Now that the future of the Batman series is in question, something has to fill the Arkham sized void in the superhero genre. A few titles have captured the fighting system that Rocksteady made so popular (the Mordor series is the most well-done and egregious of the copy-cats), but there's just something about putting on a mask and beating the piss out of nameless henchmen that is just so satisfying. Now we've got a better look than ever at the combat system in the newest Spider-Man title, and along with the webslinging, this might just be the best Batman game since Batman. I mean, Spider-Man game. Superhero game. You know what I mean.
In the video below, we have Scorpion and Vulture releasing a prison-full of inmates, as Spider-Man works with a police officer in an attempt to stop the riot. After ineffectually pleading with the inmates to just go back to their cells and take a nap, Spider-Man does what he does best; beating convicts silly while cracking wise all the while. He makes his way through the prison, ending up outside, where Electro, Vulture, Rhino, Scorpion and Mr. Negative all attack him at once, in an epic superhero/supervillain beatdown.
The game looks like it has a good thing going with the combat, but they better pack a lot of spider-centric moves in there, or it will just end up feeling like old-hat. It appears that Insomniac has a firm grasp on what makes Spider-Man work in this short demo, though; quips, aerial attacks, web combos and high-flying combat. The inclusion of so many villains is also promising, with Mr. Negative alludes to someone hiring the villains to attack Spidey, so the big bad is still in the shadowy wings, controlling things from afar.
Marvel's Spider-Man arrives September 7th, 2018 on PS4.
