SNES Action Beat 'em Up 1994

Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage

Reviewed by Marcus Webb & Elena Castillo · Updated June 2025

Software Creations' 1994 SNES beat-em-up based on the Maximum Carnage comic arc — Spider-Man and Venom team up across 14 stages fighting Carnage's gang. The game is notable for its red SNES cartridge (one of very few), the music by Green Jellÿ and Zoebleed, and two selectable protagonists with different combat capabilities.

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Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage box art

💡 Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage — Key Facts

→ Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage was developed by Software Creations and published by LJN
→ Released in 1994 on SNES
→ Genre: Action, Beat 'em Up
→ We rate it 8.2/10 — highly recommended
→ Software Creations' 1994 SNES beat-em-up based on the Maximum Carnage comic arc — Spider-Man and Venom team up across 14 stages fighting Carnage's gang. The game is notable for its red SNES cartridge (one of very few), the music by Green Jellÿ and Zoebleed, and two selectable protagonists with different combat capabilities.

Overview

The cartridge is red. This was unusual in 1994 — almost every SNES game came in a gray shell. Maximum Carnage came in red plastic matching Carnage’s symbiote color.

You could identify it on a shelf without reading the label.

Spider-Man and Venom Together

The Maximum Carnage comic arc featured the unusual premise of Spider-Man and Venom working together against a larger threat — Carnage’s gang of symbiote-enhanced villains. The game translates this team-up by giving players the choice between protagonists rather than forcing one.

Spider-Man is fast and acrobatic. His wall-crawling accesses vertical stage sections; his web attacks reach enemies at range. Venom is larger and harder-hitting. His symbiote tendrils cover different angles than Spider-Man’s attacks.

Two characters with enough difference to make the choice meaningful. Fourteen stages with both options available.

The Music

Green Jellÿ — the band who released the novelty rock album Cereal Killer — composed the Maximum Carnage soundtrack specifically for the game. The music includes licensed rock compositions rather than original game music, similar to Rock n’ Roll Racing’s approach. ‘Carnage Rules’ became the game’s signature track.

The music choice — actual commissioned rock rather than game-specific composition — was a 1994 licensing decision that made Maximum Carnage acoustically distinctive from contemporaries.

LJN’s Best

LJN published. The company was associated with low-quality licensed games throughout the NES and SNES era — the ‘rainbow of doom’ symbol was a warning to informed players. Maximum Carnage was one of LJN’s exceptions: a licensed game that achieved above-average quality despite publisher reputation.

The red cartridge was the physical artifact. The quality inside the red cartridge was the surprise.

Our Review

8.2

Excellent / 10

🎮

Gameplay

★★★★★

🎨

Graphics

★★★★★

🎵

Audio

★★★★★

🔄

Replay

★★★★★

Gameplay

Maximum Carnage is a side-scrolling beat-em-up where players choose between Spider-Man or Venom across 14 stages based on the Maximum Carnage comic storyline. Both characters have standard melee attacks, web attacks, and special moves. Spider-Man's wall-crawling and web-swinging provide mobility options; Venom's larger frame has more powerful attacks. Hero cards appear as power-ups in stages — collecting cards summons Marvel hero cameos (Captain America's shield bash, Cloak's darkness) that provide brief assistance. The combat loop is straightforward beat-em-up: clear enemies, advance, boss encounters. Venom's attack style differs enough from Spider-Man's to reward playing both.

Graphics

Maximum Carnage's SNES visuals deliver accurate comic aesthetics for Spider-Man, Venom, and Carnage — the primary character designs reflect the early 1990s Marvel visual style. New York environments and enemy designs match the comic source. The red cartridge is the game's most physically distinctive feature.

Audio

The Maximum Carnage soundtrack was composed by Green Jellÿ (Jello Biafra) and includes licensed rock compositions specifically created for the game. The music is distinctive in tone — more aggressive than typical licensed game soundtracks. 'Carnage Rules' became the most recognized track.

Replayability

Two playable characters with different combat styles and 14 stages provide the primary replay. The hero card cameo system adds variation to encounters.

Historical Significance

Maximum Carnage (1994, SNES/Genesis) is based on the Spider-Man Maximum Carnage comic arc (Spider-Man #361-375, 1993). The game used the Marvel Comics art style directly — the early 1990s Marvel visual aesthetic of Todd McFarlane's Spider-Man era. The red SNES cartridge (one of very few colored SNES carts released in North America) made the game visually distinct on store shelves. Separation Anxiety (1995, SNES/Genesis) was the direct sequel. The Maximum Carnage comic arc is considered one of the defining Spider-Man stories of the early 1990s.

✅ Pros

+ Red SNES cartridge — one of very few colored carts in North America
+ Two playable characters — Spider-Man and Venom
+ Hero card cameo system with Marvel guest appearances
+ Green Jellÿ rock soundtrack commissioned for the game
+ 14 stages following complete Maximum Carnage comic narrative

❌ Cons

- Beat-em-up combat is repetitive across 14 stages
- LJN published — despite better quality than typical LJN games, reputation follows
- Some stages feel rushed without enemy variety
- Venom's moveset less refined than Spider-Man's

Also Known As

Maximum Carnage SNESSpider-Man Maximum Carnage

Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage FAQ

Why does Maximum Carnage have a red SNES cartridge?

Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage was released in a red SNES cartridge — one of very few North American SNES games with a non-gray plastic shell. The red cartridge was a marketing decision to make the game visually distinctive on store shelves, reflecting Carnage's red symbiote appearance and the 'Maximum Carnage' branding. LJN and Acclaim used the red shell specifically for this game; most SNES cartridges used gray plastic. The red cartridge became a collector identifier — Maximum Carnage is one of the few SNES games recognizable by cartridge color before the label is read. Other colored SNES cartridges in North America were extremely rare.

How does Spider-Man differ from Venom in the game?

Spider-Man and Venom offer different combat experiences despite sharing the same basic beat-em-up structure. Spider-Man has wall-crawling movement (pressing against walls allows vertical climbing), web-shot ranged attacks, and more acrobatic combat animations. His moves reflect his agile, fast fighting style — lighter attacks that chain quickly. Venom has a larger physical frame — his reach exceeds Spider-Man's and his basic strikes deal more damage per hit. Venom's symbiote tendrils provide different attack coverage than Spider-Man's web attacks. Neither character has a strict numerical advantage — the choice comes down to preferred combat style. Players who want faster, more mobile combat choose Spider-Man; players who want harder-hitting attacks choose Venom.

What is the hero card system in Maximum Carnage?

Hero cards are collectible items scattered through stages that summon Marvel hero cameos as brief attack assistance. Each hero card type corresponds to a different hero: Captain America's shield throw hits enemies across the screen; Captain Ultra fires energy bolts; Cloak summons darkness that damages enemies; Black Cat provides assistance. The hero cameos appear briefly, perform their assistance attack, then disappear. The card system adds visual variety to the standard beat-em-up combat — hero appearances break up the enemy-clearing loop with recognizable Marvel characters making brief appearances that reward players who collect the cards rather than ignoring them as pickups.

Is Maximum Carnage available on modern platforms?

Maximum Carnage has not received a modern digital re-release. The Marvel licensing (Spider-Man, Venom, Carnage, and cameo heroes) involves multiple rights holders — Marvel Comics characters, original Spider-Man Maximum Carnage comic creators — that complicate re-release more than an original IP game. LJN (publisher) was dissolved; Acclaim (parent company) went bankrupt in 2004. The game's rights situation is unclear. Original SNES and Genesis cartridges are available through retro game stores at moderate collector prices; the red SNES cartridge is specifically sought by collectors for its distinctive appearance. No digital storefront listing exists. Physical cartridge remains the only legal access method.