Spider-man early impressions: Insomniac could be swinging right in to the Game of the Year title

Just to start, I will say that Spider-man has always been my favorite hero. I don't know if it was his age or attitude, but something about him always resonated with me as a kid. With a plethora of new movies and video games, it was easy to maintain that admiration of the character all the way through adulthood. So, when I originally heard about a new open-world Spider-man game that would bring the battle style of Arkham with the web-slinging of the titular hero, I was as excited for a game as I ever been, and so far, this game certainly does not disappoint.

Before I got this game, I didn't even have a PlayStation; in fact, I had been an Xbox person since my PS2 broke so many years ago, but with the Black Friday deal, I could not pass this up (it ended up being an early Christmas present from my wife). Armed with a shiny new PS4 and a long weekend, I jumped right back in to the world of my favorite hero in a fictional version of possibly my favorite city.

There is really so much to like about this game, but I will start with the greatest part of it all: the web-swinging. New York City is the ideal playground for a guy that can swing around tall buildings, and Insomniac lets you enjoy every second of it. Since the original Spider-man 2 game, web-swinging has been getting better, and as someone that did not mind the swinging on Spider-man 3 or Amazing Spider-man 2, this is an absolute joy. The combination of swinging and zipping through the city while navigating large building and jumping off of posts, cars, etc. is an amazing feat, and it gives the impression of what it would truly be like to swing through New York City. As I have on every Spider-man game, I started by going to the tallest building (typically Empire State Building, but also Avengers Tower and One World Trade Center here) and jumping in to a free dive before swinging away, and it was simply perfect.

Speaking of New York City, the detail put in to the layout by Insomniac was top-notch. I have always loved New York, and the views from Spider-man's point of view are simply breathtaking. From Madison Square Garden to Rockefeller Center, each landmark feels like it was given careful consideration and detail down to the people on the lookout of Empire State. In addition, Insomniac made an excellent use of Marvel properties to offer true fan-service as everything from Avengers Tower to Sanctum Sanctorum to Alias Investigations is featured in this New York City. The best part about these inclusions, apart from making fans happy, is the potential for expansion in this universe.

In addition to the physical world, Insomniac put a ton of consideration in to the game-play mechanics. As a huge fan of the Arkham combat, I loved the button combinations included in Spider-man. Could this game become a button-mashing game? Of course, as could Arkham, but that is certainly not how it was designed. Spider-man is a fluid, agile, and nimble fighter whose greatest strength is his reflexes, not his raw power, and Insomniac highlights that with the mechanics. With the combination of webbing, punching, dodging, and jumping, fighting feels every bit like Spider-man would maneuver. The combinations of moves given, combined with the ability to both web enemies as well as web the terrain for projectiles and escape, make the game feel very much like a fresh take on fighting while maintain the core combination of buttons that was so beloved in the Arkham games.

While the vast majority of the game can be spent free-swinging and exploring, the story-line is a real highlight of Spider-man. Set 8 years in to his career as the friendly, neighborhood web-slinger, this game bypasses the overdone and somber origin tale, and instead, we are given a fully developed Spider-man that is a master of his craft (both fighting and wise-cracking). Not only does this allow us to enjoy a new take on Spider-man, but it allows the writer to be creative and open. For instance, Mary Jane being a reporter for the Bugle while Peter works as a scientist for Otto Octavius changes the dynamic of their lives and Norman Osborn being mayor while J. Jonah is a broadcaster makes the story feel evolved and modern. The best part about the story as it plays out is the focus on both Spider-man and Peter Parker including his relationship with Aunt May, Mary Jane, and, briefly, Miles Morales.

There is simply so much to like about Spider-man. The controls are intuitive, the city is gorgeous, the webbing is fluid, the story is dynamic, and the relationships are well-developed. Are there faults with the game? Of course. The side challenges are little more than fillers; I mean how many bags can you leave laying around the city? In addition, I am not a huge fan of quick-time events, but I can say they are least well-paced and useful. I wish that they would have included the symbiote suit, but I was pretty thrilled to see Tom Holland's suit included. Also, I will wait to see if there is a sequel to this game, but there was an opportunity to bring more focus on to Miles Morales as fans endlessly clamor for the most beloved Spider-man (after Peter) to get some love.

Spider-man is a hot topic right now with the critically-beloved performance by Tom Holland, the release of Venom, and the upcoming Into the Spider-verse, and Insomniac's new take may just be the best iteration of the bunch. If you have a PS4, you are going to want this game. If you don't have a PS4, the Spider-man bundle is still available for $199. Trust me, this game is worth all that more; there is not a game I would recommend more right now (although, Red Dead Redemption 2 appears to be quite stellar). I will update this (if needed) as I get further in to the game, but it is safe to say that Insomniac's Spider-man is another home-run for Sony.