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MARVEL'S SPIDER-MAN
PS4
Platform: PS4 Genre: Action ESRB: Teen Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment Developer: Insomniac Games
Marvel’s Spider-Man by the talented creators at Insomniac Games is without a doubt
an interactive dream come true...
Marvel’s Spider-Man by the
talented creators at Insomniac
Games is without a doubt an
interactive dream come true
for so many comic book Spidey
junkies, myself included. We
have longed to experience our
favorite web-head on the grand
stage with all the bells and
whistles worthy of Marvel’s
namesake. Thankfully that time
has finally arrived. Marvel’s
Spider-Man is one of the best
games you will play this
generation.
Like Rocksteady’s herculean
development efforts which
brought forth the undeniable
Arkham series featuring The Bat,
Insomniac Games has crafted
their own tour de force
interactive story featuring a
mature Peter Parker.
For Marvel’s Spider-Man,
Peter Parker is an adult with rent
and bills to pay. Yet, despite the
common day-to-day hassles of
getting by, often the superhero
duties of saving lives must take
precedent and from the start
the game oozes with vintage
Spiderman nostalgia and you
will love it.
Insomniac wastes no time
throwing players head first into
the action as The Kingpin and
his well armed goons are raided
by the NYPD. Ever present to
take in all the sights and sounds
of the mayhem before swinging
into action, Spiderman makes an
appearance once things get out
of hand for law enforcement.
Eventually, Spiderman is trading
punches with the powerful
crime boss, but not without
adding his elusive dexterity to
the mix. This early sequence of
events conveniently introduces
players to the gameplay
mechanics which throughout
the full experience continues to
build upon itself, making you an
increasingly more powerful
webslinger.
While swinging through the
big apple the artistry at which
Spiderman maneuvers becomes
an intoxication affair of
empowerment. Swing into a
building incorrectly and
Spiderman effortlessly performs
a wall run just before leaping
into a swan dive from any
height. Even if it seem as though
Spidey has no room to swing or
buildings may be out of reach,
you can easily perform a web-
zip to quickly build momentum.
This becomes progressively easy
as you learn to sight web-zip
targeting icons while swinging
through the city.
Perfectly integrated within
this high-production is a
dynamic combat system. Similar
to the before mentioned
Arkham series, just with a
unique Spiderman flair, Marvel’s
Spider-Man introduces a
skirmish system founded on a
rather straightforward approach
with an array of choice
advantages.
Combative encounters are
implemented as a free-flowing
jungle gym of opportunities.
Objects within the environment
are weapons – ripping doors off
cars or throwing motorcycles,
manholes, or even taking away
enemy weapons such as batons,
assault rifles, RPG’s, grenades,
bats and more are all
commonplace. You will often
find yourself surrounded by
enemy combatants, yet you will
have a smile on your face as
Spidey is also equipped with
some cool gadgets and
powerup skills to even the odds.
Learning the important skills of
utilizing web abilities to hijack
weapons from enemies and the
like becomes an exercise of
alertness, which may cause
some frustration early on.
Enemies are quite unforgiving
when there numbers are high.
So, don’t be surprised if multiple
enemies are firing kills shots
while others are simultaneously
shooting RPG’s at your head.
Even still, heavier thug types can
be a hand full early on as you’re
trying to get your head around
the controls.
The world of Marvel’s Spider-
Man is a living breathing world.
Filled with NPC’s leading their
normal lives, the sighting of
Spiderman certainly raises
eyebrows and fanfare.
Sometimes you will also have
those skeptics who side with the
ever present voice of illogical
reason from none other than
Jonah Jameson, who attacks the
airwaves at every chance in
desperate pursuit of defacing
the character of Spiderman.
Not stopping there,
Insomniac managed to invite an
attractive list of pesky
supervillains to the Marvel’s
Spider-Man party, such as Silver
Sablinova also known as Silver
Saber, Kingpin, Electro, Rhino,
Scorpion, Vulture, Shocker,
Taskmaster, Tombstone and
Screwball, yes they are all here.
How this tapestry of Marvel’s
comic book legends comes
together is nothing short of
fantastic.
There is much more that can
be said about Insomniac’s
greatest interactive
achievement, however we
recommend you find out for
yourself by playing Marvel’s
Spider-Man as soon as possible.
It is truly something special.
9.0