In the last decade, Marvel’s increase on many screens through movies and TV has become much more prevalent with the introduction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Superhero media has become a phenomenon, something that most people now enjoy, instead of just being something that a niche audience can immerse themselves in. In April 2017, “Spider-Man” for the PS4 was announced and was scheduled to be released later that year. However, at Sony’s E3 2017 conference, the game was postponed until 2018. On Sept. 7, the game was finally released on Playstation 4 consoles.
Spider-Man is a beloved character that fans of all ages can relate to. Being a young teen in some comics, and in most iterations on the big screen, allows for younger fans to relate to Peter Parker as a student and for older fans to reminisce on their youth. With the release of “Spider-Man: Homecoming” last year, a new wave of young fans emerged and the long-time Spider-Man craze continued. The release of the movie, along with the gameplay footage that was shown at E3, led to the massive hype surrounding the game prior to the release.
The plot of “Spider-Man” for PS4 revolves around an older Peter Parker, who has just graduated college, and Mary Jane Watson as they fight to take down multiple villains, starting with Wilson Fisk, then Doctor Octopus, and then finally taking down the Sinister Six. Peter also encounters Miles Morales, Harry Osborn, and other famous characters in Spider-Verse lore.
The gameplay style allows for players to freely explore the city of New York in a third person perspective as they slowly complete the main questline. Players can unlock new suits that each have their own special powers, and can continue to learn new combat moves as they play and battle enemies. Miles and Mary Jane are also playable characters at certain points, although most of the game is played as Peter. As players swing through the city as Spider-Man they can find backpacks, which contain certain items, fight different thugs in different parts of the city, take pictures of landmarks around New York City, and hack into surveillance towers, which give the players a clear map of the section they are exploring.
“Spider-Man,” for PS4 gives fans the long awaited game that they had hoped for. Giving fans beloved characters, new storylines, great graphics and fun gameplay, the game leaves little to be desired by both comic fans and gamers. The mechanics of web slinging are a bit tricky at first, but once players get the hang of it, it becomes easy and allows for players to really immerse themselves into the character of Spider-Man as they make their way through the streets of New York. It is obvious that a lot of care went into this game, and the creators clearly knew what fans were looking for in terms of story. The reaction has been extremely positive, and will most likely continue to be so as new DLC is released in the coming months.
The first DLC for the game, “The Heist,” is slated to be released on Oct. 23.
8/10
Grace Barnett // Staff Writer
