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Promotion
- So many moments in the 2017 Demo, but highlights are:
- The stealth gameplay is almost like the Batman: Arkham Series, but in Spider-Man style.
- The combat is fluid, fast, and fun, with Spidey having the ability to dodge gunfire in slow motion.
- Webslinging is definitely one of the best parts of gameplay, with Spidey automatically zipping around corners and dodging obstacles.
- Spider-Man makes sure not to kill any of the mooks he's whaling on during the entirety of the E3 2017 gameplay showcase. Even when he punches one gunman off a building, he still makes sure to catch him with a web before bringing him back onto the roof while still being shot at. Just goes to show how much attention to detail Insomniac Games have devoted to this game in order to preserve Spidey's character and image.
- While trying to capture Mr. Negative, a crane is destroyed, forcing Spider-Man to web it up to keep it from crushing civilians, which he does in record time and manages to catch up with Mr. Negative like nothing happened, showing this version of Peter Parker really is at the height of his abilities.
- The end of the demo, featuring none other than Miles Morales.
- The fact that Spider-Man manages to capture Mr. Negative and keep bystanders safe from the destroyed helicopter debris. And the pose that launched a thousand wallpapers when he lands on the webbed-up wreckage of the copter suspended above the street. Priceless.
- The game looks pretty damn good. The game actually runs on the same engine as Ratchet & Clank (2016), which is considered to be one of the prettiest games on the console.
- For those who like them, previewers have noticed over 20 costume silhouettes in the game, including a more classic look for Spidey.note It's also been confirmed that they all have a special ability and that you can actually swap them between costumes if you happen to like a certain design but not its power, avoiding both Cosmetic Award and Complacent Gaming Syndrome.
- The classic Hoodie Scarlet Spider suit finally appears in a free roam Spider-Man game. Whether or not it'll actually have clothing physics is yet to be seen, but after several years of being overshadowed by the newer Scarlet suit, its return is welcome.
- The E3 2018 Gameplay footage is just full of this, as we are not only able to see more awesome Spidey gameplay but also more of his rogues' gallery, which includes Electro, Rhino, Scorpion, and Vulture.
- When they, alongside Mr. Negative, corner him, Spider-Man gives them one hell of a fight as he takes them all on by himself and even seems to be winning until their combined numbers simply overpower him. Still, a great reminder that this version of Spider-Man has been fighting these guys since he was 15 and knows how to handle them.
- The trailer ends on a cliffhanger with a new, mysterious figure facing Spider-Man. That's right. We're going to fight a new version of the Sinister Six in this game.
- It's not just that we're fighting a new version. This is the first time in years a game actually is going to try and DO the Sinister Six! note
- Alongside the above, Shocker was also confirmed and we even see his boss fight. He has a serious case of Adaptational Badass going on, as not only does Spidey consider him a serious threat, their battle goes on for several minutes and is only ended after Spidey drops a roof-sized chandelier on him... only for Herman to try pulling his legs from the wreckage, clearly planning on continuing the fight, before falling into unconsciousness.
- 4 words: Yuri Lowenthal as Spider-Man.
- The fact that the game starts off with Spidey taking down the Kingpin of crime himself.
- The Be Greater Extended Trailer
fully encompasses everything great about Spider-Man: He gets knocked down... and gets right. Back. Up!
Main game
- The intro sequence, an energetic introduction to everything Peter Parker and everything Spider-Man. Not only is it impressive just how much information is packed in, but as Peter jumps out the window and hits the city, what's first thing you do in the game?
- Swing
- The second thing on the list? Taking down Wilson Fisk, AKA the Kingpin of crime himself.
- Not even that. Pete wakes up, fights off gun-toting gangsters, webs up Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk himself, and flings himself back into the lab for work, all in the span of a few hours. Typical Spider-Man morning.
- One moment that particularly stands out is Spider-Man saving two civilians trapped under some rubble. It might be a simple QTE event, where you mash a button as fast as possible, but the presentation's so good - with the heroic music swelling, and Spidey visibly struggling yet still pushing himself to his limits - that you can't help but think that this is what being Spider-Man is all about.
- How good is Fisk at keeping the city in check - albeit shady check? With him in prison, the entire city falls to pieces!
- The boss battle between them is definitely a Spider-Man battle with Spidey using the environment along with his powers to keep the edge of up on Fisk who spends a good part of the battle tossing the webslinger through solid walls.
- Jefferson Davis proves that Spider-Man is not the only reason why Manhattan isn't overrun by criminals and mobsters, and there are cops like him who can save the day without superpowers. He even saves Spider-Man's life from the Demons.
- Jeff's Dying Moment of Awesome shouldn't go without mention. In his final moments during the City Hall bombing, one of the bombers is standing right next to him. Rather than try to run and save himself, Jeff shoves the bomber away as hard as he can and throws his body over the other officers to shield them.
- His son Miles is definitely cut from the same cloth. The kid dives into the bombing and risks his life to find his father, is more than willing to take on some thugs on the streets to try to protect others despite a lack of training, and when escaped convicts hit a Sable supply route he needs antibiotics from? The kid dives in yet again rather than let more people die from sickness, dodging criminals and Rhino alike before one-shotting an arrogant convict with the same punch he caught Spider-Man off-guard with.
- Can we focus on the fact that Miles punched Spider-Man? The kid can hardly believe it himself.
- Spider-Man's webs are so sturdy, they can catch anything. Debris tossed by supervillains, runaway cars, freefalling helicopters, Spidey can spin a web for them, any size.
- Peter Parker, not Spider-Man, is given a lot more play time, and we get to see that the kid is a genius in chemistry, computer programming, material design, and a whole bunch of engineering, and his brains help him win the day almost as much as his brawns.
- Just as Spider-Man's stealth abilities may be starting to feel like, y'know, just another day, then comes the Grand Central Station level. The first half is an MJ stealth level, and Spider-Man comes in partway into the sequence. But rather than switching to Spidey, you continue to play as Mary Jane, helping to separate the goons from each other so Spider-Man can take 'em down, allowing you to view what happens from a Muggle perspective. Helps remind you just how amazing the Amazing Spider-Man is.
- After trouncing Li in the resultant boss fight aboard the trains, Spider-Man tries and fails to reference Spider-Man 2 by stopping the train with webs and it's about to crash into another train on the same track. So what does he do? He asks Yuri if there's still construction on 42nd and 1st and pulls the tracks up to create a ramp, safely sending the train above ground so it can stop more rapidly. The best part? Li and Spidey changed trains mid-boss fight. Spidey knows his city so well he managed to keep track of exactly where he was throughout the fight (with Li punching him in the face in several scripted moments), lining up that impossible derailment and saving everyone.
- How does MJ escape from the Osborn penthouse with a squad of Sable goons hot on her heels? She dives off the goddamn roof and hopes like hell Spider-Man will be there to catch her (he does, naturally). The Power of Trust meets Indy Ploy in a nutshell.
- The first boss fight with Mr. Negative deserves mention; he tries to use his powers to corrupt Spider-Man, which basically leads to a Battle in the Center of the Mind. The short version; Ol' Webhead fights the corruption AND WINS!. When Spidey gets back to reality, the look on Mr. Negative's face when he sees his corruption failed can't be more fitting.
- The boss fight with Taskmaster may likely come as a surprise to most players, not just in its unexpectedness (he straight up ambushes you), but just how unexpectedly hard he is to fight. It's embarrassing enough that the dude is a Badass Normal, but then he starts using your moves and finishers, and then you think, "Holy crap, this is what fighting Spider-Man feels like. And I'm supposed to be Spider-Man!"
- Although to Spider-Man's credit, he stands his ground in the final confrontation and tells Taskmaster exactly how the fight is going to go.Spidey: If you know all my moves, then you know I’m gonna wreck you!
- Although to Spider-Man's credit, he stands his ground in the final confrontation and tells Taskmaster exactly how the fight is going to go.
- Taking on Tombstone in his chop shop is an easily-overlooked encounter, if only for atmosphere alone. A cramped, high-octane brawl with an Implacable Man who knows exactly how to get the most mileage out of his abilities. It only gets better when the room gets lit on fire.
- Act 2 ends with a real bang! A prison break starts up on Ryker’s Island before The Raft also starts breaking down. Spidey fights his way through the supermax while dealing with some familiar faces. Electro, Vulture, Scorpion, Rhino, and a freshly sprung Mr. Negative are all itching for a rematch. After an intense chase with Electro, Spiderman is surrounded on all sides by five supervillains and he manages to hold his own before getting curb stomped. Then out of nowhere arrives Otto, who’s now fully become Doctor Octopus and gives Peter his first and final warning to stay away. The Sinister Six has assembled!
- This scene provides a subtle one for the newly-minted Doctor Octopus as well. Otto gives Peter exactly one chance to stay out of their way...in front of five super-powered villains who would happily kill the webslinger then and there, without even one of them pressing the issue despite their powers.
- In the aftermath of the formation of the Sinister Six, you're left with a Manhattan overrun by escaped criminals and Sable's Private Military Contractor, both of which are doing morally wrong things and trying to kill you. Spider-Man has to take all that on, and canonically wins. Depending on how well the player has mastered the combat system, this section can make you feel like a true One-Man Army.
- Spider-Man taking down both Electro and Vulture at the same time! Later on he takes down Rhino and Scorpion at the same time too, and not in a cutscene, but in an actual, playable fight.
- While not as cinematic, taking down Rhino and Scorpion at once is also epic, particularly if the player is skilled enough they can manipulate one of the two into taking the other out.
- The cinematic finish to the second fight with Mr. Negative. Specifically, Li tries to bring up the demon and Spider-Man jumps, and slingshots himself right into and through the demon's face, through its back and impacts with Negative's face, feet-first. One can practically feel the blow's power as it knocks Li completely out of his "negative" mode and leaves him down for the count.
- The entire final battle with Doctor Octopus is a brutal, bone-crunching fight that tests Spider-Man's physical and emotional strengths to their limits. There is no finesse, no mini-game, no 'run-from-the-boss' sequence. Just a knock-down, drag-out brawl between two diametrically opposed foes willing to do whatever it takes to win the day.
- Special mention goes to Peter letting himself get impaled through the shoulder in order to reach the neural interface powering Doc's arms.
- Another big moment is the moment Peter realizes Otto did all of this to him despite knowing he and Spider-Man were the same person, at which point he near instantly rips one of Ock's tentacles off.
- The fact that the last portion of the fight takes place on the side of Oscorp Tower. With the way that Peter and Otto lung at each other and how they both seem to pick themselves up before going back at it, it's easy to forget that they're not actually on the ground, but the side of a building!
- Someone has set this fight to "You Say Run" from My Hero Academia at the first half with the second half being "Jet Set Run".
- Norman Osborn’s fate. Although not truly punished nor incarcerated, he resigns from the mayor's office in disgrace, the entire city now knows the evil bastard he is, his company has been publicly shamed due to the Devil's Breath incident, and his hiring of Sable backfiring immensely from their martial law that outright violated Constitutional rights. While the only thing stopping him from being jailed is the fact that all evidence of his reprehensible actions or his culpability in making Martin Li and Otto Octavius what they became, either doesn't exist anymore, are first-hand witness claims from Spider-Man which wouldn't work well and especially not against Norman's lawyers, or were acquired illegally due to breaking and entering in MJ's case, it’s deeply satisfying to see the irredeemable and true monster of the story getting an embarrassing downfall.
- Speaking of Osborn, special mention goes to the blistering speech he gives Octavius when he demands that Osborn tell the world the truth of his crimes. Another fine example of Defiant to the End.Osborn: The truth… Okay… The truth is, you were only ever worth a damn when you worked for me. The truth is you could never accept that I'm better than you. You're a failure, Otto. And you always will be.
- Speaking of Osborn, special mention goes to the blistering speech he gives Octavius when he demands that Osborn tell the world the truth of his crimes. Another fine example of Defiant to the End.
- Spider-Man in general of how he is portrayed in this game is this. Many works usually hint at or imply just how powerful Spider-Man can be if he puts all his abilities and his skills to 100% and as shown in 8 years he’s skilled enough with his abilities to take on two of his enemies at the same time, use tech that would make Iron Man proud, and just in general really is The Ace at this point in his super-hero career.
- Peter goes through so much in this game. He gets the crap beat out of him by most of his worst enemies, lets down almost everyone around him, continually screws up his and MJ's relationship, gets evicted from his apartment, isn't able to stop Otto from becoming Doctor Octopus, and is put through a Sadistic Choice when he has to pick between saving his aunt or the city. By the end of the game, he sounds like he's always on the verge of crying or going into sheer rage. But this is Spider-Man. He keeps getting back up and helping people because that's just who Peter Parker is and the man his uncle and aunt want him to be.
- The Stinger is quite awesome as well: featuring Norman Osborn revealing Harry in suspended animation… except that a symbiote is there with him. While this game was able to perform the Sinister Six, the sequel is most likely going to be the first that is going to do the Green Goblin and Venom at the same time!
- In one of the ambient conversations Aunt May has with Miles at the F.E.A.S.T. shelter, she talks about how the Sandman tried to rob the place, and May told him that there was nothing to steal and to get out. That's right; Aunt May told off one of Spider-Man's greatest foes.
- Even better? That's the end of the story. May told Sandman to leave, and he did!
- Step one: Find a group of criminals. Step two: Throw a Suspension Matrix into said group. Step three: Just as the effect ends, chuck in a Web Bomb. Voila, you've taken out an entire group of enemies without even touching them, and possibly even being seen. Imagine being a thug that suddenly starts flying without a good reason, only realizing that Spidey got you after you're already glued to the ground by webbing.
- The entire third act is one for Spider-Man. After spending most of the game running around on minimal food and sleep, the Sinister Six beats him badly enough that he has fourteen broken bones (some of which are almost certainly ribs), he suffers smoke inhalation and nearly dies saving May and Miles from a burning building, and he gets another beatdown from Doc Ock while only receiving perfunctory medical attention... and he just keeps going, managing to defeat all six villains and saving the city from Devil's Breath. The only thing missing is The Stinger where The Avengers show up to recruit Peter, because by this point he's more than earned it.
- To put it another way, Spider-Man singlehandedly goes to war with the Sinister Six, Sable International, and the entire inmate population of the Raft… AND WINS!
- At some point, Matt Murdock (as in, frickin' DAREDEVIL), gave Peter his card in case Spider-Man needed a lawyer. And he actually knew Peter was Spider-Man. So it's the same thing as a costumed vigilante having another costumed vigilante's back.
- Some respect has to be given to Miles towards the end of the game. He's essentially running FEAST while May's down for the count and somehow managing to keep it together despite the fact that he's just a kid and it's clearly taking a toll on him.
The City that Never Sleeps DLC
- Spidey gets a great chase against the Black Cat in The Heist, starting with her shorting out his web shooters, forcing you to free run through the streets, then Felicia escapes into the subway and catches a train. At that point, the shooters come back online, so Spidey chases the train down, at one point running along the side of an oncoming train and still catching up to Felicia's. Then the chase goes to the rooftops, and the whole time the Cat is leaving a familiar looking white trail for visibility. Spidey has to web her up a bit just to slow her down enough to finally tackle her and end the chase.
- While he understandably says Screw This, I'm Out of Here! after, give Jameson credit: he has no problem calling out the Maggia for the criminals they are despite knowing every bit how dangerous they are.
- Spider-Man makes a Dynamic Entry to interrupt the stand off between Hammerhead and Yuri. Spider-Man spends the next few moments punching Hammerhead repeatedly in the face. After seeing his Establishing Character Moment of murdering Yuri's officers in cold blood with needless sadism, it's rather cathartic, especially given it gives Yuri the distraction to gun down Hammerhead's goons and faced with both Spidey and an armed Yuri, Hammerhead books it.
- Not to mention the opening, seeing Spidey openly working with the police, including cops using webs and zip-lines.
- After Hammerhead keeps succeeding in his mission, Yuri goes right to the Bad Guy Bar in town and absolutely kills everyone present, armed with only a single gun. The devastation is ridiculous and makes you wonder how the opening mission of Turf Wars went so bad to begin with.
- The trailer for Silver Lining shows Spidey and an upgraded Hammerhead duking it out on a flying jet.
- Spider-Man and Silver Sable putting aside their differences and going all Back-to-Back Badasses against Hammerhead's Maggia thugs in their underground base. The thugs never stand a chance. They then proceed to top that by taking down the cyborg Hammerhead himself on the Sable Carrier, with Spidey hitting Hammerhead from the ground while Silver provides air support with her personal VTOL jet. Awesome.
- Even better is the fact that unlike the first boss fight with Hammerhead, this time he doesn't just shrug it off with a smile. Spider-Man and Silver finally manage to wipe that smug grin off Hammerhead's face and in the end all he can do is Death Glare at them in speechless fury before collapsing unconscious.
- A lower key one but the first phone call between Peter and Miles in Silver Lining reveals that Peter does complex calculations in his head every time he's web swinging. If this doesn't sound awesome consider all the times in the game that Spidey has been chasing, talking and/or fighting while swinging.
- Screwball's finale: after getting Spider-Man to dance to her tune for the main game AND all three episodes of the DLC, she hosts a party she knows Spider-Man is going to crash, then leads him on a merry chase that honestly isn't that difficult, and finally just...gets arrested by two beat cops after you take her down. No media, no fanfare. It's a huge Take That! to the toxic streamer community, refusing to treat her as anything other than a common criminal in the end.
