5 Great Spider-Man Video Games (And 5 That Sucked)

Why was Marvel's Spider-Man so successful? In part because it took notes from Spider-Man 2.

The first Spider-Man movie rocked and the video game was a worthy tie in, but few fans could predict that the sequels to both would be game-changers, literally and figuratively. Though they would only make Spider-Man 3 look inferior by comparison, Spider-Man 2's movie and game were top-notch.

For the most part, all of the Spider-Man games prior had been side-scrollers or afforded players a limited area to roam. Spider-Man 2 broke the mold and introduced an open-world that Spider-Man could explore without being forced to move on to continue the story line.

This game let you do nearly everything a Spider can. Rooftop battles and car chases were mixed with the innocently silly need to rescue balloons for small children. If you wanted to stop web slinging and hoof it on foot through the Big Apple like a tourist, feel free! This was your New York to explore.

Improved web slinging mechanics, graphics, and gameplay makes this one of the best Spider-Man games even by today's standards.