STACK #167 Sept 2018

GAMES FEATURE

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We spent just shy of three hours with Insomniac’s Spider-Man , and can’t wait for the full game. Words Alesha Kolbe Webbing Slinger

P layStation recently invited us to an through the first two and a half hours or so of the game, and experience the earliest parts of the story. If you’re just here for good news, then you’re in luck. From the two hours and 40 minutes or so that we played on a PS4 Pro, Spider- Man is on course to be an exceptional game. Insomniac’s DNA fuses brilliantly with Marvel’s friendly neighbourhood do-gooder – this is certainly not a production line licensed superhero game; the quality is apparent from the off. Insomniac’s  Spider-Man eschews the narrative from the comics and films for an original story. Peter Parker is a 23-year-old university graduate and is spending his time working in a science lab. It’s been six months since he split up with Mary Jane Watson. He’s been Spider-Man for eight years when you boot up the game, so thankfully there’s no arduous repeat of the origin story we already know. He's had the powers for a long time, and is proficient in the use of them. The new game is set in New York – but it is, after all, Marvel’s New York, so expect to see Avengers Tower on the skyline and be able to swing by the Wakandan Embassy and the New York Sanctum. The story follows two ‘themes’ – mentorship and partnership – and it’s through both Peter/Spider-Man and the people he interacts with that these are explored. Although it is an original story from Insomniac, you can expect some familiarity with the comics, but also some significant differences. MJ isn’t an actress but an extensive hands-on with Marvel’s  Spider- Man on PS4. We were able to play

but there’s a lot more to it than that. You have a gadget equipped to R1 (which can be changed on a wheel – hello, Ratchet & Clank ) that, during our few hours, let you throw variations of webs at the enemy, tying them up or pinning them to surfaces. You can also pull people towards you with webs and interact with objects in the environment – and other enemies – to damage your opponents. Grenades can be thrown back in the same

investigative reporter at the Daily Bugle – and you’ll even get to play as her. She has separate mechanics from Peter (obviously) and you’ll usually be using her to sneak around and dig up clues on the city’s criminal underbelly. If you’ve been following the progress of Spider-Man , you’ll have seen comparisons made – ours included – to the combat of the Batman Arkham series. While the systems are similar (there’s a lot of dodging and countering

involved), Spidey is far more agile than the scowling Bruce Wayne, and as such isn’t able to take as many hits as perhaps Batman can. Combat in  Spider-Man is more reliant on singling out enemies and taking them on one at a time, than it is sitting in amongst them all and taking damage. As

way. As you fight, you’ll build up a focus meter, which can then be turned into health by pressing the D-pad, or used as a finishing move on an enemy. There are also stealthier options, should you wish. You can aim and shoot your web to distract enemies, and when close enough, you can web ‘em up like a spider would its food. We’d like to wager that there are more creative ways to do this as you unlock more skills and gadgets down the track. Unlocking new stuff in  Spider-Man is a relative breeze; however, there is a lot to unlock. First up are the suits, and going by the

Spider-Man is intrinsically a masterful, acrobatic improviser, it’s often easier to pick the enemy off one by one – hanging them from beams in the roof – than it is to take on a large group. Combat, as we mentioned, is mostly throwing punches, dodging and countering,

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SEPTEMBER 2018

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