Next Spider-Man Game Could Take Inspiration From This 21-Year-Old Superhero Title

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The next Spider-Man game from Marvel, currently known as Spider-Man 3, is highly anticipated, but its exact features are still unknown. Insomniac Games’ previous Spider-Man titles have successfully blended inspiration from classic games with new ideas. To make the next game truly stand out, it could be helpful to revisit a well-regarded Spider-Man game from over two decades ago.

Spider-Man is one of the most frequently featured superheroes in video games, appearing across decades of arcade and home console platforms. Marvel has recently re-released some of its older Spider-Man games, including beloved titles like Spider-Man/Venom: Maximum Carnage, as part of the Marvel Maximum Collection. While this collection offers many enjoyable Spider-Man experiences, one particular game from the PlayStation 2 era is notable for essentially setting the standard for future Spider-Man games.

Ultimate Spider-Man Released In 2005 With An Extraordinary Sandbox For Both Spider-Man & Venom

One of the earliest popular Spider-Man games was Ultimate Spider-Man, released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2, as well as other consoles like the GameBoy Advance. It really helped define the open-world style of Spider-Man games, building on the web-swinging movement introduced in the Spider-Man 2 game from the year before.

Unlike other Spider-Man games that aimed for a realistic movie look, Ultimate Spider-Man used a vibrant, comic book-inspired art style. This made the open-world of the game – where you swung around Queens and Manhattan – feel incredibly immersive and alive. Beyond the main story, there was tons to do, encouraging players to explore and discover special quests and fun crossovers, which made the game world feel rich and detailed.

What really got me excited about this game was seeing Spider-Man team up – and clash with – Venom, one of his biggest enemies! It’s amazing because you actually play as Venom, with his own missions and things to do around the city. It feels totally different than playing as Spider-Man. While Spider-Man swings around with finesse, Venom just leaps across buildings. And the fighting styles are so different too! Spider-Man is all about quick, agile moves, but Venom is just raw power, using tendrils and brute force to take down anyone in his way.

Insomniac’s Next Spin-Off Has Long Been Rumored To Take Inspiration From Ultimate Spider-Man

For a long time, fans expected Insomniac Games to release a standalone Marvel’s Venom game, similar in size and scope to Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Like Miles Morales, which told its own story following the events of the 2018 Marvel’s Spider-Man game, a Venom game would have likely let players experience a unique story as the iconic character. This idea is reinforced by a section in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 where players actually get to control Venom, even battling and defeating Kraven the Hunter while unleashing destructive chaos.

Although Marvel’s Venom game is still reportedly in development, significant leaks suggest Insomniac Games may have put it on hold to focus on Marvel’s Wolverine and Marvel’s Spider-Man 3. This makes the playable Venom in Ultimate Spider-Man particularly unique, as it could be the only game of its kind to feature Venom as a playable character for so long. Like Ultimate Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 also offers distinct differences in how Spider-Man, Miles Morales, and Venom move and fight, and Venom in the newer game likely draws some inspiration from the 2005 title.

Open World Elements From Ultimate Spider-Man Should Be Kept In Future Superhero Titles

Even without featuring Venom, the upcoming Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 could benefit from the open-world design of Ultimate Spider-Man. The first two Marvel’s Spider-Man games from Insomniac are already huge open-world experiences, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 really brings New York City to life with its vast areas to explore. While features like web wingsuits and faster web-swinging make getting around easier, some players feel the game world feels a little empty in places.

The open world in Ultimate Spider-Man felt consistently fun, whether you were playing as Spider-Man or Venom, and even let you interact with it in unique ways, like Venom throwing cars. While Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man has amazing web-swinging and some interactive objects during fights, these often feel like extras and don’t get used in interesting ways beyond simple chases. The interactive elements in Marvel’s Spider-Man can become repetitive after a while, unlike the consistently engaging sandbox of Ultimate Spider-Man.

A common critique of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is that its random encounters aren’t as interesting as they were in the first game. Ultimate Spider-Man featured a wider range of missions, each with its own unique challenges, instead of simply having players fight the same groups of enemies repeatedly. Adding more varied and realistic crime scenarios would make the game world feel richer and would be a great addition to future Spider-Man games from Insomniac.

With the 21st anniversary of Ultimate Spider-Man approaching, the next generation of Spider-Man games might be learning from its success. While we don’t yet know what new features Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 will include, drawing inspiration from earlier titles could help make it the best it can be.

What gadgets or technologies from the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon would you like to see included in Marvel’s Spider-Man 3? Share your thoughts in the comments or discuss it on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-04-01 18:15