Title: Marvel's Spider Man: Miles Morales | Developer: Insomniac Games | Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment | Initial Release: 19th November 2020
Since it's release on 7th September 2018, Marvel's Spider-Man on PS4 has been a favourite title of both players and virtual photographers thanks to its comic book cool, accessible yet stylish gameplay, and one of the best photo mode implementations around. The engaging characters, exceptional models and busy New York streets remain a popular playground today, and so there is an understandable excitement about the release of the next instalment Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
After Insomniac Games' PS4 title was famously used in a tech-demo to show how quickly the PS5's impressive SSD and I/O speeds would allow it to load games, it soon seemed logical that the franchise would return as one of the first big PlayStation Studios releases on Sony's latest hardware. Confirmed to be the case earlier this year, last night's PS5 showcase gave an extended preview of what to expect.
Play and photograph the whole Spider-Man story in its best-looking form yet
As well as accelerated loading times and familiar gameplay, now targeting 60 fps, Spider-Man's first PS5 outing will also add haptic feedback through the DualSense controller and 3D audio to enhance the experience further, but perhaps most significant for the inevitable photo mode will be the higher quality visuals and ray-traced lighting. The gameplay demo does indeed go to town with these effects including diffuse bounce lighting, lots of neon glow and wet surface reflections that add lots to each scene, so it is perhaps surprising to learn that this latest episode will be launching simultaneously on both PS4 and PS5.
While continuing to advocate the benefits of generational leaps in console gaming, Sony has now also acknowledged that "some of you may transition to PS5 at different times". This likely comes as welcome news as it means that Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales will be available both to those who choose to upgrade their hardware, as well as those who stick with their current generation console. Obviously the PS4 version will be shorn of the enhancements seen on PS5, but you can at least expect an experience similar to that of the original game on which this new release is based, and that is hardly a bad place to start.
Add to this, the fact that the PS4 version of Miles Morales includes a free upgrade path to the PS5 edition, if and when you decide to move to PS5, and it really is great news for any Spider-Man fan who is not yet ready for a new console. For those that are however, Sony has one extra surprise in store...
If bought as the Ultimate Edition on PS5, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales will also include a digital version of the newly announced Marvel's Spider-Man: Remastered with all of its existing story DLC. With updated art assets, improved levels of detail, busier streets and the all-important ray-traced lighting effects, along with PS5's signature near-instant loading, 3D audio and haptic feedback, this is an opportunity to play and photograph the whole Spider-Man story in its best-looking form yet.
So, whether you are an early adopter of new console hardware, someone who will make the leap a little later, or are simply happy with what you've got already, Insomniac Games have got you covered and Spider-Man really is a cross-generational Marvel.
[ Images © 2020 Marvel courtesy of PlayStation ]
