365//365: Day 033 – Spider-Man & Venom: Separation Anxiety (SNES) [Quickie]

Most of you may remember my Spider Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage RRR recently (it was only what, 24 hours ago?) I absolutely loved that game to death when I was younger. Playing it again for the first time in years was one of the biggest let downs I’ve ever experienced with a video game. There was a sequel released soon after Maximum Carnage, called Separation Anxiety. I really have no positive expectations for this one, even if the label changed from LJN to Akklaim. You know what? This might as well have been developed by a blind asparagus, because this is almost THE SAME EXACT GAME.

I wasn’t kidding when I said that. Separation Anxiety is the laziest sequel I have ever seen. The differences are so subtle and minute, you’d think this was nothing more than a slightly re-skinned Maximum Carnage. Don’t believe me?

Which one is Maximum Carnage, and which one is Separation Anxiety?

Exactly.

The enemies are stock use from Maximum Carnage, again, slightly re-skinned. Oh, but they added a guy in a trench-coat….that shoots a gun! But that action happens so rarely, it becomes just another trench-coat wearing thug. Sure, later on you’ll encounter different looking enemies, but it’s one model, colored differently. The lack of diversity, the lack of care, and the general lack of effort with the visuals is appalling.

Not only were they lazy with visuals, but enemy AI has the same gang mentality as the first game. No matter what, when there’s more than two enemies on screen, one or two always try to get behind you, moving at double the movement speeds. If you choose Venom, you can just about beat every enemy without getting hit. Hold A and you get his symbiote shield. Enemies walk right into it. Just turn left and right to get anyone that comes from behind. It does terrible damage, but you can pretty much clear through to bosses with it. The bosses look absolutely ridiculous, with poor animation and a plain old goofy look to them.

Repetitive. Monotonous. Repeated. Perpetual. Whatever your favorite term to use is, Separation Anxiety will be happy to oblige.

The audio is comprised of the same stock use of Maximum Carnage, for the most part. Attacks, sound effects, nearly everything sounds exactly the same. The music, which was Maximum Carnage’s bright point, is still good, but once again, most of what you hear is recycled and remixed. I applaud the fact that the only true star of the first title was not butchered on this one. I guess lazy programming paid off this one time.

No matter how you cut it, Separation Anxiety is a slice from the same loaf of mediocrity that gave us Maximum Carnage. Sure, backgrounds slightly change from stage to stage, but at its core, it’s the same bland, boring and repetitive game as Maximum Carnage. It’s hard to find a sequel so devoid of innovation and progression, but Separation Anxiety is nothing but repetition and a slight regression.

Rating: 3.8