As we got to see during the recent PlayStation Showcase, in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 the iconic will play a fundamental role black suitresult of the contact between Peter Parker it’s a alien symbiote. This, however, will not be the first appearance of the black costume in a video game starring Spider-Man, since this costume has already made an appearance in several titles in the past. Waiting, therefore, to finally be able to try the new title developed by Insomniac Gameslet’s see together all the video games starring the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man who have seen him present.
Spider-Man (2000) e Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro (2001)
Developed by Neversoftil first Spider-Man in three dimensions is still held today one of the best starring Spider-Man. Among the various characters in the game we find Venom, who will be an enemy first and then an ally. The symbiote will play an important role in the plot of the video game, so much so that it will also be present Carnage (and also a new one Doctor Octopus in symbiote version). Despite this, in the game plot the black suit he will not have no rolebut it will be alone an extra lockable skin which will grant to the player endless cobwebs.
In Spider-Man 2: Enter Electrodeveloped by Vicarious Visions, neither Venom nor any connection to the symbiote will be present in the game storyline. As in the previous one, however, it will be possible to unlock the black costume as game extras with the same bonus as its predecessor.
Ultimate Spider-Man (2005)
As in Neversoft’s Spider-Man, Venom returns to have a prominent role in Ultimate Spider-Mantitle developed by Treyarch and inspired by the homonymous comic series by license plate Brian M. Bendis e Mark Bagley. In the Ultimate universe the symbiote is not of alien origin, but it is an experiment born from the collaboration between the father of Peter Parker and that of Eddie Brock. Their goal was to create a suit capable of cure cancer but they were forced to stop searching.
Peter decided to go ahead with the project, but lost control of the suit and it attached itself to him. After realizing the negative influence of the black suit he decided to get rid of it but later this stuck to Eddie Brock giving rise to Venom. The black costume, apart from the game’s intro which summarizes the events of the comic, will play no role, but will be unlockable as an extra. Despite this, Venom is a playable character.
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Based on the film of the same name directed by Sam Raimi and developed by Treyarch (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions), again the symbiote and Venom they have a leading role. Just like in the film of the same name, Peter Parker will come into contact with a alien symbiote which will give rise to the black costume, which will corrupt him making him more cynical and ruthless. In the game the black suit will make Peter faster and more powerful and will allow him to create series of unique combos. Furthermore also spider senses will be enhanced. As per tradition, here too Peter will get rid of the black costume after realizing the negative influence it has on him and, immediately after this event, the symbiote will bond with Eddie Brock.
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe (2007)
Developed by Next Level Games (PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 versions), Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is inspired by the film trilogy by Sam Raimi (as regards the character designs) but introduces several characters in the Marvel comic universe. The plot of the game revolves around P.H.A.N.T.O.M.creatures that are one combination of the symbiote and holographic technology. The symbiote arrived on earth via a meteorite whose fragments scattered across the globe and, in the final stages of the game, Spider-Man he will use one of these fragments to get the black costume and have an edge on Mysteriowho turns out to be responsible for the creation of PHANTOM
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (2008)
Developed by Shaba Games e Treyarch (versioni PlayStation 3 e Xbox 360), in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows the black costume, the symbiotes and Venom have a prominent role in the game plot as Spider-Man will have to deal with theiconic nemesis, save an infected Manhattan from the alien symbiote and decide whether to yield to power of the black costume or resist it. As in Spider-Man 3, the player will be able to switch from the traditional red and blue suit to the black suit at any time during the game. The two costumes deliver distinct styles of play Well yes they can enhance individually.
At specific points in the story, the player is asked questions moral choices which influence the Spider-Man’s morality. This is reflected in the “reputation bar”, which will turn red when Spider-Man has a positive reputation and black when the reputation is negative. With positive reputation Spider-Man is seen as a hero and civilians will be friendly towards him and encourage himwhile with bad reputation civilians will be afraid at the sight of the (no longer) friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. The reputation bar also affects which allies Spider-Man can summon during fights. With positive reputation you will have as allies Luke Cage, Moon Knight e Wolverinewhile with negative reputations they will come to the aid of Spider-Man the Black Cat, Vulture, Rhino ed Electro. The ending of the game will be influenced by the moral choices made during the adventure.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (2010)
Developed by Beenox, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions will see protagonists well four distinct Spider-men, anticipating by several years the concept of “Spider Multiverse” first seen in Spider-Man – Into the Spider-Verse and then in Spider-Man: No Way Home. In Shattered Dimension the four protagonists Spider-Men are that of Amazing sizethat of the size Blackthe one coming fromanno 2099 and that ofUltimate universe. The latter, as a main feature, he will have the black costumewhose negative influence is kept at bay by Madame Webwhich coordinates the four Spider-Men in order to defeat Mysteriothe main villain of the title.
Spider-Man: Edge of Time (2011)
Developed by Beenox, Spider-Man: Edge of Time sees the protagonists Spider-Man classico Of Peter Parker and that ofanno 2099 Of Miguel O’Hara. As far as there isAnti-Venomthe symbiont plays no role in the game plotwhich sees as a key element i time travel. As in other video games starring Spider-Man, however, the black suit is available as unlockable alternate suitin this case exclusive to Peter Parker’s Spider-Man.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) e The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Both developed by Beenox and based on the films of the same name directed by Marc Webb, The Amazing Spider-Man does not see in any way the involvement, at the narrative level, neither of Venom nor of the symbiote, while The Amazing Spider-Man 2 see among the main villains Carnage, but the black suit plays no role. In both games, however, the black costume it’s available as an option of customization. In the first they are available well due black suits, that is that of Spider-Man 3 e an unreleased onea variant of the costume worn by Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man movie and in the video game that is unlocked upon completing the 100% the title.
In the second, however, it is possible to unlock a version of the black costume similar to the one present in Spider-Man: Edge of Time.
The mobile landscape…
Spider-Man was also the protagonist of two exclusive video games for Android and iOS, namely Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem (2010) e Spider-Man: Unlimited (2014). In both titles the black costume is available as unlockable extra skin.
…and not only
So far we have told you about the various black costumes present in video games starring Spider-Man. This costume, however, is also present as a customization option in other Marvel-themed titles that see Spider-Man among the playable characters. The titles in question are:
Marvel Ultimate Alliance (2006);
Marvel Super Hero Squad (2009);
Marvel Super Hero Squad Online (2011);
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011);
Marvel: Avengers Alliance (2012);
Lego Marvel Super-Heroes (2013);
Disney Infinity 2.0 (2014);
Marvel Contest of Champions (2014);
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite (2017);
Lego Marvel Super-Heroes 2 (2017);
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (2019).
Finally we remind you that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will come out in exclusive are PlayStation 5. No release date has yet been revealed, but we do know the title will be released by 2023.
