Video Game Review: Spider-Man (PS4)

***Review contains a few minor spoilers***

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A great game that takes you into the world of Spider-Man, and allows you to crawl, flip, and swing through a detailed Manhattan skyline. As strong as this game is, it will always be shackled by the comparisons to the Batman: Arkham series of games. This is a fair point. “Spider-Man” liberally borrows from those games. The combat, the zipping from place to place, the crime scene investigating, the stealth takedowns, and more are straight out of the “Arkham” games…just with a few tweaks to make them more specific for Spider-Man. This lack of originality keeps the game from feeling like a true masterpiece, but these elements all worked fantastic for the “Arkham” games and work just as well here.

The game looks really good overall. New York is filled with an insane amount of detail. I’ve never been there myself, but playing this game almost makes me feel like I’ve been there. Spider-Man and the villains he fights look great, but the generic characters tend to look stiff and don’t really move like real people. However, the cut-scenes reveal highly detailed faces that convey a ton of emotion. This is important, because what really sells the game is the strong story and characters. The bonds Peter has with Mary Jane, Aunt May and Otto Octavius feel real, and as the plot takes twists and turns, there is constantly a payoff on an emotional level.

The action gets off to a rough start. You’re given a crash course on combat as you go, and battles are so rare in the early part of the game, you have few opportunities to improve your skills. Eventually, things pick up, and between enemy bases that can be replayed and skills that you’ve unlocked through leveling up, you have a chance to turn Spider-Man into a badass. Besides unlockable skills, Spidey can also improve and purchase web gadgets. Some of these can make the difference between life and death in combat and in stealth mode. There are also quite a few suits that can be purchased. They’re not just for show, as most of them allow Spidey to access special abilities.

Initially, the game seems a bit boring. Besides the main quest, which rarely feels urgent, there’s not much to do. While there’s plenty of NPC’s wandering the streets and a detailed environment, there never seems to be a reason for Spidey to stay on the ground. It’s a bit of a waste. The faction crimes are about the only thing that will bring you down street level. However, these become so monotonous many people will probably just skip them. There’s just not enough variety and there’s so many that you need to do. The research stations are also a bit repetitive, and only a few are any fun. And, as the name implies, the Taskmaster Challenges can be quite challenging. Players that want to upgrade all their gear and get all the costumes will have to suffer through these in attempt to get enough Challenge Tokens. Also a bit on the frustrating side, are the times you get to play as MJ or Miles Morales. It’s a nice change of pace, but they are nothing more than pure stealth missions, that end immediately if you’re spotted. And this happens often because of the confusing layouts of these levels.

The game has a fantastic score. It really kicks in whenever you’re web-swinging around the city. I find it a bit like the soaring Danny Elfman score from the Toby Maguire “Spider-Man” films. It just makes it that much more exhilarating swinging above or around the New York skyscrapers. It’s so soothing sometimes web-swinging around the city, you don’t even want to fast-travel. Plus, it allows more opportunities to hear the often-hilarious J Jonah Jameson podcasts.

“Spider-Man” has to overcome being an “Arkham” clone and a slow start, and it does thanks to fun gameplay, a highly detailed world to swing through, and an emotional story.

***1/2 out of *****

Movie Review: Venom

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A fairly mediocre superhero film that is saved by a likable lead and a few solid action scenes. The film suffers from pacing issues, especially in the first act. It’s stop and go, and there’s a long stretch of nothing too interesting happening before it gets to the meat of the story. Things do finally pick up, but they move almost too fast, and take a few odd detours on the way to the climax. There’s an odd sense of humor here, that often veers into something on the corny side. The action has some fun moments, but the finale feels rushed and is overloaded with CGI. The GGI in good overall, but Venom in motion tends to look more unrealistic than when he’s standing still. Also, some of the transitions from full Venom back to Eddie look pretty bad. Fortunately for this move, the lead actors keep you invested. Riz Ahmed is okay has the villainous Carlton Drake. The acting his fine, but he never comes off menacing, even when he’s doing evil deeds. Michelle Williams is a bit more of a mixed-bag. She’s likable as the love interest, but takes a few off-putting character turns, and she doesn’t get enough opportunities to show off her acting chops. But what makes this movie worth watching is Tom Hardy. He pours a lot into the Eddie Brock role. He runs the gamut of charming, to quirky, to anguished, and more throughout the film. It’s bit of a shame when he’s lost underneath the Venom CGI. There is a scene in the mid-credits. Venom fans will get excited, while causal viewers will be confused. And both groups will probably chuckle as the entire scene comes off as just silly.

** out of *****