Marvel's Spider-Man (2018)

I finished Marvel's Spider-man on my PS4 and am really glad I did. The ending of the game hit emotional highs and was well worth the journey.

I'll start with what I liked.

-Web-swinging is PERFECT, it is SO much fun to swing around New York -Combat was varied enough to be fun, but not overly complicated -Some great new villains and great takes on classic villains -Delievered emotional highs and lows -nailed spider-man's personality

What I think didn't quite land: -The final boss fight, it just didn't feel quite rewarding. All of the boss fights seemed to have relatively similar startegies, dodge attacks, hit with item to stun (or web them to stun) jump in hit some, dodge back rinse and repeat. They didn't really allow for the variety in styles that you could develop over the course of the game. But the final boss in particular just got a little repetitive -Side quests dragged a bit, I wanted to do them, to see what happened, but parts are basically repeating the same thing over and over -If you know Spider-man's lore the big villain is not a surprise

Well worth a play, it was fun. If I replayed I probably wouldn't both with all the side quests, the time to reward wasn't worth it, and the abilities you build up aren't useful vs. bosses.

...and it's called "Unlocking Spider-Man suits".

Pros:

• The combat is done perfectly. I usually consider "enemy waves" in video games a cheap gameplay element but here I feel like I can fight for hours without getting bored. Each fight is like a choreographed movie scene. The transition between different animations whether your character is on the ground or in the air is flawless. I should state that at the start of the game I felt a bit overwhelmed with enemies with guns. But thankfully you get your helpful gadgets pretty soon.

• Unlocking Spider-Man suits is really addictive! Even though I stick mostly to Vintage Comic Book Suit, I change them according to situation like, wearing Spider-Punk suit when fighting Tombstone. But wearing a thick armor or not wearing anything doesn't have any effect on damage taken from enemies, which is ridiculous.

• Big, beautiful and detailed city and of course web slinging.

• Side missions and mini-games offer enough variety. But some may find forced mini-games in Otto Octavius missions annoying.

Cons:

• Even though web slinging mechanic is overall a big plus, it has some confusing aspects. The fact that Spider-Man's webs should stick to a solid surface make the game more realistic, but in fast-paced moments it can be frustrating. This is especially noticeable in Drone or Pigeon chasing missions. Sometimes you press R2 and nothing happens. Same goes for parkouring. There are moments where you want to hop on a platform but Spider-Man just won't stop moving.

• Forced stealth missions with MJ were pretty easy so they were not annoying. But one time the game almost switched to a point and click game where you have to pixel hunt. I had to watch a YouTube video to figure out what to do next. And it was a tiny key at the back of a picture frame in a huge house.

• Otto's lab is big and detailed but this makes lab mini games hard to notice. I was also very surprised that when you complete one of the lab mini games NOTHING happens.

• Is it just me or Shocker missions were almost identical as Arkham Knight - Firefly missions?

PS: I lied. My new addiction is using the spoiler button.

LIKE

• Traversal feels amazing; fluid and tactile swinging
• Characterization of Peter, Doc Ock and others
• Cinematic feel to music, camera, and cutscenes
• Vibrant visuals and life-like character models
• Actually felt compelled to find collectibles
• Epic conclusion; loved all the different rogues

DON'T LIKE

• Predictable story notes
• Combat is very derivative of Arkham games
• Half-baked Miles/MJ stealth sections don't work
• Precise movement is very awkward
• Crime tokens are a repetitve slog
• Story slogged a bit in the middle

I enjoyed this game. I was hoping that my love for Spider-Man would overcome my exhaustion with super hero movies and I wanted an experience more along the lines of a comic, and I'm so glad that I received just that.

The story was definitely my favorite part of this game. I enjoyed the first and third acts so much and wished there was more, but the second act was pretty lackluster until the end of it. The main villains/bosses were really well done, and I actually felt like their motivations made sense, The combat was really well done and Insomniac did a great job of making the fighting/movement entertaining for 30 hours of gameplay. This game was absolutely stunning and I was surprised to only experience a few frame drops. I also loved the ending and really wasn't expecting it to end the way it did.

The things I really disliked was how repetitive all of the side missions were, especially the city crimes that were repeatedly copy and pasted in new areas. Getting through these was such a bore, and between this and the second act, I actually stepped away from the game for a few weeks. I thought the boss fights were too easy and repetitive as well, but the visuals during them were great, and I didn't take away from the experience TOO much.

Played on a PS4 Pro

Pros: Combat controls are fluid and navigating the city via webbing feels smooth and a lot of fun, they have captured the air born feeling of webbing perfectly.

The amount of moves/costumes/gadgets are huge, so there is a lot to play with, the city map is very big too with countless missions and collectables to try and gather.

Graphics and voice work is top notch, the story is good, but nothing ground braking.

Cons: Stealth Missions involving Mary Jane or Miles are very dull. It wouldn't be a big deal if there were only a few of them, but there are a lot and they are boring and too frequent.

Lab puzzles, for an action game puzzles should be easy and to the point. Some of the ones in Dock Ocs lab are way too complicated and not all that interesting.

Is it SUPER similar to the Arkham series and the last umpteenth Spider-Man games?

Yes.

Does it look better, run better, and play better than all of them?

Pretty much.

Awesome voice acting, a maturely-written and truly heartfelt story, and satisfying action and set-pieces make this the best Spider-Man video game ever, and gives the Arkham series some serious competition in terms of nailing classic characters, while giving them a refreshing modern take.

I can’t wait for a sequel, but, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE take your time.

If you're a fan of sandbox games, this is a fantastic choice. If you're a fan of comic book games, you won't find a better one on the PS4. If you're a fan of Spider-Man, this might be one of your favourite games you'll play this generation.

Perfectly catering to the fans and hardcore gamers alike, Insomniac have crafted a non-stop action spectacular, with massive set pieces, intense combat, vibrant activities, addicting web-swinging and a story that is truly worthy of the comic book pages it's inspired by.

Don't miss out on this one. It's one of the most satisfying gaming experiences you will ever have.

I couldn’t help myself and I had to jump in. It’s exhilerating to start the game swinging through the city and I appreciate Insomniac’s approach to an established Spidey. There have been enough collected origin stories for the character over the last two decades that dispencing with the origin in this game seems like a sound choice. Not unlike the fact that Arkham Asylum delivers a fully fleshed out Batman based on decades of Batman television and film.

I have to get back to God of War before continuing but I thoroughly enjoyed the opening of Spider-Man and I look forward to the rest of the game.

Only played a few hours. It is very similar to Batman in terms of the combat and a big city to explore, and very similar to Far Cry or Assassin's Creed with the unlocking parts of the city by climbing towers.

But despite feeling similar to other games... the traversal is really, really good and the Spider-Man theme makes it feel fresh. Also being less serious than Batman or Assassin's Creed is a welcome change. The QuickTime action sequences are much more dramatic and that is fun. So far I am really enjoying it.