Ultimate Spider-Man adopts a cel-shaded look inspired by Bendis' comics. Colourful New York, fluid web-swinging and tasty dialogue. A stylish, pleasant adaptation.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player12+
Description
A Treyarch and Activision action-adventure released in 2005, an open-world action game based on the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book. The player alternates between Peter Parker and Venom in 3D New York, with cel-shaded aesthetics faithful to Mark Bagley's comic style. Signature web-swinging mechanics, aerial combat and narrative missions following the Hobgoblin arc. Very faithful to the comic, successful cel-shaded homage.
Ultimate Spider-Man review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
Drawn in bold inked lines and vivid flat colours, New York takes on the look of a comic page in motion. The cel-shading, the strong outlines and the panels that burst in transpose the spirit of the page beautifully. This graphic faithfulness to the Marvel comic makes it one of the most stylish adaptations of its time.
The game's drawn look is answered by a younger, edgier soundtrack. Far from the great film orchestras, the music leans toward urban rock and driving electro, matching the teenage fire of the Ultimate comic and the sharp line of its panels. Brisk rhythms during chases, heavier motifs when Venom takes over, the score underscores the difference in temperament between the two playable characters.
Adapted from the Ultimate Spider-Man comic, the story alternates two viewpoints, Peter Parker, a torn high-schooler, and Venom, a voracious, tragic symbiote. The player moves from one to the other through a plot following the Hobgoblin's appearance and the broken friendship between Peter and Eddie Brock. This double perspective humanizes the hero as much as his nemesis.
The limited edition of Ultimate Spider-Man, distributed in reduced quantity with packaging and bonus content crafted around the game's comic aesthetic. Rarer than the standard run, it appeals to those wanting the most richly presented form of an acclaimed superhero adaptation. Its desirability rests on this specific packaging and a limited run rather than the software alone, above the common version.
Is Ultimate Spider-Man still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 2005 on PS2, Treyarch's project adapts the comic of the same name with a cel shaded art direction that wonderfully renders the comic's line work, a striking visual success. The movement through the city, built on web swinging, gives an exhilarating sense of freedom, and the alternation between Spider-Man and Venom varies the approaches. The story faithful to the original work and the spirited tone carry the adventure. The repetitiveness of the side missions and a somewhat thin content make themselves felt. A polished adaptation of the web slinger, recommended for fans of the arachnid and of stylised open world play.
