When it comes toSpider-Mangames, New York is as much of a character asPeter Parker or Miles Morales. Although the vast majority ofSpider-Mangames do take place in the same city, each game puts its own unique spin on The Big Apple.
Many children who readthe comic booksor watchedthe animated showsdreamed of what it would be like to be Spider-Man swinging between the skyscrapers of New York, and so many video games have come along and made that wish come true. Here are the best Spider-Man games and the different ways New York has been presented in them.
Spider-Man: Web Of Shadowshad a mixed reception when it was released. Many felt the game was repetitive and lacked a compelling story. However, one thing a lot of reviews and gamers did agree on, was that it was fun to swing around the city as both traditional Spider-Man andsymbiotesuit Spider-Man.
Whilst free roaming random events would occur that would make New York feel a bit more alive, for instance, Spider-Man may need to break up a gang fight or take injured civilians to the hospital. Also, players can decide whether to makegood or bad choicesand these choices would change how the people of New York would reach Spidey. If he is a good guy the people of New York will clap and cheer. But if he is a bad Spidey they will run away screaming!
WhenSpider-Manthe movie withTobey Maguire, came out, spidey-mania took over the world, people became obsessed with the wall-crawling web-slinger. AlthoughSpider-Manwas a linear game that followed the events of the movie, players still got to see a lot of New York.
The 3D City Scape that you can swing through looks really impressive and the world actually feels very lived-in, especially for a 2002 game. Players get the chance to play through many iconic movie moments and one that really stands out is fightingGreen Goblinwhilst jumping on balloons during the parade. That section of the movie really stands out as a truly ‘New York’ moment, as it is during the iconic annual Thanksgiving parade.
The New York inUltimate Spider-Manis taken straight out of the pages of a comic book, and it looks beautiful. The gameplay encourages Spidey to spend more time lower to street level, which means that the player gets to be immersed in the sights and sounds of comic book New York. The map encourages players to explore as there are so many collectibles, so players get to see every inch of the incredibly cool map.
The player is also treated to New York at different times of the day, and the map looks equally stunning at all the different times. There are neon lights at night and the map is really bright and colorful during the day. One nice touch is that there are more locations from the comics that expand the world, such as Doctor Strange’ssanctum sanctorumand Reed Richards Science Center.
Spider-Manwas the first time players had the opportunity to swing through a 3D New York City and because of this, the game holds a special place in many people’s childhood. Swinging from rooftop to rooftop, webbing up bad guys, whilst a heavy guitar riff plays is a core memory for so many people.
The draw distance on the PS1 was not capable of rendering an entire city, so the writers decided to make the fog a part of the storyline. Although other games have been criticized for this technique, such asSuperman 64,in this game it gave the city a unique look and meant that the developers,Neversoft, could focus more on populating the skies of New York without worrying about the streets.
The map inSpider-Man 2is arguably one of the most iconic maps in video game history. The ability to swing around New York and explore in the player’s own time was revolutionary and influencedsuperhero video gamesgoing forward.
New York felt populated in this game. Spider-Man can help people who are in the streets, whether that is people in need of medical attention, or a small child who has lost their balloon. New York has a personality inSpider-Man 2and Spidey is presented as an important part of the community. The world felt alive and real and looked impressive whether it was swinging past Central Park during the day, or through the bright lights of the city at night.
This game is about as close a person can get to visiting New York at Christmas without having to book a flight, stay in an overpriced hotel, and freeze half to death. InMarvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales,players get to visit New York at Christmas any time of year from the comfort of their sofa and what’s more, they get to do it as Spider-Man.
The game heavily focuses on Miles' community in Brooklyn, where everyone takes care of each other, and there is so much attention given to immersing the player in that world. From the street art to the characters you meet, to the bustling streets, the game gets the tone just right. The developers,Insomniac Games, made sure to get the many cultures of New York correct and there is representation of so many different groups of people that live there. There is a section of the game whereMilesis creating music by capturing all the different sounds of New York and this level has you really focus on the finer details of the city, like people playing basketball or the wind chimes in Chinatown.
Every previous version of New York in Spider-Man games contributed to the version of New York inMarvel’s Spider-Man.Many felt that swinging through the city in this game felt incredible andInsomniacmanaged to make traveling between missions as fun as the missions themselves. In this game, it is just as fun to explore and interact with the people in the streets as it is to climb walls and flip around on rooftops. The graphics, sound design, and environmental storytelling all add to making this one of the best versions of New York ever seen in a video game.
Many feel that it is one of the definitive versions ofNew York in the Marvel Universe. The game manages to perfectly balance real areas of New York with Marvel landmarks and make them coexist so seamlessly. From the Avengers Tower toDare Devils law practice, the game gives validity to the Marvel version of New York.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2takes the map from the first game and gives it a massive graphical upgrade. SomehowInsomniacmanaged to make New York even more detailed and beautiful. There are cool little elements that make the world feel like New York has evolved since the last game and reflect the constantly changing skyline of the real world of New York. For example, in the first game,Fisk Towerwas under construction, whereas in the second the construction is complete.
The introduction of thewingsuitand the various wind tunnels throughout the city allow Spidey to travel even faster than before, and hearing the bustling city below makes New York feel so full of life and personality. The map is also nearly twice the size of the previous game, adding Brooklyn and Queens, so there is even more of New York to see.
