Marvel's Spider-Man

Still your Friendly Neighborhood Hero.

- Erik Paolo Escueta

While Spider-Man is more renowned for his comic book (and movie) adventures, he has also seen more than his fair share of video game outings, with over two dozen titles spanning a multitude of genres. With this first PlayStation 4 entry—and first ever for this hardware generation—Marvel’s Spider-Man has a lot of history to live up to. Not only does this Spidey game outdo previous entries, it also raises the bar as the old web-head looks and plays better than ever.

Amazing fantasy

While it doesn’t directly stem from the comic books, the universe of this particular Spider-Man throws in its own alterations to make it stand apart while remaining loyal to its origins. The narrative also starts a bit of a ways past Spidey’s origin story, leaving us with a more mature and intelligent protagonist who’s more realistic about managing his personal and altruistic responsibilities. No teenage drama here! Just your usual adulting experiences gone awry with some superhero shenanigans.

It’s also worth mentioning that while the villains and supporting cast also receive some slight twists to their backstories, they’re fleshed out so well that even those unfamiliar with Spidey himself won’t find themselves clueless from the get-go; fans, naturally, will find the changes interesting to say the least. Overall, the character-driven narrative is carefully balanced with some excellent set pieces that new and old Spidey fans will find to be a thoroughly enjoyable romp.