USM is a free-roaming superhero simulator. If you have any interest in the character or in comic books in general, you ought to give Ultimate Spider-Man a spin. This isn't to say only fanatical web-heads like myself can get enjoyment out of this game. The story does quite a bit to shake the status quo of Peter Parker's life, so while non-fans might simply see the story as a means to set up a series of cool battles, fans are going to need to check this out.

Written by Brian Michael Bendis, the man behind the comics and one of Marvel?s top scribes, this tale sees the return of the monstrous Venom (as a playable character no less!) and the first appearance of several characters in the Ultimate universe. This isn?t just some throwaway story that fans can miss either.

That means what happens in the game?s story has an effect on the story of the comic series and vice versa. The reason I say 'part of' and not 'based on' is because Ultimate Spider-Man is unique among comic book video games in that, as far as I know, it is the only game which is actually in continuity with the books. Unlike the last two Spidey games, however, this one is not based on a movie but rather it is a part of Marvel?s Ultimate Spider-Man comic series (a retelling of the hero?s early career set in the 21st century). Ultimate Spider-Man is the latest installment in Activision?s highly successful Spider-Man series of action-adventure games.