POST 1: Before the modern trilogy: the early games

POST 1: Before the modern trilogy: the early games Before I get into the newer Spider-Man games, I wanted to go back through what came before them. There is a lot more here than just the handful of games everybody brings up. Some share a name but are completely different games depending on the system. This is a look through that history, not me claiming I played every one of these. Spider-Man (1982) Platforms: Atari 2600. Climb a skyscraper, disarm bombs and face the Green Goblin. Questprobe featuring Spider-Man (1984) Platforms: Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, Commodore 16/Plus 4, DOS, ZX Spectrum, Acorn Electron. Scott Adams graphic/text adventure: solving puzzles rather than a conventional action platformer. Some of the more obscure computer-port records disagree, so I am keeping those disputed versions out of this platform list. The Amazing Spider-Man and Captain America in Dr. Doom's Revenge! (1989) Platforms: DOS, Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64. A co-headlining adventure built around one-on-one superhero fights and comic-panel storytelling. The Amazing Spider-Man / computer game (1990) Platforms: Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS. Puzzle-platforming through Mysterio’s trap-filled movie sets. This is a different game from the Game Boy release with the same name. The Amazing Spider-Man / Game Boy (1990) Platforms: Game Boy. Rare’s handheld action game: chase Spider-Man villains and rescue Mary Jane. It begins the original Game Boy trilogy, rather than adapting the computer game. Spider-Man / Sega 8-bit / Kingpin version (1990/1991) Platforms: Master System, Game Gear (1992). An 8-bit take on the Kingpin framing Spider-Man, with its own layouts and mechanics. The Master System release is dated 1990 or 1991 in different catalogs. The Game Gear version followed in 1992. Spider-Man / Spider-Man vs. the Kingpin (1991) Platforms: Genesis / Mega Drive. Race to stop Kingpin’s bomb plot, battling familiar villains and taking photographs to earn money for web fluid. Spider-Man: The Video Game (1991) Platforms: Arcade (Sega System 32). Four-player arcade action with Spider-Man, Black Cat, Hawkeye and Namor. That already takes us from climbing a single building to text adventures, handheld games, console action and a four-player arcade machine. The next few years kept branching out.