Spider-Man if one of the most recognizable superheroes in the comic world (and my personal favorite). Peter Parker is so different from many of the other superheroes out there, and that's because he's an average guy (take away the powers). He's as close to normal and human as they come. Most of the other heroes are either rich geniuses, aliens, or gods. While he has to face the evil of the world in combat, he also has to deal with your average run-of-the-mill problems, making him one of the heroes audiences can relate to the most. Spidey also has one of the more unique fighting styles. His spider powers give him extra strength, but not super strength like other heroes. He compensates for this by having the ability to be quick, agile, aerobatic, and having spider-sense. All of this has the potential to be a great game...so why have there so few?
There are oh so many Spidey games out there to play, but few ever get recognized as really good. Poor Spidey can just never seem to get his break. Although there are the exceptions. I want to focus on 2 of them.
Spider-Man for the original Playstation:
I remember 'back in the day', playing this game for hours on end. I loved going through the game with all of the different Spidey outfits such as the Ben Reilly costume, the symbiote costume, and of course the invincible Captain Universe costume. I even remember Spidey's nub of a hand going into the wall when he would push any button. So why was this game so great? Because it was so simple. It had the true Spidey essence in it. There were cheap funny remarks made by Spider-Man left and right. The colors were bright and everything had a light feel to it. It didn't take itself too seriously, which is where many of the previous games went wrong. Everyone is trying to, for a lack of a better term, 'Nolanize' their work and make it dark and realistic. This trend really kicked off after Batman: Arkham Asylum. That dark and gritty tone really works for Batman, but that's because Batman is a dark character. Spider-Man is quite the opposite. He is a bright, funny, and witty character who stands for hope.
Another game I want to look at is Spider-Man 2, based off the movie. Spider-Man 2 stands out as one of the best Spidey games ever. Why is this?
To be honest, there is a simple answer to this one. This game was really the first of it's kind. I remember being completely blown away when I put the game in, got through the tutorial, and discovering that there was an entire city that was my playground as a superhero. I couldn't believe it! Sure there had been games that allow you to roam free through big areas, like Zelda: Ocarina of time or GTA, but this was different. You could go down any street and atop any building at fast speeds and with the ease of a beautiful navigation system. It simulated Spider-Man's web swinging in three dimensions, creating a new game mechanic unlike the traditional jumping or flying of previous Spider-Man games. It had gone where no other Spider-Man game had gone before. It also introduced a unique fighting system for Spider-man. Many of the games after this basically copied off of it.
So, here's what needs to be done:
Give the world a Spider-Man that doesn't take itself too seriously. There doesn't need to be some ultra-thick plot to it with a dark tone to it. Make it light, fun, and funny.
Keep the sandbox feature in it too. Spider-Man is a character who HAS to have a vast area to roam free. When a player has the abilities of Spidey in their hands, they want to be able to unleash it and not be confined to a linear cage.
Another thing that I would assume would be great for a Spider-Man game would be a fighting system similar to the one in Batman Arkham Asylum and City. While I would not want them to copy it completely, I do believe that a free-flow fighting system would suit Spidey's fighting style very well.
What do you guys think? Would a game like the one described above make a good Spider-Man game, or not? Sound off below.