It's time to squad-up, assemble or whatever it is that superheroes do these days, because today is your chance to grab the Marvel Maximum Collection. That's a brand-new collection from Limited Run Games that collects some of the top Marvel action games released on 8- and 16-bit consoles. I'm talking about both Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage and Venom & Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety, along with Silver Surfer, Captain America and the Avengers, Spider-Man and the X-Men: Arcade's Revenge and Konami's beloved X-Men arcade game. Yeah, that's a lot of Marvel, but are any of these games actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Hyper, Computer & Video Games and more classic magazines that reviewed these games back when they first came out. It's time to put that whole “great power, great responsibility” nonsense to the test, because this is Marvel Maximum Review Crew.


When the Marvel Maximum Collection was announced, a lot of people immediately got excited for Konami's well-made arcade brawler. However, once you looked past that beat ‘em up favorite, you'll notice that the rest of the selections aren't up to that high standard. Nowhere is this more obvious than with Silver Surfer, the Arcadia Systems action game from 1990 that saw the comic book character fly through both overhead and side-scrolling stages. These days, Silver Surfer has a reputation for being one of the worst 8-bit games ever made, but what did the critics say? Let's find out.

36 years ago, the critics were nowhere near as harsh as their modern-day counterparts. You can see this in the range of scores, none of which are as bad as you probably expect. For example, Nintendo Power gave the game the lowest marks, going with a 2.9 out of 5. Sure, that's low, but there were more than 50 games that year that Nintendo Power scored worse than Silver Surfer.

The next lowest score belongs to Electronic Gaming Monthly, who averaged a not-exactly-terrible 6.75 out of 10. That's right, most of the EGM critics actually thought it okay, with all but one giving it sevens. Martin was the one hold-out giving it a 6: “This slightly above average shooter features solid play and tough shooting action. The graphics are nothing special, but the soundtrack is absolutely awesome. Not enough flash in this overly conventional shooter and the rad tunes wear thin rather quickly.” Sushi-X went with a 7, concluding that it was an “unusual but interesting comic book hero shooting game. Real precision is required in order to succeed in this challenging action effort. Cinema storyline is cool and the music really rocks hard. Side and overhead view alternate as the story unfolds. Comic books of the future are here now.”

While EGM may have been a bit iffy on the game, GamePro had no problem endorsing Silver Surfer in their 20th issue. Giving it a 4 out of 5, they issued this warning: “Beware: This cart can seriously dampen your spirits. No kidding, beginners and the mentally unstable should hunt elsewhere for NES thrills. To beat Silver Surfer, you probably have to be an outer space being yourself.”

At least somebody had the good sense to bring up the killer difficulty. And GamePro isn't kidding, as this game has a reputation for being impossible to beat without cheating. But even then, the overall average is a not-that-terrible 69%. While I'm happy it's not any higher, there are far better games that have averaged much lower scores, and that's kind of annoying. Don't play Silver Surfer.

One year before Konami released their well-regarded X-Men arcade game, Data East took a stab at another collection of Marvel superheroes – Captain America and the Avengers. It was a perfectly serviceable brawler released at a time when beat ‘em ups were all the rage. One year later, Data East brought the arcade game home to the Genesis. It kept the levels and story, though cut the four-player mode down to just two. Was this game worth playing in 1991? Let's see what the critics said.

While nowhere as beloved as Konami's X-Men brawler, the reviews were still pretty good for Captain America. There were low scores, sure, but nothing below the 60% threshold. Mean Machines Sega gave the game a 67% in their fifth issue, while Video Games & Computer Entertainment went with a 6.4 out of 10 in their 48th. Mega made a run for the lowest score, going all the way down to a 62%, but Sega Power's 61% just narrowly beat them. Oh sure, they had nice things to say about the game, like the two-player mode, but, “unfortunately, this is all offset by the awkward, clumsy gameplay. It's gut-wrenchingly simple to complete and the action lacks any kind of momentum. Taking out bosses involves no skill, just a lot of jumping and kicking. The animation's nothing wild, either. Still, the background soundtracks are truly stirring and the whole thing is highly entertaining – so what the hell!”

Although Electronic Gaming Monthly didn't take a shot at reviewing Captain America, one of their sister magazines did. In Electronic Games fourth issue, Howard Grossman gave the brawler a 78% and said the catchphrase: “Some of the lacking features include the fact that the game's fighting can be simplified by constant dashing or always staying in the air by flying or jumping. Yet, on the harder modes, action is fast and furious. There is also a good graphical representation of the superheroes and villains. They are accurately drawn and remain truthful to their characters in the comics in their fighting abilities. Fans who have followed these comic heroes through their careers as well as those who have never seen them can easily get into this comic crusade. The enjoyable gameplay is attractive to all players. Avengers, assemble!”

Moving up the scale, we have Game Informer give Captain America an average score of 7.9 out of 10, while GamePro went with a straight 4 out of 5. For what it's worth, the highest score belongs to Sega Force, who went with a solid 82%. “Chucking villains around, a fellow Avenger battling by your side, Captain America feels a little like an interactive comic. There's no shortage of comic villains: Ultron, Klaw, Juggernaut, the Mandarin, Crossbones ... there are even Avenger cameo appearances. My only complaint is the heroes' abilities and weapons are basically the same. Where are Hawkeye's multitude of trick arrows? What about Iron Man's uni-beam and magnetism? Why can't the Vision become intangible for temporary invulnerability?”

Unfortunately, we all know the answers to those questions, and it's the reason this game is held in the 60% - 80% range. Ultimately, Captain America and the Avengers averaged a solid 72%, which is definitely better than some of the games in this collection. This is a very simple beat ‘em up that is back to basics in almost every way. Good, but not great.

Before we get back to the various beat ‘em ups, we first need to check in with Spider-Man & X-Men: Arcade's Revenge, a 2D platformer published by LJN. This shift in gameplay allowed the developers to make more use out of each character's superpowers, especially when it came to Spider-Man and his web. In a sea of brawlers, this Super NES and Genesis game was a welcome breath of fresh air. Is that how the critics felt in 1992?

The first thing you need to know is that Arcade's Revenge is the best-reviewed game in the entire Marvel Maximum Collection. Most of the critics loved the game, leading to an impressive overall average of 77%. I bring this up because not all of the magazines were vibing with Spidey and Wolverine. In fact, Sega Power absolutely HATE the game, giving it a 46%. “When you have a game as obviously average as this, making it overly hard isn't gonna help. You're only going to battle on if the gameplay hooks you – and that just doesn't happen here.”

As we ascend the scale, we see Hyper give the game a lowish 62%. That's pretty close to Electronic Gaming Monthly, which averaged out to a so-so 6.75 out of 10. While not a great score, there was some disagreement amongst the EGM editors. Martin gave it a 6, complaining that “the fact that you can't select the character you want hurts this cart greatly. Each character is designated a group of levels and you must complete them using only that specific character. Bummer. The graphics and tunes are OK, but the sounds get annoying. Nice try, but no bananas.” Ed, on the hand, was the lone champion of the game, giving it an 8: “LJN has developed one mighty fine game. I like the idea of having to play all five characters through two different events each before getting the opportunity to take on Arcade. While not an easy game, this cart will certainly test the abilities of the best players. Good control, decent graphics and a great challenge.”

Electronic Games ended up liking the game a bit more than their sister magazine, giving Spidey a 72%. That's the same score we saw from Super Play, while Nintendo Power went with a 3.8 out of 5. Climbing even higher, we see Sega Force go with an 80%, while Computer & Video Games went one tick higher, giving Arcade's Revenge an 81%: “The game's great strength is its depth of gameplay. You start the game controlling the web-slinger himself and you move on to controlling the X-Men. The beauty of it is that all the levels change according to who you control. The only gripe that I have with Spider-Man is that the graphics don't look too impressive. They're a little small, but well-detailed and brilliantly animated, so there's no real problem.”

On the higher end, we have Nintendo Magazine System go with an 89%, while Die Hard Game Fan went with an average of 90%. Hey look, that's the same score Super Action gave it. Of course, there was one magazine that gave this comic cross-over a perfect score, and you know exactly who I'm talking about – GamePro! Giving it a 5 out of 5, Gideon argues that “you won't want to miss the mighty mutant action in this cart. Gamers who've already experienced Spider-Man and X-Men: Arcade's Revenge for the Super NES won't encounter anything new, though. If you're a Genesis owner and an action fan who hasn't yet experienced the ‘Men, no X-cuses – this is a must-play.”

As GamePro points out, this game got a staggered release on the Super NES and Genesis. In the case of GamePro, they preferred the Genesis version, giving the Super NES version a 4.5 out of 5. However, there wasn't a clear consensus of which version was better. The overall average is 77%, which makes this the best-reviewed game in the Maximum Collection, no matter if you play the Genesis or Super NES version.

While some would argue that 2D platforming levels allowed Spider-Man to use more of his unique abilities, game developers disagreed, preferring he far simpler beat ‘em up genre. I suppose it makes sense, as it gave us a more visceral and exciting recreation of some of Marvel's most over-the-top comic book moments, but not everybody was sold on the Spider-Man/Venom series, starting with Acclaim's brawler, Maximum Carnage.

You have to remember that this was 1994, and traditional beat ‘em ups had largely fallen out of favor with critics, thanks to the rise of one-on-one fighting games. You definitely saw this with Electronic Gaming Monthly, who couldn't even be bothered to give the game a proper review. With an average of 5 out of 10, EGM says that “Spider-Man just doesn't have it in this one – the graphics are sloppy, and the control is adequate at best. The cameos by other superheroes are cool, but can't make up for the other poor elements.”

While that 5 out of 10 is bad, the lowest score actually belongs to Video Games: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine, which went all the way down to a 4 out of 10. “Imagine yourself playing the best Spider-Man game in the world, with guest appearances by all your favorite Marvel characters. It's a great game, isn't it? Well, keep thinking about it, because imagination is free.” They also gave the Super NES version a 4 out of 10, issuing this warning: “I know there's going to be a lot of people out there rushing to get the limited edition red cartridges, but just remember that gimmicks are used to trick you. Don't be fooled by this piece, rent it and see how bad it is.”

On a more positive note, Nintendo Power gave the game a 3.3 out of 5, while GamePro went with a so-so 3.5 out of 5. The magazine I want to look at is Hyper, which gave Maximum Carnage a score of 74%. “Basically, this is about as much fun as a game of this type can get. The problem is, that's not nearly enough fun, is it boys and girls? Worth a look if you like hitting people though.”

On the higher end, we really only have two magazines. Game Players went with an 80, while Game Informer went a bit higher, going all the way up to an 8.7 out of 10. Andy, the Game Hombre, gave it an 8, raving that “it has excellent animations and catches the spirit of Spidey extremely well. I guess I don't have any complaints about this game, I would just like to see this kind of game advance further. Fans of Spidey will love this cart, and so will side-scrolling action fans.” Ross, the Rebel Gamer, liked it even more, giving it a 9.25 out of 10: “Ever since I got wind of this game, I've been anticipating its appearance. Boy was it worth the wait. Unlike the new Superman, you will not be able to beat the game in one night because of the very limited number of continues. The music for this game is almost perfect. Green Jelly is a great choice. Anybody who likes Spider-Man for any reason will be impressed with this game.”

Oh, that's right, Maximum Carnage featured music by Green Jelly for some reason. Remember them? No? Well, that was more of a big deal in 1994. With reviews all over the place, you might be surprised to see this Spider-Man/Venom match-up averaged a low 67%. That's somehow even worse than Silver Surfer. Yeesh.

One year after unleashing Maximum Carnage, Spider-Man and Venom returned with Separation Anxiety, a new beat ‘em up that leaned even further into everything that people liked (and hated) about the first game. More action, more cameos, more over-the-top moves. But is that enough to satisfy the critics? This was 1995, a year that was dominated by one-on-one fighting and hype surrounding the impending 32-bit battle. This was a game for those stuck-in-the-past gamers who weren't ready for a next-generation console and still liked simple button mashers. You know where this is headed.

The critics were not kind to Separation Anxiety. Next Generation gave the game a pitiful 2 out of 5, annoyed that they still had to review games like this. “The graphics, action and sound are all on par with its predecessor, but nothing of interest has been added. Fans of the comic book are likely to appreciate some of the authenticity of the story, and some fans can never get enough of the webbed-one. However, if you're looking for a good action title, Separation Anxiety isn't the answer. It's just too much like so many other games and offers nothing new or interesting.”

Things weren't much better over at Electronic Gaming Monthly, which ended up giving the brawler a sub-optimal score of 4.75 out of 10. Sushi-X gave the game a 5.5, noting that “the best feature in Separation Anxiety is the ability to play as either Spider-Man or Venon. However, the unending barrage of enemies gets stale quickly when you advance only five feet and get attacked by another gang of reappearing thugs. While the graphics are poor, the upbeat soundtrack makes up for shabby visuals. Superhero fans could get into this one.” Mark strongly disagreed, giving he game a 3: “There are so many negatives about this game, I don't even know where to start. Games are supposed to be fun to play, not frustrating. The enemies you will encounter throughout the levels look exactly the same and are the cheapest when it comes to fighting. Whenever a bad guy is on the screen, mandatory hits are sure to follow. With impossible gameplay, horrible graphics and monotonous sound, this one should head back to the drawing board.”

Things get a little better when we look at Super Play, who went with a 58%, making it their 434th highest scoring Super NES game (out of 594). Game Players went with a 60%, while Video Games: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine went with a 6 out of 10. Hyper ended up going two ticks higher, giving the team-up a score of 62%. They complained about all the stuff brought up by EGM and Next Generation, as well as noting that “the game also contains some of the worst sound effects I've heard on the Super NES. So bad, in fact, that they've included some textual BIFFs and POWs so that you know that what you're hearing is not your SNES having some internal mechanical failure. If you're after a run of the mill, repetitive beat ‘em up, then this is the game for you.”

When it comes right down to it, there was only one magazine that recommended Separating Anxiety. Try to act surprised when I tell you that GamePro gave this 16-bit brawler a 4 out of 5. That's right, they actually liked it more than Maximum Carnage. To be fair, they weren't oblivious to the game's flaws, mentioning a lot of the same issues brought up by the other critics. However, in the end, they called it a “no-holds-barred slugfest that would even get Aunt May's blood pumping. You should have no anxiety about playing the latest Spider-Man cart.”

Well, at least they didn't make a Spider-Man tingle joke. Oh wait, they did. Yeah, GamePro was real generous that holiday season. Must have been all the eggnog. It's important to remember that GamePro was the outlier, as the overall average is a mere 58%. That's low, especially for a comic book game. This series ended with a real whimper.