Spider-Man (PS4)

[Shorty]

After a 45 minute installation I got to play half an hour or so. First impressions are... mixed, but we'll see!

[S.C.G]

I installed this late last night, it took nearly an hour to install the 44GB disc (offline) and there is a day one 4.1GB update just to let you know.

Oh yeah, and I got the game yesterday in the post but didn't get a chance to play it, glad I at least installed it yesterday.

[drahkon]

Since there's not a lot to do at work I've decided to look at some screenshots people took with photo mode.

I know how my first few hours with the game will be spent  

[Ganepark32]

Just picked up my pre-order (along with some Spiderman postcards which'll probably end up in a drawer or the recycling) and it's fair to say that this is going to sell gangbusters going by the queue I was in in my local Game store. About 15 people ahead of me and more coming in at the back of me and from what they were saying in store, it's been like that since 9. It's nuts really. Can't remember a time when a game has had people more or less queuing out the door like this has.

Anyway, away to start the arduous task of installing and updating, thankfully I've got things I can get in with but that's my afternoon/evening/weekend sorted. I only hope that I end up enjoying it as I'm a bit trepidatious about playing it.

We'll see. Haven't played a Spiderman game since the PlayStation 1 days and even then, I can't remember which it was so I've no real affinity to the character beyond liking the Sam Raimi films, so I'm cautiously looking forward to trying it.

[drahkon]

Soooo...that first mission was fucking amazing.

[Hero-of-Time]

I put a couple of hours into the game this evening and it's pretty fun. I only moved the story forward enough so it allowed me to start grabbing collectibles. I managed to get all the backpacks and unlocked all the towers. That leaves me in good standing to progress the story tomorrow.

@Shorty did you get a steel case with yours? If not and you're after one you can have mine. I don't like having them on my shelf so if you want it then just PM me your address and I'll get it sent to you.

[Magnus]

Five minutes into this game, and I've already heard both Yosuke and Mitsuru. It's like a Persona reunion!

[Esequiel]

I like the game, but it will be a once and done for sure. A few hours in and a lot of the crime things are repeating, along with the base tokens etc

 

of course there is still loads I need to do but I think it’s a weekender and then it will be finished.

 

amazing feeing flying through the air though, they got it spot on.

[S.C.G]

I managed to get around two hours of this played last night.

I'm quite enjoying it so far, that initial mission really helps you to get into the swing of things.

I decided to just start the game on the hardest dificulty, even though there don't seem to be any trophies linked to it, I just wanted a challenge.

After you figure out the combat, it's really not that bad, I maybe failed a handful of times during the mission but it was never too frustrating.

Whether or not this will still be the case later on in the game... I don't know but I have no regrets.

All of the world-building and the feeling of flying through the air really gives the game a satisfying weight.

But it does feel like a single playthrough game, plus the dlc which will definitely help to add longevity, now that I've played the game I'm more at ease with the idea...

...even though it could have been communicated in a better way.

It's more content to what seems at first glance to be a very enjoyable Spider-Man game at least.

I'm almost certain that it won't make me want to suddenly watch all the Spider-Man films I've missed or any recent super hero films but the game is very polished and enjoyable.

That's all I really wanted from it.

[Shorty]

19 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

 

@Shorty did you get a steel case with yours? If not and you're after one you can have mine. I don't like having them on my shelf so if you want it then just PM me your address and I'll get it sent to you.

Hey, that would be awesome, thanks! Pinging you my address.

[Ashley]

Just discovered this and I'm going to be disappointed if this game doesn't contain this exact scene

!!\o/!!  !!\o/!!

[Sméagol]

9 minutes ago, Ashley said:

Just discovered this and I'm going to be disappointed if this game doesn't contain this exact scene

It will be in the giant reptiles dlc.

[Hero-of-Time]

Credits have just rolled. Brilliant stuff. The story and cinematics of the game are fantastic and it could quite easily be seen as another Spider-Man movie. 

The traversal around the city is another highlight of the game. Being able to swing around from point A to B is such a fun experience. Picking up momentum and then releasing the web at the highest point to then dive and then shoot another web is sooooo much fun.

I also enjoyed the size of the map you get to play around in. I really dislike how larger a lot of open world games are and this one is just the right size for me. It's size, as well as other things, reminded of playing the Infamous games, a series that I really love.

The polish that has gone into the game wasn't really that surprising. Sony's AAA exclusives have long been of a high quality, as have Insomniac's games. This game continues that trend.

The only thing that needs improving upon is the busy work the game has you do. Clearing out enemy bases, taking on things and chasing down cars does get a bit samey and tiresome by the end. More variety is needed in this aspect of the game and it's something that will no doubt be addressed in the inevitable sequel.

Time for a quick break and then the platinum hunt begins. I've done a lot of the side stuff as I was playing so there isn't that much left to crack on with.

Spider-Man, God of War and Detroit....Sony have had an amazing year with just these 3 games alone and all 3 have been my favourite gaming experiences of 2018.

 

[Hero-of-Time]

Early UK sales are in.

Quote

PS4 exclusive Spider-Man is the fastest-selling game of 2018 so far.

It narrowly beat previous record-holder Far Cry 5 (which was available on more platforms), and sold almost double that of the previous biggest exclusive of the year - God of War on PS4.

Not only that, but it's the fastest-selling Marvel-branded game in history, beating previous title LEGO Marvel Super Heroes by a big margin.

It's also the fastest selling individual format game since the PS4 version of Call of Duty: WWII in November last year. Spider-Man is the latest in a long-line of hit PS4 exclusive single-player games.

Amazing, Sensational and Spectacular result.  

[Ashley]

I think it's safe to say this is the start of Insomniac doing a series of Marvel games. 

[Ronnie]

Put a few hours into this tonight, enjoying it but I didn't realise it would be just like most other openworld games out there, towers, checkboxes of things to do, map markers telling you exactly where to go and what to do. It's all pretty cookie cutter in structure so far. Maybe the story missions will add a bit of variety.

The crimes in the openworld are fun but I can imagine they're going to get very repetitive a couple of hours in.

Still, I'm really enjoying it but it's certainly not blowing me away or anything like that. Hopefully gets better. Traversal is really fun.

I can't agree about the polish, it's not bad but the AI seems pretty poor and I've had tons of NPCs clipping through other NPCs (including the first boss you fight).

[Hero-of-Time]

7 hours ago, Ashley said:

I think it's safe to say this is the start of Insomniac doing a series of Marvel games. 

No doubt. They got a stupidly strong base with this game, so building on what they've already done seems a good course of action.

It makes me think just how Crystal Dynamics are getting on with their Avengers game. I can't see it touching this in terms of quality.

[Hero-of-Time]

Platinum achieved.

Taking down the 4 different factions 5 times each across the 9 different sectors was an absolute grind. I was also 3 challenge tokens short to buy all the outfits so I had to redo some of the challenges to get a better ranking.

I can now get back to Dragon Quest XI!  

[drahkon]

I wish I had more time these days. Really want to play this moooooore  

Movement and combat is amazing.

[Ronnie]

This game's openworld reminds me a lot of Infamous... kind of shallow and boring but with a lot of manageable, if utterly mindless collectables. Seriously, I've gotten two thirds of the backpacks and am starting to wonder why I even bother. There's just no challenge, it's just "go to green map marker, press triangle". Likewise the "towers", no challenge to getting to them, just press triangle, spend about 3 seconds spinning the analog sticks and you're done. At least a game like Watch Dogs has you actually earning the tower unlocks or collectibles.

Having said that I 100%'d Infamous and I'll probably 100% this, just because it seems pretty manageable, unlike something like Assassin's Creed that just gives you way too much to do.

The side missions are really great though, at least the two I've done so far, and obviously the main story missions are fantastic, but the openworld... meh.

 

Edited September 12, 2018 by Ronnie

[Aneres11]

I am absolutely loving my time with this so far. 

I've hardly even progressed the story yet as every time I do it seems to open up other little bits of the map and just swinging through the city to get to them is too much fun.

It's also really helping me upgrade stuff as well. I'm almost fully upgraded on my webslinger now so it's proving too be a massive help in combat fights along with swinging through the skies. Earning XP whilst performing tricks in the air is pretty damn sweet. 

I'm trying to do as much in the way of side missions as possible before I progress the story as I'm not bored of doing it yet. Harry's research pods are a bit of a drag but once I've done them I'll move on to the main game. 

So far though it's just brilliant fun. 

Edited September 12, 2018 by Aneres11

[Jimbob]

Absolutly loving this game.  Must have done only 4 story missions, but have easily put in about 4-5 hours exploring the city.  Cleared the towers and backpacks, and a few other collectables.  I find if the game is going to be littered with them to make sure i do them when i see them appear.  Just by doing this, i'm powering up my skills and gadgets, which in turn makes the combat a bit easier and manageable when you're fighting a few numbers.

[Shorty]

I'm really enjoying playing this but at times I find myself questioning why I'm enjoying it. Apart from the webswinging, the visuals and the photo mode, the whole model is crazily dated. Clunky AI pedestrians and NPCs performing cardboard looking cutscenes and reactions in the street that look like they fell out of a Tony Hawk game in 2005... swinging through smog clouds, chasing pigeons, smashing barrels, feels really arcadey. There's a real disparity between the game trying to sound realistic with its science and tech, and the silly minigames you play. Not to mention the tone shift between the downtime fun and the frequently dark turns of the story.

And yet I think that is, whether intentionally or not, part of the joy of it. It's just very simple and mindless. It's a tried and tested formula that's missing a little polish, but that helps keep it flowing so fast. The web swinging is so much fun, you can pick up so much speed and change direction instantaneously. It's forgiving in a way that makes you look like a pro in no time, but also takes skill to perfect.

All the things to do on the map are a bit of a grind but there's a wide variety and I never feel like the next one will be a chore. I've also really enjoyed the challenge of starting on hard, made every level-up feel really worthwhile and useful.

Combat is decent, if a bit samey. At first there's not much to do but hold-square, square square square, triangle, repeat x10. Unlocking gadgets basically turns the game into easy mode, as you get so many that recharge so fast you can just alternate between gadgets, a couple of manouvres and then just dole out near-unlimited auto-finishers. But again, the simplicity of it covered with some neat camera movements and slow-mo makes it fun enough to cover up any issues.

For the last two nights I've played pretty much non-stop after work which is unheard of these days, so they've definitely done something right.

Very much looking forward to this universe expanding a bit to include more favourite characters!

[Ashley]

3 hours ago, Shorty said:

I'm really enjoying playing this but at times I find myself questioning why I'm enjoying it. Apart from the webswinging, the visuals and the photo mode, the whole model is crazily dated. Clunky AI pedestrians and NPCs performing cardboard looking cutscenes and reactions in the street that look like they fell out of a Tony Hawk game in 2005... swinging through smog clouds, chasing pigeons, smashing barrels, feels really arcadey. There's a real disparity between the game trying to sound realistic with its science and tech, and the silly minigames you play. Not to mention the tone shift between the downtime fun and the frequently dark turns of the story.

And yet I think that is, whether intentionally or not, part of the joy of it. It's just very simple and mindless. It's a tried and tested formula that's missing a little polish, but that helps keep it flowing so fast. The web swinging is so much fun, you can pick up so much speed and change direction instantaneously. It's forgiving in a way that makes you look like a pro in no time, but also takes skill to perfect.

All the things to do on the map are a bit of a grind but there's a wide variety and I never feel like the next one will be a chore. I've also really enjoyed the challenge of starting on hard, made every level-up feel really worthwhile and useful.

Combat is decent, if a bit samey. At first there's not much to do but hold-square, square square square, triangle, repeat x10. Unlocking gadgets basically turns the game into easy mode, as you get so many that recharge so fast you can just alternate between gadgets, a couple of manouvres and then just dole out near-unlimited auto-finishers. But again, the simplicity of it covered with some neat camera movements and slow-mo makes it fun enough to cover up any issues.

For the last two nights I've played pretty much non-stop after work which is unheard of these days, so they've definitely done something right.

Very much looking forward to this universe expanding a bit to include more favourite characters!

I did see someone on Twitter say that this game made them realise that traversal can be a big part of what makes or breaks a game.  If the swinging mechanic wasn't there, this would be a much more mediocre game but I think this game is a successful license game rather than a great game.  What I mean by that isn't "it's good for a license game", but rather it captures the tone of Spider-Man well.  The dialogue and story is in-keeping with the world and let's face it, most of us wanted a game with fantastic webslinging so it becomes easier to overlook some of the more run-of-the-mill elements.  

Out of interest, as you've lived in New York for a while have you enjoyed checking out a city you know? While playing it I can't help but want a game like this set in modern London just because of the familiarity. I've seen some New Yorkers say they've enjoyed seeing a decent representation of New York (at least geographically) in a game.

[bob]

I did see someone on Twitter say that this game made them realise that traversal can be a big part of what makes or breaks a game.  If the swinging mechanic wasn't there, this would be a much more mediocre game but I think this game is a successful license game rather than a great game.  What I mean by that isn't "it's good for a license game", but rather it captures the tone of Spider-Man well.  The dialogue and story is in-keeping with the world and let's face it, most of us wanted a game with fantastic webslinging so it becomes easier to overlook some of the more run-of-the-mill elements.  
Out of interest, as you've lived in New York for a while have you enjoyed checking out a city you know? While playing it I can't help but want a game like this set in modern London just because of the familiarity. I've seen some New Yorkers say they've enjoyed seeing a decent representation of New York (at least geographically) in a game.

An interestingly traversal system is something that can elevate a game, I think. It's one of the reasons why I live the Just Cause series. The gameplay itself could just be another open world sandbox game with explosions, but the way they make it so much fun to traverse across the map with grapple + parachute + wingsuit makes it a joy. Playing a different game after JC3 always feels like a chore to get around when you have to walk on the ground like a chump.

Spider-Man is the same presumably. It could so easily become a chore to "go here, fight this, come back" but they way that you get there makes it interesting for much longer.