40 years after debut: how Spider-Man games became a PlayStation flagship exclusive

The release of the film "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" has brought renewed attention to a character who first appeared in video games back in 1982 — long before Sam Raimi's first adaptation, not counting the TV movies of 1978, 1979 and 1981 and the Japanese Spider-Man. Over four decades, games about the character have evolved from linear arcades and movie tie-ins to experiments with parallel universes and, ultimately, became one of PlayStation's flagship exclusives. The selection features projects that changed how Spider-Man should feel: from early attempts on the Sega Mega Drive to the Insomniac Games trilogy.

The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin came out in 1991 on Sega Mega Drive, Sega Master System, Sega Game Gear and Sega CD. Kingpin attaches a timed bomb to Spider-Man, and the countdown runs through the entire game: five levels, each requiring a key from a boss. Web fluid is a consumable resource, and the only way to refill it is by photographing enemies in combat and selling the shots to the Daily Bugle. The game feels hard and sometimes unfair, but it was the first to tie both halves of the character together: Peter Parker's job fuels Spider-Man's abilities. The series would return to this idea for decades, right up to the photo missions in the Insomniac trilogy.

Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage from 1994 for SNES, Sega Mega Drive and Windows is a beat 'em up based on the comic arc of the same name, where Spider-Man is forced to team up with Venom against Carnage and his brood. Fights take place across New York streets, and in tough spots you can call in allies: Cloak and Dagger, Iron Fist or the Punisher. The game is remembered for its rock soundtrack and a bright red cartridge that was hard to miss on a shelf. The idea of a forced symbiote ally still works: the series returned to it a decade and a half later in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. A sequel, Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety, followed the next year with two-player co-op. Today, Maximum Carnage is sold as part of the MARVEL MaXimum Collection from Limited Run Games alongside Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety and Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge. Modern features include save anywhere, rewinding and CRT filters. The physical edition has already sold out; the digital version is available in online stores.

Spider-Man from 2000 was the first three-dimensional game about the hero.