Good morning folks! As mentioned yesterday in my review of Lego Marvel Super Heroes, I’m currently playing through the second part in Marvel’s Spider-Man games on the PS4. As I got the clearance to go and do this game purposes, a question was asked: Could I do a relatively thorough review of the first instalment for you lovely Gamerhub readers? Why yes, dear readers. Yes I can. On with the review.
Marvel’s Spider-Man is an open-world RPG released two years ago to massive applause. It’s made a boat-load of money for both Marvel and Sony, and it’s not hard to see why. The game is a lot of fun from start to finish, with plenty of awesome bits to point out. I’m really going to struggle to keep this under the word count I’ve been set for this review.
Plot
In this game, you play as Peter Parker and his arachnid-inspired alter ego, as you use your great power with great responsibility. Peter Parker isn’t fresh out of high school in this game. He’s somewhere in his twenties, and juggles a busy personal life with protecting New York as crime starts to spiral out of control. He’s juggling a troubled relationship with Mary Jane Watson (who’s had a Lois Lane-esque makeover), helping Aunt May at FEAST, and paying his bills. On top of that, he’s struggling to help keep New York peaceful as a gang of organised criminals wearing Chinese demon masks cause pandemonium.
内在的恶魔 /
Nèizài de èmó in this game.
As Peter’s personal life starts to unravel as a result of some of things Spider-Man has to deal with, we get some really well-written character development of side characters, antagonists and even straight-up primary antagonists. If you haven’t played this game through yet, this is your one and only spoiler warning: To talk about how good this plot is, I’m not going to be able to avoid spoiling it any more.
Turns out that one of the two primary antagonists has a very real and personal beef with a pre-Green-Goblin Norman Osborn. It’s completely understandable, given the information we find out, but Mister Negative/Martin Li uses the demon gang in order to get an Oscorp bioweapon to use on New York City. This weapon is called “Devil’s Breath” and it’s an incredibly contagious respiratory virus.
A Serious note.
This is getting way too close to current events. If you’ve got this far in the article, I’m going to be serious for a minute. Please, wherever you are in the real world, keep safe. Stay at home, use the emergency services only when needed, and take every precaution available to you when you’re outside of your home. I know things seem horrible right now, even with 2020 finally being behind us. This real-life incredibly deadly respiratory virus that’s so easy to spread won’t last forever, as long as we keep the pressure off medical services and follow the rules. I’m saying this as someone who has close family dealing with this at work every day.
Back to the game, while this is all happening, Peter Parker works for Dr Otto Octavius as he works to come up with better and better prostheses for amputees when he realises that these would work better with a cranial interface. Before you think that this fits a certain archetype, you find out that Otto has an unspecified neuro-degenerative order (that looks suspiciously like ALS), and the prostheses will help keep him alive. Sadly, this helps him become Doc Ock/Doctor Octopus, as Mister Negative’s priorities match his own.
This forms this game’s version of the Sinister Six following a breakout of supervillains, and Spider-Man finds himself caught in a war for New York’s soul. Of course, the good guys win out, but this comes at a heavy price. Aunt May, who’s been Peter’s rock through this, dies of the Devil’s Breath virus. This hits way too close to me writing this in January 2021, so I’m going to refer you to my previous paragraphs on this one.
Characters
This is where the game really stands out. With the exception of Mary Jane Watson and Silver Sable, who get their own criticism in this review, they all feel real. That’s a really difficult thing to get right, but Insomniac have managed it. From J Jonah Jameson to Aunt May, they feel like real people. As a scriptwriter myself, that’s fucking impressive.
Peter Parker and Spider-Man’s relationship is done really well in this game. In most comics, the general rule for this is whenever Peter loses, Spidey wins and vice versa. We learn this early on, when Spider-Man stops Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin, and loses his flat as he prioritised keeping New York City safe over paying rent.
As for Otto Octavius, his characterisation really does put a tear in your eye. He might be Peter’s hero in the game, but I really identified with him in the game. Pulling back the curtain a bit, I have a neurological issue of my own, and so I understood Otto’s impatience perfectly. Truly, I’ve cried my eyes out at this game.
However…
The only downsides I can give to this game is how hollow some of the female characters feel in this game. Whilst Peter Parker, Martin Li and Otto Octavius feel like real people, some of the girls fall short here. Silver Sable is basically just “mysterious Eastern European angry person”, and it shows. We don’t see much of her character development and this feels really lazy at points. Similarly, I was aware that Mary Jane Watson got a re-imagining, but making her a Lois Lane analogue feels really uninspired. It just does. I get it serves the plot, but it feels frankly, shit.
Gameplay
Okay folks, I’m going to have to break this one down due to the amount of time I could spend talking to you about this. Let’s start with why you play a Spider-Man game first:
The Web-Swinging
Web-Swinging in this game is the best I’ve ever played in a Spider-Man game, period. Yes, The Amazing Spider-Man was innovative, and Spider-Man 2 had some great logic behind it, but neither touches this. From the moment Peter Parker dons the suit to help apprehend Wilson Fisk, every swing feels important. Every time you swing, you have to locate a nearby building to swing from.
There isn’t any invisible point to use, you have to use your eyes and engage properly to traverse. Once you get used to it, it becomes automatic. Fast-travel is unlocked at a point early on, but web-swinging is more fun. You’ll find yourself ignoring the fast-travel as New York becomes your own personal playground. Also, keep your eye out for the air tricks and their names: There’s a nod to the Tony Hawk games (the remaster of which I’ve reviewed on this site) that is awesome!
The Combat
We can’t talk about combat in a superhero RPG without mentioning Batman Arkham Asylum, but the combat here is different. Yes, there’s a heavy focus on using combos, counters and your environments to progress. This game comes at it from a different tack though. You can play stealthy and gadget-based if you want, but you’ll have more fun duking it out with the bad guys in a straight-up brawl.
This is at the most fun during the playthroughs at lower levels, but it’s true. Word of warning though: Don’t do this during the “ultimate” difficulty or through “The City That Never Sleeps” DLC at any difficulty. If you choose to ignore this warning, well, you’ll see what happens.
Graphics
Oh man, the graphics in this game on a PS4 Pro are superb! It’s what turns this game from a decent game to… well… a spectacular one. Every building looks like a real building and the level of detail is amazing. For example, focusing in on a window will show you the interiors in remarkably sharp detail. The suits all look real (apart from the comic one), and I’ll prove this to you. Early on in the game, Peter quips about his “three chest hairs”. Later on, you unlock a costume where Peter’s basically in his underwear and a mask. I’m not kidding about this. Once you utilise the “Photo mode” in the game, you can zoom in on Spider-Man to find his only three chest hairs. Worst inside joke in a game, ever.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack to this game might just be the best soundtrack to a superhero game I’ve ever heard. That includes Batman Arkham City, which previously held this accolade. Simply put, the non-diegetic music in this game is astonishingly good. When I researched who did the soundtrack, I was gobsmacked that it wasn’t Danny Elfman. For the Marvel fans reading this, Elfman did the soundtrack for the Raimi Spider-Man films. It really does sound like you’re in a Raimi film here. I still feel like I’m in a Raimi film, but this is a review, not an autobiography. There’s plenty of musical nods to Spidey’s history to enjoy. In fact, either via my Twitter or by the comments, let me know which ones you spot.
Eating my words…
The voice acting in this game is superb too. I once said that Christopher Daniel Barnes is Peter Parker/Spider-Man as far as voice goes. I’m wrong about that one, readers. Yuri Lowenthal is, and it’s not even close. He manages to capture both the cocksure and quippy Spidey and the neurotic Peter perfectly. Lowenthal’s not the only great actor here either. Tara Platt and Darin De Paul must get nods for their roles as Yuri Watanabe and J Jonah Jameson respectively.
Speaking of JJJ…
J Jonah Jameson even gets his own Infowars-esque podcast in this game, and it’s a hoot! Yes, Darin De Paul is honing his inner JK Simmons, but it’s fun to listen to. From going nuts about the amount of damage caused by Spider-Man to raving about Nazi Bees (I’m not kidding), it’s hilarious to listen to. Keep your ears pinned back for an episode featuring Norman Osborn.
DLC?
Yes, there’s DLC. The best way to access this is by getting a season pass and downloading all three episodes of it. It’s called “The City That Never Sleeps” and it concerns the aftermath of the main story and the power vacuum it created. There’s some wonderful exposition from JJJ here, as he opines for the days of smartly-dressed gangsters running New York. Only, not long after that, Hammerhead turns up, and that lovely dream quickly turns into a blood-stained nightmare.
There’s some great character development for Yuri Watanabe that’ll please comic fans, but Silver Sable still feels like a hollow character. She gets more exposure and a great fight, but her motivations are still somewhat ambiguous. Nichole Elise’s dodgy sometimes-Polish, sometimes-Russian accent doesn’t improve either.
Overall
Marvel’s Spider-Man is a thoroughly good game, with a beating emotional heart. There’s enough for everyone to enjoy with a New York City that feels alive from beginning to end. There’s a nice set-up for two sequels in the game, and this could potentially be the Iron Man for a Marvel Gaming Universe. It’s genuinely the game I’ve had the most fun playing through since Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, and it’s worth getting the DLC too. If you have a PS4 or a PS5, consider the money you spend on this game well spent.
Quote from the Stepson: “I really enjoyed the swinging physics and the combat system particularly with how they integrated the user interface. It’s set up by Insomniac really well.”
Spider-Man Miles Morales will be up in the next 48 hours, and I hope you enjoyed this review.
Stay safe, stay indoors, and stay healthy.
Davey.
