Spider-Man is very good, but not a killer app. It’s an excellent game though. With that out of the way, let’s get into the game. At E3 2018 I was afforded the incredible opportunity to play Sony’s upcoming Spider-Man title by Insomniac Games. The demo was 20 minutes long which was fantastic because you were really able to delve both into the game and the world, which is completely open. Swinging through New York is both an awe-inspiring experience and a lot of fun. While the game is hyped up and one of the only Sony exclusives coming out this year, does it live up expectations? Yes and no.
Spider-Man Gameplay
Don’t get me wrong, the combat in Spider-Man is incredibly enjoyable. It’s exquisite. But it plays too much like the Arkham games from Rocksteady. It works more for Spider-Man, given his lightening-speed agility and Spider-Sense. In fact, it makes a lot more sense than than with Batman, regardless of the fact that Bruce is a quasi-ninja. The controls are a lot more intricate than the Arkham games and it would take more than 20 minutes to get used to them, which was the duration of the demo. You could button mash and get through it, but that’s not the way the game is meant to be played. The combat is a lot of fun though and this is only a portion of the game, so as we see more of the game it could improve. More time with the game would allow the player to become more acclimated to the controls which would, in turn, hopefully enhance the experience, so I’m not writing it off just yet. It’s not bad; in fact it’s fun. It’s just a lot to take in at once. This may be overwhelming for some players.
New York City
Web-slinging throughout New York City has to be the highlight of the game. It is SO damn fun. Spider-Man is completely open world, much like Arkham Knight, and you constantly come across missions, like in Arkham Knight, throughout New York City. Some are puzzles, some are combat missions, and there may be a few more I wasn’t able to get to. By squatting from a ledge on top of a building you’ll be able to see all the missions available to you. You can also stick to walls and run straight up them which is a really interesting feature. Some of the mechanics can be confusing though. Never the less, exploring New York City has never been this fun before. Especially web-slinging.
Villains
The main villain featured in the trailers and the demo is Shocker, although the Sinister Six is also showcased in the trailer. Shocker appears to be a unique version of the character which is refreshing, and hopefully, they do this with other villains as well. The Sony E3 2018 booth actually showed Norman Osborn running for Mayor of New York, which was interesting. Even more intriguing is that he was using some slogans that were very reminiscent of Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again”, which is bound to draw some comparisons.
It doesn’t appear that Harry is the Green Goblin in this game, as he is actually helping Peter out (or was during one of my sidequests). He could have been the mystery man at the end of the trailer though; we know so little about the game up to this point.
Unfortunately, I was unable to get to Shocker, the boss of the demo. I was too busy being immersed in the world. I’m sure that Norman Osborne will be the Green Goblin in the game; how can they leave out Spider-Man’s greatest foe?
The Future
This is Sony’s chance to build a Marvel Video Game Universe of their own. Spider-Man will be an excellent title, but it is a bit overhyped. It doesn’t add too much to the superhero genre, as far as we’ve seen, and plays too much like Arkham Knight, finding sidequests and combat included. It’s not the killer app many were hoping for. That being said, it’s a fine game, and while it may not be a Game of the Year contender considering what we’ve seen thus far, it is an exquisite addition to Sony’s already impressive lineup.
We’ll see how the final product turns out in September.