When it comes to comic book superheroes, Spider-Man swings high and lands firmly in the top-five league. In fact, his popularity firmly cements his position as one of Marvel’s most beloved heroes. Sure, Iron Man might have the flashy suits and the big-screen spotlight thanks to the MCU (and the natural charisma of Robert Downey Jr.), but when it comes to comic books or video games, the friendly neighbourhood wall-crawler effortlessly outshines the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.
Spider-Man‘s popularity and influence mean there are tons of games that have been based on him. In this piece, we will be looking at some of the best and worst Spider-Man games ever released. We will also bring up a few honourable mentions. Now, at the risk of sounding like J. Jonah Jameson, let’s talk about Spider-Man.
3 of the worst Spider-Man games released so far
Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six (1992)
This one was a little hard to place here. On one hand, it is an NES title, which means that it was hampered by the technology of its time. So you get a side-scrolling beat-em-up with platforming sections, which was pretty much the norm for almost every videogame at the time. However, the controls were atrocious and the web-swinging mechanic was (at best) tricky to master. Considering how good platformers were on the NES by 1992, Spidey deserved a much better game. This game does hold a special place in my heart by being the first superhero game I ever played. However, it’s not a very good place…
Pros
- Varied boss fights
- Nostalgia factor
Cons
- Bad controls
- High difficulty
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 came out as a tie-in to the movie of the same name, but it has its own little plot. However, the reason it is on this list is that it managed to make the act of being Spider-Man boring and tedious. The game features a ‘Heroic Meter’ that gauges Spider-Man’s popularity among the city’s populace. If it gets too low, then he is termed a menace, and a police force is sent out to stop him. So you are pretty much forced to complete repetitive side-quests. On top of this, the combat was pretty average, which is a little disappointing considering Rocksteady’s Arkham series had pretty much laid the groundwork for how combat should be handled in games. On the plus side, the web-swinging mechanics were spot-on, which made exploring the city fun.
Pros
- Excellent traversal mechanics
Cons
- Tedious side missions
- Boring combat
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Spider-Man 3 was loosely based on the Tobey Maguire movie of the same name. However, the game not only looked awful but played poorly as well. For starters, the game was released for the PS3 and Xbox 360, which were the cutting-edge consoles of the time. But, it looked and felt like it belonged to the previous generation with janky animations and combat that relied a lot on button mashing. The difficulty was pretty much non-existent. Once you realise that you can use ‘bullet time’ mechanics to dodge enemy attacks, boss battles become a piece of cake.
Pros
- Voice actors from the movie
Cons
- Bad graphics
- Poor animations
- Boring combat
Best Spider-Man games
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Spider-Man 2 was loosely based on the movie of the same name and like the movie, the game was very well received. For starters, the game depicted a life-sized version of Manhattan that players were encouraged to explore. At the time, open-world games were still pretty uncommon. So this blew people’s minds! Helping out things was arguably the best take on Spider-Man’s web-swinging action. In fact, I would even go so far as to suggest that this mechanic is better executed than the newer Spider-Man titles as there is not only more nuance in how you swing, but the inclusion of fall damage added an element of danger that makes it just a little bit more fun. Just don’t play the PC version…
Pros
- Massive map (for the time)
- Nuanced web-swinging
Cons
- Some missions can get repetitive
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (2010)
Long before the MCU dipped its feet into the multiverse, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions was introducing gamers to the Spiderverse. The game saw four different Spider-Men across different universes team-up to take on the machinations of Mysterio. Each featured maps, enemies, and gameplay unique to the particular Spider-man you were playing at the time. It’s the attention to detail that truly elevates this game and should bring a smile to die-hard fans of the superhero. Also, Deadpool makes an appearance. Need I say more?
Pros
- Attention to lore
- Each Spider-Man feels unique
Cons
- The camera can be troublesome
Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018)
Insomniac’s take on Spider-Man is considered by many to be the perfect take on the titular superhero. It’s got a great story, awesome gameplay, and exhilarating traversal. It is almost like the developers learned from other games that came before it and built upon their foundations while actively trying to avoid the mistakes made by other games. Both this and its spin-off, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, truly give you the Spider-Man experience. It is not only the best Spider-Man game, it is also one of the best superhero games ever made. A feat worthy of Spider-Man himself.
Pros
- Great Story
- Excellent web swinging
- Fun gameplay
Cons
- The world could do with more building
Honourable mentions
Spider-Man (1982)
The wall crawler’s first-ever foray into video gamers was anything but perfect. But there is only so much developers could do considering the limitations of the Atari 2600 gaming system. Even so, players can partake in wall-crawling and web-swinging, which is extremely impressive considering the fact that the controller only features a directional joystick and a single action button!
Spider-Man (2000)
This was Spider-Man’s first foray into 3D and it was glorious. It gave players large (but limited) maps to explore alongside the chance to fully appreciate the extent of the superhero’s powers. There were also loads of collectibles scattered around the map giving players a reason to explore. Oh, and the game was narrated by none other than Stan Lee himself.
So there you have it. A look at some of the best and worst Spider-Man games you can play. Of course, there are a whole lot more Spider-Man games that have been launched over the years and it does not look like it will stop anytime soon. If you are a proud owner of a PlayStation 5, then you can look forward to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 which is scheduled to release on October 20th, 2023. If you have an Xbox however, you are out of luck. But hey, at least you have Starfield to look forward to.
