7. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
When you think about Spider-Man, you usually picture him as a hopeful hero who’s the protagonist of light-hearted stories. However, that doesn’t mean there are some dark Spidey comics out there with arcs worthy of being in Batman narratives. On the same page, if there was ever one gritty wall-crawler game ever created, it’d have to be Web of Shadows.
Look no further than Spider-Man: Web of Shadows ending. Yes, you could experience the “normal” conclusion where our friendly neighborhood hero saves the day and frees New York from Venom’s sprawling symbiote. On the other side, players could also get the dark ending where Spidey lets the symbiote take control of him, turns every civilian in the city into a monster, and reigns supreme over his new kingdom with Felicia Hardy.
Yeah… that’s something no other Marvel game has done to date.
On the same page, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows stands out thanks to its gameplay features as well. Many mechanics were developed exclusively for when Spidey is sticking to the side of a wall. As if it wasn’t enough, aerial fights were a big emphasis of the game too. It’s no exaggeration to say this is the best Spider-Man game ever created in terms of combat, especially when taking into account our friendly neighborhood hero controlled differently depending on whether he’s using the black suit or not.
That’s not to say Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is perfect by any means. The city felt lifeless, its graphics weren’t extraordinary, aerial fights tended to have a wonky camera, and the story took itself too seriously at times (and even felt cheesy). However, its amazing combat, interactive story, and frequent appearances from other Marvel heroes make it a memorable experience that still lives in our hearts and minds to this very date.