Introduction: In 1994, Acclaim decided to release “Spiderman and Venom: Maximum Carnage” on to the Super Nintendo and the Sega Genesis. It was unique for a couple of reasons, one being that the game pitted two hated foes against each other to take out a much more despised and deadly foe. Another reason was that, for all that was right with the game, Acclaim decided to take the “Final Fight hits the SNES” way out and make it only one player (but I guess Capcom was guiltier, considering the arcade version did have three characters and two players). But over them two reasons was the fact that Acclaim took the high road and made the game an original release, like LJN did with a couple of the Spiderman and X-Men games on the old NES, but I say that because there was an arcade version of Spiderman released in Japan by Sega.

Then, in 1995, Acclaim came back with a sequel for the red colored cartridge game entitled “Spiderman and Venom: Separation Anxiety”. Now, let it be known that Acclaim made SOME improvements from that game to this one, but for the most part, seemingly everything else not mentioned as I forge ahead rolled downhill.

Gameplay: Okay so, in keeping with what Acclaim DID get right from the first game to this one was the most obvious, and that was the addition of a two player function (although to a point, one player HAD to be Spiderman and the other Venom, you could only switch the controllers after you flipped a coin over the issue) but it was a start. Also, Acclaim was nice enough to include passwords, which came after so many levels (you didn't get them after every level, but at the toughest stages you would find them) and were there long enough for you to copy them.

But THAT is where the improvements end, and everything else falls apart from here on. I don't even know how to describe it (but I will try my damn hardest) but if you looked at this game and the prequel, you wouldn't even know they were supposed to be related unless you knew that from the adverts or the game manual.

Basically, the story is that a mysterious group known as the “Life Foundation” has somehow managed to capture Venom and they extracted symbolites from his costume, creating five “children” to the black suited anti-hero. Now, if this was the Venom of “S&V: MC” fame, he probably could have wiped the floor with the ENTIRE group: however, starting the game and seeing how both Venom and Spiderman fight, it's no wonder Big Tough Eddie got captured: it's honestly more surprising how the suddenly tough guy-turned-pansy got away. I'm not sure who thought it was a good idea to make them fight like slow moving twerps, but I sure hope that person was promptly hazed and fired.

And if it isn't bad enough that Spiderman and Venom seem to have about one half of the fighting ability that they did in the previous game, the AI now is suddenly a LOT smarter and a LOT cheaper. Yes, Acclaim said they wanted to make this game “original” and “not Maximum Carnage-lite” but can someone explain to me why they kept the SAME DAMN STANDARD ENEMIES FROM THE PREVIOUS GAME? I mean, the ONLY difference is how they are drawn, much like your characters: the thugs, the trench coat guys, and the overgrown girl scouts are all back, albeit only for the opening level. Because after that, you face the “Life Foundation soldiers” who are cheaper than a bubblegum machine ring: they shoot you, they drop little “fart bombs” and they kick you down low, but look like they are break dancing. Oh, and the game brings back the “Floating orbs that look like soccer balls and omit strange lights” while also including a little robot which looks like a cross between a scrap pile of garbage and a mouser from TMNT fame.

But it gets worse, because one of the problems I mentioned with “S&V: MC” returns here with repeating boss fights, and these guys make Shriek and her gang look like pop icons. Amongst them are two variations of a toy soldier, one in blue in white and the other green and white that flies around on a hover board, a guy who attacks EXACTLY like Shriek does, and a guy who is an EXACT copy of War Machine from Iron Man fame. In fact, the last one is a total JOKE considering that Marvel CREATED said character, and then allows Acclaim to turn around and rip it off: nice going kids. Oh, and let's not forget the “Five unwanted Children of Venom”, which range from one who looks JUST like him, to a little brown Venom with Carnage claws, a green little Venom with weeds sticking out of his back, and two girls, one red and orange and the other purple who loves to break dance.

What is a LITTLE bit interesting about the game is that some stages contain maze sections, having you go in the right door or “Ventilation duct” to continue. While some of them are good, (like in the jungle you can find dead ends but they give up valuable items) others are just a PITA (like the aforementioned Duct stage, which has the player as confused as the blonde girl in the corner in the circular room joke).

As with the previous game, Superhero help is available, but while the characters are more well-known, they limit you to only FOUR of them, those being Hawkeye, Daredevil, Ghost Rider, and the returning Captain America: talk about originality.

Reviews on Vizzed must be exclusive to Vizzed so I'll have to close this:

Original review:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/snes/588684-spider-man-and-venom-separation-anxiety/reviews/review-149229