Games based on comics can be compared to movies based on games. When creating such projects, the authors often do not try to come up with an interesting story or develop an existing universe, they usually just want to make money on an already popular name. And if attempts to recreate game universes on the big screen mostly fail, then comic book superheroes, on the contrary, have attracted the attention of gamers more and more in recent years. Spider-Man is one of the most famous Marvel superheroes.
Therefore, it is not surprising that games with his participation have been developed since the early 80s. In total, about 50 games were released on a wide variety of platforms. Many of which did not gain popularity and were forgotten.
Spiderman (1982)
Our story begins with a 1982 game developed for one of the most popular consoles of the 80s, the Atari 2600.
The player-controlled Spider-Man used the web to climb the building, destroying the Green Goblin’s bombs along the way. There were criminals in the building who cut the web, and if the player did not manage to quickly catch on again, the game ended. Having reached the roof, it was necessary to defuse the “super-bomb”, after which the game would start again, but with a slight acceleration of the opponents.
Despite the poorly detailed graphics, the red and blue silhouette stood out against the background of the building, allowing the player to feel like a superhero. Therefore, even rather primitive game mechanics brought a lot of pleasure to gamers. And the game itself served as a great start for creating future projects from Marvel Comics.
Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage (1994)
The first game made it possible to play not only as Spider-Man but also as Venom.
The plot tells about Carnage, who escaped from prison and gathered a “family of supervillains.” Upon learning of this, Venom invites Peter to unite in the fight against a common enemy. They find allies in the person of the Black Cat and Morbius and create their small team. The player could pass levels for different characters, which differed not only in appearance but also in gameplay. So, Venom was physically stronger, and Spider-Man had a high movement speed. Also, the heroes had their special moves (using the web and causing high damage). Unfortunately, there was no cooperative mode in the game. Despite the mixed reviews of the original game, a sequel was released a year later. In which the alliance of Spider-Man and Venom fought new opponents. The new game did not offer anything new, was criticized for its boring gameplay, and failed to sell.
Spider-Man: The Movie Game (2002)
The game, released at the same time as Sam Raimi’s 2002 movie, was developed by Treyarch (under the wing of Activision). The plot repeated the history of the film, and the gameplay has not changed since 2000. Fortunately, in the sequel, the developers were able to take a step forward and created a large open New York.
And although the original had levels with skyscrapers, it was impossible to walk along the streets of the city. When trying to land, the superhero died.
In addition to the open world and the already classic superhero skills, the player was allowed to play as Venom at certain points in the story. The gameplay for different characters is radically different (Venom could not start up the web and moved with the help of powerful jumps). Spider-Man:
Shattered Dimensions (2010)
In the early 2000s, Activision directed Treyarch to develop other projects, and Spider-Man fell into the hands of developer Beenox. Which is 2010 released a successful action-adventure (without open world and variability) –
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. The game provided an opportunity to try yourself in the role of one of four unique superheroes.
According to the story, due to the destruction of a mysterious artifact, destructive anomalies arise in different universes. Madame Web asks four variations of Spider-Man to bring order to their worlds and help her restore order. Each character represents a different line of comics: The Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man Noir, Future Spider-Man, and Modern Spider-Man.
In addition to the unique visual design of each universe, superheroes have different methods of combat. The Amazing Spiderman fights in hand-to-hand combat using the web, Noir tries to be quiet and covertly fight the members of the mafia, the Spider-Man of the future uses an upgraded suit, and the Modern Spider has the abilities and strength of the symbiote. An interesting story and varied gameplay appealed to most players and received high marks from journalists.
As a result, a sequel was born – Edge of Time, in which there were no longer four universes. And it was proposed to play for the Modern and Spider-Man from the future, with the new mechanics “, do something – get consequences ” (the actions of the character in one world directly influenced the other).
Spider-Man (2018)
For the first time, talks about the development of a game in the Marvel Universe by Insomniac Games began after the successful release of Sunset Overdrive. The developers were enthusiastic about working on a new franchise under the direction of Sony. The Sunset Overdrive engine was taken as the basis, which was significantly improved and added support for 4K resolution.
The game has arrived at an unheard-of level. In addition to the open world, the developers from Insomniac Games managed to create a truly living New York. Thanks to a special shader, each room had a unique interior. The combat system has become much more diverse. Spider-Man learned how to parkour and how to use the environment in combat. An RPG component has also appeared, with the pumping of skills, the player opens up new opportunities in battles. There were many costumes, bombs, various types of webs, and drones. All this helps to develop their tactics of warfare.
