Sony blesses PC owners with another of its former PlayStation exclusives, the follow-up to Insomniac’s acclaimed web-slinging Spider-Man game, Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales.

Back in 2018 the PlayStation 4 game, Marvel’s Spider-Man finally allowed me to relive a childhood dream of swinging around New York City as The Amazing Spider-Man. Other games had come close like Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Ultimate Spider-Man (2005), but most since those two titles just never managed to capture the thrill of swinging on a web across the Manhattan skyline.

Marvel’s Spider-Man made the transition to PlayStation 5 and then onto PC via a remastered version that upgraded the visuals for the improved hardware. It’s no surprise to see the follow-up game, 2020’s Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales make the jump to PC as well.

The PC version comes to us via veteran conversion outfit Nixxes Software, who have perfectly reproduced the PlayStation game for PC. The game includes the ray tracing features of the console version with support for Nvidia DLSS and AMD FSR 2.1 adding an extra performance boost.

The PC version also supports ultra-widescreen monitors.

For those not familiar with Miles Morales, he was first introduced via the Ultimate Comic line of Marvel comic book. This series, which started in 2000, rebooted many Marvel characters into a more realistic contemporary setting, intended to appeal more to a new generation of fans. These comics are often seen as the inspiration behind the more grounded Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Towards the end of the Ultimate line of comics, in 2011’s Ultimate Fallout series, Peter Parker was killed. A new Spider-Man, Miles Morales, a bi-racial 13-year-old, the son of an African-American father and a Puerto Rican mother, took over. Miles Morales’s Spider-Man was folded over into the main Marvel comics universe when the Ultimate imprint finished in 2015’s “Secret Wars” series.

For their follow-up game, Marvel’s Spider-Man developer Insomniac Games set themselves a bit of a challenge with Miles Morales. Whilst a DLC pack featuring Mile Morales swinging around Peter Parker’s NYC would’ve been acceptable, a full-priced sequel would need a bit more meat.

For this new Spider-Man game Insomniac covered Manhattan with a layer of snow, setting the game at Christmas time in New York. Players are treated in snow-covered roofs and puddles of melting snow at ground level (perfect for showing off ray-traced reflections).

The story continues from the ending of Marvel’s Spider-Man. With Peter Parker holidaying in Europe, the mantle of being New York’s main Spider-Man is passed to the rookie Miles Morales. Gifted a new suit by Peter Parker and with an app designed by his tech guy best friend, Ganke, Miles takes heads out as the city’s protector and friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.

The game follows an identical format to the main Marvel’s Spider-Man game. It’s an open-world mission-based game with XP allowing Miles’s Spider-Man to upgrade abilities and tech. As well as the main story missions there are loads of activities, side-missions, and random crimes that all need Spider-Man’s help. New suits and equipment are purchased using ability tokens and tech parts that are earned from completing tasks and missions.

The web-swinging physics of the game is incredible and there’s a lot of fun to be had just swinging around, taking in the scenery, and stopping a few crimes on the way. Spider-Man: Miles Morales, like its predecessor, allows players to jump in for a quick go, solving a few crimes or taking on some activities. This means players can progress in the game without the need to get into the multi-part story missions best left for longer sessions.

The main story involves the conflict between the malevolent corporation, Roxxon, and an outfit called The Underground. The Underground, led by the mysterious Tinkerer, is after Roxxon’s unstable Nuform power source. Spider-Man finds himself up against The Underground’s advanced weapons. The game also features The Rhino and The Prowler.

As well as the game’s amazing web-swinging, the other standout feature is the rather breathtaking combat. Spider-Man punches, kicks, and shoots webs whilst taking on multiple attackers armed with guns, iron bars, and fists. Using Miles’s Spider-sense, players can jump and dodge to avoid bullets and blows, whilst striking out at the enemy. It’s a lot of fun, made even better as abilities and special moves are unlocked as the game progresses.

The PC version of the game is the most visually uncompromising. Whereas the PlayStation version does allow some customisation in selecting performance of visual fidelity, the Pc version give player full control over their experience based on personal preferences and hardware capabilities.

The inclusion of DLSS and FSR allows players to push the visuals a little further and also play the game on more modest PC set-ups.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is another fantastic triple-A PlayStation title that looks and plays incredibly well on PC.

If you are a fan of the character, enjoyed the first game, or are a fan of huge open-world action games, you are going to love this one.

The post Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PC) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Like me I’m sure all of you PlayStation gamers out there have already written a few letters to Santa with your requests.

If you haven’t there’s still time as Xmas approaches quicker than a reindeer driven sleigh.

This Xmas sees a wealth of PS exclusives on the wishlists, such as Insomniac’s Spider-Man, Detroit Become Human and the always epic God of War.

However PlayStation has soooo much more.

With their recently released PlayStation Classic you can embrace the small but mighty console that set the stage for the PS games we play today. This limited-edition console is a replica of the 1994 original model and will bring back all your best memories from the 90’s. The console comes pre-loaded with 20 old school games including Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy VII, Tekken 3 and many more, and comes equipped with two wired controllers, an HDMI cable to connect to your TV, plus a virtual memory card to save your adventures as you switch between titles. All this retro goodness will set you back at only $RRP 169.99 NZD.

The newest controller from PlayStation, the DualShock4 Wireless Controller, is the perfect gift for any gamer this Christmas. Keep it cool with midnight blue or embrace the unique with green camouflage or gold – the DualShock4 comes in 14 fresh new colours, you are spoilt for choice. The revolutionised technology offers a new precise and evolved controller.

Looking to show a gamer in your life some love this Christmas? PlayStation Plus is a subscription that will enhance their free and existing Sony Entertainment Network account and help them to get the most out of their PS4 system. Those with a subscription can enjoy online multiplayer, monthly plus games, auto game patch download from rest mode, 10GB of online storage for game saves, exclusive content and discounts in PlayStation store as well as exclusive early access to new full game trials, demos and public beta trial.

If you’re looking to be part central this festive and New Years season – PlayStation has you covered there aswell, with their Playlink range.

PlayStation’s PlayLink is all about social gaming that everyone can enjoy! Instead of the standard controller, the games are playable on your smartphone or tablet and designed for 2-6 players. PlayLink games could be considered modern day board games, offering a refreshing experience that encourages interaction and quality time. PlayLink title Chimparty is the perfect family friendly game, check out Knowledge is Power: Decades for a super fun games night, or enjoy the large range of other games available.

So gather around with family, friends or frenemies and grip your smartphones, your PS4 controllers and celebrate Xmas 2018 the PlayStation way.

The post Make it a PlayStation Season appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Marvel, Sony and Insomniac Games brings everybody’s favourite web-slinger, Spider-Man, to the PlayStation 4.

When I was a kid, Spider-Man was my favourite super-hero. This was more than likely down to reruns of the 1960’s cartoon show, with its iconic theme tune, than Nicholas Hammond mincing around in a spandex onesie in Spidey’s 70’s live-action foray.

In the 1980’s, Frank Miller’s Batman briefly became my favourite comic book character, eventually supplanted by Daredevil, again, due to the words and art of Frank Miller. Still, I’ve always had a soft spot for that friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man Spider-Man.

For nearly twenty years Spidey’s video-game adventures have been bought to us via Activision, with mixed results. For this new game, Marvel have turned to Insomniac Games (Sunset Overdrive / Ratchet and Clank) and partnered with Sony Computer Entertainment to bring us the latest Spider-Man digital adventure.

Being the right holders for the movie version of Spider-Man, Sony have a vested interest in the beyond the usual first party game. No expense has been spared in marketing the PlayStation 4 exclusive as this year’s big thing. SCE have been placing Marvel’s Spider-Man on the same sort of pedestal as they did God of War and Horizon: Zero Dawn.

It’s not since Spider-Man 2 way back in 2004 that I’ve whole-heartedly enjoyed a Spider-Man game. Subsequent efforts never managed to capture the exhilarating feeling of swinging through the city for me. I started playing Marvel’s Spider-Man with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. And to begin with the new game did little to cleanse my palette.

This isn’t a movie tie-in, nor is it an origin story. The game introduces us to a twenty-something Peter Parker who has spent the best part of the last decade running around in the red and blue spider-suit.

The game’s plot plays a bit fast and loose with the Spider-Man mythos. We catch up with Peter Parker interning as a lab assistant, his teenage years as a Daily Bugle photographer are behind him. Instead it is Mary Jane Watson that’s a reporter for The Bugle and the crusty J Jonah Jameson is now a radio shock jock. The original Green Goblin, Norman Osborne, is mayor. And there’s no sign of Gwen Stacy.

In saying that, the Batman Arkham games took some liberties with the Dark Knight’s backstory. At least we’ve got Aunt May and Uncle Ben is still dead as we join Peter Parker as the beginning of the game. Ignoring Spider-Man’s origin story and dropping us straight in is a good move, I don’t think anybody needs to see Pete bitten by a radioactive spider ever again.

At first glance, the game doesn’t wander far from what Activision have been spoon-feeding us for so many years. It was only after a couple hours play that I realised that Marvel’s Spider-Man is the game that Activision have been trying to make – for the most part unsuccessfully – for years.

Web-swinging through the city is fun. And I’m glad to say that the webs actually attach to the buildings rather than thin air in previous Spider-Man games. The game gives players time between the main missions to explore the city.

The digital recreation of New York is incredible. But this is not just any New York. This is Marvel’s New York. If you go to Greenwich Village you’ll find Doctor Strange’s house. In Hell’s Kitchen, you can stop by Josie’s Bar. The skyline is dominated by Avenger’s Tower. I even found the office of Alias Investigations. I’m sure there are loads more Marvel Easter eggs to find.

The combat is similar to previous games, but much, much more refined. Personally, I didn’t find it quite as fun as the Batman Arkham games or the likes of Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, but it is close. It used the same striking and dodging mechanic, but with more aerial combat. Spider-sense is used to good effect allowing players to counter-attack and dodge the enemy. There are also some nice little touches, like kicking a webbed-up enemy and having him stick to the wall.

The bad guys don’t queue up for a slice of Spider-Man making fights a frantic mix of pushing and evading. Adding rocket launchers and heavy-duty brute types into the mix later on keeps the combat fresh and challenging.

Spider-Man has a full skill tree to unlock with skill points awarded as you level up. This not only eases you into the combat with its many different moves, but also gives Spidey the abilities that he needs to take on the likes of the Sinister Six and Silver Sable’s mercs later on in the game. As you level up Spider-Man’s combat moves increase turning encounters with enemies into a mixture of MMA and aerial gymnastics.

The mission structure is fairly linear, although there are a few plot lines occurring simultaneously, giving the game some variety. This isn’t a bad thing, as it is easy to focus on the main story missions without becoming overwhelmed like in other open world games.

Taking another leaf out of the Batman games, some of the missions involve a bit of stealth similar to the Arkham games’ predator challenges. Spider-Man can web up isolated enemies and distraction to divide and conquer. At times you do get to play as a young man called Miles (cough, cough) and Mary Jane, both of which, being without powers have to stealthily make their way through the environments.

Spider-Man is in constant contact with Yuri Watanabe of the New York Police Department who offers up missions via cell phone. For the most part, though, you’ll find yourself heading to the next yellow icon on the map, kicking some butt, earning your XP before moving on to the next. The missions are quite varied and never dull and, of course, the game is peppered with boss battles as well.

Slowing the pace a bit, at various points in the game Peter is required to complete some puzzle mini-games by completing circuits or analysing compounds. They range from easy to moderate. I enjoyed them, but they might not be to everyone’s taste.

Spider-Man is packed with collectables and side quests. Taking the time out from the main missions rewards players with tokens that unlock extra suits and abilities. For instance, dotted around the city are over fifty backpacks that Peter has long forgotten about. Not only does each backpack have an artefact relating to Peter many adventures as Spider-Man, but each one you find grants you a backpack token. Similarly, successfully completing a research missions get research tokens and the same with base tokens when surviving an attack on one of the many enemy bases.

All these tokens can be used to unlock various different Spider-suits, each one with its own unique suit power. Once unlocked you can choose your favourite spider-suit and whatever suit power that you want. The side missions and collectables show up on the map once you’ve synched with the police tower for that area.

The smooth animations as Spider-Man swings through the City makes every frame look like a gorgeous page out of the comic books. The environmental effects, especially at dawn and dusk make for some jaw-dropping vistas across the New York skyline. Character models, instead of opting for a cartoon look are detailed and realistic. Visually, the game is nigh on faultless. The day one patch, which sadly was not available for review, will add a photo mode that I can see being very popular amongst fans.

The voice acting is top shelf, with Spider-Man’s over-compensating banter spot on. Also, the music seems to be more than just the usual in-game fayre, there’s a very cinematic theme to the game soundtrack.

This is the Spider-Man game that we have been waiting for. It’s polished, and a lot more refined than the games before it. It’s not perfect and the plot is a bit derivative. But it is a good start and most definitely heading in the right direction. Unlike the Activision games, Insomniac seem to have put a lot of heart in the game, and it shows.

Marvel’s Spider-Man is the best Spider-Man game we have had for years and may just be the best Spider-Man game ever.

The post Spiderman (PlayStation 4) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

NOW CLOSED – A game that’s based on a movie, that’s based on a game.

Yep, thanks to our mates at PlayStation New Zealand, Shane the Gamer has a copy of the new and tasty Ratchet and Clank Remastered exclusive to PlayStation 4, to Giveaway!

Retaining the awesomeness of the original 2002 game with added goodness from the entire series and rebuilt for ‘next’ gen Ratchet and Clank Remastered is all that you remember packaged in to one hell of a game by Insomniac.

Featuring several new planets, all-new bosses, new Clank gameplay, new flight sequences, and much more Ratchet and Clank Remastered also reflects on the characters stories more deeper than before all the while retaining that dark humour the series is synonymous for.

Are you keen to take on the Lombax hero and his defective War Robot side kick? If so, then you just need to answer the below Question correctly.

Before Ratchet was a hero, he always dreamed of becoming a …

A: Chef

B: Mechanic

C: Member of Q-Squad

You can give us your Answer by placing a Comment below, hitting us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email Us

* Winner will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / Email in accordance to the above question. Winner will receive a new copy or PSN download code for Ratchet and Clank Remastered for PlayStation 4. Competition ends the 8h of May, 2016. Ratchet and Clank Remastered is Rated PG in New Zealand.

The post Win a Copy of Ratchet & Clank Remastered for PS4! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Back when gaming magazines with bonus demo discs were still a thing and PlayStation 2’s still ruled the Earth, I found myself addicted to a charming and vibrant game, Ratchet & Clank. This delightful duo had me from the start back in 2002. As time has gone by, many sequels, spin offs and two console generations later here we are again. Ratchet & Clank returns to debut with both a movie and re-imagining on the PlayStation 4.

Insomniac Games have always captured my attention with their quirky sense of humour. They bring a certain level of silliness to create wackily fun games. The memorable platform shooter games that is the Ratchet & Clank series is back but have they stayed true to its form and can they capture the same magic that caused many hours of me and my siblings fighting over who’s turn it was to play.

As a re-imaging one question is what has changed? The story has been re-invented. Though events still mostly follow the original they certainly branch out from the first towards the end. The Galactic Rangers, led by Captain Qwark, help keep safe the citizens or the Solana Galaxy. Ratchet, a lone Lombax mechanic, dreams of becoming one of them. On another planet near by a small defected warbot escapes his factory only to crash land, where else but planet Veldin. Though, unlikely heroes and an even more unlikely pair, the two join up to save the galaxy.

The new story incorporates a couple of new characters and also features the insane Dr. Nefarious known from Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal. Sadly, none of the new characters have much of a personality and I feel, apart from helping aspects of the new story make sense, are generally superfluous.

Many characters have been introduced throughout the series and I have to say Insomniac usually does a fantastic job of making them entertaining and memorable. From Angela the clumsy Lombax to the Sasha the Captain of the Starship Phoenix, they all had something to add to the game. These new characters however don’t do much for the game at all. Many classic one time characters have also been left out, the same odd characters that added to the overall charm of the original.

Ratchet & Clank always bring new and interesting weapons for us to play with. The latest entry doesn’t actually bring too many new weapons but rather includes many popular weapons from the series. From the Groovitron to, my personal favourite for this game, the Lava Gun, as flamethrowers just don’t get old. Like the later entries, this title keeps the level-up weapon mechanic and it is well tweaked to create a user friendly and addicting upgrade system.  Most weapons are fun to use and have moments that they are perfect for. The main weapon a Ratchet & Clank game can’t be without is the all-powerful R.Y.N.O. This ultimate gun is back and being the games strongest weapon, once acquiring, is certainly a lot of fun.

A completely new trait to the series is card collecting. These are hidden within Levels and occasionally are dropped by enemies. Once a certain set is complete a small bonus is unlocked. Omega weapons only become available for purchase in Challenge mode, but only once the set has been completed for that weapon it is unlocked for purchase. This wasn’t particularly exciting and the only card set I was motivated to complete was the R.Y.N.O. one.

The game has been streamlined. Many gadgets that were unlocked later in the original game have been provided from the beginning. Things like the swing shot and an upgrade for Clank to make swimming under water much faster are already equipped. This took away some of the frustration of certain parts but also that satisfaction of obtaining these neat new gadgets.

The sound, though new, is well done and adds atmosphere to the game. There are some iconic music pieces that are absent from this re-imaging, which I find rather disappointing. The old sound track was fantastic, that’s not to say the new one isn’t, it just misses some of the mood setting that the first encompassed.

Many classic Levels make the reboot but not all of them. I did miss playing some of my favourite maps but then it is also nice to play new ones. I did enjoy exploring Levels brought back to life with a new degree of graphics and detail and they all look great. I love that Levels, while sticking true in many aspects to the original, offer new and interesting features as well. The game really takes something old, adds something new and then borrows bits and pieces from the rest of the series to give us a beautiful game.

One thing I do miss is the in-game skill point system.

These had you either breaking things or doing something odd just to unlock that skill point. I loved this system and found it really kept me playing the game and exploring and simply doing all sorts of things just get that little tag up on screen. Well, now, it’s gone.

The one big thing I feel has changed for the worse is the tone. Ratchet and Clank themselves have lost some of their original personality. The whole game seems to take a more serious tone. It is a wonderful and well-made game, but sadly it just doesn’t capture the same charm and spirit the original game displayed. Maybe the new generation will find this appealing but I miss the quirky and cheeky sense of humour the series is known for.

Ratchet & Clank (2002) did so much right to the point that not all of it needed a re-imagining. Modern gameplay mechanics such as weapon upgrades and the ability to strafe are much welcome additions but the complete change in tone is one I am not happy to see.

After playing the re-imagining of Ratchet & Clank at E3 last year and not able to able to contain my excitement since, I do find myself disappointed. It isn’t exactly all I hoped for.

While the game itself is well created with enjoyable mechanics, weapons and environments, the original level of silliness and whacky themes that was present for the majority of the series is just missing. The game brings bits and pieces from the entire series to offer a fresh but still nostalgic game to a new generation of console.

But Ratchet and Clank Remastered is just missing it’s soul.