T w e n t y S i d e d

In a narrative sense, we’re entering the absolute worst part of the game. The gameplay is fine, but these next couple of cutscenes are a disaster of frustration and annoyance in terms of story.

Spider-Man heads to the secret lab where they’re cooking up the Devil’s Breath antiserum. When he arrives, he finds that Martin Li has already taken over. Martin’s Demon gang steamrolled the Sable guardsHow can these guys possibly suck THIS BAD? The Demons wear suits and use swords, and Sable goons wear body armor and carry automatic rifles..

Spider-Man webs up the Demons, and is about to head inside when more Sable guys arrive. He tries to make peace with them, but their bloodlust is only exceeded by their breathtaking ineptitude. He adds them to the pile of snoozing Demon guys and chases after Martin.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Spider-Man Part 23: Smarten Li”

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

Let’s back up a bit and talk about a scene that takes place at the height of the city-wide crisis, before Spider-Man defeats Electro, Vulture, Scorpion, and Rhino. We get a moment where Spider-Man shows up to a burning building to save Miles and Aunt may. One thing leads to another, and MJ and Miles end up saving Spider-Man. Then our three heroes gather on the roof to process what’s going on in the city. It’s a great scene that allows MJ and Spider-Man to reconcile and gives some character development to Miles. This is the first time we’ve had all three of our hero characters togetherTechnically they all attended the Osborn rally, but they hadn’t been introduced at that point. and now we get to see them bond and make plans.

It’s also a bit of a funny scene because Spider-Man and MJ have to pretend to be casual acquaintances instead of an ex-couple. Miles is charming, eager, and a little star-struck.

Spider-Man thanks MJ for saving his life, and she turns it around by pointing out how often he’s saved hers. It’s pretty clear that this bugs her. Yes, maybe Spider-Man is a touch overprotective, but maybe she’s a little overly defensive about it and maybe this partnership would work better if they both relaxed a little. I know I keep saying this, but I really like this new take on the characters and I find this dynamic so much more interesting than the original version of the relationship between down-on-his-luck Peter Parker and his wealthy glamorous supermodel actress wife.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Spider-Man Part 22: Exposition Central”

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.