Spider-Man PS4 Game Review

Spider-Man (PS4) (Rated Teen)

Video Review

Next to God Of War and Red Dead Redemption 2, this is one of the biggest games of the year, with God Of War exceeding everyone's expectations, I am sure many wonder how Spider-Man turned out. I am happy to report that the game is an utter delight, I am also surprised that the game was not met with the same glowing reception God Of War received. 

Much like that game, this one creates a perfect meddling of the open-world and linear action-adventure genres. There is an open-world, with a plethora of activities to undertake, and there is a cohesive and exciting narrative to be had. The way in which the two are interwoven is truly something special. You will swing from mission to mission to alter the time of day, in between missions you are able to stop crimes, and search for collectibles.

Unlike most games this one's collectibles are not just fun easter eggs, pointing to a long and varied history for the character and his lore. No, these items also carry resources which you will use to craft everything from gadgets, to suits and various upgrades. Which means exploring this vast, and gorgeously rendered version of New York is not just fun, it is very rewarding. Beyond discovering those items, you will also run into many crimes in progress. This includes mainly beating down waves of thugs, but also stopping highspeed chases and saving civilians from danger. 

Conquering these randomly generated objectives rewards you with experience to level up Spidey's various skills, and also resource points to craft suits and upgrades. Combat is of a similar nature to the Arkham series, yet it feels far more frenetic with an extremely fast pace, a greater sense of fluidity and a lot more verticality.  No Spider-Man game before it, has had combat to truly put you in Spidey's shoes. You will put his improvisation skills to great use, and experience his grand sense of flair like never before.  

There are so many options, upgrades and visceral takedowns to utilize, that combat never once feels repetitive or loses its sense of joy. Of course, this is a Spider-Man game, so I am sure the question on your mind is, how's the swinging? Does it reach the same heights as a certain other Spider-Man game? I am sure it will be hard to compete with those incredible memories so many of us have. Thankfully, this one will create an equal number of stupendous memories. Fast, fluid, acrobatic and highly enjoyable, is a quick way to sum up the wicked fun of web-swinging.

You'll feel right at home as soon as the game begins with the wonderful traversal mechanics. Things are never too complex, and it is very easy to pick up and play, yet there is enough complexity to warrant real mastery. Combat is of the same cloth, never too difficult to understand, yet it does require thought and will take time to truly master. The brilliance of mastering the game, is it not only makes things a bit easier, but you will truly look and feel like Spider-Man with some of the most fluid animations, and gameplay mechanics to date allowing for extremely cinematic gameflow.

You will spend time playing as Mary Jane, though this is relatively brief in the grand scheme of things. In this universe, Mary Jane is an investigative journalist, thus her levels feature stealth and investigation based mechanics. Her levels not only provide great narrative moments, that make Peter's story more powerful, but also are very fun due to solid design and the fact that they never overstay their welcome.  

The game's story is an original one that touches upon many familiar beats. For fans this will be the Spider-Man story they always dreamed of, perfect villain choices and variety, along with tremendous character depth. This story takes place after Peter has been Spider-Man for eight years, it allows for a story that perfectly encapsulates the many facets of what a great Spider-Man story is. If you are not a Spider-Man fan, the story may be slightly confusing as it banks on your knowledge of Spidey's long history. 

The fact that you also spend time as Peter Parker means that for once, a superhero game covers the entire spectrum of the heroes story. This is something most games lack, they never hone in on all aspects of a character, instead of making everything enjoyable to play, they would look for what made sense for a game, instead of for the character's story. Spider-Man PS4 does not make that mistake.  

I was very surprised by just how alive the world feels, unlike most open-world superhero games, this one's world feels like it is truly alive. Not only can you interact with the city's many citizens, but the side missions along with every activity, feels like it brings the city more to life due to the immensely immersive sense of interaction the game affords. Does every side activity reach the heights of its impressive action sequences? Nearly, I would actually say that Insomniac has done the impossible by making every activity a delight to play.

The game's story is by no means short, if you rush the game you could finish it in twelve hours, but that would be truly rushing everything in sight. You can easily lose twenty to thirty hours with Spidey's outstanding world, as a matter of fact, I would much rather be playing than writing this review. Not only is there an impressive story to experience, there are many mysteries to uncover as the game progresses. 

I have yet to find a game that is this fun, Insomniac is a studio that firmly understands just how important fun is to a game. While all of their games are fun to play, Spider-Man feels like the culmination of all their developing prowess. It is why I am still surprised that the game did not receive the same level of praise that God Of War got. I only mention this due to the fact that the predominant complaint was repetitive gameplay or activities, which is something that God Of War certainly suffers from as well, yet like this game it never kept it from being a supremely enjoyable experience. 

I can report a grand scale of puddles, as this is one of the most visually stunning games I have witnessed, I can also report a truly enjoyable gaming experience. Maybe critics felt the need to sacrifice Spider-Man, after all they can't offer such praise to two games, so close to one another. Of all games, this is the perfect one to point out such an issue in gaming media. This game is just as good as God Of War, yet instead of being met with the same level of praise and admiration, it's praise seems to always be followed by a "but". 

"The best Superhero game of all time, but..." seems to be the way most of the reviews start for this game. I rarely point out other reviews within my own, but I simply cannot reason why such an utterly fun game, is treated like it's missing something, or as if it's not the grand experience everyone was waiting for. This is the definitive Spider-Man experince. A perfectly crafted adventure, that allows you to experience every portion of Spider-Man's life, you will finally feel as if you have lived as a true superhero.