Spider-Fans rejoice, for Spider-Man has a video game that can rival the Batman: Arkham games. The game has been out for over a month, and players have gotten the opportunity to get familiar with it. Now that the hype is out of the way, was it worth the money and time?
This Game Is a Must Have for Marvel Fans
Even after players have had time to finish the game, it is clear that Marvel's Spider-Man has earned its hype. The sheer number of sales it generated in two months helps prove that it is successful. For those who have been on the fence until now, this game continues to come out with new content to keep you busy. It may have its hiccups here and there, but the game is so fun, you can forgive it! If you have not gotten this game yet, you are missing one of the best games of the year!
The Sales Numbers
Let us look at the sales numbers for Spider-Man PS4. In September, Forbes reported that Spider-Man sold 3.3. copies in its first three days alone. That made it the fastest-selling PlayStation exclusive in Sony's history. The previous record holder had been another mega-hit for 2018, God of War, at 3.1 million copies.
To put that into perspective, the movie Spider-Man: Homecoming grossed $117 million opening weekend. In comparison, Marvel's Spider-Man earned at least $198 million in the same amount of time. Keep in mind, though, that a game is more expensive than a movie ticket. USA Today says that Sony included its sale of the Spider-Man PS4 Pro bundle in those numbers, which costs around $400. Nonetheless, that is still a lot of money.
Additionally, NPD Group reported that it was the highest selling game in September. That tops games the other nine games on their list, including ones that released on many platforms. Yet, since some of those games came out near the end of NPD's sales period, it makes it hard to compare them to Spider-Man. Regardless of how you look at the numbers, though, Spider-Man was a huge success for Sony and Insomniac.
Insomniac Made the Collectables Relevant to Gameplay
Many open-world games have one game mechanic in common: collectables. You need them to get 100% completion in a game, but you hate how pointless they are to gameplay. Luckily, Spider-Man manages to avoid this problem by making sure collectibles are relevant to the game.
Australian news website Finder noted that the level of collectibles in Spider-Man was not as deep as other games. They even called it bland in comparison to other titles. Finder was able to sit down with James Stevenson, the community director at Insomniac Games, and talk with him about their approach to collectibles. This is what Stevenson had to say about it:
Everything that was in our game had to be there for a story reason. We always wanted to have a story attached to every little thing, even it is on the side of your main path or a collectable. ... Everything we put in the city and the game we tried to have story with it, because in the Marvel universe everything is story-driven and we really wanted to tie into that.
Everything in the game is going to build the history and lore of this version of Spider-Man.
How was that not stolen?
First, we have the backpacks. In his high-school days, Peter stored his backpacks around the city whenever he fought crime, and then forgot about them. Stevenson says that each of them comes with a little memento that Peter will talk about. It helps paint a vivid picture of Spider-Man's past, more so than what is possible from character dialogue.
Next are the Landmarks: in a nod to his past as a photographer for the Daily Bugle, Spider-Man's suit has a camera. Players can web swing around Manhattan and take photographs of famous New York Landmarks. While they are not always accurate, Insomniac does a good job of recreating Manhattan. They even throw in buildings from the Marvel universe, from Avengers Tower to the Wakandan Embassy; that is dedication!
These are a few of the collectables in the game, and Insomniac makes sure every one of them ties back to the main story. From bases Spider-Man can take out, to Harry Osborn's research stations, they all tie to the main story. The game takes the collectibles importance further with the tokens system. Tokens earned by find collectibles and other side quests are to upgrade gear and create new costumes. In all, it is worth searching New York, and the game makes sure it is fun while doing so!
It Just Got a New Game+ Mode
When Marvel's Spider-Man first came out, it did not come with any New Game + mode with it. Fortunately, a few days later, Insomniac confirmed on Twitter that it was in the works. Two weeks ago, fans finally got their wish and then some. In a post on their Reddit community, Insomniac released the notes to the game's latest patch. Between the two biggest announcements, Spider-Man would be getting a New Game+ mode, as well as a new "Ultimate" difficulty.
A New Game+ mode will bring players who have completed the game back for another round. In exchange for starting the story from the beginning, players will get to keep all the skills, suits, and upgrades they have gotten so far. Meanwhile, the Ultimate Difficulty will push gamers to their limits as Spider-Man. As an extra bonus, players will receive trophies for beating the game on Ultimate and New Game+. That is essentially the cherry on top to an already tempting challenge.
Things the Game Could Have Done Better
Marvel's Spider-Man may be one of the best superhero games ever, but nothing is without its faults. In addition, as Peter Parker sometimes messes up in the game, Spider-Man sometimes messes up on some concepts. While the complaints may seem minor, it is only fair that they are addressed.
Yep. Still annoying
Colm Ahern, a critic for videogamer.com, noted that open world games are moving past some of the distracting tasks of past games. Spider-Man is not one of those games though. It still has towers in it. Remember how annoying those are? Several critics complained about that.
While the game makes it clear why it has all its distractions, critics still called them tedious. Leon Hurley Gamesradar.com said in his review that some of the activities feel "lifted straight out of the Open World Side Mission Handbook." At least we do not have to find a kid's balloon again, though.
There is also an elephant in the room: people cannot help but compare Spider-Man to the Batman: Arkham series. Forbes noted in its review that Spider-Man's rooftop climbing and gadgets felt like Batman's. In 2017, Mike confirmed in an interview with Gamespot that they took pointers from the Arkham series. While that is not a bad thing, it is important that the game surpass what influenced it.
The game still has new content coming out, and that is a good thing. Spider-Man is a fun, addictive experience for those who have played it. If you are a fan of Spider-Man, Marvel, or superheroes in general, then this is going to be one of the best games you have played in years.
You May Also Be Interested In:
- The Top 10 Best Spider-Man Games for PC
- Marvel's Spider-Man PS4 Walkthrough
- Spiderman PS4 Villains Ranked From Worst to Best
