Is Marvel Spiderman PC worth it?
As a long-time superhero games fan and PC hardware tinkerer, I was eagerly awaiting the PC port of 2018‘s Marvel‘s Spider-Man to see if it would deliver a definitive version worthy of the asking price. Having played through the entire game and all DLCs, here is my detailed breakdown on what the PC port offers and whether it‘s worth spending on.
The Short Answer
For those looking just for a quick yes/no – Marvel‘s Spider-Man on PC is absolutely worth purchasing, providing you have the minimum hardware to run it properly. It takes the stellar PS4 game, polish and multi-award winning gameplay as its foundation, and expands upon all that with noticeably improved graphics and performance to create arguably the best way to experience being Spider-Man.
Technical Showcase of the Power of PC
Right off the bat, the PC port impresses by scaling wonderfully across a wide gamut of hardware configurations while retaining the game‘s cinematic visual consistency. It has clearly been optimized brilliantly by Nixxes Software to tap into the power only desktop-class hardware can provide.
Here‘s a comparative overview of some of the major technical upgrades over the PS4 original:
| Graphics Feature | Improvement on PC |
|---|---|
| Resolution Support | Up to native 4K (3840 × 2160) |
| Framerate | Up to 120 FPS with high-refresh displays |
| Ray Tracing | Realistic shadows, reflections and ambient occlusion |
| Texture Detail | Higher resolution environmental textures |
| Asset Quality | Enhanced 3D models/assets for characters/buildings |
| Display Support | Ultrawide monitor and multi-monitor setups |
With a mid-range modern GPU like the NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti, I experienced a rock solid 60+ FPS throughout at a 1440p resolution with all settings at max. The freedom to crank up draw distances coupled with the meticulous texturing gives Marvel‘s New York an incredible sense of depth and vibrancy. Ray tracing enables photorealistic environmental reflections and life-like lighting across time cycles that have to be seen firsthand to be believed!
Spider-Man himself has phenomenal texture work on his suit to see the creases move fluidly as he wall-crawls and zip-lines across rooftops at breakneck speeds while the world zips by in an almost cinematic fashion.
Gaming Comforts and Conveniences
The game has been designed from ground up for the PS4‘s DualShock controller. On PC, it translates beautifully to mouse keyboard controls letting me aim gadgets easily with the mouse while hot-keying abilities comfortably to keys making for intuitive spider-abilities management even in hectic battles.
I could spend hours effortlessly chaining combat maneuvers, environmental takedowns and traversal moves seamlessly in a zen-like flow. The higher refresh rates also makes everything feel wonderfully snappy and responsive.
This also makes console-quality cinematic set-pieces like pursuing vehicles or QTEs far easier than they would be otherwise with higher precision inputs. I encountered no perceptible input lag even without a high-end gaming mouse.
In terms of display support, the game works flawlessly on widescreen formats like 32:9 allowing for greatly expanded peripheral views creating an extra level of Spider-Man fantasy fulfillment!
An Exceptional Superhero Story
Of course, these technical embellishments would mean little if the core narrative and gameplay itself wasn‘t top-notch. This is where Spider-Man‘s masterful single-player campaign comes in delivering a memorable, emotional superhero story complemented by a finely tuned progression system.
Fans and critics alike have praised Spider-Man‘s spectacular combat marrying skill trees, gadgets and environmental moves into stylish, flowing takedowns. The way veteran Peter Parker moves so effortlessly in combat sells the empowering fantasy perfectly!
Traversal mechanics too, like point-launching or the fan favorite web-swinging, are fluid and intuitive letting us pull off seemingly gravity-defying moves across New York‘s skyline feeling like seasoned super-heroes ourselves.
These systems hold up as well as ever even under expanded field of view allowing us to choreograph that much more elaborate maneuvers making the PC version the definitive combat sandbox playground!
The game offers a solid 30-35 hour core story even on a mainlined playthrough allowing us ample time getting attached to Peter‘s relationships, morality battles and emotional losses against classic foes like Otto Octavius.
Expanded Content and Longevity
On top of that meaty base game, the PC port includes all post-launch DLCs adding to both gameplay options and narrative scope:
- The City That Never Sleeps chapters adding hours of additional missions
- Suits from Into the Spiderverse, Spider-Man Homecoming and other media for aesthtic variety
- Cosmetic customizations for Spidey abilities adding tweaks to animations/visual effects
Altogether, the complete package offers over 50+ hours of sensational web crawling enjoyment with ample incentive for repeat playthroughs thanks to New Game+ and unlockable difficulty modes allowing us to retain powers across repeated games.
Considering AAA titles these days rarely cross 15-20 hours, Spider-Man PC provides exceptional bang-for-buck value matched only by genre masters like The Witcher 3. For fans yet to play the original, it‘s a no brainer purchase!
Hardware Recommendations
Here is a quick cheat sheet for hardware required to enjoy smooth 60 FPS gameplay based on my testing:
Minimum
- 1080p/Low Settings: GTX 1060 6GB / RX 580 8GB
- 1080p/Medium: GTX 1070 8GB / RX Vega 56 8GB
Recommended
- 1440p/High: RTX 2070 Super 8GB / RX 5700XT 8GB
- 4K/Max Settings: RTX 3080 12GB / RX 6950XT 16GB
With performance optimization prioritized exceptionally well across the quality spectrum, even budget GPU owners can enjoy Spider-Man PC reliably at over 30 FPS minimum. For ray tracing though an RTX GPU is a must.
CPU wise, a 6 core modern processor like Intel i5-10400F or Ryzen 5 5600X suffices for 60 FPS. Those seeking to push 120+ frames should look at 8 core CPUs.
All that hardware muscle also future-proofs this version for coming graphics API advancements like DLSS 3 to extend its lifespan for at least 3-4 years out!
Final Verdict
In conclusion, Marvel‘s Spider-Man on PC takes an already phenomenal superhero game seen by many as one of PlayStation‘s best exclusives, and elevates it to the pinnacle of technical and presentation brilliance.
With its strong writing, emotive story beats, satisfying progression loop and extremely accessible gameplay systems, Spider-Man PC realizes the escapist power fantasy of being Marvel‘s renowned wall-crawler better than any game before it.
Backed by top-notch optimization, beautifully remastered assets to tap into uncompromising horsepower of the platform all while delivering buttery-smooth high refresh gameplay, this is the ultimate version for PC gamers itching to don their Spider-suit proudly!
So if you even remotely enjoy single-player action-adventure games and are yet to swing across the NY skyline, this action-packed release comes with my wholehearted recommend. Even veteran PS4 players will find the PC upgrade worth revisiting.
It retains everything phenomenal about 2018‘s Game of the Year contender while expanding horizons through svelte technical craftsmanship. Over 50+ hours of stories, side activities and challenges crammed to the brim here make this an essential addition to any PC gamer‘s library!
