When it comes to superhero games, Batman’s Arkham games are the gold standard. In the leadup to Insomniac’s new Spider-Man game I thought “if they can make a Spider-Man game half as good as those it would be cracking”.
Insomniac haven’t done that.
They’ve made something greater.
I originally 100%ed the main game in two weeks, quickly followed by the DLC as soon as it was released. It’s been a long time since I chased achievements on the 360, so for any game to reawaken my dormant achievement hunter instincts is some going. The main reason is that this game is just an absolute joy to play. It makes me feel like Spider-Man.
A lot of that joy stems from how Spidey traverses his environment. The controls are simple and intuitive, which makes you look and feel cool with minimal effort. I could swing, run and jump around Manhattan for hours without really doing anything else. Anyone who remembers the older games will remember climbing to the top of the Empire State Building and taking a swan dive. You can do that here too, with the extra realism and draw distance adding a sprinkle of magic. From the shift in his weight as he swings, to the way he can run along a building, it’s a magical way of traversing NYC and moving like Spidey. Even my six year old has managed a couple of swings, and she too was very impressed.
I couldn’t tell you how many times I was swinging towards a story objective when a police chase would kick off nearby. Off I swung, taking longer to do the objective than planned. Classic Peter Parker!
Not to go on about the Arkham games, but there are some simple comparisons. They too are great games; it’s hard to top the feeling of being Batman as you glide into an awaiting Batmobile. But Spider-Man’s story is way ahead. Starting with a well-established Spidey, we see all aspects of his life; from Peter with May at FEAST, through to his complicated love life. We get to know these versions of the characters, feeling for them more, before the inevitable gut punches. Peter and Spider-Man never both get to win after all.
You could argue that it’s similarity to other games is a negative. Between the map, various collectibles, and different currencies to unlock suits and abilities, there’s a lot you’ve seen elsewhere. You could say it’s rather Ubisoft. But Spider-Man integrates every side mission of collectible into the world and story so well that it doesn’t matter. Every trinket or action further builds up the characters.
Only the stealth sections with secondary characters left me twiddling my thumbs. There’s no denying it gave me some insight, and it’s proof that people not called Spidey are capable. With the game making effort to introduce Miles Morales too, I get why these sections are there. But when I could be swinging I groaned a little each time I wasn’t.
A new version of a character needs a USP. The obvious one for this Spider-Man is his suit. It’s my favourite Spidey suit of all. The white spider fits the general look of the character but is still bold. The game has many other suits that you can unlock and change into at any point, and they persist through cutscenes! I’ve got a few favourites, but I always come back to the Advanced Suit. It looks great and it’s well-integrated into the story.
The tag line for Marvel’s Spider-Man is “Be Greater”. Fitting, as the game borrows mechanics from other games and elevates their use.
Bar being bitten by a radioactive spider, this is the closest you’ll get to being Spider-Man.
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