I wanted Marvel's on PS4 to make me feel like Spider-Man: To sail between the highrises of New York City, to nimbly web up hordes of enemies, and tussle with familiar, animal-themed villains. Insomniac Games' first foray into the world of Marvel handily delivers on all of that.

The simply titled Marvel's Spider-Man allows Peter Parker to freely swing around an open-world New York as his alter ego-to intervene in street crimes, seek out collectibles, and gradually progress through a larger plot that features multiple villains.

I'll make this blunt. Marvel's Spider-Man is the best video game you will play this year. That sentence is said with no added qualifiers. I don't care if this is normally not your kind of game, if you think the premise of a man swinging through Manhattan on spider webs is dumb, or that comics are...

King of swing

Gorgeous visuals; Excellent gameplay; Well-written story and characters; Lots of nods to Marvel and Spider-Man's history; Surprises galore; Side quests and activities are lots of fun

Some bugs that temporarily hindered progress

One of my favourite games so far really love being able to swing through Manhattan as the webslinger Spider-Man and being able to play as Mary-Jane is fun too. Combat can be a little repetitive at times but will still give 5 stars.

‘With great power, there must also come great responsibility.' It's the mantra that has underpinned the entire Spider-Man ethos. It is a lasting reminder that no one is infallible, regardless of their strengths.

They've done it folks, Insomniac has made one of the best superhero games I've ever played. Marvel's Spider-Man is yet another exclusive jewel in both Insomniac Games and Sony's crown. They're going to need a scepter to go with that thing soon.

Gorgeous graphics and animation; Traversal is incredible and never gets old; The Story kept me on the edge of my seat throughout; Lots of surprises for eagle-eyed fans; Taking control of other characters keeps the pace fresh

Minor open world traversal hiccups; Mini Games can be a bit dull; Side activities are a typical open-world affair

So this game came with some lofty expectations and it didn't fail to deliver. From the onset you are put in the shoes of Spidey, being able to swing through a detailed looking Manhattan. The first mission acts almost as a tutorial, so there is no drama about prior learning of the controls.

We've seen it time and time again, games that are that over-hyped, they're just destined to fail. However, there are some exceptions to that trend and in recent times those that have lived up to the high expectations have come in the form of a fair few PlayStation 4 exclusives.

Brilliant combat; Great web-slinging mechanics; Visually stunning; Superb voice cast and soundtrack

Stealth is not the games strongest asset

Some ill-conceived stealth sequences hold the game back a bit, but overall, Marvel's Spider-Man raises the bar for what a licensed open-world game can be in the same way that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has reshaped superhero movies.