Insomniac Games Delivers: Spider-Man – Review
Gaming PS4 Reviews
Mulehorn117 September 15, 2018
Where to start? First things first. I absolutely loved just about every part of this game. PlayStation and Insomniac Games has a real winner on their hands with this fresh take on Marvel's Spider-Man. If you don't own this game, do yourself a favor and go buy it.
Insomniac Games Take On Spider-Man
I have loved Spider-Man since I was a little kid. I devoured the comics, and the 1990's Spider-Man cartoon was a staple in my home growing up. Needless to say, I was very excited to see Insomniac Games' take on our friendly neighborhood web shooter. I'm a pretty positive person, but I was skeptical about seeing so many 10's across the board in early reviews. To my surprise though, Spider-Man really delivers in all the right spots for me. If you are a comic book fan you might notice inconsistencies with some of the references in the story line, but I'm OK with that as this is Insomniac's first crack at Spider-Man. Some artistic leeway is OK in my book. But the wise cracking Spidey we all know and love shines through. I can't tell you how many times I found myself cracking up at the one liners. My favorite is probably "Spider-Cop, Nailed it!" And the fluidity of the game is something to marvel at. See what I did there? New York has never felt more alive than when spending countless hours just web slinging through the city.
Insomniac was genius on their approach to story-telling in this game. Not only can you be Spider-Man, but you also play as Peter Parker and other supporting characters along the way. You get to immerse yourself in the story from their point of view, and at times Spider-Man gets to be the side kick. I was not stuck swinging around doing side quests the whole time, although that is an option, but being able to get sucked into the story and feel the emotions of each of the supporting cast was a great idea and quite refreshing. The quality of the voice acting is spectacular as well. Each layer builds upon itself, adding even more tension and pleasure as you get to enjoy the story line; and holy smokes did they deliver! I won't give anything away for you readers, but I was literally in tears at the end of the game. Err, I mean I had some dust in my eye. If I had to rate this game on story alone, it is an easy 10.
Game Mechanics and Photo Mode
Can we just talk about the photo mode for a moment here? I could spend hours just taking photos around New York as Spider-Man. It is super fun. And the game is absolutely gorgeous, which is an added bonus. Here's a few epic shots:
When you open up the game menu, you'll notice a ton of combo moves, gadgets, and spider suits. To my surprise, there's an added fun feature: a Spider-Man twitter feed. Yes, Spider-Man uses twitter in the game.
The weather elements and the fluidity of just swinging through New York is so stinking fun. The map is enormous, and there are so many side quests that at one point, I had to pull myself away from that just to finish the story. But have no fear, if you skipped over those side quests you can still play the game after beating the main story line.
All of this adds to an incredibly entertaining, immersive experience, and it truly makes you feel like the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man we all know and love. It did take me a little while to get use to the dodge and combo moves, but once I got familiar with the mechanics, I was flying through New York like a master, and having a lot of fun beating down criminals. Add in hilarious banter during those fights, and it made for a very enjoyable time.
The only issue I had was the crime challenges that randomly take place through the open world. Once you get pretty far into the game I sometimes did feel like, "oh boy another drug deal I need to go bust up". Obviously, you don't have to do those encounters, but it's so hard not to want to go save everyone. I mean, I'm freaking Spider-Man!
This game is an absolute pleasure to play. I encountered zero bugs during my game play, had a ton of fun, and the story felt compelling. The visuals are stunning, and the combat took a little getting use to; but once I got some of the combo moves down I was kicking butt in no time. Not only did all this scratch my Spider-Man itch, but the grand finale really topped it off. I haven't been that emotional at the ending of a game since I played Mass Effect 2. And most of you readers know how I feel about Mass Effect. Spider-Man comes very close to topping God of War for me. And the longer I think about it, the closer I am to having it become my number one game of the year so far. Super hero games are very difficult to do in the right way, but Insomniac Games has done it. I rate this a solid 10.
Insomniac Marvel Peter Parker PlayStation 4 Spider-Man
Story line, Immersion, Combat, Photo Mode,
Crime challenges
PlayStation and Insomniac Games have done it again. This game is a must buy for any PlayStation owner, and if you are a comic book fan you will love Insomniac's fresh take on Spider-Man. Peter Parker's quick wit and smart aleck attitude are completely nailed in this game. The game mechanics and story keep things fresh, and New York has never felt more alive. If you don't have a PlayStation, get one. You need this game. I have Spider-Man almost edging out God of War for my game of the year award.
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