History VideoGame / SpiderManAndVenomMaximumCarnage

''Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage'' is a popular beat 'em up game for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis and UsefulNotes/SuperNES based on ''ComicBook/MaximumCarnage'', published by Creator/{{LJN|Toys}}. The game allowed players to control either [[Characters/MarvelComicsPeterParker Spider-Man]] or [[Characters/MarvelComicsVenom Venom]], and featured the rest of the hero cast as summonable power-ups. A surprising amount of attention was paid to accurately recreating the comic, including levels modeled after scenes from individual issues, and villains' vulnerabilities or resistances to certain attacks.

* NeverSayDie: Dialogue from the original comics is reworked to avoid mentioning death. Specific examples include Spider-Man thinking that Dagger is "gone" rather than "dead" when wondering how Cloak can still teleport, and the final lines of the game noting that some monsters stay "locked up" as opposed to "dead and gone."

* SupermanStaysOutOfGotham: Defied, not only is [[Characters/MarvelComicsVenom Venom]] an optional playable character, there are several heroes who will join the duo in combating the threat posed by [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarnage Carnage]] and the rogues gallery as summons -- These are: [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]], [[ComicBook/NewWarriors Firestar]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsMattMurdock Daredevil]] and more.

* DegradedBoss: This happens after defeating the bosses in the level they are introduced in. These enemies would later become regular enemies, but without a gray healthbar that denotes their status as bosses.
* EasyLevelsHardBosses: The game has simple levels that involve beating up rioters. The boss fights are either introductions to EliteMooks or pit you against super villains with powerful attacks who are hard to beat unless you know their AssistCharacter weakness (even then, you're still in trouble if you screw up or forgot them); Shriek's the only one who isn't immune to being snared by webs. And then there's Muzzoid, who is very difficult to beat without an exploit.

* HopelessBossFight: At the end of the first stage, as Spider-Man, you'll fight a GiantMook. Beat him, and then 2 Big Mooks, and then 4. The 4th one will have maximum HP, but it can be whittled down. If you win, you'll get the same event as if you lost, with Cloak and Dagger rescuing Spider-Man.

* PrisonLevel: In the game for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, the player can alternate between Venom and Spider-Man at certain points in the game. In the Spider-Man route, he goes to the police station to quell a prisoners' riot.

* SuperSpecialMove: If you managed to connect enough hits without being struck, their healthbar will start to blink, that goes faster the more you attack. Once complete, they let out a very powerful attack that can instantly defeat mooks and deal enough damage that will instantly destroy their grey healthbar.

* VictoryFakeout: Carnage returns to attack the player's Spider-Man and Venom during the credits sequence.

''Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage'' is a popular beat 'em up game for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis and UsefulNotes/SuperNES based on ''ComicBook/MaximumCarnage'', published by Creator/{{LJN|Toys}}. The game allowed players to control either Spider-Man or Venom, and featured the rest of the hero cast as summonable power-ups. A surprising amount of attention was paid to accurately recreating the comic, including levels modeled after scenes from individual issues, and villains' vulnerabilities or resistances to certain attacks.

* GrappleMove: Both ComicBook/SpiderMan and ComicBook/{{Venom}} can pick up certain objects and even enemies and throw them.

* HopelessBossFight: At the end of the first stage, as ComicBook/SpiderMan, you'll fight a GiantMook. Beat him, and then 2 Big Mooks, and then 4. The 4th one will have maximum HP, but it can be whittled down. If you win, you'll get the same event as if you lost, with Cloak and Dagger rescuing Spider-Man.

* SupermanStaysOutOfGotham: Defied, not only is ComicBook/{{Venom}} an optional playable character, there are several heroes who will join the duo in combating the threat posed by Carnage and the rogues gallery as summons -- These are: [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]], [[ComicBook/NewWarriors Firestar]], Characters/{{Daredevil|MattMurdock}} and more.
* VictoryFakeout: ComicBook/{{Carnage}} returns to attack the player's ComicBook/SpiderMan and ComicBook/{{Venom}} during the credits sequence.

* SupermanStaysOutOfGotham: Averted, as ComicBook/{{Venom}} is an optional playable character while several hero icons popped up throughout the game, summoning characters like [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]], [[ComicBook/NewWarriors Firestar]], Characters/{{Daredevil|MattMurdock}} and more in order to help the player.

* PutTheirHeadsTogether: Using webs while surrounded by two enemies will do this. The attack deals damage to both targets equal to the health of the weaker enemy, which means that it can actually OneHitKill some of the non-supervillains bosses in one hit if done right.

* BossRush: The penultimate level is a BossOnlyLevel, where Spider-Man and Venom going up against the RoguesGallery before fighting Carnage.

* BossRush: The game is made of Boss Rush. First off, [[DegradedBoss a less powerful version of every non-super powered sub-boss would become a grunt in the next level]]. Then, the boss fights would feature an ever increasing number of super-powered bad guys who would reappear after defeat at the next boss fight. Finally, after a rooftop battle against about 8 true bosses at once, the next level was a Sub-Boss Rush featuring all of the grunts powered back up to their boss-fight level.
* DegradedBoss: This happens quite often in the SNES game, most notably with the two [[PrehensileHair long-haired]] girls who act as the boss of the first stage and quickly become annoyingly common enemies.

* HopelessBossFight: At the end of the first stage, as ComicBook/SpiderMan, you'll fight a GiantMook. Beat him, and then 2 Big Mooks, and then 4. The 4th one will have maximum hp, but it can be whittled down. If you win, you'll get the same event as if you lost, with Cloak and Dagger rescuing Spider-Man.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The opening theme, "Carnage Rules", is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbnihYENjC8 freaking awesome]] in fact the whole damn soundtrack for the game probably counts. Green Jellÿ's goal may have been to make music SoBadItsGood, but with ''Maximum Carnage'', they went for headbangingly awesome metal. And, in case you're wondering? [[https://youtu.be/gevm2wPbC6Y&t=148s There's one with lyrics for it]]. Creator/GreenJelly were notable for being ''huge'' Carnage fans.
** [[https://youtu.be/WhmIa0XYTvQ "Super Villains"]], a 16-bit remix of [[Music/BlackSabbath "The Mob Rules"]]. No complaints can be had when it turned out that good.

* EasyLevelsHardBosses: The game has simple levels that involve beating up rioters. The boss fights are either introductions to EliteMooks or pit you against super villains with powerful attacks who are hard to beat unless you know their AssistCharacter weakness (even then, you're still in trouble if you screw up or forgot them); Shriek's the only one who isn't immune to being snared by webs. And then there's [[ThatOneBoss Muzzoid]], who is very difficult to beat without an exploit.

* GoddamnedBoss: Carrion isn't particularly strong or durable, but is annoying due to his ability to levitate and turn intangible.

* GuideDangIt: In advertisements, there was a screenshot of Venom fighting inside the Statue of Liberty's crown. But you never see it, as choosing Venom partway through the game means he's stuck in a Cutscene Hell and only returns to gameplay before the final boss. Obviously a DummiedOut stage, right? ''Wrong''. As it turns out, during that Cutscene Hell, you can actually get Venom freed earlier by rapidly hitting a button before the cutscene he actually gets freed in, thus getting the Statue of Liberty stage and a host of hero summons.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The BeatEmUp game for the SNES and Genesis was advertised as featuring a soundtrack composed by Green Jelly (later Green Jello) - who came up with an original title tune and Suspiciously Similar Songs to metal classics for the rest of the game. Most notable as well as fitting was [[https://youtu.be/umxPSmWLRlg Black Sabbath's "The Mob Rules"]] for boss fights. Unsurprising considering the band is best known for its copyright infringement lawsuits from Metallica for using their riffs in their songs ("Electric Harley House of Love" went as far as lampshading it).
* ThatOneBoss: Muzzoid, a robot that takes lots of hits to start showing damage, has relatively few parts to be hit, depletes the player's HP pretty easily when he strikes, and to make the fight annoying along with difficult, is frequently jumping around, with one leaping attack that drops the player on the ground. Even with Tiger Drop, they'll be a pain in the ass to beat before you can start focusing on the actual boss.
* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: Subverted, as the [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendo SNES]] game has good controls, good music, and is actually all-around decent[[note]]It's probably best known for being one of the few SNES games that has a colored cartridge, in this case red. The port of Doom also had a red cart, and Killer Instinct had a black cart[[/note]]. Even the WebVideo/AngryVideoGameNerd was surprised, as when the Nerd declared it SoOkayItsAverage, then discovered it was made by [[Creator/LJNToys LJN]], [[GoMadFromTheRevelation it blew his mind and made him suffer a breakdown]]: "IT'S NOT SHIT! '''''[[SkywardScream IT'S NOOOOOOOOOOT SHIIIIIIIIIIT!!!]]'''''"