It was special because it was based on a recent comic book event (which went by the same name, Maximum Carnage). But Maximum Carnage is still a fun (if simple) game, and I have a soft spot for it. It probably sounds like I’m trashing this game so far. You need to pick one or the other and go it solo. Oddly, you and a friend can’t team up as Spidey and Venom. As the name promises, you can play as Spider-Man or his nemesis Venom. Maximum Carnage is just about beating people up. I applauded Insomniac’s Spider-Man for capturing all of the important aspects of the hero: swinging, fighting, science, photography, and empathy. Maximum Carnage had this same problem when it launched in 1994. These games can feel like marathon of pushing the same few buttons over and over. With the action focusing so much on fighting, things could get monotonous. But all of these games suffered from similar problems. The beat-’em-up even proved a suitable genre for superhero games, with the X-Men, The Punisher and Batman having their own punchy-punch adventures. This sort of game was popular in arcades and 16-bit systems in the ’90s. You walk across linear levels while beating the crap out of anyone you come across. If you played 16-bit games like Final Fight or Streets of Rage, you know what to expect. At first, Maximum Carnage looks like a generic beat-’em-up.

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