Video game developer Insomniac Games blew the world away with its take on Spider-Man. Marvel's Spider-Man on the PS4 was a revolutionary step forward for the wall-crawler in the world of video games after several mediocre attempts starting in 2007 with Spider-Man 3. Although Spider-Man: Web of Shadows and Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions provided solid Spidey experiences, they were both still overshadowed at the time by 2004's Spider-Man 2 game which fans believe is a superior game.
Once Marvel's Spider-Man entered the arena, the internet was set ablaze by diehard fans of Spider-Man 2 and fresh loyalists to Marvel's Spider-Man over which one stands as the best Spider-Man video game of all time. This list will address the positives and negatives of both games and why fans prefer one over the other.
10 Spider-Man 2: Nostalgia Factor
Change is hard for some people and some fans hold on to the nostalgia that this classic Spider-Man game provides them. It takes them back to a simpler time when Tobey Maguire was still the only Spider-Man and the movie franchise hadn't been killed yet by the widely-panned Spider-Man 3.
While nostalgia can cloud people's memories of how good something actually was in the past, that is not the case with this game, as Spider-Man 2 is without debate an exceptional addition to the Spider-Man video game collection, regardless of whether or not you believe it's better than Marvel's Spider-Man.
9 Spider-Man PS4: Graphics
Marvel's Spider-Man is one of the most beautiful looking games currently available to console gamers. Web-swinging through New York City has never felt or looked better in a Spider-Man game, with this setting a precedent going forward of what developers need to achieve when building a video game based on a popular superhero character.
It's not just the city though, as each and everyone one of the costumes available in the game has incredible amounts of details added to them that make them stand out individually.
8 Spider-Man 2: Citizens In Distress
Although Marvel's Spider-Man featured its own version of this gameplay aspect, it largely just feels like a recycling of the "Citizens in Distress" missions available to players in Spider-Man 2 with better graphics and more detailed character animations.
From preventing in-store robberies to saving injured citizens, to stopping an assault, Spider-Man 2 gave players a solid level of crime-fighting freedom long before Marvel's Spider-Man did. While the missions available in the Ps4 game are more exciting due to advances in technology, Spider-Man 2 deserves credit for introducing these ideas first.
7 Spider-Man PS4: Gadgets
One major flaw of Spider-Man 2 is its lack of Spidey gadgets to use that call back on many different moments from Spider-Man's run in the comics and films. Marvel's Spider-Man did an excellent job of incorporating the usage of gadgets into combat, much like the Batman: Arkham franchise.
Taking advantage of Spidey tech like web-bombs and trip mines feels satisfying, allowing players to use them in active combat or when in stealth and picking off enemies one by one.
6 Spider-Man 2: Better Default Costume
Early pushback against Marvel's Spider-Man involved gamers not being impressed by Insomniac Game's take on Spider-Man's costume. For many fans, the suit was too far removed from the classic Spider-Man costume and the overabundance of white on the suit looked odd for some.
Although Marvel's Spider-Man default costume grew on some players, many still prefer the classic look that Sam Raimi did an excellent job replicating in his Spider-Man movies, which was later used as the template for the games. Marvel's Spider-Man large selection of costumes will be addressed later in this list.
5 Spider-Man PS4: Developed Supporting Characters
A major advantage Marvel's Spider-Man has over Spider-Man 2 is its usage of supporting characters from Spider-Man's long history. Characters like Mary Jane are given so much more depth than fans have ever seen in a video game, and she even stands up against live-action versions of the character.
Incorporating Miles Morales before Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released showed Insomniac Games' confidence in the character and their role for him. Other standouts include Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus who is just as compelling and developed as Alfred Molina's Doc Ock in the film Spider-Man 2.
4 Spider-Man 2: More Satisfying Web-Swinging
First and foremost, Marvel's Spider-Man provides an amazing web-swinging experience for both gamers and fans of Spider-Man the character. However, the web-swinging in the PS4 games feels more based in "reality" and attempts to realistically portray the physics behind Spider-Man's web-swinging.
On the other end of the spectrum, Spider-Man 2's developers had little concern for web-swinging realism which makes that gameplay aspect feel much closer to the movies and comic books, allowing for better and faster control of Spidey while moving around the city.
3 Spider-Man PS4: Huge Selection of Costumes
An unforgivable sin that Spider-Man 2 commits is its glaring lack of alternate costumes for Spider-Man to use, which is especially shocking considering this was a feature used in Spider-Man games that came before the 2004 iteration.
Marvel's Spider-Man blew fans away with its huge selection of costumes to unlock, each with their own unique ability. There's a costume here for every Spidey fan to fall in love with, especially the cel-shaded one that makes Spider-Man look like he stepped out of a comic book and right onto your PS4.
2 Spider-Man 2: Combo-Based Fighting System
The Batman: Arkham games are given all the credit in how they reinvented combat in action games, which is partly earned. That said, Spider-Man 2 doesn't get enough respect for laying the early groundwork for what the Batman games would perfect years later, featuring a similar attack-dodge-counter fighting system.
With its combo fighting system that allowed for more complex and intricate fighting abilities, Spider-Man 2 features more satisfying combat than Marvel's Spider-Man as it doesn't revolve around a very simple attack button-dodge button pattern than can be spammed fairly easily with little skill involved.
1 Spider-Man PS4: Fresh, New Story
What makes Marvel's Spider-Man standout above Spider-Man 2 for many gamers is its engaging and compelling story that keeps you locked-in from start to finish. Spider-Man 2 largely just replicates the storytelling from its companion film in truncated fashion, whereas Marvel's Spider-Man creates its own version of Spider-Man's lore and breathes fresh life into it.
The world Insomniac Games has built with its Spider-Man franchise is exciting and fans can't wait to see where things go next.