Spider-Man Remastered PC review: All sparkle, no substance
Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018) already got a remaster for shoppingmode PlayStation 5 back in 2020, and now it’s been remastered for Windows PC as well, with spinoff game Miles Morales to be released on PC later this year.
And despite its glossy sheen on two new platforms since its release, it hasn’t aged well. In fact, its celebration of both the police and surveillance states is downright cringeworthy today.
Most often I opted to play the game’s installed version straight off the Steam Deck, so I could play it in offline mode and not have to worry about maintaining a good connection with my desktop PC for streaming.
What I did notice, both on Steam Deck and on my PC, were issues with audio syncing. I’m not talking about a consistent audio delay
Another bug, which I experienced only in the desktop version of the game, involved the surveillance towers that Peter unlocks throughout Manhattan
n three separate occasions, Peter walked up to one of the towers and it wouldn’t trigger the button prompt for me to decode the signal.
After the reload, the entire tower glitched out, becoming a terrifying piece of abstract art in the process.
When I explored more, I saw that every single surveillance tower was similarly mangled
Aside from those minor issues, Spider-Man plays like a dream and looks good doing it. Swinging through the streets of virtual New York City as Spider-Man feels as breathtaking in 2022 as it did in 2018 (and 2020)
The smaller details make a difference, too, like the high-res sweat on Miles’ brow and the tears welling in his eyes during a pivotal scene.
Also, people keep calling Peter on the phone. On the phone! In 2018! Anyway.