Marvel’s Spider-Man
Publisher: Sony Entertainment
Release Date: September 7, 2018
Platforms: PS4
Rating: Teen
Genre: Action-Adventure
Webhead Returns
Written by Jesse Seilhan
Spider-Man has become one of the toughest superheroes to get right in the gaming universe. Whether it’s his free flow traversal or 360-degree combat, something innate to Ol’ Webhead makes him the victim of dozens upon dozens of mediocre games throughout nearly the entirety of gaming’s history. That trend was bucked in 2004, when Activision finally got it right and entered the annals of quality licensed games alongside a couple classic X-Men and Batman games. But then we entered another decade and more of darkness until Ratchet & Clank creator Insomniac Games decided to give it a go, with an exclusive, expensive, and slick PS4 title built for fun. Is that enough to keep you swinging through Manhattan or will you hide this one from your family and friends this holiday?
First off, the visuals are insanely high quality. From Spidey’s various suits (of which there are dozens) to the cool new villain Mr. Negative’s special effects, you can see this game’s budget in every reflective skyscraper and taxicab. And the sense of speed you feel while zipping through Manhattan is aided by the fidelity of your surroundings, adding a touch of realism to an unrealistic and exhilarating experience. But the swinging itself is the most important piece of the puzzle, as getting that right is the difference between enjoying your time and hating every second of it. Luckily, Insomniac nailed this aspect in almost every way. You can get across the different districts so quickly with just a pull of a trigger. There are little zip lines you can create as well to increase your speed, or nose dive into traffic before pulling up at the last second. It’s always fun and makes fast travel nearly useless, as you’ll most certainly find something to do between point A and point B.
Those random events and encounters are what make up most of this game. Yes, the main storyline isn’t too bad and will last about five or six hours, but all of the collectibles and battles across the world will keep you busy, including a couple DLC expansions coming throughout the year. The typical stuff is present: beat up thugs, stop car chases, and the like. But also included are Arkham Asylum-esque stealth sections where takedowns are the way to go, not brawling. Those never let you fully takedown everyone, but at least help thin the herd before the fighting starts. While in combat, the range of tools at Peter Parker’s disposal are numerous. Beyond the standard web shooter and ability to throw pieces of the environment around are much more elaborate webbed weapons, like a zip line that smashes two things (or thugs) together, or a flying drone that accompanies you in battle. Each suit also has a special ability, such as regenerating health or shooting webs all around you to help wipe an entire fight in a single press of both thumbsticks. Combing suit powers, web abilities, and Spidey’s natural traversal makes for a chaotic and rewarding combat experience.
The story is your standard comic book fare: bad guys do bad things, Spidey tries to save the day, but fails to do so for the majority of the game before prevailing and setting up for a sequel. The first half focuses heavily on the new villain mentioned before, Mr. Negative. His alter ego, Martin Li, is a friend to Parker and his Aunt May, so you know that is going to backfire in a few hours. While not in the suit, you’re going on dates with Mary Jane Watson, helping Miles Morales, and even working for Dr. Otto Octavius, which most fans will recognize as Doctor Octopus. Once that transformation occurs and the rest of Spidey’s greatest villains are unleashed (Shocker, Scorpion, Rhino, and more), the action kicks into high gear, delivering some truly awesome boss fights and cinematic sequences.
While the game isn’t perfect, Spider-Man is as good as it gets for comic book experiences with a controller. The story isn’t the main appeal, so go in looking for fun elsewhere, but stay for the plenty of clean-up you’ll have ahead of you after beating the game. The writing is really good, as is the voice acting, adding even more depth and joy to a game built to be picked up and enjoyed one day and set down the next. It never gets overwhelming, you always know where to go, and when you get there, combat is so enjoyable that you’ll often toy with the enemy just to play around with your abilities. That’s the hallmark of a really fun game and you should definitely dabble in Spidey this year, even if you were hurt before by bad versions of the same franchise.