“Hey, Web-Head!”

I remember the first time I played Spider-Man 2 for the Playstation 2 as a kid and being absolutely blown away by the game’s next level physics. The sequel had taken a significant leap forward compared to its predecessor, allowing you to escape the confines of simply swinging from rooftop to rooftop to traversing an entire city brimming with people and villains alike. And nothing was more satisfying at the time than swinging through that skyscraper jungle with the intent on discovering it all. The web-swinging mechanics and physics of Spider-Man 2 are somewhat of a mainstream yet cult-like obsession that are still highly praised to this day. Every swing felt like it had a significant amount of weight and momentum behind it, allowing for an entertaining amount of stunts and exploration (I mean, who hasn’t played Spider-Man 2 and jumped from the Empire State Building at least once?). It was a defining mechanic for people in the early 2000s that contributed to an experience that allowed many kids like myself to actually become Spider-Man.



There have been a handful of Spider-Man games that followed Spider-Man 2 over the years, but none have seemed to come close to capitalizing on the second’s mainstream success, or its impressive web-swinging physics. With the recent success of Rocksteady Studio’s Batman Arkham series, many fans were hopeful for a game that could one day capitalize on the strongest points of the Arkham games in conjunction with those unique swinging mechanics of our cult classic. Surely something like the sort would spell instant success for the one who developed it?



Spider-Man is one of the only games I can recall where I voluntarily decided to explore the map in its entirety.

Unfortunately, we all know that success isn’t a guarantee, especially as it relates to video game development in the modern era. There are plenty of potential stumbling blocks along the way, and plenty of well-connected fans to hold you accountable. From game breaking bugs to public relations missteps, it seems that some games suffer from foundational and relational issues alike that haunt it even long after release. Thankfully, Insomniac Games’ title dodged all of these pitfalls and allowed them to be able to deliver a truly unique and positive experience.



You would be hard-pressed to find a title that has done everything the right way like Insomniac has with their iteration of Marvel’s Spider-Man. From announcement to release, the developers provided a steady stream of content to fans that neither over-promised nor under delivered. The excitement was built organically, and strengthened by a publisher who took a distinguished hands-off approach. Above all else, you could feel the passion that Insomniac had for their title and their desire to share it with the world. All of the right signs were there from first announcement to release that this was destined to be a successful title. So with several months passing since its release we’re left with the all important question – was it a success? To me, Insomniac’s Spider-Man is special; not in a ground-breaking way, but as the first step for a series that’s poised to take a massive leap into something great.



Open world games these days tend to follow a similar formula. This usually centers around a sizeable map that includes a large amount of situational objectives and events, designed to prompt you to explore the map to the fullest. Some people are addicted to this formula as it feeds into their completionist tendencies, while others tend to loathe it and feel that it amounts to nothing more than fluff. While I believe I fall in the middle of this argument, I do tend to form my opinion towards the latter when it comes to these types of events. And even when these games do capture me, rarely do I ever feel compelled to fully scout the map to unlock vision on areas that tend to just reveal more of these mundane quests.



The game’s rendering of New York city and web-swinging mechanics allowed for a relaxing experience.

However, Spider-Man is one of the only games I can recall where I voluntarily decided to explore the map in its entirety. This was not only due to the fact that the game’s rendering of New York city and web-swinging mechanics allowed for a relaxing experience, but because there were tangible goals tied to tasks that tended to feel more fun than mundane. Having unlockable suits tied to tokens was something that added an extra layer of motivation that you would commonly find in older games, but less so these days. Backpack tokens could be pesky to find at times, but are worth the time for fans who enjoy callbacks to different eras and stories in the Spider-Man universe.



When it comes to the combat mechanics of the game, I was surprised by how difficult it could be at times. Unlike the Arkham games, taking on a mob of enemies presents a significant challenge, and this challenge only increases in difficulty as the game progresses. To be honest, I found this to be frustrating at times as I felt there was too much happening on the screen, between rockets flying across my vision, gunfire streaming about, and enemies with powerful one hit combos that could absolutely demolish your health. In my personal opinion, I think the game could have benefited from less crowding from enemies, but I recognize this as personal preference (especially because Eric felt his experience was entirely different when we discussed it).



Boss fights… are fun, creative, and force you to think quickly on your feet.

The stealth mechanics of the game however are very similar in their progression to Arkham, mostly occurring whenever you find yourself indoors. While I understand that Spider-Man isn’t exactly recognized as a stealthy, shadowed hero like Batman, I do wish they included more instances of stealth as these were some of the more enjoyable moments for me. I loved just swinging about, taking on mobs of enemies in one area, zipping to another area and then webbing up two unsuspecting gang members. It’s in these instances where I found combat to be the most enjoyable, which isn’t surprising considering that it’s a proven and established formula.



Boss fights in the game (while not many), are fun, creative, and force you to think quickly on your feet. I don’t want to go into too much detail as to venture into spoiler territory, but Insomniac did a great job of not only making somewhat challenging boss fights, but hosting them in environments that really complement the character of the villain you’re facing. They did a particularly great job of having certain enemies “tag-team” you, leading to even more memorable encounters!



This leads me to my final analysis – the plot and progression of the story. The story of this game is fun, enjoyable, and will tug at your heartstrings from time to time. Whether you’re a hardcore Spider-Man comic book aficionado or a casual Marvel fan, I think everyone will be able to pull some level of enjoyment out of the plot. There are a few twists and turns among the way, but you can mostly tell where the epic conclusion is headed for this story. There is one twist in particular that I didn’t see coming and actually left me quite surprised, and I hope game creators will take this kind of direction with established properties in the future in regards to exploring certain “what if” scenarios or alternate realities (which is one of the reasons why I loved Telltale’s Batman series so much).



Missions involving Mary Jane and Miles Morales slow down the pacing of the game significantly.

I found that the missions involving Mary Jane and Miles Morales slow down the pacing of the game significantly. While I understood their purpose in the progression of the overall story, I couldn’t help but find myself tapping my foot and wondering when I was going to get back to playing Spider-Man. I will say that I am glad that they were included because I think they helped build and establish Miles Morales in a realistic way that didn’t feel inherently clumsy or shoehorned. As someone who was also unfamiliar with the character, I found myself at the end of the game intrigued and interested in exploring his story in the Marvel universe further. There is a particular mission in this game where playing as these side characters does shine though, as it had you interact with Spider-Man in an incredibly creative way, making the previous slogs almost worth it. I hope Insomniac can take the ingenuity and creativity from this mission and apply it across the board in a potential sequel (should there be one involving secondary characters).



If I were to point out a significant weakness of the plot, it would be that it feels overly crowded at times. There’s going to be a period during your playthrough where you think the game has come to an end, only for it to vault forward into the next segment, and the next, and the next, in rapid succession. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as this equates to more gameplay and sticking with the characters we enjoy longer, however it does lead to significant pacing issues at times. I think some concepts and characters within the game would have been better saved for a sequel. I believe this would give more time to flesh out relationships further in order to enhance the impact of certain pivotal plot points. However, it’s understandable that this isn’t always an option as there is no guarantee of a sequel being greenlit.



Overall, I think Spider-Man is proof that talented studios can deliver when given the resources, space, and opportunity to thrive. The gameplay is a return to form for Marvel’s web slinging hero and the fulfillment of the dream we’ve all had since playing Spider-Man 2 on the Playstation 2. The cast does a great job of bringing these characters to life, and the end of the story does leave us poised anxiously for the continuation of a franchise that is undoubtedly waiting for us in the future.

Is it Cannon?

Yes, if you: Love Marvel properties and characters (specifically Spider-Man);Like exploring open worlds that contain many things to do and collect;Prefer Arkham-style combat and progression Love Marvel properties and characters (specifically Spider-Man)

Like exploring open worlds that contain many things to do and collect

Prefer Arkham-style combat and progression No, if you: Dislike, or are easily frustrated by, fighting waves of enemies;Want a game that redefines or adds to the Arkham/ Open World formula;Are looking for huge amounts of replay value beyond DLC;Need a plot that subverts your expectations Dislike, or are easily frustrated by, fighting waves of enemies

Want a game that redefines or adds to the Arkham/ Open World formula

Are looking for huge amounts of replay value beyond DLC

Need a plot that subverts your expectations

Marvel’s Spider-Man was released on September 7th, 2018 on the Playstation 4