After taking a four-year hiatus from consoles, Spider-Man is finally set to return in Insomniac's Spider-Man for the PlaySta⛄tion 4 in just a couple of months. With such a great developer at the helm, it appears that this game will challenge Batman's Arkham games for the title of best superhero video game ever. But even if 🍬it doesn't there are still a ton of Spider-Man titles that have stood the test of time across several console generations.
From side-scr🦩olling beat em ups to 3D action adventure titles and massive open world free roaming games, Spider-Man has been dipped his webs into many different kinds of games and has at least one classic in all of them. Some titles emphasize different aspects of the Spider-Man license more than others but there are plenty of them that capture the fun to be had in controlling such a nimble and powerful character like Spider-Man should be.
But don't get me wrong; there are tons of bad Spidey games as well. While it's hard to find common underlying issues with all ten bad games featured on this list, there are a few linked problems. Bad controls, tr🎐emendous difficulty, and poor presentation are all things that turn any Spider-Man game into a pile of puke. With all that said, I'm going to give you the low down on which Spider-Man games you should play to get psyched for the upcoming PS4 game and ten that you should swing away from at all costs.
20 💟 🦹 Amazing: Spider-Man (PS1)
The defining Spider-Man game for an entire generation of gamers, Spider-Man for the PS1, N64, PC, and Dreamcast remains to this day a claꦜssic even if its flaws🌼 are starting to show.
The humor in this title is one of its more underrated aspects.
It's true that the story doesn't make a whole lot of sense and the web-swinging is archaic, but this game is so chock f🍬ull of charm and style that you don't mind. The voice acting is top notch, the levels are varied and the boss fights are memorable epic affairs. The soundtrack by the famous Tommy Tallarico has also stood the test of time for its funky, upbeat and energetic tracks. Consider yourself lucky if you still got a copy of this classic.
19 Forওget: Spider-Man (Atari 2600)
Alright, this may be a controversial pick, but I'll stand by it. It's true, this is a humble Ata🍒ri 2600 game released over 30 years ago and is the first Spider-Man video game ever made, but💛 that doesn't mean it's a good time.
Instead of a sprawling adventure where you face off against various foes from Spidey's villain roster, the entire game consists of Spider-Man scaling a building being guarded by the Green Goblin. Once you touch the "Super Bomb" at the top, you win. For a nimble character, Spidey controls like a turtle and the Goblin does nothing but move back and forth. A soulless a♏nd lifeless entry in Spidey's gaming catalog.
18 Amazing: The Amazing Spider-Man Vs. The ♎Kingpin ܫ
Spider-Man's upcoming PS4 title is exclusive to Sony and will likely drive consumers🍌 to buy their own PS4 to play the game. Well, back in the early 90s, t♔he web-Slinger did the exact same thing but for Sega.
Having to take pics of enemies to make money to create web fluid? Brilliant!
The Amazing Spider-Man vs The Kingpin was the first Spidey game that attempted to tell a true comic book story of the Kingpin framing Spider-Man for stealiꦛng a nuclear bomb. He also employed tons of Spidey's villains such as Doc Ock, Vulture, and the Hobgoblin to stop the hero. Sh🐲outout especially to the Sega CD version for being one of the best titles on that flawed system.
17 Forget:💜 Spider-Man: Friend Or Foe
If I was judging these games on concept alone, then Spider-Man: Friend or Foe might be on the amazing side. All of Spider-Man's friends and foes teaming up to take down Mysterio and his symbiote army in a co-op beat em up? This has to be fun! And it is... f🅺or 10 minutes.
This game boasts the biggest roster of any Spider-Man game but unfortunately, all the characters aside from Spidey himself have the depth of a piece of paper. You'll 😼get tired of their movesets really quickly and the game is laughably easy. If you're above the age of 7, this game would bore yo🧜u fast and that shouldn't happen in a title where you can team Spider-Man up with his diverse villain roster.
16 𝔍 Amazing: Ultimate Spider-Man
For those who don't know, the Ultimate Universe was Marvel's push in the early 2000s to create a new world for their characters to bꦜe imagined in modern times. There was only one video game directly based in that world, and it was a💯 goodie.
You get to eat the annoying balloon child from Spider-Man 2 in this game. Are you sold yet?
Ultimate Spider-Man had a massive reputation to live up to being the first game after Spider-Man 2 but it doesn't disappoint. Not only do you play as Spidey, but you also play as Venom and unlike other games, the two play completely differently. The cel-shaded graphics ar🐲e a delig🍒ht and the story written by Brian Michael Bendis is a gripping tale. A hidden gem in the Spider-Man's gaming lineup.
15 Forget: Spider-🍸Man & The X-Men: Arcade's Revenge ꧒
In the 1990s, the X-Men and Spider-Man were by far the most popular properties in Marvel Comics so it only made sense to mash them into a game together. Uಞnfortunately, this game was anything but a winner.
Not a good Spidey game, but definitely the weirdest one thanks to the bizarre villain Arcade.
One of the most punishingly difficult Spider-Man games ever, this game has no password, continue, or save systems of any sort. Not only that, but the lives are shared by all characters meaning there is n♛o room to mess up. Enemies are too fast and stage obstacles are impossible to deal with ensuring that gamers will break their controllers before getting past the second level.
14 ꦓ Amazing: Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions
In recent years, the number of alternate universe Spider-Man has risen up to massive proportions so it would only make sense that a Spider-Man game would take advantage of this. That game is Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.
The narrator of this game is none other than Stan Lee.
In this game, yo💜u take control of the "main" Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man (wearing the black symbiote suit), Spider-Man Noir and Spider-Man 2099. Each Spider-Man has their own gameplay styles and all of them have different graphical styles to them. With its medal system and varied gameplay, this may be the Spidey game with the most replay value. Who says Spider-Man games need to be free roaming when they're this good?
13 🏅 Forget: The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Considered by most Spider-Man fans to be the worst of the films, Amazing Spider-Man 2's tie-in game could have made up for the shortcomings of the fi✤lm. Unfortu💟nately, this wasn't the case.
This game was French-Ca෴nadian studio Beenox' fourth Spidey game in five years and the fatigue shows in this title. Not only is it glitchy, but there are so many half-baked elements to this game that make it reek of a rushed product. From branching dialogue that has no payoff to a stupid "Menace" sysꦗtem that punishes the player for not completing mundane side quests, this title is a failed mess all around.
12 🌳Amazing: Spider-Man: Web Of Sꦺhadows
The symbiote black suit is a juicy part of Spider-Man's mythology and is something that is ripe for the basis of a video game. No game pulled this off better than Spider-Man: Web of Shadows.
By far the best combat in any Spider-Man game. Period.
The symbiote influences Spider-Man's behavior and this plays off in the game as you can make good or evil choices to craft the narrative to your liking. As fun as it is to swing around the city in this game, the combat is really where this game shines. Both the classic suit and symbiote suits h🔯ave their own skill trees and you can switch between them at will. Just stick avoid the PS2 version of this game as it's a massive downgrade compared to its seventh generation brothers.
11 🐓 ﷺ Forget: Spider-Man: Web Of Fire
The rarest and most obscure Spider-Man game on the list, Spider-Man: Web of Fire on the Sega 32X is an extremely rare game 💟with prices of over a 1000$ on eBay. Does that mean it's a good ✱game? Not even at all.
In a change of pace from most Spidey titles, the masked hero takes on HYDRA instead of his normal rogues gallery but instead of being refreshing it just pits Spidey agains🌱t a bunch of C-list villains like Dragon🔯 Man and The Eel. Aside from that, the game just feels lazy and rushed with repetitive levels, terrible combat, and a boring story. It is not worth hundreds of cents, let alone dollars.