The Ultimate Comparison: Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Symbiote Gameplay vs Previous Spider-Man Games

Spider-Man games have a rich history that spans decades, with the first game released in 1982 for the Atari 2600. Despite its outdated graphics, it still showcased the fundamental features that define a Spider-Man game, including web-slinging and wall-crawling. While these features have remained consistent over the years, new iconic elements have been introduced, such as the Symbiote suit, which makes a return in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. The Symbiote suit first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #252 in May 1984 and quickly became a fan favorite, making appearances in various interpretations of the character, including movies, TV shows, and video games, where it has had a significant impact on gameplay.

How Marvel's Spider-Man 2's Symbiote Suit Gameplay Compares to Past Spider-Man Games

In 2000, the Symbiote suit made its gaming debut in Spider-Man for PlayStation 1 and other consoles. While Venom is present in the game, the suit itself is only available as an alternate costume unlocked through cheats. Although it doesn't significantly alter the core gameplay, the suit does grant Spider-Man unlimited webbing. In the years that followed, the suit appeared in other games, but only as a cosmetic item. Notably, it was featured in Ultimate Spider-Man and Marvel Ultimate Alliance. However, the suit's next major appearance as a gameplay-altering element was in 2007's Spider-Man 3, which tied in directly with the film and highlighted the suit both in terms of story and gameplay, much like Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

In Spider-Man 3, players who don the Symbiote suit are granted a simple speed and damage boost. The flagship console versions of the game give players the Symbiote suit for a few missions until a certain point in the story, while other versions allow players to freely switch between the classic suit and the Symbiote suit with the press of a button. It remains to be seen which approach Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will take with its Symbiote suit.

However, the most memorable appearance of the Symbiote suit in a Spider-Man game is arguably in 2008's Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. In this game, players can unlock the Symbiote suit early on and switch between the classic and Symbiote suit at will. Each suit has its own unique move sets, abilities, and animations, with the classic suit being faster and more agile, while the Symbiote suit is much stronger, resulting in a completely different style of movement and attack animations.

The Symbiote suit in Web of Shadows and Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions comes with its own set of unique skill trees, including upgrades that enhance Spidey's strength and grant him powerful tendril-based abilities with area-of-effect damage. Fans have already caught a glimpse of Marvel's Spider-Man 2's Symbiote suit and it appears to be taking a similar approach, offering players separate skill trees for Symbiote and non-Symbiote powers as well as brutal tendril attacks. However, the game is also introducing new and never-before-seen abilities, such as the ability to use the Symbiote to block and parry incoming attacks. Set to release exclusively on PlayStation 5 on October 20, Spider-Man 2 is sure to be a thrilling addition to the Spidey game franchise.