Marvel’s Spider-Man
Phenomenal superhero story brings iconic wall-crawler closer than ever before By David Chapman Common Sense Media Parents need to know that “Marvel’s Spider-Man” is a superhero themed action/adventure game available exclusively on the PlayStation 4. Players take on the role of the popular Marvel superhero, swinging through the streets of New York in his crime-fighting quest to keep the people safe from both generic crooks and fantastically powered supervillains. There’s a lot of comic book style action, with players using a variety of abilities to incapacitate enemies that attack using everything from fists and guns to flashy superpowers of their own. There’s some blood shown on occasion, as well as some background scenes of more intense violence, but nothing overly explicit. The game does contain some occasional profanity in the dialogue, including “s--t,” “ass,” and “damn,” and there’s a substantial story arc dealing with the rise of a new, illicit narcotic hitting the streets.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
It’s time to slip into some spandex, strap on your webshooters, and swing through the skies, as “Marvel’s Spider-Man” gives players a chance to spin their webs, any size, and catch some thieves just like flies. This is still a Peter Parker that’s fighting to find balance in his life as often as he’s fighting criminals, and to never forget that “with great power comes great responsibility.” Make no mistake about it, though — this is a new take on the iconic wall-crawler, with more than a few new twists classic comic lore. When Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. the “Kingpin,” is finally brought to justice, his incarceration leaves a power vacuum in the criminal underworld that’s just waiting to be filled. Before long, Spider-Man finds himself in the fight of his life against a cadre of supervillains all trying to carve out a piece of the city for themselves. With a newly minted Sinister Six in front of him, a few close friends and loved ones behind him, and a city that needs him, it’ll take everything Peter’s got just to survive. But this might be one time when the power might not be enough to shoulder the responsibility.
IS IT ANY GOOD?
This new take on the wildly popular superhero is one of the most engaging version of the webslinger to date, and everyone from comic fans to action players will want to spin this web. “Marvel’s Spider-Man” takes virtually everything from the comics that makes Peter Parker appealing and produces it in vivid detail. See, ever since his debut in Amazing Fantasy No. 15 way back in 1962, Spider-Man made his mark by being one of the most relatable superheroes in existence. He might have these spectacular powers, but each of us could picture going through Peter Parker’s daily struggles. Now, decades later, “Marvel’s Spider-Man” puts players as close as they’ll ever come to being everyone’s friendly neighborhood wall-crawler without actually being bitten by a radioactive spider. The game has a massive open world recreation of Marvel’s New York City as its playground, and there are all kinds of side activities to keep Spidey busy too, from busting up robberies to stopping high speed car chases. There’s a learning curve when it comes to the game’s combat, mainly due to the fact that Spider-Man has a wealth of different moves at his disposal and some are more effective than others against certain enemies. Overall, “Marvel’s Spider-Man” is easily one of the best superheroes stories in gaming and is a powerful story that stays true to the characters and deserves a top spot as part of the tales from the Spider-Verse.
GAME DETAILS
Platforms: PlayStation 4 | Price: $59.99
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment Release date: 9/7/18 | Genre: Action/Adventure ESRB rating: T for blood, drug reference, language, violence. Recommended for ages 14 and older