What do you get when you strip the weapons, balanced gameplay, multiplayer, and varied enemies from Streets of Rage 2?



Maximum Carnage is an absolute pain in the ass of a game. Here's a reenactment of two kids buying this game back in 1994:

Kevin: Hey look Costner! This new game has Carnage on the cover! Oh wowzzz it says you can be Spider-Man and Venom!
Costner: That means we can play together!
Kevin: Oh you better believe it! And look, it's a Streets of Rage/Final Fight style game! That means we can smash the environment up and take it to the streets!
Costner: I love Michael McDonald!
Kevin: I'm purchasing the shiznat out of this game right very now.

[Kevin and Costner get home]

Kevin: What the shit!? Press start and maybe it will let you join.
Costner: It's not letting me! Why can't I play?? There is zero chance the developers would have made this game only 1-player. It doesn't even make sense!
Kevin: $!$ZOMG$!$ In the time it took you to say that I already got Game Over.
Costner: Bump this! I'm gonna go make The Postman.
Kevin: Wait nooooooo!!! ::fades out::



Maximum Carnage starts out normal enough (if you are playing by yourself). You are Spiderman walking down the street and some thugs try to fight you but you ward them off. No matter how hard you try though you will probably lose at least one life by the end of this level which is a problem seeing as to how the game is fairly long and you have 1 continue and are forced to play by yourself. Also, there are no combo moves. Spidey can punch, make a webshield, and wrap people in webbing (which for some reason sounds like someone was banging on a metal trashcan whenever it's used). The first "boss" is a team-up of Carrion and Doppelganger. It's beatable but by this time you will probably lose your one and only continue. You can't play with a buddy, enemies swarm you from all directions, and there are no moves in your arsenal to even out a fight.

The game follows the comic book story Maximum Carnage (we call that "synergy" in the entertainment biz) that was released around the same time as the game. So if you are looking for a challenge, or just like starting up another marvel game that you can't beat, then I recommend Maximum Carnage to you. Pity those of us who played this game with stars in our eyes.