If the trailers weren't any indication, from the very start of the game, there's a real cinematic quality to it. While there's clear influence from the Batman: Arkham games, what places Spider-Man above those is that you deal also with Peter Parker and his personal problems, and that it happens over a longer period of time rather than one night. It gives you time to breathe and really get invested in the characters and their relationships. And it's that investment that delivers the powerhouse of emotion that comes from the ending, both in the final boss battle and what happens afterwards. No other superhero game ending has brought me close to tears as this one.
Going back to the cinematic approach, a keen observer can notice elements that homage or were inspired by all the live action films. We have Spidey stopping a train like in "Spider-Man 2", as well as the more tech-savviness of the MCU. And without spoiling anything, I can't help but think they reworked ideas used in the Marc Webb "Amazing" films, and actually did them a lot better. Also, even the score to the game rivals those from the films.
I once considered that "The Spectacular Spider-Man" animated series was the best adaptation of the character. Now I believe this game has usurped that position (though "Spectacular is still the best animated series). As stated before, there's real investment to be had in the characters, and that's due to the great writing on display as well as the voice actors. Even the minor villains have some entertainment value. But it's the main villains that are greatly approved upon: Mr. Negative and Dr. Octopus.
In the comics, Mr. Negative was just a guy who had a split personality, with the dark side having the powers. Here, the character of Martin Li is given a more sympathetic backstory, proper motivation, and more complexity. He's a man who does a lot of good, but just can't let go of his quest for vengeance on those who wronged him.
And of course, you have perhaps the best version of Dr. Octopus yet. It mixes the best elements of "Spider-Man 2" and "Spectacular Spider-Man"; he's a man that only wanted to do good, but was pushed too far by those hindering his work and driven to do terrible things. It's certainly more dramatic than his arms telling him to rob a bank. The fact that he's Peter's mentor in the game even adds that extra punch in the final battle. I also have to give props to his voice actor, William Salyers (Reverend Putty on "Moral Orel" and Rigby on "Regular Show"). He has great range from an inspiring mentor to vengeful supervillain. Finally, there's hints that "Superior Spider-Man" situation will occur in a future sequel (hence why we didn't get that skin in the game).
The last thing that helps give this game a more realistic cinematic quality is that it isn't afraid to get serious. Spider-Man games are usually rated T, like this one is, but they've always stuck to being kid-friendly. There are actual terrorist attacks from bombs and epidemics, and clear acts of murder. Of course, some of these elements have appeared in Spider-Man games before, but the fact that these are the best and most realistic graphics than any of the previous ones gives it that extra oomph.
On to the gameplay. The most fun part one can have is the web-swinging. It's probably the most realistic the mechanic has ever been, and you can just swing on and on and not get bored, especially with all the momentum you build up as you go. It's quite comparable to the Amazing Spider-Man films, which I still think had the best web-swinging of all the live action films.
The combat, to me at least, was quite a bit of a learning curve. Honestly, the hardest part was remembering the X button is placed different than an Xbox controller. But even then, it took me quite awhile and dying over and over to realize that I couldn't just dive in headfirst. Batman may be a skilled combatant, but despite operating for years, Spider-Man isn't. He's a thinking man, and that's how you need to operate when it comes to the fight. I'll just say that dodging is your best friend (especially when you fight Taskmaster), and throwing objects will help as well; both will help build your focus bar you can use to heal or perform finishers.
There are times in the game that allow you to play as Mary Jane Watson and Miles Morales, allowing players to think on their feet (since they're basically stealth missions) and see these characters can do just as much good as Spider-Man and not just need to be saved.
While this isn't the first open world Spider-Man game, this is the first one that really feels like a living, vibrant New York City. There's a real sense of community and the idea that Spidey's a true New Yorker. Along with hearing citizens praise or heckle you, Spidey can even walk down the street and interact with people, who you can give high fives to and take selfies with.
As a staple of most Spider-Man games, there's a variety of different costumes one can wear, and it's probably the most than any game before. In addition to adapting the movie suits, I give props to the game designers for taking fan-favorite comic suits and reworking them just enough to help them fit the aesthetic of the game's universe. The detail in them shows with reflection showing in the eye pieces, and suits with glowing aspects (like the Stealth suit) will shine on other objects. My favorites to use were the MK IV Spider-Armor and the Resilient suit; both were very pleasing to the eye when using them during story missions. The game even added on the original movie trilogy suit, and while I didn't care if it was included or not, using it did bring back some memories of the old movie game days. In addition, almost every suit came with its own special ability, which can be usable for all the other suits. My favorites were the Iron Spider legs, getting assisted by "Droney" from "Homecoming", and a special move that allows you to blanket the area in webbing, trapping any thug in the vicinity.
There is one thing that does bug me about the game. You know how J. Jonah Jameson always goes on about Spider-Man being a menace? Well, he may have some merit to that claim in this universe. In a number of instances, whether by his fault or not, Spider-Man causes A LOT of collateral damage via planes, trains, and automobiles (though technically it's a helicopter and not a plane, but you get the idea). Hell, Spidey can't even rip the door or trunk off a car to free a trapped civilian without throwing said parts into a crowd on the street, who are thankfully quick enough to move out of the way.
Part of the reason this review is way past the high point everyone would be talking about this game is because I wanted to play all "The City That Never Sleeps" DLC missions (then there were the holidays, and I had to watch and review "Runaways" and "Titans"). What I really liked about this DLC is that it wasn't just additional missions for a quick buck. They actually included new types of foot soldiers to up the difficulty during combat, and story wise, it furthers certain characters that will most likely play major roles in future sequels. It's just a shame that the new suits included didn't have their own special abilities; it would have been cool to have Spider-Stingers for the Kaine/Scarlet Spider II suit. Lastly, the DLC came with challenges involving the villain Screwball, and my word is she the most annoying villain ever. If we do get a "Superior" storyline in a sequel, I wouldn't mind reliving a certain moment from issue 6 of that series.
Overall, the new Spider-Man game was well worth buying a PlayStation 4 for, giving both Spidey fans and gamers an extravagant experience on par of the various film series. I greatly look forward to the sequel and the villains set up in the post-credits scene and DLC.
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