There are few superheroes in fiction who have gotten more video game adaptations than Spider-Man, spanning multiple eras of arcades, home consoles, etc. Recently, Marvel has released some classic titles featuring the wall crawler from its early arcade timeline, including nostalgic games like Spider-Man/Venom: Maximum Carnage. This Marvel MaXimum Collection has plenty of great Spider-Man experiences, but one from the PS2 stands out as perhaps the blueprint for the hero’s later adventures.
Ultimate Spider-Man Released In 2005 With An Extraordinary Sandbox For Both Spider-Man & Venom
One of the first big Spider-Man games was Ultimate Spider-Man, the 2005 action-adventure title released for the PS2, with alternate versions available for the GameBoy Advance and other consoles. In many ways, Ultimate Spider-Man established and refined the open-world sandbox formula for Spider-Man, only a year after Spider-Man 2‘s game adaptation produced the web slinging travel mechanics that would also become iconic.
The cell-shaded art style of Ultimate Spider-Man made it feel like players were going through a comic book, rather than using the realism of movie tie-in adaptations from the year prior. This made the sandbox of Ultimate Spider-Man feel incredibly immersive, with plenty to do as you traveled around Queens and Manhatten when not pursuing main story missions. The plethora of side content in this game encouraged exploration, with crossovers and special quest lines only adding to how developed the sandbox felt.
However, the biggest draw of this game was the shared story line between Spider-Man and Venom, one of the hero’s greatest adversaries. Venom is a playable character that has their own set of quests, side missions, and exploration in the world, creating a unique experience compared to Spider-Man. Where Spider-Man uses precise swinging to get through the city, Venom leaps across rooftops. Similarly, Spider-Man’s agile combat is contrasted by Venom’s brutality, as Eddie Brock and an alien symbiote unleash a myriad of tendril abilities and physical might to overpower foes.
Insomniac’s Next Spin-Off Has Long Been Rumored To Take Inspiration From Ultimate Spider-Man
For many years, Insomniac’s next big spin-off title was rumored to be Marvel’s Venom, a title similar to Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales in scope. Much like how the Miles Morales game created a unique character and story based on the events of 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man, Venom was likely going to be a playable character of his own game. Even in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, there is a section where players can control Venom, even defeating Kraven the Hunter in the process while causing monstrous mayhem.
While Marvel’s Venom may still be under development, massive leaks imply that Insomniac may have cancelled this project as they work on Marvel’s Wolverine and Marvel’s Spider-Man 3. In retrospect, this makes Ultimate Spider-Man even more distinct by comparison, as it may be the only game of its genre to have Venom playable for such an extended period of time. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 contrasts Spider-Man, Miles Morales, and Venom’s style of traversal and fighting in the same way that Ultimate Spider-Man did, with Venom likely being partially inspired by the 2005 game.
Open World Elements From Ultimate Spider-Man Should Be Kept In Future Superhero Titles
Even if there is no Marvel’s Venom, Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 can learn a lot from how Ultimate Spider-Man‘s sandbox was created. Already, the first two Insomniac games are some of the largest open world titles out there, with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 truly capturing the scale of New York with massive surface areas for players to travel through. Web wingsuits for both characters and faster web swinging options helped players navigate the open world faster, but some critiques point out the second game feels more barren as a result.
Ultimate Spider-Man had a sandbox that was consistently engaging, no matter if you were playing as Spider-Man or Venom. There was also more interactivity with the world beyond the traversal, such as Venom’s ability to throw cars at enemies. Too often, Insomniac’s games have extremely detailed, best-in-class web swinging, but barely use it creatively in missions beyond the occasional chase sequence. Marvel’s Spider-Man has interactable objects in combat too, but many fall into the same category, making them feel like optional additions that get stale after awhile.
One of Insomnaic’s biggest Spider-Man criticisms also comes from how the random encounters in the open world aren’t quite as engaging in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 as they were in the previous game. Ultimate Spider-Man‘s variety of different missions all had unique elements to them, rather than just spawning a group of enemies to beat up. Unique situations that resemble a wider variety of crime to fight add a layer of richness to the world, and would be a welcome system Insomniac added in future projects.
As of right now, the next big Spider-Man could already be taking lessons from Ultimate Spider-Man, especially as the game comes up on its 21st Anniversary this year. It remains to be seen what innovations Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 will bring, but adopting models from the past could help it reach its full potential.
What systems from Ultimate Spider-Man do you think need to be in Marvel’s Spider-Man 3? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!
