I love Spider-Man. As if the picture isn’t enough to scream that, I’ve loved Spider-Man as long as I can remember. I remember the despair I felt when I was 8 years old and lost my Spider-man 2 Doctor Octopus figure at school. I remember climbing up trees around my village and posing like the Web slinger. I remember the excitement I felt first seeing Tom Holland as the MCU’s Spider-Man in the Captain America: Civil War trailer. Peter Parker has always been a big part of my life, but as I grew into late adolescence I was no longer buying Doc Ock figures or climbing up trees. Then when I was 21 I played Insomniac’s Spider-Man for the PlayStation 4. And my god. It reminded me why I love Spider-Man.
Marvel’s Spider-Man PS4 is a 2018 action-adventure video game made by Insomniac games. It lets you play as the web slinger in a fully explorable New York City sprinkled with plenty of crimes to stop and references to the wider Marvel universe. The game has a full original story just like the movies, but with the expansiveness and emotional depth as many of the comics. Personally, I don’t think you could beat the idea of an open-world Spider-Man game where you can live out your wildest web slinging dreams. The combination of John Paesano’s phenomenal musical score and Insomniac’s gorgeous recreation of the New York skyline makes you feel like Spider-Man.
*Spoilers ahead for the main story of Spider-Man PS4*
From the very first scene of the game my love for Spider-Man began tingling. It opens with a spider dangling over Peter Parker’s window, and then pans to all the newspaper headlines pinned up of all the villains Spidey has put away. As Peter is alerted to Wilson Fisk (aka the Kingpin) causing a major problem for the NYPD, he puts on the iconic suit and looks down at the phone alert, and then looks at a slip for overdue rent. He looks back and forth again, and then leaps out the window and spreads his webs. That decision right there is what epitomises Peter Parker and why Spider-Man is such a global phenomenon. He has to make a choice, go after Fisk or pay the rent; what is right or personal responsibility. And this is within the first 5 minutes of the game.
I don’t think I’ve played a video game which I’ve been more emotionally invested in than Spider-Man. The characters are written as good as if not better than the films. Peter Parker is an older, more experienced Spider-Man in this story, so he’s faced with the pressures of adulthood whilst also balancing the vigilante lifestyle. His relationship with Otto Octavius is so well written that die-hard Spider-Man fans don’t want him to become Doctor Octopus. Otto and Peter have a shared passion for science and have an incredible rapport, so much so that Peter idolises him. So much so that by the end of the game when Octavius has become Doc Ock you almost dread Peter’s final showdown with him; a friendship thrown away for the sake of vengeance and arrogance.
Peter Parker’s love interest, Mary Jane (or MJ), is probably the best portrayal of MJ in any film or other media. Unlike the films, MJ is clearly no damsel in distress who needs Spidey to rescue her every 5 minutes. Being a journalist with an eye for a shifty story, she goes out by herself to investigate any villainous schemes that may be posing a threat to the city, even if it means putting herself in harm’s way. Throughout the game she has a slightly ambiguous yet stable relationship with Peter, balancing the thin line between casual friendship and deep romantic interest. She is much more than the cliché love interest for the hero. Peter and MJ are crime fighting partners; MJ using her journalism skills to do the right thing even if Peter disagrees with it. Miles Morales is another character worthy of an honourable mention. For those who are unfamiliar, Peter acts as a mentor figure to Miles and as die-hard fans know he eventually becomes the next Spider-Man. Miles goes through similar trauma to Peter; he loses loved ones, he faces potentially losing his city but he still carries on and does the right thing. There’s one brilliant scene where Spider-Man shows Miles how to throw a punch, which is later paid off in a scene where Miles punches an escaped convict for stealing some medical supplies. And this is all before he gets bitten by a spider and gains his own spidey powers.
These characters mean a lot to so many people because they are us. Peter doesn’t have a perfect relationship with MJ, Miles doesn’t have superpowers yet he helps out at a homeless shelter after losing his father. The relatability of these characters and the trials and tribulations they’re tested through is what inspires us to be better than we are. We may not have superpowers or a cool costume but these characters make us believe that we don’t need them to do just as much good. Spider-Man gets beaten down again and again, he has to take down the closest thing he’s had to a father figure. He has to make the ultimate sacrifice by choosing whether to save the city or save a loved one. Despite all this, he keeps going. He keeps being Spider-Man and he keeps doing the right thing. The emotional depth to this game is unparalleled to any other Spider-Man film or TV show. This game is the reason I went out and bought a Spider-Man costume. It made me want to read every comic book and watch every movie, and it made me so happy Marvel blessed us with this wonderful character. If you asked me who the greatest fictional hero of all time was, it wouldn’t be Superman, Batman, King Arthur, or Captain America. It would be Spider-Man. Because he’s one of us.
G does Films 