Spider-Man 2018: Game Review, Tech Details and Fun Facts

Spider-Man is probably one of the top superheroes ever. Brave Spidey features widely in both movies and video games. In gaming, Spider-Man has had an unbelievably long-lasting career, tracing back to the old Atari days of 1982. So what’s new this time?

The fresh Spider-Man release on PlayStation 4 has become the fastest-selling game of the year so far. Just imagine, Spider-Man topped such high-street titles like PS4 exclusive God of War and all-rounder Far Cry 5! Odds are, Marvel’s Spider-Man will soon join the club of the best exclusive games for PS4.

Spider-Man Games: a Look through History

I must confess, the backstory of Spidey in gaming has had its ups and downs. Before Marvel’s Spider-Man 2018 developed by Insomniac Games under the guidance of Sony, the previous games were created courtesy of Activision. The publisher started testing the waters with early 2000-2002 Spider-Man titles and finally scored a big win in 2010 with its Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, and in 2011 with Spider-Man: Edge of Time.

The life of subsequent games in the series, however, was not rosy. The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel in 2012 and 2014 did not gain much traction among the gaming audience. Until now, when Sony Interactive Entertainment comes into play. So, let see what’s inside the new Spider-Man 2018 video game.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Story

We think it’s pointless to tell you the whole story of the iconic wall-crawler. We are all fans of the Spider-Man universe and his backstory, so it is better to focus on the latest chapter revealed by Insomniac Games.

So, the days of young inexperienced Spidey depicted in The Avengers franchise are long gone. In the new Spider-Man PS4 game this is a grown-up superhero with many victories gained and supervillains imprisoned.

Still, he has much to do in New York as new kingpins and lesser criminals appear on the city’s scene. Spidey is shown not just as a superhero from the comics, but as a person who has his concerns and shortcomings. This makes the whole immersion into the gameplay much deeper, and you really feel empathy with every character action.

Spider-Man PS4 2018: Gameplay

After playing for a pile of sleepless hours, we are dead sure that the first thing you will notice in the title is its amazing gameplay. Actually, what impressed our DMarket team from the very beginning is the great challenge to play in an unparalleled open-world environment!

Unlike, say, Batman in Arkham City getting stuck in the same locations, the options in Marvel’s Spider-Man are vast and diverse. Of course, New York is also a sandbox like Arkham City, but it’s a huuuge sandbox full of life! You don’t have to complete dull repetitive missions while coming back to same instances over and over again.

To bring you closer with the gameplay details, let us break down the things we think are the most important for you.

Spider-Man Suits

They are many in the game, 28 to be exact. You can unlock them during the playthrough.

Suits images courtesy of Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment

Best Skills to Unlock First

As many games of the kind imply, you have a skill tree with most of the advanced skills initially locked. In Marvel’s Spider-Man there are even three trees for you to deal with! These are Innovator, Webslinger and Defender, each of them having their own number of skills. The most useful of them to acquire first are:

Perfect Dodge

Web Throw

Dodge Window

Quick Zip

Air Marshal

Point Launch Boost

Payback

Long Strike

Yank and Throw

Perfect Hit

Main Pillains

We have prepared a list of the most ruthless criminals in Marvel’s New York that Spidey has to overwhelm. Just ask yourself if you are still going to beat them.

Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin

Shocker

Black Cat

Silver Sable

Electro

Mister Negative

Tombstone

Screwball

Taskmaster

Vulture

Rhino

Scorpion

Doctor Octopus

Technical Details and Their Misinterpretation

As always, there are fans who are trying to find faults with every single trifle they find in the game. Some gamers are spreading rumors about a so-called ‘graphics downgrade’, just after the title’s release. The whiners complain that the graphics in the game are much worse than showcased at E3.

We can hardly believe it, but while all true gamers are enjoying the stunning gameplay, some are tearing their hair out asking where are the puddles they saw in the E3 demo trailer. This has quickly become a new gaming meme, known as Spider-Man PS4 Puddlegate.

Fortunately, the guys from Digital Foundry finally put a stop to this nonsense with comprehensive analysis. Here is a video with all necessary tech detail.

Fun Game Facts

The game hides some amusing easter eggs and clues that can please every fan of the Marvel universe.

Old Friends . Not to make our review too spoilery we just give you a hint – Spider-Man PS4 exclusive has lots of references to Spidey’s fellow heroes, like Doctor Strange, the Iron Fist and other folks from Marvel’s Avengers and Defenders.

. Not to make our review too spoilery we just give you a hint – Spider-Man PS4 exclusive has lots of references to Spidey’s fellow heroes, like Doctor Strange, the Iron Fist and other folks from Marvel’s Avengers and Defenders. Marriage Proposal. The other sad but true fact is about Tyler Schultz, a video blogger, who was passionately in love with a girl. Tyler asked Insomniac Games to help him marry his crush by putting a message on the theatre in the game. Oh man, it was so touching to find this proposal while playing for the first time! Later on, however, Tyler told the gaming community that his bride-to-be refused his unusual proposal. Still, you can find it in the game to remember the poor guy.

All in all, we think that Marvel’s Spider-Man has the best graphics ever, at least among open-world titles. In tandem with a great storyline and immersive music, this makes Marvel’s Spider-Man a perfect choice for PS4 gamers this fall. You can order it right now from the PlayStation store in one of three editions: Standard, Deluxe and Collector’s.Have a great time playing Marvel’s Spider-Man on your PS4, and follow DMarket on Facebook and Twitter for more game news and reviews.