• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Insomnicac Games Spider-Man

JD

Fleet Admiral
Admiral
It was first announced at last year's E3 that Spyro, Ratchet & Clank, and Resistance creators, Insomniac Games, was working on a new Spider-Man game, and since then we've been getting bits and pieces of info at the different gaming conventions, with the latest coming the recent Paris Games Show.
Here's the first trailer from E3 2016:
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
Gameplay Demo from E3 2017:
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
Paris Games Show 2017 story trailer:
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
IGN has also just posted a couple of articles from the Paris Game Show, one addressing the overall gameplay, and one discussing the reveal that there will be sequences where you play as MJ.
I'm really, really excited for this, Spider-Man is one of my absolute favorite superheros and Insomniac is one of my favorite game developers. I especially like that fact that they will be focusing on some things we haven't really seen in Spidey adaptations before, like Mr. Negative, and that they are putting their own twist on things, like creating a new Spidey costume, making MJ a Daily Bugel reporter and Norman Osborne Mayor of NYC.
 
The trailer looks amazing and I'm really excited to see what Insomniac has in store for us! I hate Spidey's outfit though...
 
All the stuff looks...meh. Insomniac is a decent developer, but this isn't a type of game they have any experience with so it could go either way. I'm not liking story stuff so far, since I think Mister Negative is one of the really lame, and annoying, Spider-Man villains. I also really don't like the idea of playing as MJ, since there is no way stuff like that isn't boring and momentum killing for a game like this (plus its just a stupid idea, the only thing worse would be playing as Aunt May).

Also, the Insomniac developer thinks MJ worked at the Daily Bugle, so now I'm hoping someone on the Insomniac staff actually looked at Spider-Man's wikipedia page at least before making the game (not even Ultimate MJ worked as a reporter from what I could find, and the developer talks like this is a pre-established part of her history, not something the game made up). MJ has been everything from a model to a nightclub owner to Tony Stark's secretary, but she's no more a reporter then Peter Parker is a pimp.

But, the thing that takes this game off the radar for me completely is teen Peter. He was a teen for less then thirty issues and literally graduated High School when my Mother was still in diapers. Just because Brian Bendis wrote a crappy teen Peter comic years doesn't excuse the fact that Peter has been out of high school since 1965. So teen Peter, reporter MJ, Mr. Negative and Miles Morales all make this a $10 bargain bin or PS Plus free game at most for me. Another miss for Spider-Man in video games, for me at least.
 
All the stuff looks...meh. Insomniac is a decent developer, but this isn't a type of game they have any experience with so it could go either way. I'm not liking story stuff so far, since I think Mister Negative is one of the really lame, and annoying, Spider-Man villains. I also really don't like the idea of playing as MJ, since there is no way stuff like that isn't boring and momentum killing for a game like this (plus its just a stupid idea, the only thing worse would be playing as Aunt May).

Also, the Insomniac developer thinks MJ worked at the Daily Bugle, so now I'm hoping someone on the Insomniac staff actually looked at Spider-Man's wikipedia page at least before making the game (not even Ultimate MJ worked as a reporter from what I could find, and the developer talks like this is a pre-established part of her history, not something the game made up). MJ has been everything from a model to a nightclub owner to Tony Stark's secretary, but she's no more a reporter then Peter Parker is a pimp.

But, the thing that takes this game off the radar for me completely is teen Peter. He was a teen for less then thirty issues and literally graduated High School when my Mother was still in diapers. Just because Brian Bendis wrote a crappy teen Peter comic years doesn't excuse the fact that Peter has been out of high school since 1965. So teen Peter, reporter MJ, Mr. Negative and Miles Morales all make this a $10 bargain bin or PS Plus free game at most for me. Another miss for Spider-Man in video games, for me at least.

lol
 
All the stuff looks...meh. Insomniac is a decent developer, but this isn't a type of game they have any experience with so it could go either way.
Their last game was an open world third person action game, so they have done open world games before. How many Insomniac games have you played? Both the Spyro and Ratchet series are some of my absolute favorite games of all time, and I enjoyed the first Resistance game, although not as much as the Spyro and Ratchet games.
I'm not liking story stuff so far, since I think Mister Negative is one of the really lame, and annoying, Spider-Man villains.
I've liked Mr. Negative in the comics, and I love the fact that they're actually focusing the game on of the newer villains who hasn't been adapted a lot, instead of one of the older villains who's been in pretty much every Spidey game ever.
in the I also really don't like the idea of playing as MJ, since there is no way stuff like that isn't boring and momentum killing for a game like this (plus its just a stupid idea, the only thing worse would be playing as Aunt May).
I love the idea that we'll get to place as MJ, and I would love to be able to play as Aunt May. Even if they aren't big action sequences these days games like this can still find a lot of interesting things with characters like this. I've actually found that some of the sequences with characters like them can actually be some of the most memorable parts of the games since they are so different, and because they tend to be some of the more story focused sequences with some of the most significant developments.
Also, the Insomniac developer thinks MJ worked at the Daily Bugle, so now I'm hoping someone on the Insomniac staff actually looked at Spider-Man's wikipedia page at least before making the game (not even Ultimate MJ worked as a reporter from what I could find, and the developer talks like this is a pre-established part of her history, not something the game made up). MJ has been everything from a model to a nightclub owner to Tony Stark's secretary, but she's no more a reporter then Peter Parker is a pimp.
They were just talking about how she's a reporter in this game, they never once mentioned her being a reporter in any other version. I think it's a great idea myself, it's great way to give her a more active role in the story than just Spider-Man's girlfriend.
But, the thing that takes this game off the radar for me completely is teen Peter. He was a teen for less then thirty issues and literally graduated High School when my Mother was still in diapers. Just because Brian Bendis wrote a crappy teen Peter comic years doesn't excuse the fact that Peter has been out of high school since 1965. So teen Peter, reporter MJ, Mr. Negative and Miles Morales all make this a $10 bargain bin or PS Plus free game at most for me. Another miss for Spider-Man in video games, for me at least.
You do realize that probably 90% of Spider-Man adaptations at least start with him as a teenager, including the Raimi movies, the Amazing movies, the MCU, the Ultimate Comics, the Ultimate animated series, and the current Spider-Man animated series.
 
Their last game was an open world third person action game, so they have done open world games before. How many Insomniac games have you played? Both the Spyro and Ratchet series are some of my absolute favorite games of all time, and I enjoyed the first Resistance game, although not as much as the Spyro and Ratchet games.

The bits I've played isn't bad, but there is a difference between Ratchet & Clank and an open world Spidey game. They've never really done open world games, because Spyro, R&C, etc weren't open world, they had large open areas but it wasn't even Witcher 3 or Dragon Age Inquisition levels of open world.

I've liked Mr. Negative in the comics, and I love the fact that they're actually focusing the game on of the newer villains who hasn't been adapted a lot, instead of one of the older villains who's been in pretty much every Spidey game ever.

I'd like lesser known villains. Give me Mysterio, Kraven, Shocker, Rhino, Hammerhead, Tombstone, etc. Heck, I genuinely consider Mysterio to be my #1 wanted villain in a Spidey movie, so he'd be great in a game. I just hate Mister Negative. he's the easiest Spidey villain to defeat (just wear gloves or catch him from a distance, he's not even a match for z-list heroes and his power is terrible) and his power sucks.

Plus, I've had a huge grudge against him out of universe because the writers made Cloak and Dagger his slaves for over a year (in real time, not comic time), obviously forgot they did it because basically no one uses them any more, then had to quickly BS their way to curing them because they needed the heroic versions back. Negative is basically just a lazy, boring rip off of Purple Man but weaker. Easily my second least favorite Spidey villain the (#1 worst is a tie between the older and the recent versions of The Jakal).

I love the idea that we'll get to place as MJ, and I would love to be able to play as Aunt May. Even if they aren't big action sequences these days games like this can still find a lot of interesting things with characters like this. I've actually found that some of the sequences with characters like them can actually be some of the most memorable parts of the games since they are so different, and because they tend to be some of the more story focused sequences with some of the most significant developments.

I almost always hate games that take away from the main action with an alternate character with a massively different playstyle. Like action games that put painful stealth characters into the game. It almost never works.

They were just talking about how she's a reporter in this game, they never once mentioned her being a reporter in any other version. I think it's a great idea myself, it's great way to give her a more active role in the story than just Spider-Man's girlfriend.

Then they should have either used Betty Brant or thought of something that fits the character. But, its unimportant since its not really MJ, Peter never knew MJ as a teenager. Its a version of a character that has literally nothing in common with the actual one except the name.

You do realize that probably 90% of Spider-Man adaptations at least start with him as a teenager, including the Raimi movies, the Amazing movies, the MCU, the Ultimate Comics, the Ultimate animated series, and the current Spider-Man animated series.

He was a teenager for about 10-20 minutes in the Raimi movies, and all the other things you listed are terrible. The Amazing films sucked, Homecoming is the first truly awful MCU film (and in the MCU in general the only reason its not the worst is that Iron Fist is longer and I'd take 2 hours of shit over 12ish), the Ultimate animated series is literally the worst Marvel cartoon ever produced (which is saying something), the current cartoon is bland junk, and Ultimate Spider-Man comic is the single most overrated comic produced in my lifetime (although its not terrible, just boring and inferior to most of the good spider-man comics).

The two best adaptations, the Raimi films and the 90s cartoon( even with its flaws the 90s show still one of the more popular Spidey adaptations) he's an adult the vast majority of the time. He's also been an adult in the main continuity since 1965 and he's survived and even thrived more over the years as an adult then as a teen.
 
Insomniac and Sony showed off a new gameplay trailer for this, which features our first looks at it's versions of Electro, Rhino, Vulture, Scorpion, and hints at another unseen villain.
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

They also had a demo going on the show floor.
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 
Last edited:
I love the idea that we'll get to place as MJ, and I would love to be able to play as Aunt May. Even if they aren't big action sequences these days games like this can still find a lot of interesting things with characters like this. I've actually found that some of the sequences with characters like them can actually be some of the most memorable parts of the games since they are so different, and because they tend to be some of the more story focused sequences with some of the most significant developments.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door had an interesting mechanic where after every major boss fight you'd switch control over to the kidnapped Peach. Peach never had any action or combat sequences, but instead her sections focused on puzzle, stealth, and adventure elements as she tried to escape and/or learn information that she could pass on to Mario. They were some of the best sections in the game. Something similar could absolutely be done with MJ or Aunt May.

With that said though, I'm still a little concerned about this game. The level was saw had combat against a bunch of thugs that was pretty much brainless button mashing and chase sequences that played themselves. Now of course this was the tutorial level and the difficulty was probably reduced for demo purposes, so I'm on the fence with this game under I read some on-hands impressions with the rest of the game.
 
Got the game pre-ordered. Looks good but it looks like all the other games to me. Just with better graphics.
 
people seem to be pretty positive about it, I would absolutely play it if I didn't have D2 Forsaken on my plate next week
 
Reddit is going crazy about puddle sizes at the moment. Of all the things to get mad about. :)
 
IGN's Jonathan Dornbush has posted his review, he gave it an 8.7. Here's his verdict:
IGN's Jonathan Dornbush said:
The Verdict
I wanted Marvel’s Spider-Man on PS4 to make me feel like Spider-Man: To sail between the highrises of New York City, to nimbly web up hordes of enemies, and tussle with familiar, animal-themed villains. Insomniac Games’ first foray into the world of Marvel handily delivers on all of that. But what I didn’t expect from Spider-Man was to come away feeling just as fulfilled to have inhabited the life of Peter Parker. Aside from a few odd pacing issues, which momentarily took me out of the experience of being a superhero, and a world of optional missions that don’t always quite live up to the heft of the main story, Insomniac has delivered a Spider-Man story that both surprised and delighted me, coupled with gameplay that made me feel like Spider-Man nearly every step of the way. The Wall Crawler’s open world doesn’t consistently deliver the thrilling moments of its main campaign, but the foundation laid here is undoubtedly a spectacular one.
 
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

GB gave it a 4/5 * - looking good
 
My mom got the game as an early B-Day (the 12th) present for me, and after about an 1 1/2ish hours, I'm having a lot of fun. There was already one surprise character appearance, that sets up some interesting potential situations that anyone familiar with the Spidey mythology will be able to identify right away. I'm curious how long it will be before that happens, and how it'll play out here.
 
It's really good. It does play with some backstories - the MJ being a reporter stuff - but these are tolerable reworkings and give some good character motivations. MJ is introduced, for example, during a break-in having snooped about as a reporter and gotten the file the bad guys are after. You flashback to her involvement and control her, but it's not "boring" as kirk suggests as you get her internal monologue on why she and Peter aren't together and she's actually pretty cool in a "Lois Lane intrepid reporter" way. And her involvement leads to a damn fine Stan Lee cameo, so shut up.

Peter isn't a teenager, either - it's explicitly stated he's been Spidey for 8 years and is shown graduating from university in a photo of him and Otto Octavius (who starts out as his boss in this one and is pretty cool, which makes the inevitable tentacle incident heartbreaking... IF it happens in this game - I'm only a short way in).

The webswinging is awesome and the fight mechanics are modified Batman: Arkham type moves. Spidey's a bit too fragile against regular thugs I feel given he should be able to take blows from superhumans - there's a mechanism to heal mid-fight but you need Focus charge to do so which you also need for rapid takedowns. Fights with more than 1-2 guys with stun batons or shields are a pain to beat unless you are really adept at combos and dodging... I tend to try and split the mob up and pick off the non-special enemies first before engaging the heavies. Mind you, I've just upgraded the suit with reinforced protection against melee and ballistics so we'll see if that changes things...
 
Last edited:
51t5npyhfsk11.jpg
 
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top