad at launch but unlike a certain other series I love (cough, call of duty) at least 343 don't outright ignore problems
@calvinfishermedia
Жыл бұрын
@@intuitionedits2.032 yeah, it’s pretty crazy how issues in the newest modern warfare fester and seem to get even worse
Amazing video, i hope you cn review shows like the walking dead, ESPECIALLY the walking dead telltale series the telltale one is a video game and i mean i highly Highly HIGHLY recommend you cover the telltale series
@calvinfishermedia
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching! I have heard great things about the Telltale games, especially the first Walking Dead!
MJS feet 🤌🏾
@BBK113
4 ай бұрын
Bro what