Spider Man

By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

When I was watching “Monday Night Football” on ESPN, I saw an extended trailer for the video game “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.” The gameplay looked magnificent as Miles Morales and Peter Parker are fighting Venom on the streets of New York City. However, I didn’t feel that excited about it. Don’t get me wrong, the game looks great, but I think I’m just getting burnt out on Spider-Man for now.

The last two Spider-Man films have been classics. “Spider-Man: Across the Universe,” released this summer, is considered one of the best Spider-Man films ever made. And the same can be said for “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” released in December 2021. The films were brilliant. Every scene in “No Way Home” and “Across the Universe” had cinematic gravitas. One major death in “No Way Home” had the dramatic heft of an exceptional drama.

I think “Across the Universe” is a lock for Best Animated Film at the Academy Awards in March. There’s even an outside chance that the animated film could be nominated for Best Picture. Both films received critical acclaim, and rightfully so. For some reason, after watching “Across the Universe” in a theater, I said to myself, “That’s enough Spider-Man for a little while.”

But Insomniac Games’ “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2,” which has been in development for years, is coming out at the end of the month, on October 20th.

If we keep getting terrific Spider-Man stories on our PS5 or in theaters, I think that’s terrific, but a slight pause in the web slinger would be kind of nice. Another Tom Holland Spider-Man film is in-development, according to IMDb. We’ll probably get “Spider-Man 4: Home…something” at the end of 2024 or ’25. I may skip that one in the theater and wait for its release on streaming.

image source: supplied

By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

Recently, I received a text message from a friend asking, “Should I buy the new Spider-Man game? Is it worth it?”

First, I didn’t even know she was a gamer. And second, I hadn’t played the game yet. I saw the trailer; I thought it looked interesting, but nothing about a new Marvel Spider-Man game, published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4, intrigued me. Then, I fortunately played the game at a store demo.

Insomniac Games Spider-Man could be one of the most entertaining video games I’ve ever played. Superhero games are my wheelhouse. I’m not a big Spider-Man fan, but this game and the new Marvel films, starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker, have stealthily made me one.

The web-shooting is so clean and quick. You have a wide selection of weapons, but web slinging, to travel around the city and to battle foes, is a necessity to effectively navigate through the game. Sticking your webbing to a trash can, or manhole cover, and slinging it around to hit your enemies is one of the best fighting options. I find it oddly satisfying every time I do it to goons who have no idea what’s coming.

Swinging around New York City with your webbing is one of the most thrilling things about the game. The graphics are so exceptional; every swing down a new block is like a scene from a Spider-Man movie. The combo of fighting villains, who are sometimes morphed into baddies by others, and swinging to all of the unique locations, makes for what I think is the game of the year. Sorry, Red Dead Redemption II. Insomniac Games has made the definitive Spider-Man game, and, perhaps, the defining superhero game of the decade.

Some of the things I didn’t like about the game was how a certain villain morphs other random strangers, who are dressed as popular Spider-Man villains, into real threats. It seemed a bit gimmicky and just weird. My first time playing, I had a very difficult time with a large man dressed as super-villain Rhino.

Some of the instant call-ins from characters like Aunt May and Mary Jane took me out of the game when I was in the middle of action. It was clever, but it wasn’t needed. Also, the music by John Paesano seemed subdued.

3.3 million copies of Spider-Man PS4 have been sold, and I’m sure it’ll be on a few Christmas lists this year.

image source: Marvel