{"id":43504,"date":"2017-06-25T12:49:46","date_gmt":"2017-06-25T10:49:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.joypad.ch\/?p=43504"},"modified":"2018-09-12T15:23:10","modified_gmt":"2018-09-12T13:23:10","slug":"saw-los-angeles-spider-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.joypad.ch\/en\/visto-los-angeles-spider-man\/","title":{"rendered":"Seen in Los Angeles: Spider-Man"},"content":{"rendered":"

Insomniac Games surprised everyone a bit when, at E3 2016, they announced the development of a Spider-Man game. What's more, it was a PlayStation exclusive following the Xbox One exclusivity of Sunset Overdrive. While we hadn't seen anything at all in 2016, things changed in 2017. During the PlayStation conference, we saw the first real gameplay of the title and later went to see it again at the Sony booth at the show.<\/p>\n

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\nFirst, a necessary premise: the Spider-Man behind-closed-doors demo was identical to the one shown at the conference, with the only variation being that a member of the Insomniac team played for us, resulting in barely noticeable variations from the video. The demo opened with Spidey battling a group of Kingpin's henchmen in a skyscraper under construction. We were immediately impressed by the visual presentation, displayed on a large 4K screen, which allowed us to appreciate the excellent work done in recreating the city. The environments are rich in detail and effects, and the urban backdrop creates a convincing illusion of wandering across the rooftops of a large metropolis. But there was little time for sightseeing, as we immediately saw Spider-Man dispatching the bad guys with a whole series of moves that combined close-range strikes, jumps, and, of course, webs. Unlike the conference video, we saw Spidey use a few more combos, such as throwing enemies into pre-placed web traps.<\/p>\n

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Also interesting is the use of objects found in the level as offensive weapons: for example, Spidey can use webs to pick up heavy objects and throw them at the bad guys. These objects are all done without being particularly clearly marked: a sandbag stacked on top of other sandbags is an obvious candidate and will be picked up naturally by the protagonist. Of course, being Spider-Man, he'll never kill the bad guys, but he'll always try to trap them or save them at the last minute if they're about to fall to the ground from the skyscraper. A nice touch from Insomniac, demonstrating a firm commitment to the character and his moral convictions. What was evident in the demo is the fluidity of the combat, where the protagonist switches from one enemy to the next without interrupting his attack flow. The controls therefore seem simple enough to learn, with one button for jumping, one for punching and one for webs (with the addition of triggers to manage the webs in flight which, we asked, will not attach themselves in the air but to buildings, using a physics simulation to create the movement).<\/p>\n

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\nProgress through the small demo area was rapid, quickly concluding with a cut-scene where Spider-Man is seen arguing with Kingpin on the phone. The appearance of Mr. Negative aboard a helicopter and the protagonist's failed attempt to trap the aircraft triggered an urban chase scene preceded by a very brief quick-time event section in which the player must press a correct button sequence at the right time to prevent a massive crane from crashing into the street below. We then saw Spidey's rapid-fire movement abilities in action, as he uses his webs to swing from building to building. The chase is technically impressive: the city features numerous destructible objects, and the variety of buildings presents several challenges to overcome, particularly due to their variable heights and the possibility of encountering various superstructures that must be circumvented or otherwise overcome. It will also be possible to pass through some buildings to complete the chase, but at this point, it's unclear whether this will also be possible during free roaming or only in more scripted sequences like the helicopter chase. The demo ultimately ended, as you probably know, with the helicopter stuck between two skyscrapers just a few meters from the asphalt.<\/p>\n

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\nInsomniac Games hasn't revealed much more about their new creation. We know this Spider-Man will be more mature, with a 23-year-old Peter Parker, now a college graduate, working with the police instead of playing the lone hero. The game's plot will be completely original and will have no connection to the films. We also know that Martin Lee, otherwise known as Mr. Negative, will know that Peter Parker is actually Spider-Man, which opens up some interesting possibilities.<\/p>\n

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\nTechnically, the title, as we've already said, is quite impressive. Powered by an in-house graphics engine, already used in Sunset Overdrive on Xbox One and Ratchet & Clank on PlayStation 4, it will offer vast, freely explorable areas. There will obviously be plenty of side activities to complete, though the developers declined to provide any examples. We have high hopes because many of the talent who worked on Sunset Overdrive are currently working on Spider-Man, a recipe for a quality title. The title is expected exclusively on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro.<\/p>\n