Spider-Man (PS4) Review

 Spider-Man (PS4) 8.5/10

Hello everyone and welcome back to another game review. Today, I’ll be taking a look at Marvel’s Spider-Man. Spider-Man was released on September 7, 2018 for the PS4. The game was developed by Insomniac Games (creators of the Ratchet and Clank series) and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. I remember when I first got this game and I was filled to the brim with excitement. My first Spider-Man game since I was a little kid. I’ve always been a huge fan of Spider-Man and being able to play as the web-slinging superhero in modern graphics was just jaw dropping amazing for me. I also love how this Spider-Man is not connected to the MCU, which I’m not too huge of a fan of. Spider-Man PS4 is regarded as the best Spider-Man game ever, but does it deserve that title? Let’s find out. Before we begin, a little disclaimer. I am aware of the Remastered version of the game that came with Miles Morales where they changed Peter’s face to be more akin to Tom Holland. For this review, I’ll be going over the original PS4 version. With that said, let’s begin.

8 years after Peter Parker gets his super powers, he now works for Octavius Industries, headed by Doctor Octavius. After Spider-Man takes down Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin, the city erupts into multiple gang wars. Enter Martin Li, a billionaire philanthropist who created F.E.A.S.T. (a homeless shelter). After abruptly leaving the shelter to Aunt May, a dark alter ego of him emerges with his own gang called The Demons. Now it's up to Spider-Man to stop this escalating gang war, figure out what happened to Martin Li and why he's on this rampage across the city of Manhattan.

The story is absolutely amazing. Idk if this is accurate to a comic line or not, but it's a fantastic narrative nonetheless. Peter, Octavius, and Li are the best characters. Miles' story in this is great too, but this is just an introduction to him. I'm hoping his own game will be just as good. Mary Jane was a decent side character and I’m hoping she’ll also pop up in later entries. Overall the story is very solid and I love how this isn’t an origin story. We all know how Pete got his powers and I appreciate this game jumping into his later college years. Btw that ending fight hit like a truck with all the feels. I knew it was coming but it still hurt.

The visuals for this game are amazing. The amount of detail put into creating this world is astonishing. Manhattan has so much thought and detail put into it that almost each and every room of every building can be seen through the windows. The game looks and feels like you are in Marvel’s Manhattan. You can visit Avengers Tower, Dr Strange’s Library (I forget the name), and even the Wakandan Embassy. I also love how the devs put in an Easter egg to Spider-Man 2 game with some NPCs on a boat in the middle of the water. You can also interact with pedestrians, parkour through the city and people with notice and comment.

Gameplay is separated into several categories. World exploration is swinging and exploring Manhattan and discovering all the secrets it holds. The swinging feels natural and I can continuously lose myself swinging through the city and not get bored. Almost therapeutic and hypnotic.

The map is separated into several districts. Each district has a sort of "fog of war" to it (where the map is covered in static). To remove this static, you'll have to hack into several Oscorp communication towers. Hacking these will unveil parts of the map to you. Once unveiled, the map will show you several different markers (landmarks, backpacks, research stations, challenge points, criminal bases, and active crimes). Completing these tasks will grant tokens. You can use these tokens to buy new suits, upgrade your suit, buy new gadgets, and upgrade your gadgets.

Combat is very similar to the Batman Arkham games where you'll have to take on several enemies at once. There are many different enemy types (shield users, Demon swordsman, Sable jetpack soldiers, dual wield whips, etc). Each of these enemies have their own ways for you to defeat them, which adds a level of complicity to the combat, which I greatly appreciate. The combat does and can get repetitive easily, so it's always good to mix things up with the use of your gadgets and suit upgrades.

There are some moments in the game where you'll have to play as MJ and Miles.. These are stealth segments that Spider-Man can't do on his own. Playing as Miles and MJ was a nice addition to the game to spice up the gameplay. People complained that these moments weren’t necessary or poorly executed but I enjoyed these.

I noticed that the game rips off a lot of features from the Arkham games: the combat system, the character bios, Taskmaster acting similar to The Riddler, the hacking for the Oscorp towers, and a couple of other small tidbits. Not that I'm complaining about this though. If the system isn't broken, don't fix it, and Insomniac Games uses this system to its fullest extent.

My only problem with the game is that it's too short. I wanted them to get into more of the history of Spider-Man and his enemies. I want to know more about Electro, Vulture, Rhino, and Scorpion. I wish those guys had their own boss fight instead of being paired up with one another. I want more side missions, more stuff to do than the same crimes over and over. I just want more variety and content.

Overall this is a fantastic game that I highly recommend for everyone. Some minor problems here and there but nothing that should deter you from playing this. Spider-Man PS4 is an excellent addition to the Playstation library and I can’t wait to dive into the DLC and Miles’ own story. Until then, stay safe out there.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

This is Zorgak, signing off.