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Spiderman and Venom: Separation Anxiety is the sequel to the beat-em-up Maximum Carnage. This game is also a beat-em-up, and is still fairly difficult... though maybe not as much as Maximum Carnage. The game was released by Acclaim in 1995 for SNES, and was also available for Sega Genesis (both games are the same to my knowledge, but for purposes of the review, I'll refer to the SNES version that I've played). Immediately from the start, the player can choose either Spider man or Venom, and continues to play through the rest of the game as the selected character. The differences between Spiderman and Venom are not as great this time around. In fact, I couldn't really distinguish them in terms of their inherent fighting attributes. One of the best aspects of Separation Anxiety is the option for 2 player co-op mode!

Graphics: 7
Aesthetically, Separation Anxiety is comparable to most SNES games of its time. The scenery of each level is well designed, and character animations are appropriate. Most of the regular enemies are essentially swapped color palettes or each other as the game goes on, but there are several other enemy types/models, with a large cast of boss characters.

Sound: 9
Separation Anxiety has an excellent soundtrack. The music is not as garage/edgy as Maximum Carnage, but stands well enough on its own. Few tracks are essentially remade from its prequel. The remaining tracks of Separation Anxiety repeat themselves every few levels, but with this soundtrack, that is quite a good thing.

Addictiveness: 6
While Separation Anxiety is a fairly difficult game, it's not necessarily addictive. The game does a good job at providing the player with passwords every couple of levels so you're not forced to play through all in one shot. However, the game can be played through in its entirety in around an hour. The enemies do tend to repeat themselves throughout each level, the difference may lie in the formation they attack you in, or the composition of several enemy types.

Story: 7
The evil Life Foundation is up to no good and training a band of super soldiers to do their bidding. From Venom, 5 symbiote spawns have been created, and if they're allowed to somehow combine/incorporate themselves into the Foundation's army, their henchmen will be jacked up and unstoppable. Before doing away with the original symbiote (Venom), he escapes and must team up with Spiderman again to beat them all. Our duo will scour the land to find the secret location of the Life Foundation and bring it down. Can they beat the symbiotes? Will they find the lair? Can they take on a horde of everyday street punks? Grab a friend and beat them all up!

Depth: 8
There are many levels the game has to offer. While the enemy types don't vary all that much, there are enough interesting levels and schemes to keep things interesting. Some examples include, an elevator level where combat is fairly close-quarter, a labyrinth network of vents that must be navigated, an interlude of levels called "Trap Rooms," and level designs where the foreground obscures part of the field so you know enemies are going to jump in from behind that pillar. One thing I appreciated about Separation Anxiety are the allies you can call in similar fashion to Maximum Carnage. The cast of characters is different this time, but Captain America is still available; Hawkeye is another ally, and unfortunately my limited comic knowledge ends there as I'm unable to name the other characters. The boss characters make recurring appearances in each level, but they present as different teams in each level so the strategy changes depending on their composition.

Difficulty: 8
For anybody picking this game up for the first time, thank god for the password system. In Maximum Carnage, you were forced to play through the entire game. Having a password system makes the game not as difficult, but is typically more user-friendly in terms of difficulty and pace. The combat can still be difficult, as the enemies tend to roam around in order to flank and surround you. Other enemies with ranged attacks always make sure to attack you when you're busy hitting other foes, but with enough strategy these obstacles can be overcome. The bosses each have their own schemes of attack, as well ranging from long range, to grapple only, to temporary forcefield/invincibility. I would imagine the difficulty greatly decreases in 2-player mode. However, I've only done single player and I'm not sure if Vizzed can do 2-player for Separation Anxiety (netplay maybe)? Otherwise, the game remains moderately difficult which can be overcome with patience and simple strategy.

Overall: 7.5
Though this review is for Separation Anxiety, I would be amiss if I didn't allude to Maximum Carnage; I feel most people who have been directed to this game have played the first one. As a quick comparison, Separation Anxiety is like a less difficult/harsh version of Maximum Carnage, that allows for saves (via passwords), and 2 player mode. I feel like there's less diversity of enemies and allies in Separation Anxiety, but not enough such that it really detracts from the game. Players can still climb their web and swing across the level, but I felt this aspect was not necessary beyond the earliest stages. The soundtrack is solid. For those of you who are daring, there is a password to play the game in hard mode. In fact, I would strongly recommend playing hard mode with a friend. Afterwards, feel free to reply with your experience in co-op as I have nobody to play these games with =)
But I digress; if you like beat-em-up games, definitely check out Separation Anxiety. If you're a hardcore fan of Maximum Carnage and playing this game for the first time, enjoy it for what it is and don't be hypercritical. Separation Anxiety stands well on its own.

Red Koopa

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MysteriousPanzer
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Your review painted out a pretty cool game. I might have to give it a shot.

Weepinbell

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Dante0
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I gotta give this game a shot with some friends, I enjoyed the review as well, and if you would like, considering I'm prolly going to give it a try, we could play together via netplay. PM me if you would like you, and like I said very solid review good job.

Shadow
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