Insomniac Games are well known for their beyond Triple A games and Spider-Man 2, exclusive to PlayStation 5 is most definitely no exception.

Miles Morales is back, but this time joined by Peter Parker.

Twice the fun means twice the action.

After a brief intro, where Miles is dealing with teenage school life and Peter is simply trying to hold down a job it’s not too long until you’re literally thrown direct in to battle.

Both Peter and Miles team up in Spider-Man 2 in what feels like your very first boss battle against Sand Man (aka Marko).

There’s not a lot of room from the onset to get to grips with your Spidey powers as you partake in epic and cinematic combat. So you learn on the fly and within the heat (or sand) of taking down a very grumpy, larger-than-life foe.

And while Sand Man retains a theme throughout much of the game, in hindsight, he is a mere walk in the park enemy as the true villain becomes apparent throughout play.

What triggered Sand Man’s wrath on New York? What happened to his memories…?

You’ll assume the role of Miles and Peter at game specific intervals and with a full RPG flavour you’ll pick up missions throughout the city as they happen in real time. Some you may simply stumble across. I did many times.

But most are via an alert thanks to Miles’ school buddy Ganke.

It’s real easy to go off course from the main story, stamping out crime as it occurs, one after the other.

As you take down criminals Focus is earned in melee combat and successful dodging of attacks. This enables you to heal or use power moves.

Both Peter and Miles can level up their existing abilities or gain new ones via three skill trees, You can opt who you level up, Miles, Peter or both.

To level up you’ll need Skill Points. These are earned with the completion of missions and giving enemies a good beating. Try to enact as many finishers or special moves as you can to get more points.

Your Spidey gear can also be fine tuned by finding and collecting tech parts which can be used for crafting super cool upgrades.  Photo ops is a fun and additional aspect added to Spider-Man 2. As Peter has a hard time retaining employment whilst keeping the city safe, he needs to earn extra coin along the way. He does so with submitting photo’s of events in and around the city, with the help of Miles.

Photo ops, crime and of course your main objective(s) are dotted on the city map – and you can pin to an event as well as fast travel. Each district of Marvel’s New York City has a three tier reward system.
You can use L3 in play to track your progress  during any event – so there’s no need to always stop the game and check the map screen.

Spider-Man 2 makes use of the PS5 controller touch pad and built-in speaker and graphically, flawless on PlayStation 5.

Spider-Man 2 has turbo-charged everything from the previous title and with a sprawling, dynamically evolving New York, there’s no limits or shortage of things to see, do and criminals to take down.

If I could give Spider-Man 2 more than 5 out of 5 stars I absolutely would.

The post Spider-Man 2 (PlayStation 5) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

During a panel held at San Diego Comic-Con in the historic Hall H, Insomniac Games revealed an array of exciting new information for their upcoming PlayStation 5 game, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

The panel kicked off with the debut of a brand-new trailer, which sets up the story in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. When Kraven’s hunters arrive in the city, it sets off a mystery of why they are there and who, and what, they are hunting. But as the Spider-Men and MJ dig deeper into Kraven’s motivations, the symbiote begins to threaten Marvel’s New York and everyone and everything they hold dear.

As many may have noticed in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Gameplay Trailer from the PlayStation Showcase in May, Peter’s new Black Suit affected his personality and gives him new, powerful symbiote abilities. Bits of that are shown in this trailer as well, and Peter’s symbiote powers tax his relationships with Miles, MJ and Harry.

There are new looks at the expanded Marvel’s New York and players will now be able to swing across the East River and explore Brooklyn and Queens. The iconic Coney Island also makes its debut in the new trailer.

Additionally, a full look at the monstrous Venom is revealed in the new trailer.

The panel concluded with the first look at the Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition bundle, which features stunning designs that capture the look and feel of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The threat of Venom and the symbiote will be one of the most formidable challenges that the two Spider-Men will face. The designs aim to reflect the intensity of the symbiote and its capacity for transformation and power with a takeover design for the PS5 console and DualSense wireless controller.

The limited edition design will be available in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition – PS5 Console Bundle, as well as PS5 Console Covers – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition, PS5 Digital Edition Console Covers – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition, and DualSense Wireless Controller – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition, with pre-orders starting 28th July 2023, available in limited quantities at select retailers.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 releases on the 20th October, 2023.

The post Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 @ SDCC23 appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Insomniac Games is thrilled to announce that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

After the amazing fan reception for Marvel’s Spider-Man in 2018 and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales in 2020, the team has worked tirelessly over the past few years to make this third installment in the franchise the sequel you have been waiting for.

Built from the ground up for PlayStation 5 console, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will unlock the power of the console with better visuals, faster web swinging (and web wings!), 3D Audio, and near-instant character switching. On behalf of the teams at Insomniac, PlayStation, and Marvel Games, we cannot wait for you to get your hands on this incredible single-player open-world experience.

In Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, players will get to experience Marvel’s New York as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales.

As you saw in the PlayStation Showcase last month – the main storyline of the game will have you take control of both Spider-Men at different points of the campaign. In the open world, you will be able to switch nearly instantly between them as you explore Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn.

Both Spider-Men have stories and missions in the world exclusive to each of them.

As you can see from our box art, Peter and Miles are both key protagonists in our story.

The iconic red background returns, but darkness surrounds as fan-favorite villains like Venom, Lizard, and Kraven threaten them and Marvel’s New York. You will also notice that each character’s arm represents their new abilities: Peter with the symbiote, Miles with his evolved bioelectric Venom powers.

In addition to the launch date, we have announced several editions for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Pre-orders will open on June 16th, 2023 at all participating retailers, and PlayStation Store. Pre-Orders will go live at 10:00 AM local time on June 16, 2023.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will launch on Friday, October 20, 2023, exclusively on PlayStation 5.

The post PS5 Exclusive Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 This October appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

NOW CLOSED – In cinemas now, Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a mixed animation film of full on action that you need to see.

In Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga, an epic adventure that will transport Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man across the Multiverse to join forces with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-People to face off with a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered.

We’ve seen the film and it is so far the best watch of 2023. You can read our review here.

Thanks to our mates at Sony Pictures NZ we have TEN Double Passes up for grabs for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse!

To enter in the draw for a Double Pass, you need to answer this question correctly:

Spider-Man has crossed many multiverses, character variations and platforms. Tell us your fav Spider-Man moment. This can be from films, comics, series or video gaming. There is no wrong or right answer, but keep it brief.

You can give us your answer by placing a comment below, hitting us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email.

Important stuff: Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / DM / Email in accordance to the above Question. Winner(s) will receive a single Double Pass for the film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is age rated PG in New Zealand. Competition ends on the 6th of June 2023. Only New Zealand entries are accepted for this promotion.

The post Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Double Pass Giveaway! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the second animated super hero film from Sony Pictures.

It pays homage to all Spider-Man character variations and encompasses multiple animation styles (and a wee bit of live action).

We see things kick off around a year after we were first introduced to teenager Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), who, in his dimension, was bitten by a radioactive spider that gave him web slinging abilities.

Across the Spider-Verse explores the near endless multi-dimensions that Spider-Man exists in and the keepers of said dimensions.

When a new foe called The Spot (Jason Schwartzman) emerges and wreaks havoc within the multiverse, everything gets mixed up… and was Miles even meant to be bitten by that spider in the first place, or was his descent in to the Spider-Verse a random mistake?

As we see Spider-Man from differing realities (and throughout history) begin to take on each other, try and take down Miles and restore order to the fabric of time and realities, Miles still has to grapple with family drama’s and the sudden re-emergence of Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), who herself also has emotional trials to deal with, all the while helping Miles to literally survive… or is she working against him?

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is one epic animated fun filled ride of a film.

I loved the first film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. A fresh take on the Spider-Man franchise, and usually sequels are never as good as the first. Across the Spider-Verse bucks that trend and shadows its predecessor.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a film that’s an explosive artwork of classic animation, comic-book styles, stop motion, CGI and more.

The best Spider-Man flick yet and the best film I’ve seen so far in 2023.

The post Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures – 2023) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

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.

Spider-Man is back at the big screen bringing old and new foes while dealing with multiverses and the fact that everyone knows his identity.

Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is being labeled by media as Public Enemy No. 1 from the events of the last film.

Himself, Mary Jane-Watson (Zendaya) and his best friend Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) can no longer live a normal life, and school has become hell being under the public spotlight.

With media helicopters on a regular rotation around his Aunt May’s (Marisa Tomei) apartment the infamy and controversy begins to affect the trios academic future.

But in steps Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberpatch) who reluctantly offers up a solution to undo the past events, so that the public would forget who Peter Parker really is.

With Peter interfering with the spell, the gateways to all multiverses and more open and old foes, from differing realities spill through.

Spider-Man: No Way Home takes the Spider-Man lore and offers up a well put together narrative that explains differing Spider-Man universes and it’s here that we get to see, well, more than one Spider-Man.

As Peter and his friends joined with other Spider-Man’s try to quell these new threats and Peter in the belief that he can help new foes instead of fighting them, the film also in a way does a reset of the current variations we have experienced in the last couple of decades of Spider-Man on the silver screen.

But of course not all goes to plan and Peter must make the ultimate sacrifice, not only to save his Universe, but also his friends.

A twisty tale, Spider-Man: No Way Home is definitely one of the must see films of this holiday season.

The post Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony Pictures – 2021) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Staying at home is something alot of us have now become accustomed too. Play at home.

Todays PlayStation announcements are a mixed bag of titles for us players.

But, incase you missed it, below is the full recap of announcements.

Gran Turismo 7 arrives on PS5 and PS4 – March 4, 2022

GT7 is both the culmination of the series which answers the expectations of GT fans throughout the years, and at the same time it is a title that marks a beginning of a difficult mission to contain the full breadth of car culture from the past into a single video game.  Even more exciting is the firm release date, coming March 4, 2022!

First look at God of War Ragnarök

The team at Santa Monica Studios has unveiled the first look at the highly anticipated sequel that picks up a few years after the events of God of War (2018).

The freezing winds of Fimbulwinter have come to Midgard, making survival for Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir in the Norse wilds even more challenging than before.

While the last game built an enormous amount of trust and understanding between father and son, there is still a great deal of complexity in their interactions – especially after the revelation of Atreus’ Giant heritage and the hidden prophecy only Kratos saw.

Together, Kratos and Atreus will have to make a choice about which path they will take. Whatever they choose will define the fate of all those living in the Nine Realms as Ragnarök approaches.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Marvel’s Wolverine revealed

 Veteran developer Insomniac Games has created two new exciting titles for PlayStation 5 consoles. Firstly, players will continue the journey of both Peter Parker and Miles Morales in their most epic single-player adventure yet with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, coming exclusively to PlayStation 5 consoles in 2023.

Today’s game footage trailer is merely just a glimpse at what’s in store in terms of the new abilities our heroes will acquire, suits they will wear (more on that some other time), and the villains that will try to hunt them down. Speaking of villains, make sure to check out the trailer to see who’s coming to Spidey 2!

Another announcement we certainly didn’t expect was the first glimpse of Marvel’s Wolverine.

Marvel’s Wolverine is a standalone game being directed by Brian Horton (creative director) and Cameron Christian (game director), who recently led the creative efforts on Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, a game we’re extremely proud of at Insomniac. In the vein of our Spider-Man games, our goal here is to not only respect the DNA of what makes the character so popular, but also look for opportunities to make it feel fresh and truly reflect the Insomniac spirit.

PlayStation Showcase: All the announcements

• The City Where Play Has No Limits
• Gran Turismo 7 arrives on PS5 and PS4 March 4
• First look at God of War Ragnarök
• Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection coming to PS5 and PC
• Tchia: Creating a game inspired by New Caledonia
• Down the rabbit hole in Deathloop’s story trailer
• Bloodhunt comes to PlayStation 5 in 2021
• Breaking down the story trailer for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
• Face the unknown in new Ghostwire: Tokyo trailer
• GTAV and GTA Online now coming to PS5 March 2022
• Rewriting history – Alan Wake Remastered brings the writer’s story to PS4 and PS5
• Welcome to the world of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction
• Journey with Frey to Forspoken’s fantastical world next spring
• Breaking down the Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands gameplay trailer
• A new look at the stylish action of Project Eve
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake is the legendary tale remade on PlayStation 5

The post PlayStation Showcase 2021 Wrap Up appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The tale of two Spider-Men.

Miles Morales, the kid from the block (Harlem) who like Peter Parker was bitten by a genetically enhanced Spider.

Getting to grips with his new found web-slinging abilities Miles is coached by Peter.

But as Miles finds out real quick, these abilities come with responsibilities and wielding them with, umm… wreckless abandon can only make a situation worse.

Then before Miles releases it, he is looking after new York city all on his own, as Peter needs to go away for a few weeks.

Spider-Man: Miles Morales is similar to the previous Spider-Man title (2018) we have played on PlayStation 4 but with vast improvements a thousand fold.

To traverse the intricately and accurately mapped NYC you will swing from place to place. Beat up baddies with killer combos and ultimately, try, to save the day.

But you do still have your trainer-wheels on and throughout play you will learn more of your new abilities.

Spider-Man: Miles Morales is also an RPG.

You will Level Up, spend Skill Points and as you earn or acquire them, fancier outfits with better tech.

Speaking of tech due to a new Spider-Man ingame app you can take on side Missions on the fly as the public of NYC can directly message via this app for any help they may need.

Spider-Man: Miles Morales is filled with cyber baddies, an epic one-on-one with Rhino (so far the most stand out moment for me) and who is this chap your Dad was chasing called Prowler?

Another character may, ot may not, be what he seems; Phin Mason. An entrepreneur in the energy business. A target for an organised syndicate trying to get their hands on his energy tech.

Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a play as you want, explore and conquer title that has made the exclusive to PlayStation franchise just that much better than even I couldn’t have imagined with 4K graphic detail our eyes have never seen before in gameplay.

So, what about the PlayStation 5?

While there is alot that I am not going to say – I’m not one to ruin anyone’s golden moment, especially when they receive their silky white and black curved PS5, but expect a difference both with play and although the console is super quiet even during furiously fast action segments – but it does pack some heat (so make sure you give the console ample ventilation space).

You do get a console stand in the box, my suggestion is to use it.

And speaking of space, the Console Edition is slot bigger than I imagined it would be.

Feel the sound.

The haptic feedback on the PS5’s DualSense controller really gives you a true to life feel for the game play, objects in-game and in-game environments. This can be perfectly experienced in both Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Astro’s Playroom as they make full use of the feature.

The PlayStation 5 is also backwards compatible for PlayStation 4 titles.

The console itself is graphically powered by AMD prowess, the internal storage comes in at 850GB SSD and can data crunch 10. 28 teraflops, that’s over a trillion process per second.

If you have the Console Edition you can play your beloved PS4 favs from disc – or on either the Digital Edition (no disc drive) or the Console Edition (has disc drive) play them from your digital games library.

Capable of 8K @ 120 fps and audio output gets a significant boost with 3D audio.

And that’s where I’ll leave it on both Spider-Man: Miles Morales and the PlayStation 5 console itself. I don’t want to give too much away and ruin your own unboxing and connecting up moment.

The post Spider-Man: Miles Morale & PS5 User Preview appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Spider-Man Far From Home has recently released on Bluray and Cadbury Caramilk is back!

To celebrate both, our mates at Sony Home Entertainment and Cadbury NZ have given us ONE Spider-Man Far From Home Bluray and Cadbury have supplied STG with FIVE Caramilk blocks to Giveaway!

Spider-Man Far From Home sees our friendly neighborhood Super Hero decides to join his best friends Ned, MJ, and the rest of the gang on a European vacation.

However, Peter’s plan to leave super heroics behind for a few weeks are quickly scrapped when he begrudgingly agrees to help Nick Fury uncover the mystery of several elemental creature attacks, creating havoc across the continent.

To Enter our Spider-Man Far From Home & Cadbury Caramilk Giveaway you will need to answer this Question correctly:

In Spider-Man Far From Home, Spider-Man faces off against a new enemy. What is his villain name?

(You might find the answer in our official Spider-Man Far From Home film review)

A: Mysterio

B: Thanos

C: Dr. Otto Octavius

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

* Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / Email in accordance to the above Question.Winner(s) will receive FIVE Cadbury Carailk blocks (180g) and a Bluray for the film Spider-Man Far From Home which has a M15 Age rating in New Zealand. You must be over the age of 15 years in order to enter this competition (STG may ask for verification). Competition ends on the 3rd of November 2019.

The post Enter to Win Spider-Man & Cadbury Prize Pack appeared first on Shane the Gamer.