Summary
- Classic Spider-Man video games are often inaccessible due to a lack of modern ports or being delisted.
- LJN's Spider-Man/Venom: Maximum Carnage remains popular but is exclusively available on SNES and Sega Genesis.
- Ultimate Spider-Man features a unique cel-shaded art style, open-world gameplay, and playable characters like Venom.
Many studios and publishers have been behind the development of Spider-Man video games, but sadly, with a license like Spider-Man and Marvel, it can result in certain titles being delisted or stuck on consoles with no modern ports. While modern iterations like Insomniac's masterpieces have rightfully captivated millions, a significant, often foundational, chapter of this illustrious digital history remains largely inaccessible to contemporary players.
From other open-world games to appearing in ensemble Marvel games, Spider-Man has fought crime in New York City and saved the Marvel universe across many genres, visual styles, and drastically different stories. Sadly, even some of the best ones have found themselves no longer accessible, outside the system they were initially released.
You can still find most of these games second-hand through stores like Amazon or eBay, so it is not impossible to find them (but you might need to spend quite a bit of money!). However, you cannot just go on an online platform like Steam or the PlayStation Store and pick them up. That needs to change.
Spider-Man/Venom: Maximum Carnage
Simple But Fun Beat Em Up Gem By LJN
Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage
- Released
- September 16, 1994
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Beat 'Em Up
The development team at LJN has become notorious for creating movie-licensed games that are often criticized by gamers. However, they do have a standout title in the form of Spider-Man/Venom: Maximum Carnage. With its energetic music and vibrant 16-bit sprites, it emerged as a definitive Spider-Man game of the 90s. Despite its popularity, the game remains exclusively available on the SNES and Sega Genesis to this day.
Even if someone were to get a console that can play it, cartridges for Spider-Man/Venom: Maximum Carnage are rare and expensive. However, that is a testament to its legacy, which has Spider-Man and Venom running and punching their way through legions of enemies in the same arcade-like beat 'em up style as the Final Fight series.
Ultimate Spider-Man
Two Open World Marvel Stories For The Price Of One
Ultimate Spider-Man
- Released
- September 22, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T // Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
Based on the comics of the same name, Ultimate Spider-Man commits to a cel-shaded art style that makes every character and frame look straight out of a comic book. It also makes for one of the more memorable open worlds in a Spider-Man game as Peter Parker investigates Trask Industries to uncover the mystery of the symbiote and his parents.
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Ultimate Spider-Man features the titular superhero with all the web-swinging and action that the character is known for, but Venom is also a playable character with his own story. Where Spider-Man is more agile, Venom is all about brute strength and using his symbiote tendrils to fight enemies and various villains inspired by the Ultimate universe variants.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Many Heroes Shine In The Beloved RPG
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
- Released
- October 24, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Mild Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
There was a time when Activision was the definitive publisher for Marvel video games, which led to the development of multiple classics, such as Marvel Ultimate Alliance. It is highly regarded as a top-tier Marvel game, mixing dungeon-crawling RPG gameplay with the world-building of a pre-existing Marvel universe, long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe did it.
Spider-Man is only one of many heroes that can be chosen and leveled up in Marvel Ultimate Alliance, from the Avengers to The Fantastic Four. It results in a memorable cosmic adventure with up to four heroes fighting villains like Doctor Doom, Galactus, Loki, and more as the Masters of Evil.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
Spider-Man Plays A Big Part In The Civil War
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
- Released
- September 15, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- 3+
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 dials back on the galactic and multiversal threats for a more grounded story based on the Civil War storyline, with Captain America and Iron Man leading opposing factions. Like in the comic, Spider-Man plays a major of the story, but other Spider-Man characters are added to the roster, including Venom and Green Goblin.
Unfortunately, despite being a strong sequel with improved visuals and gameplay across two campaigns, it has been lost to time since Activision lost the rights to Marvel. With villains and even more heroes on the roster for each faction, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 has even more replayability to see how each campaign differs.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Did The Spider-Verse Before There Was A Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
- Released
- September 7, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Action
Before the multiverse was all the rage, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions broke ground by having four different versions of Spider-Man working together to stop Mysterio. It even predated the official Spider-Verse comics, featuring The Amazing Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Man Noir, and Spider-Man 2099, each with unique abilities, visual styles, and level structure.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions demonstrated the capabilities of the developers at Beenox, establishing them as the premier Spider-Man team for years. They expertly blended comic book-style narratives with engaging single-player gameplay, resulting in a game that appeals to a wide range of audiences.
Spider-Man: Edge Of Time
Spidey Gets Timey Timey, Wibbly Wobbly
Spider-Man: Edge of Time
- Released
- October 4, 2011
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Beenox, Other Ocean Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- Insomniac Engine v.4.0
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
Focusing only on The Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099, players get to bounce across time, dealing with Anti-Venom, Black Cat, and various other villains connected to the nefarious Alchemax corporation. Spider-Man: Edge of Time features much of the same gameplay as Shattered Dimensions, but is polished even more thanks to only having two Spider-Men for Beenox to worry about.
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Although its predecessor was well-received, Spider-Man: Edge of Time struggled to find an audience and sold poorly upon its 2011 release, leading it to quickly fade into obscurity. However, over time, the game has developed a dedicated fanbase, with some players claiming it to be on par with or even superior to Shattered Dimensions.
Spider-Man: Web Of Shadows
Treyarch's Spider-Man Outing Is Still Influential
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
- Released
- October 21, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Animated Blood, Drug Reference, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence (PC, PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360) E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Animated Blood, Cartoon Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes (PS2, PSP, DS)
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Beat 'Em Up
Insomniac Games set the new standard for open-world games with their Marvel's Spider-Man series, but Shaba Games and Treyarch did that previously in 2008 with Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, which was so impressive that Insomniac took inspiration. It allowed gamers to swap between the regular and symbiote versions of Spider-Man on the fly with the click of a button, granting them unique abilities, combos, and dialogue.
In addition to the gameplay, players can pick and choose the path Spider-Man takes through the story to make him as good or as dark as they want. With a plethora of Marvel heroes and villains to encounter in the fight against Venom's slow invasion of the open-world New York City, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows remains a cult classic for being unlike any other Spider-Man game.
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