I started playing this as a companion to replaying the 2018 game, because I've always heard this is one of the best movie tie in games from this era (a genre I have a sick fascination with) and this seemed like the perfect excuse to play it; as well as wanting to directly compare two of the best doc ocks in any spider-man media.
So, when the 2018 game came out there was a lot of discourse over weather the new game has a better web-swinging system or weather this one does, and as usual in conversations like this the answer is; they're both good.
The web swinging in this game is all about challenge, sadly in the challenges and story missions it's all about gaining the momentum to get from point A to point B in what is usually a straight line, which is disappointing, but in the open world you're free to move and swing around all you like, however you like. You can pull off some cool moves with multiple webs and charged jumps and web pulls, the three moves that comprise the entire moveset. It's simple, mostly consisting of holding R2 and X until you reach the best point to let go, but perfectly encapsulates the idea of 'easy-to-learn, hard-to-master' perfectly, mostly through the stakes added to the movement. once you reach full momentum you WILL slam into a wall eventually, and so you've got to balance your speed with your manuverability to create a nice balance.
The 2018 game, however, is all about reaching that maximum speed, in fact, where this game's movement consists almost entirely of holding R2, in the 2018 game if you're holding R2 for more than one or two seconds at a time you're doing the game a disservice. Timing jumps perfectly to launch into the air, zipping to points and zipping forward to gain speed, wall running and cornering buildings are essential to the movement of the 2018 game, it feels perfectly suited to a character who has been spidey for 8 years and is a lot more satisfying even though it has no real stakes, other than losing all your speed if you touch the ground.
They're very different, and it depends if you want a straight up challenge (Spider-Man 2) or want a more technically complex experience (Marvel's Spider-Man) more focused on being satisfying to use.
However this isn't me saying that you should play this game if you want more of a challenge, in fact the web-swinging is the best thing in this game. In fact, the games completely switch places when it comes to the combat. This game really flubs the combat, it's a three hit combo light attack, a launch attack, and a web attack that involves holding triangle and letting go to throw an enemy; and obstensibly that's IT, that's the entire combat system, those three moves. Compare this to the 2018 game, which takes the combat style of games like the Arkham series and ratchets it up to ten (pun intended). With all of the moves this game has (not that that's hard) as well as complex combos, items and gadgets that work perfectly with everying, status effects on enemies that meaningfully change combat. Ironically, webbing moves and hand-to-hand moves are on the same buttons as in the 2004 game, but the 1018 title inarguably outdoes that game in any and every concievable way in combat, so much so that it's not even worth talking about any more.
Sure it may be harsh to compare a game from 2004 to a game from almost 20 years later, however the 2018 game is an objectively better full package no matter what you want from the game, and I've literally been playing both of these games at the same time, so sue me.
Anyway, on this game; I really like the ways in which treyarch were free to expand the world and story, and the addition of all the extra spider man characters and villains and where that leads is genuinely interesting and fun (I especially liked the mysterio parts, the arena was good but then the theatre and circus are great, gimme that house of mirrors scene any day, so much fun). It adds an extra dimension that really sets this game apart from other tie-in games in the same way the web-swinging does. It’s just a shame that the city and mandatory missions are way too repetitive, and the throwing and precision landing, whilst not an issue 85% of the time, becomes way too finicky at times, considering the game is about 10 hours long, way too much of it feels like filler.
This is definitely the best of the movie tie-in games of this era, a massive and overwhelming genre of games, and is definitely one of the best spider-man games there is, it’s not aged as much as you might think, and generally it’s a good time.
So, when the 2018 game came out there was a lot of discourse over weather the new game has a better web-swinging system or weather this one does, and as usual in conversations like this the answer is; they're both good.
The web swinging in this game is all about challenge, sadly in the challenges and story missions it's all about gaining the momentum to get from point A to point B in what is usually a straight line, which is disappointing, but in the open world you're free to move and swing around all you like, however you like. You can pull off some cool moves with multiple webs and charged jumps and web pulls, the three moves that comprise the entire moveset. It's simple, mostly consisting of holding R2 and X until you reach the best point to let go, but perfectly encapsulates the idea of 'easy-to-learn, hard-to-master' perfectly, mostly through the stakes added to the movement. once you reach full momentum you WILL slam into a wall eventually, and so you've got to balance your speed with your manuverability to create a nice balance.
The 2018 game, however, is all about reaching that maximum speed, in fact, where this game's movement consists almost entirely of holding R2, in the 2018 game if you're holding R2 for more than one or two seconds at a time you're doing the game a disservice. Timing jumps perfectly to launch into the air, zipping to points and zipping forward to gain speed, wall running and cornering buildings are essential to the movement of the 2018 game, it feels perfectly suited to a character who has been spidey for 8 years and is a lot more satisfying even though it has no real stakes, other than losing all your speed if you touch the ground.
They're very different, and it depends if you want a straight up challenge (Spider-Man 2) or want a more technically complex experience (Marvel's Spider-Man) more focused on being satisfying to use.
However this isn't me saying that you should play this game if you want more of a challenge, in fact the web-swinging is the best thing in this game. In fact, the games completely switch places when it comes to the combat. This game really flubs the combat, it's a three hit combo light attack, a launch attack, and a web attack that involves holding triangle and letting go to throw an enemy; and obstensibly that's IT, that's the entire combat system, those three moves. Compare this to the 2018 game, which takes the combat style of games like the Arkham series and ratchets it up to ten (pun intended). With all of the moves this game has (not that that's hard) as well as complex combos, items and gadgets that work perfectly with everying, status effects on enemies that meaningfully change combat. Ironically, webbing moves and hand-to-hand moves are on the same buttons as in the 2004 game, but the 1018 title inarguably outdoes that game in any and every concievable way in combat, so much so that it's not even worth talking about any more.
Sure it may be harsh to compare a game from 2004 to a game from almost 20 years later, however the 2018 game is an objectively better full package no matter what you want from the game, and I've literally been playing both of these games at the same time, so sue me.
Anyway, on this game; I really like the ways in which treyarch were free to expand the world and story, and the addition of all the extra spider man characters and villains and where that leads is genuinely interesting and fun (I especially liked the mysterio parts, the arena was good but then the theatre and circus are great, gimme that house of mirrors scene any day, so much fun). It adds an extra dimension that really sets this game apart from other tie-in games in the same way the web-swinging does. It’s just a shame that the city and mandatory missions are way too repetitive, and the throwing and precision landing, whilst not an issue 85% of the time, becomes way too finicky at times, considering the game is about 10 hours long, way too much of it feels like filler.
This is definitely the best of the movie tie-in games of this era, a massive and overwhelming genre of games, and is definitely one of the best spider-man games there is, it’s not aged as much as you might think, and generally it’s a good time.