Spider-Man (2018) Review

In a couple of months we are getting Spider-Man 2 on the Playstation 5 and I am so hyped for this game. In prep for it, I decided to go back and replay the original Spider-Man game made my Insomniac in 2018. This review doesn't include the City Never Sleeps DLC Expansion as I will review that Separately. The premise of the game sees after 8 years as Spider-Man, Peter Parkers life is changed forever when he has to take on old and new enemies in order to attempt to save New York. 

Characters

Yuri Lowenthal plays Spider-Man/Peter Parker and this might be my favourite rendition of the character ever. He is an experienced Spider-Man and you see the things that he has gone through during this time. His work/life balance is clearly still a problem and that is a cool part of this character. He is really funny with quips that feel really organic and natural for the character. But there are also some really emotional and dramatic scenes that he knocks it out of the park and I truly love this version of the character. 

Tara Platt voices Yuri Wantanabe and she is the main police contact with Spider-Man and she is one of the characters that Spider-Man interacts with the most. Their chemistry is fantastic and considering how much time the two of them spend talking to each other, I thought that was really important. 

William Salyers voices Otto Octavious and this is easily the best version of this character (sorry Alfred Molina) The actor is incredible and provides so much interest and character development for Otto. The dynamic between him and Peter is the highlight of the game and adds so much to the quality of this game. 

Stephen Oyoung plays Martin Li and he is also incredible. He isn't the most popular comic book character but we learn so much about him that it actually makes you feel so much sympathy for him, despite his troubled nature. Hopefully, one day we can see a live action version of this character so it has an even greater exposure. 

There are so many quality characters here that If I spoke about them all in depth then I would be here all day. Aunt May, Norman Osbourne, Mary Jane & Miles Morales pay major roles in this game and are all fantastic, there isn't a bad character or performance here and they all deserve massive credit for this. 

Story

This is also one of the greatest Spider-Man stories of all time. We skip the origin story and pick up 8 years into his time as Spider-Man, clearly a lot has happened in his life so far but there is plenty more to come. We are introduced to new characters and iconic classic characters and it works extremely well, there acting is superb and the chemistry between all of the performers are off the charts and every character was amazing. 

Side Content

This game is absolutely rammed with side content. You have your crimes around the city that are nice and simple. Then you have the more interesting side missions such as the battles with Taskmaster and the search for Black Cat. Completing, these missions allows the player to unlock more abilities, upgrade gear and unlock new costumes. They all feel different enough that they never really get boring and they are a nice addition here. 

Gameplay 

Spider-Man has had plenty of games over the years, too mixed success but the gameplay here is amazing. First of all, the swinging mechanics, they are very simple but it allows you to traverse New York really well and it allows for a greater flow in the gameplay and even in action. When it comes to the fighting mechanics it clearly takes inspiration from the Batman Arkham games but it adapts it enough for it to stand out on its own and flow even better then that trilogy did. The game has some stealth missions where you play as MJ & Miles and when I first played them I hated them, but this time I thought they were okay, they broke up the game well and gave some other characters the time to shine. 

Graphics

The game came out for the PS4 and looked fantastic, seeing New York in all of its glory is a real pleasure and makes travelling a nice experience. The characters all look fantastic and the cutscenes flows incredibly well. The game was re-mastered for the PS5 with the major difference being the change of face for Peter Parker to make him look like Yuri Lowenthal and at first I did not like this change. But this playthrough, I realised that it didn't upset me anywhere as much, I still prefer the old Peter Parker but this one is just fine. 

Overall

Overall, Insomniacs Spider-Man is one of the best video games I have ever played. I am a huge Spider-Man fan so this was already on a good start for me but it plays so well and uses its characters and stories in a brilliant way. If you are a fan of video games, you have to play this one even if you know little about the character. 

Rating - 10/10