Spider-Man

Spider-Man for the PlayStation just gets it right, even if it's a little rough around the edges by today's standards. It throws you right into the middle of the huge MARVEL crisis, where some imposter has framed our boy Peter Parker, and on top of that, there's a massive symbiote invasion brewing. The story is pure comic book cheese in the best way possible. You've got a line up of rogues that's basically a «who's who» of Spider-Man's greatest hits: Scorpion, Rhino, Mysterio, Venom, Carnage and Doc Ock all show up to make his life even more miserable, but the game doesn't stop there, it's packed with awesome cameos from Daredevil, Johnny Storm (the Human Torch), the Punisher and even Captain America. It feels like you're playing through an entire arc of the '90s animated series, complete with the legendary Stan Lee himself narrating the key moments, which is just the cherry on top.

The core loop is simple: you web swing to your objective, beat up some goons and try not to fall into a bottomless pit. The movement is where the game really shines for its time: you can crawl on walls and ceilings, swing short distances and zip to specific points, which makes you feel agile. Web swinging takes a bit of getting used to, since you can only attach to specific points and it's a little stiff, but once you get the hang of it becomes fun.  Combat's also pretty solid, it's got a basic punch and kick system but the real depth comes from your web abilities, you have a limited supply of web cartridges and you can use them to do all sorts of cool stuff like web up enemies to take them out of the fight or create a web shield which creates an explosive barrier around you.

The game does a fantastic job of keeping things varied with its level design: one minute you're chasing Scorpion through the Daily Bugle to save J. Jonah Jameson, the next you're fleeing from a police helicopter, and later on, you're having a high stakes race against Venom. It throws a ton of different situations at you, like stealth sections where you have to avoid guards and puzzles that usually involve activating switches or rescuing hostages. The pacing is fantastic because of this, you're never doing the same thing for too long, which makes the whole experience feel super engaging. The bosses are a highlight, even if they can be assholes. Rhino is a classic «hit him after he charges» fight, while Mysterio's fight is a two phased fight against a giant version of him, Venom is a menace and the fight of the fusion of Doc Ock and Carnage is terrifying in a way you wouldn't expect from a game like this, it literally turns into a survival horror chase sequence.

Honestly, the character models are ugly, but the voice acting is great, Rino Romano nails Spidey's sarcastic and witty tone. The soundtrack is a mix of industrial and nü metal tracks that perfectly fit the early 2000s vibe and you won't forget that remix of the '60s theme song. Replayability is high thanks to unlockable costumes, each with its own perks or drawbacks: you've got the symbiote black suit, Spider-Man 2099's, the Scarlet Spider and even a civilian Peter Parker outfit that limits your webs. Plus, there are comic covers hidden in each level for you to collect.

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