View source for Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety

{{Short description|1995 video game}}
{{about|the video game|the comic series|Venom: Separation Anxiety}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2010}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Venom/Spider-Man:<br>Separation Anxiety
| image = Spider-Man and Venom - Separation Anxiety Coverart.png
| alt = Venom • Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety
| caption = Packaging for the North American Genesis version
| developer = [[Software Creations (UK)|Software Creations]]
| publisher = [[Acclaim Entertainment]]
| series = ''[[Spider-Man in video games|Spider-Man]]''
| designer = Danny Curley<br>Chun Wah Kong (credited as Chrono)
| programmer = Paul Murray
| producer = Tyrone Miller<br>Marc Wilding
| composer = Suddi Raval
| released = {{vgrelease|NA|November 1995|EU|1995}}
| genre = [[Beat 'em up]]
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]], [[Cooperative video game|cooperative]]
| platforms = [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]], [[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive/Genesis]], [[Personal computer|PC]]
}}

'''''Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety''''' is a [[side-scrolling]] [[beat 'em up]] [[video game]] and a sequel to ''[[Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage]]'', released for [[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive/Genesis]] and [[Super NES]] and then ported to [[IBM PC|PC]]. One or two players team up as [[Spider-Man]] and [[Eddie Brock|Venom]] to defeat the evil [[symbiote (comics)|symbiote]] [[Carnage (character)|Carnage]]. The game boasts many thugs that the player has to defeat: heavily armed [[The Jury (comics)|Jury]] and Venom's symbiote children. There is also cameo assistance from [[Captain America]], [[Ghost Rider (Danny Ketch)|Ghost Rider]], [[Hawkeye (Clint Barton)|Hawkeye]], and [[Daredevil (Marvel Comics character)|Daredevil]].

The game received mediocre reviews, being criticized largely for its repetitiveness, unoriginality and lack of cutscenes.

==Plot==
Though the game is titled after the comic book series ''[[Venom: Separation Anxiety]]'', the story more closely follows the events of Venom's first limited series, ''[[Venom: Lethal Protector]]''. The game's plot loosely follows ''Lethal Protector'' in the following ways:
* Appearance of Spider-Man (in ''Lethal Protector'' #1)
* Confronting the digger in San Francisco (as seen in ''Lethal Protector'' #1)
* Discovering the underground city (as seen in ''Lethal Protector'' #1)
* Appearance of The Jury (as seen in ''Lethal Protector'' #2)
* Removal of five symbiote seeds to create five new symbiotes (as seen in ''Lethal Protector'' #4)
* Spider-Man and Venom's escape from the [[Life Foundation]] (as seen in ''Lethal Protector'' #5)
* Confronting the five symbiotes at the Life Foundation Headquarters (as seen in ''Lethal Protector'' #5)

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| EGM = 4.75/10 (GEN)<ref name="EGM77"/>
| NGen = {{rating|2|5}} (GEN, SNES)<ref name="NGen12"/><ref name="NGen13"/><br>{{rating|1|5}} (PC)<ref name="NGen17"/>
| GR = 61.50% (SNES)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/snes/588684-venom-spider-man-separation-anxiety/index.html|title=Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety SNES Review Score|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304124455/http://www.gamerankings.com/snes/588684-venom-spider-man-separation-anxiety/index.html|archive-date=2016-03-04}}</ref><br/>35.85% (GEN)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/genesis/586480-venom-spider-man-separation-anxiety/index.html|title=Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety Sega Genesis Review Score|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327043944/http://www.gamerankings.com/genesis/586480-venom-spider-man-separation-anxiety/index.html|archive-date=2016-03-27}}</ref>
}}
Reviewing the Genesis version, ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]''{{'}}s "review crew" unanimously agreed that the game "isn't much fun", particularly finding fault in the repetitive fights with the same enemies and the cheap combat, with its constant flow of unavoidable hits. They generally regarded the ability to play as either Spider-Man or Venom to be the one good feature of the game.<ref name=EGM77>{{cite magazine|title=Review Crew: Separation Anxiety|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=77 |date=December 1995|page=42}}</ref> A critic for ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' commented that the game's graphics, audio, and gameplay "are all on par" with ''Maximum Carnage'', but that there was nothing new or interesting to set the game apart from its predecessor or the other beat 'em up games on the market.<ref name=NGen12>{{cite magazine |title=Separation Anxiety|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=12 |date=December 1995|page=198}}</ref> ''[[GamePro]]''{{'}}s The Outlaw agreed that the level designs are unoriginal and monotonous, and was one of the few critics to find serious fault with the graphics and sound: "The sprites lack detail, the thugs have washed out faces, and the heroes look dated. The game deserves dynamic music, digitized voice, and maybe some cool effects, but lacks all these key ingredients". He nonetheless concluded it to be a solid action game worth buying, mainly citing the large variety of moves.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=ProReview: Separation Anxiety|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=88 |date=January 1996|page=90}}</ref> Reviewing the Super NES version in the same issue, Air Hendrix held it to be superior to the Genesis version due to the more colorful and detailed graphics.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=ProReview: Separation Anxiety|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=88|date=January 1996|page=98}}</ref> ''Next Generation'' also found the SNES version's graphics "relatively good", but again emphasized the game's lack of originality.<ref name=NGen13>{{cite magazine |title=Separation Anxiety|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=13  |date=January 1996|page=173}}</ref>

A reviewer for ''Next Generation'' panned the PC port, calling it "an arcade bash-fest with little in the way of the intricacy and depth possible in a PC game". While noting that it was an extremely accurate port, he rated it lower than the Super NES and Genesis versions due to its poor value-for-money; he pointed out that a new Super NES or Genesis and a number of arcade-style beat-'em-ups for those systems could all be picked up for cheap.<ref name=NGen17>{{cite magazine |title=Separation Anxiety |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=17|date=May 1996|page=101}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{moby game|id=/venom-spider-man-separation-anxiety}}

{{Symbiote Family and Hosts}}
{{Spider-Man video games}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Venom Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety}}
[[Category:1995 video games]]
[[Category:Acclaim Entertainment games]]
[[Category:Beat 'em ups]]
[[Category:Cooperative video games]]
[[Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games]]
[[Category:Sega Genesis games]]
[[Category:Side-scrolling beat 'em ups]]
[[Category:Software Creations games]]
[[Category:Super Nintendo Entertainment System games]]
[[Category:Superhero video games]]
[[Category:Video games based on Spider-Man]]
[[Category:Video games based on Venom (character)]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Video games set in New York City]]
[[Category:Windows games]]