NOTE: This review contains NO SPOILERS

Two weeks ago, I drove to Amsterdam for the release of the highly anticipated Spiderman game by Insomniac Studios, exclusively on Playstation 4. This was my first experience attending a release event, and oh my was it something. As I pulled up to the plaza where GameStop is located, I could not find a parking spot anywhere nearby. In fact, I had to park near the restaurants across the street. Once I completed the hike into the store, I was in awe at the amount of people that were in the store. For anyone who has been in the Amsterdam GameStop, you know that it is not the largest retail establishment. The narrow aisles were packed with people. Once I entered the store, I walked to the counter where my receipt was verified. I was given a number, 17. I was 17th in line for the game, which may seem far away from the front, but I sure was closer than number 42 in the back of the line. 42 people crammed into the building, standing shoulder to shoulder, back to chest, just to pick up a video game. It was at this moment that I knew the game would be worth every penny.

After I scurried home, I quickly installed the game and swung into the action. The game jumps straight into the Spiderman story, skipping over the often overtold origin story. This was one of the major strong points of the game, as it does not waste the player’s time teaching them the origins of the friendly neighborhood Spider yet again. The first level consists of a web swinging and combat tutorial, along with the game’s first boss fight. Both the combat and traversal systems are absolutely outstanding.

After you master a small learning curve, the web swinging and wall crawling become instinct to players. With upgradeable and variable skills, the traversal system is one of, if not the best I have ever played with. The level of detail Insomniac used with each aspect of movement, down to exact physics, creates an unbeatable level of immersion that makes players feel like they are Spiderman.

The combat system in Spiderman: PS4 is absolutely flawless. It is too often that third person games have poor usage of camera angles and clunky combat mechanics. However, this is definitely not the case in Spiderman. The combo based combat flows perfectly from hit to hit , and allows players to chain combos together to deal devastating damage to enemies. (My personal record is 87 hits). Spiderman always has a cool signature move or a quirky line on deck and ready to go at any second during each altercation. These factors work together to create, by far, the best third person combat system I have played.
In conclusion, Insomniac’s Spider Man is the best Spiderman game. Period. The excellent combat and traversal systems work together to create a truly immersive experience. These factors, combined with an interesting and compelling story, go hand in hand creating a great experience for any gamer. I encourage anyone with a PS4 to pick it up. It’s worth every last dime.

Final Rating: 10/10