Spider-Man Evolved: A Video Game Retrospective

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Spider-Man Evolved: A Video Game Retrospective
by Erik Norris
Sep 6th, 2010



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Covering the past 20 years of Spidey adventures

Spider-Man, as a character, is fast approaching his 50th anniversary in comics. Andhile his video game exploits don’t run nearly as long (yet), ol' web-head has seen his fair share of adventure in the realm of gaming. With the impending launch of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, we’re paying tribute to the red and blue pajama web-slinger with a video game history lesson, covering the past twenty years of Spidey adventures; from the Commodore days to the current next gen gaming landscape.

1990: The Amazing Spider-Man

Developed in 1990 for Commodore’s Amiga system, "The Amazing Spider-Man" (pictured left) was an action platformer with Spidey out on a mission to save his wife Mary Jane from the fish-bowl helmet clutches of his nemesis Mysterio. In order to find and save his wife, Spider-Man needed to navigate a series of environments inspired by classic film, designed by Mysterio the cinephile. The early/mid 90’s were a good time for ol’ web-head in the realm of video games, and it all started here with "The Amazing Spider-Man" by Oxford Digital Enterprises.

1990: The Amazing Spider-Man vs. Kingpin (aka Spider-Man)

"The Amazing Spider-Man vs. Kingpin" was the first Spider-Man title to hit Sega’s consoles. The game premiered on the Master System and was later ported over to the Mega Drive/Genesis, Game Gear, and finally the Sega CD. The game was a critical success, noted for its faithful adaptation of the comic characters to video game form, as well as its winks and nods to the Spidey mythos; like taking photos and selling them to the Daily Bugle in order to purchase more web-fluid. Also, depending which platform you purchased the game for, you were treated to different levels, updated graphics and minor improvements to gameplay. For Sega CD players, there were also alternate endings, one of which saw Mary Jane thrown in a vat of acid with the Kingpin escaping. Ouch, Spidey, tough break.

1991-1993: The Amazing Spider-Man (Game Boy trilogy)

From 1991 to 1993, three Spider-Man games were created for the Nintendo Game Boy. The first, entitled "The Amazing Spider-Man," was created by Rareware and saw Peter Parker donning the red and blue on a quest to, once again, save Mary Jane from a group of supervillains. The second title, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," released the following year, this time developed by B.I.T.S., and was a side-scrolling beat-um-up were Spidey attempted to clear his name after being set-up by the Hobgoblin and wrongly accused for crimes committed. Finally, in 1993 the same team that developed the sequel, B.I.T.S., released the third title in the trilogy, "Spider-Man 3: Invasion of the Spider-Slayers." This game’s story ran in tandem with a storyline currently sweeping through the Spidey comics where Manhattan was being attacked by deadly spider robots.

1992: Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six

"Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six" was the first Spider-Man video game on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was developed by B.I.T.S. (developer of the Game Boy Spidey trilogy) and was an action platformer with Spider-Man trying to beat each member of the Sinister Six; Electro, Sandman, Mysterio, Hobgoblin, Vulture and Doc Octopus. The game was later ported over to Sega’s consoles and featured updated graphics.

1992: Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade’s Revenge

Don’t let the title fool you, this was was not an arcade, coin-op title. Instead, the title refers to the game’s villain, who had captured four members of the X-Men (Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm and Gambit), making it Spider-Man’s job to rescue them and save the day. That’s right, Spidey saving Wolverine’s ass. This game was also the first Spidey title to release cross platform in the 16-bit era, first on the Super Nintendo in 1992, later on the Mega Drive/Genesis in 1993. "Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade’s Revenge" was later ported to the Game Boy and Game Gear handhelds.

1994: Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage

Being a gamer of the 16-bit era, that red game shell is hard to forget. In the mid 1990s, Marvel kicked down the doors with two major Spider-Man storylines in the pages of the comic, both of which were adapted into video games. The first title was "Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage" (pictured below right) releasing on the Super Nintendo and Mega Drive/Genesis in 1994. The game featured a plethora of characters from the entire Marvel Universe and is widely regarded one of the greatest Spider-Man video games of all time, mostly due to the nostalgia factor amongst gamers.



1995: Spider-Man and Venom: Separation Anxiety

As mentioned prior, the second Spider-Man video game based off a major comic storyline in the mid 1990s was "Separation Anxiety." Much like its predecessor, "Maximum Carnage," "Separation Anxiety" was a side-scrolling beat-um-up where you played as Spider-Man or Venom and set out to stop the evil symbiote Carnage. "Separation Anxiety" also featured a surplus of Marvel cameos, but was unfortunately met with much less fanfare than "Maximum Carnage."

1995: Spider-Man

Due to the success of "Spider-Man: The Animated Series," Western Technologies and publisher Acclaim released "Spider-Man" for the Super Nintendo and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, incorporating elements from the wildly popular cartoon. Much like previous Spidey games, "Spider-Man" was a side-scrolling action platformer. However, the list of boss characters was quite impressive with everyone from The Owl, Rhino, Hammerhead and Green Goblin represented. "Spider-Man" also featured an appearance by the Fantastic Four.

1996: Spider-Man: Web of Fire

By 1996 the Sega 32X was dying. As one of the last titles released for the add-on, Sega teamed with Acclaim to publish their first Spidey game since "The Amazing Spider-Man vs. Kingpin." The new title, "Spider-Man: Web of Fire," saw Spidey teaming up with Daredevil to stop a HYDRA invasion of New York City. However, the game did not perform well critically, being panned for its ridiculous difficulty, awful controls and sub-par visuals.
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2000: Spider-Man

By the end of the 1990s Marvel wasn’t doing so well. The company was gearing up to file for bankruptcy and thus explains the lack of Spider-Man video games between 1996 and 2000. However, things quickly turned around for Marvel and before we knew it, the company was licensing out their characters again for film and games. In 2000, Activision published their first (of many) Spider-Man titles in Neversoft’s "Spider-Man" for the Sony PlayStation. The game was critically acclaimed, labeled by many as the “best Spider-Man game ever.” "Spider-Man" boasted alternate costumes, a “What If” mode, and the first 3D web-slingin’ action Spider-Man had seen in gaming. Soon thereafter the Spider-Man games would become completely open-world sandbox titles - all inspiration can be traced back to Neversoft’s "Spider-Man" as the foundation for the formula.

2001: Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro

"Enter Electro" is the sequel to Neversoft’s "Spider-Man." The game featured the same voice actor for Spider-Man, Rino Romano, and focused on Spider-Man stopping Electro from obtaining the Bio-Nexus Device. "Enter Electro" featured many of the same gameplay mechanics as Neversoft’s previous Spider-Man effort, and thus, was criticized in reviews. However, the game did sell well enough to become a PlayStation Greatest Hits title.

2002: Spider-Man: The Movie

Taking its cues from Neversoft’s "Spider-Man," Treyarch adapted the first "Spider-Man" film into video game form in 2002 with "Spider-Man: The Movie," developed for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube and PC. "Spider-Man: The Movie" was also the first time aerial combat was integrated into the Spider-Man titles, allowing Spidey to freely web-sling around NYC.

2004: Spider-Man 2: The Game

With a new Spider-Man film comes a new Spider-Man licensed tie-in game. "Spider-Man 2: The Game" was once again developed by Treyarch and extended the “openness” of the series, allowing players complete control over their NYC web-slingin’. Gamers could choose to solely focus on the game’s narrative driven missions--recreating the plot of the second Spidey film with some liberties--or participate in a large number of side-quests to build hero points and upgrade Spidey’s abilities. The free-form, open structure of "Spider-Man 2: The Game" became the cornerstone for all Spider-Man video games in years following.



2005: Ultimate Spider-Man

In this humble writer’s opinion, "Ultimate Spider-Man" remains the greatest Spider-Man video game to date. The cel-shaded graphical style was perfectly fitting for a comic-based video game, the story--written by comic writer Brian Michael Bendis--played into the continuity of the "Ultimate Spider-Man" comic, and the gameplay--both as Spider-Man and Venom--was wildly addictive. "Ultimate Spider-Man" can also be seen as the pinnacle of Treyarch’s work on the Spider-Man video game franchise.

2007: Spider-Man 3

By 2007 and the release of "Spider-Man 3" in theaters, the Spider-Man video game blueprint was beginning to feel stale. While "Spider-Man 3: The Game" sported a new plot and a larger version of New York City to explore, the sense of innovation and freshness in the series had all but disappeared. That’s not to say "Spider-Man 3" was a bad game, it wasn’t, but the Spidey franchise needed a kick-start in a new creative direction.

2007: Spider-Man: Friend or Foe

A fresh interpretation of the "Spider-Man" films, "Spider-Man: Friend or Foe" felt like the classic Spidey brawlers of old mixed with the tongue-in-cheek humor of the LEGO video games. "Spider-Man: Friend or Foe" could be played solo or cooperatively, and allowed players to convert classic Spidey villians into sidekicks once defeated in boss battles. The game also had levels set in Tokyo, Egypt and Nepal, to name but a few. This was definitely a change of pace from what we’ve seen in previous Spider-Man games. And while "Spider-Man: Friend or Foe" was not a critical or commercial success, it did show that Activision was approaching their Spidey games with some much needed lateral thinking in an attempt to make them fun and relevant again.

2008: Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

It’s fitting that the Spider-Man game with the darkest plot also represents the darkest point in Spider-Man video game franchise history. Even with two distinctly different playstyles--depending on costume of choice--and an original plot, "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows" felt like the same old thing all over again. The game also lacked polish, making it incredibly frustrating at times. Spider-Man games, at this point, were a joke. "Web of Shadows" was the final nail in the coffin. There needed to be a radical shift in approach if we were going to be excited by a Spidey game ever again.

2010: Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions

"Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions" (pictured above left) represents the dawning of a new creative era for Spider-Man video games. By studying everything that has come before, cherry-picking the best elements, and melting it all together, "Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions" looks to be the ultimate Spider-Man video game. Featuring four completely distinct universes (Amazing, Ultimate, 2099, Noir)--all with unique gameplay styles--and a plot written by comic scribe Dan Slott, "Shattered Dimensions" is exactly what the Spider-Man video game franchise needs as a kick in the pants to reinvigorate this limping franchise. Time will tell if it gets the job done. Here’s to the future!
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