Despite the fact that Spider-Man has been Marvel’s best and most prolific superhero gaming character, it’s actually been a few years since we’ve seen a major release. Marvel has actually been noticeably inactive on the console gaming front even as its film empire has risen to new heights in the aftermath of 2012’s Avengers.
It was in that same year that Activision released The Amazing Spider-Man, a game based on the film of the same name. It was largely reviewed as a so-so game that could be a great time, but it wound up being effectively the last in a series of fairly impressive Spider-Man console games. There was a sequel in 2014 (coinciding with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 at the theaters), but it didn’t really add anything new.
Instead, since The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012, we’ve mostly seen this popular superhero in smaller experiences on the outskirts of the gaming industry. For instance, he’s been attached to numerous mobile games, including some larger Marvel titles featuring huge casts of characters. The best of the bunch, or at least the one that stands out most as a unique Spider-Man gaming experience, is likely Spider-Man Unlimited. This is an endless runner built into the Spider-Man universe, and it has a lot going for it. The story mode is interesting, the graphics are drawn as if it’s a real comic book coming to life, and the gameplay itself is a real blast. It’s a terrific mobile game, though by no means a substitute for great Spider-Man console games.
There was also another game based on The Amazing Spider-Man, though this one was actually an online slot machine. Built as an exciting adaptation of the popular comic rather than an experience based on the 2012 film, it actually predates the movie but has stuck around online and is still featured prominently at some sites. The game is more or less an excuse to play a slot machine with Spider-Man-inspired graphics, but it’s also packed with fun features that aren’t typical of casino gaming. For instance, you can take off on a hunt for Venom, choosing which direction to send the web-swinging superhero in and hoping for the right results. Like Spider-Man Unlimited, it feels more like a comic brought to life than a typical video game.
This is pretty much the state of Spider-Man gaming in 2016. A reliable character that hasn’t quite fizzled out, but while there have been interesting smaller games, Spidey has slowly disappeared from the console ranks, just as the Amazing Spider-Man film franchise died off. But with Spider-Man now connected to the Marvel Studios films (and having been introduced in Captain America: Civil War), it’s only natural that he’d be used for a new console game. And sure enough, Insomniac got right on it.
The game is being developed exclusively for the PS4, and a trailer was revealed at E3. It resembles the same action-packed open-world format that gamers have come to love in numerous past Spider-Man titles, but everything looks a more realistic than ever. Most of the trailer consists of Spider-Man zipping around a mock New York cityscape (which heavily features a building that looks a great deal like the new One World Trade Center, despite the surrounding neighborhood not looking much like lower Manhattan), taking out villains in masks and dodging obstacles. The working title for now appears to just be “Spider-Man,” though the trailer does end with the hashtag “#SpidermanPS4.” It doesn’t appear to be explicitly linked to the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming film, given that Tom Holland (the actor now playing Peter Parker) isn’t doing the voice acting. But it will probably be released right around when peak
Spider-Man excitement sets in, and at this early stage it looks like it’s going to be a blast to play.
There’s no word yet on a release date for title which means it will probably be at least a year. And while it might be a while before Spider-Man fans are treated to a new game but if the trailer is any indication it’s going to be well worth the wait.
