Yearly Archives: 2020
PS5 Has 667GB of Usable Storage Space
PS5 Has 667GB of Usable Storage Space
PS5 Console, Spider-Man, Astro’s Playroom Review Impressions
PS5 Console, Spider-Man, Astro’s Playroom Review Impressions
How Long Is Spider-Man: Miles Morales?
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales follows up Insomniac’s beloved PS4 exclusive with a new entry on PS4 and PS5 at launch. Only revealed earlier this year, there’s been some confusion and differing discussion around how big a game Miles Morales would be compared to the original, including comparisons to Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, a shorter spin-off from the mainline Uncharted series.
But how long does it actually take to beat the game? We asked those on the IGN staff that have beaten the game for their experience with how long it took (and don’t worry, there won’t be any story spoilers!). [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/06/marvels-spider-man-miles-morales-review"][poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jonathon Dornbush, Miles Morales Reviewer, Senior News Editor I would put my time with Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ story somewhere in the 8 - 10 hour range. With an open-world game like this, and especially one that I found improved some of the side objectives that were less engrossing with the original, it’s tough not to easily get sidetracked and dip into a collectible or side mission on the way to a story beat. Like the first game, each district in New York has its own series of objectives to complete, but thankfully stopping X number of crimes in each district is no longer one of them. Each of the side mission requirements feels a lot more in line with the ethos of Spider-Man - being friendly to the neighborhood - while also adding some fun personal touches that bring everything back to Miles’ story and the world at large. There are some clever uses of already established figures in this world. That means I’ve easily spent at least double my story time on a 100% run, and still have some trophies to pick up to achieve the platinum. But the content offers a nice host of varied collectibles, neighborhood help side missions, and a lengthier string of side missions that lets Miles do even more to help out his home in Harlem. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=I%20would%20put%20my%20time%20with%20Marvel%E2%80%99s%20Spider-Man%3A%20Miles%20Morales%E2%80%99%20story%20somewhere%20in%20the%208%20-%2010%20hour%20range."] Janet Garcia, Associate Guides Editor My time in Harlem spanned 9-10 hours across just a few sessions of playtime. I stopped a few extra crimes along the way and dug up some childhood time capsules, if I happened to spot them nearby on my minimap, but for the most part I beelined for the story. The bulk of my time, outside of main missions, was spent obsessively twisting, flipping, and diving off of everything in New Your City: essentially turning Miles Morales into my own version of Tony Hawk whenever a mission was far enough away. I only used fast travel twice during the entire campaign, just to appreciate how refreshingly fast it was. I finished Miles Morales having reached Level 17 with 61% completion. I unlocked most skills but made very few upgrades to Miles’ suit or gadgets. Admittedly, I felt a little underpowered for some of the final areas of the game but I never felt I’d made a horrible mistake with my streamlined build. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=spider-man-miles-morales-playstation-5-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Brendan Graeber, Guides Editor Working on a full guide and walkthrough often skews my playtime on the far end of things, given the need to meticulously document each mission, write up puzzle solutions, screenshot the more hidden collectible locations, and record video. If I had to estimate my time fully exploring everything Miles Morales has to offer, I’d probably put it somewhere in the 15-18 hour range. Though the main campaign is fairly short compared to the first game, there’s still plenty to do around Manhattan. While writing the guide, I made sure to track down each type of collectible, get the best scores on all the challenges, complete every enemy base and stop each type of crime and all sub-objectives, and unlock every suit, mod, and gadget along the way. I’m sure I spent plenty of time swinging around just for the fun of it, and never found myself needing to fast travel or make use of the PS5’s card system to teleport to certain activities. The only thing I haven’t fully explored is the game’s New Game Plus mode, which actually has a few upgrades locked away that may just bring me back around to beat the game once more. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=It's%20quite%20a%20bit%20shorter%20than%20Peter%20Parker%E2%80%99s%20outing%20a%20couple%20of%20years%20back%2C%20but%20didn%E2%80%99t%20feel%20too%20short%20at%20all."] Simon Cardy, Video Producer I pretty much mainlined the story missions of Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which took me around 7 hours to complete. That’s quite a bit shorter than Peter Parker’s outing a couple of years back, but didn’t feel too short at all. Fast travel is ludicrously fast, which helps get to mission markers with ease – but, honestly, I didn’t use it too much, mainly due to the joy of swinging around New York. I still have many collectibles, side missions and activities to complete since finishing the campaign, as I did quite well to not get too distracted by the beacons gleaming above the skyscrapers during my initial 7 hours. The only sidetracks for me so far have been a quick scavenger hunt around the city to gain enough tokens and tech to unlock the Spider-Verse suit and my inevitable plunge into photo mode, which returns in all its glory from the 2018 release. I can’t wait to jump back in soon though and see what the side missions entail, although there does seem to be far fewer of them on offer than in the original game. I might even snag that platinum trophy, which looks to be relatively attainable. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-spider-man-review-ever&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]Jesse Gomez, Video Producer and Editor
My very first playthrough of Miles Morales took exactly 6 hours, 33 minutes and 24 seconds to complete. How do I know the exact number, you may ask? Naturally, I recorded my entire playthrough with some capture equipment I’ve got at home. 7 total videos and 413GB later, I breezed through the game whilst also stopping to partake in the bare minimum of side-missions and crimes you need to do in order to progress through the story. By the way, the time I mentioned earlier also includes cutscenes, loading times and the occasional moment messing around in photo mode too. Although I could have scored an even quicker time by making use of the nearly instantaneous fast-travel, I opted to swing to every location within the game instead. Using the 4K/60FPS visual mode whilst playing made swinging through New York is an absolute pleasure, and one I just didn’t want to miss out on. We awarded Spider-Man: Miles Morales a 9/10 review, calling it "a fantastic follow-up, telling a wonderful story while improving upon the fundamentals of the first game." We've also reviewed the PS5 as a whole. [poilib element="accentDivider"] [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=727bcb46-88e9-4b3e-b996-6aedafddf4d8"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]How Long Is Spider-Man: Miles Morales?
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales follows up Insomniac’s beloved PS4 exclusive with a new entry on PS4 and PS5 at launch. Only revealed earlier this year, there’s been some confusion and differing discussion around how big a game Miles Morales would be compared to the original, including comparisons to Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, a shorter spin-off from the mainline Uncharted series.
But how long does it actually take to beat the game? We asked those on the IGN staff that have beaten the game for their experience with how long it took (and don’t worry, there won’t be any story spoilers!). [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/06/marvels-spider-man-miles-morales-review"][poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jonathon Dornbush, Miles Morales Reviewer, Senior News Editor I would put my time with Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ story somewhere in the 8 - 10 hour range. With an open-world game like this, and especially one that I found improved some of the side objectives that were less engrossing with the original, it’s tough not to easily get sidetracked and dip into a collectible or side mission on the way to a story beat. Like the first game, each district in New York has its own series of objectives to complete, but thankfully stopping X number of crimes in each district is no longer one of them. Each of the side mission requirements feels a lot more in line with the ethos of Spider-Man - being friendly to the neighborhood - while also adding some fun personal touches that bring everything back to Miles’ story and the world at large. There are some clever uses of already established figures in this world. That means I’ve easily spent at least double my story time on a 100% run, and still have some trophies to pick up to achieve the platinum. But the content offers a nice host of varied collectibles, neighborhood help side missions, and a lengthier string of side missions that lets Miles do even more to help out his home in Harlem. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=I%20would%20put%20my%20time%20with%20Marvel%E2%80%99s%20Spider-Man%3A%20Miles%20Morales%E2%80%99%20story%20somewhere%20in%20the%208%20-%2010%20hour%20range."] Janet Garcia, Associate Guides Editor My time in Harlem spanned 9-10 hours across just a few sessions of playtime. I stopped a few extra crimes along the way and dug up some childhood time capsules, if I happened to spot them nearby on my minimap, but for the most part I beelined for the story. The bulk of my time, outside of main missions, was spent obsessively twisting, flipping, and diving off of everything in New Your City: essentially turning Miles Morales into my own version of Tony Hawk whenever a mission was far enough away. I only used fast travel twice during the entire campaign, just to appreciate how refreshingly fast it was. I finished Miles Morales having reached Level 17 with 61% completion. I unlocked most skills but made very few upgrades to Miles’ suit or gadgets. Admittedly, I felt a little underpowered for some of the final areas of the game but I never felt I’d made a horrible mistake with my streamlined build. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=spider-man-miles-morales-playstation-5-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Brendan Graeber, Guides Editor Working on a full guide and walkthrough often skews my playtime on the far end of things, given the need to meticulously document each mission, write up puzzle solutions, screenshot the more hidden collectible locations, and record video. If I had to estimate my time fully exploring everything Miles Morales has to offer, I’d probably put it somewhere in the 15-18 hour range. Though the main campaign is fairly short compared to the first game, there’s still plenty to do around Manhattan. While writing the guide, I made sure to track down each type of collectible, get the best scores on all the challenges, complete every enemy base and stop each type of crime and all sub-objectives, and unlock every suit, mod, and gadget along the way. I’m sure I spent plenty of time swinging around just for the fun of it, and never found myself needing to fast travel or make use of the PS5’s card system to teleport to certain activities. The only thing I haven’t fully explored is the game’s New Game Plus mode, which actually has a few upgrades locked away that may just bring me back around to beat the game once more. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=It's%20quite%20a%20bit%20shorter%20than%20Peter%20Parker%E2%80%99s%20outing%20a%20couple%20of%20years%20back%2C%20but%20didn%E2%80%99t%20feel%20too%20short%20at%20all."] Simon Cardy, Video Producer I pretty much mainlined the story missions of Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which took me around 7 hours to complete. That’s quite a bit shorter than Peter Parker’s outing a couple of years back, but didn’t feel too short at all. Fast travel is ludicrously fast, which helps get to mission markers with ease – but, honestly, I didn’t use it too much, mainly due to the joy of swinging around New York. I still have many collectibles, side missions and activities to complete since finishing the campaign, as I did quite well to not get too distracted by the beacons gleaming above the skyscrapers during my initial 7 hours. The only sidetracks for me so far have been a quick scavenger hunt around the city to gain enough tokens and tech to unlock the Spider-Verse suit and my inevitable plunge into photo mode, which returns in all its glory from the 2018 release. I can’t wait to jump back in soon though and see what the side missions entail, although there does seem to be far fewer of them on offer than in the original game. I might even snag that platinum trophy, which looks to be relatively attainable. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-spider-man-review-ever&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]Jesse Gomez, Video Producer and Editor
My very first playthrough of Miles Morales took exactly 6 hours, 33 minutes and 24 seconds to complete. How do I know the exact number, you may ask? Naturally, I recorded my entire playthrough with some capture equipment I’ve got at home. 7 total videos and 413GB later, I breezed through the game whilst also stopping to partake in the bare minimum of side-missions and crimes you need to do in order to progress through the story. By the way, the time I mentioned earlier also includes cutscenes, loading times and the occasional moment messing around in photo mode too. Although I could have scored an even quicker time by making use of the nearly instantaneous fast-travel, I opted to swing to every location within the game instead. Using the 4K/60FPS visual mode whilst playing made swinging through New York is an absolute pleasure, and one I just didn’t want to miss out on. We awarded Spider-Man: Miles Morales a 9/10 review, calling it "a fantastic follow-up, telling a wonderful story while improving upon the fundamentals of the first game." We've also reviewed the PS5 as a whole. [poilib element="accentDivider"] [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=727bcb46-88e9-4b3e-b996-6aedafddf4d8"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]Astro’s Playroom Review: PS5 Welcome Wagon
In its opening moments, Astro's Playroom literally describes itself as a tutorial. Specifically, it explains that the Playroom's light and lighthearted platforming levels are a means of showing off the special features of the PlayStation 5's new DualSense controller. Some, like the adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and built-in microphone, are new. Others, like the touchpad and the gyroscope, are not. But they all distinguish the DualSense from its Xbox- and Nintendo-based counterparts. While Astro's Playroom absolutely goes out of its way to offer clever proof of the PS5's potential--the DualSense's new tricks, the improved visuals, the quick load times--the disembodied text at the start of the game sells Astro short. Playroom is an incredibly charming jaunt through a PlayStation-inspired digital theme park, ensuring that your first hop, skip, and jump of the PS5 era is wholly, unequivocally joyful.
Astro's world--the literal playroom--is a cartoon fantasy-style interpretation of the PlayStation 5. The game's four levels and hub world are all named after the console's components, like "GPU Jungle" and "Cooling Springs." Inside, each is a dreamlike PlayStation playground; your typical platforming level locales, like "beach," "city," and "meadow," are decorated with computer chips and parts of PlayStations past woven into their fabric. Each one is densely packed with fun little scenes and interactive set-dressing. Astro's adorable bot friends hang out, play games, and cosplay as some of the platform's iconic characters, making every adventure feel like a party, too. Having the PlayStation hype-train baked into every nook and cranny of the world could have felt overbearing, but it's all very endearing. The level design is more clever than cloying, and the bots are all very cute and their happy vibes are surprisingly contagious.
The PlayStation references are tied to collectibles, which fill up an interactive museum space called "PlayStation Labo." As you find puzzle pieces that turn to PlayStation-themed murals and giant virtual models, the space quickly turns into a very concentrated nostalgia hit for fans of PlayStation's history. It also gives you a place to use all the coins you've been grabbing: There's a gacha machine in the back that will sell you even more collectibles. That gives you a reason to go, but I found this to be the rare game where I actually wanted to survey the collectibles after I found them. That's partially because I enjoyed walking around and jumping on the giant PlayStation memorabilia, but it's also because the space, full of bots playing with PlayStation gear, felt more engaging than a plain menu or empty "viewing" space.
Continue Reading at GameSpotMarvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Review
Editor's note: Spider-Man: Miles Morales is releasing on November 12 for both PS5 and PS4. For this review, Jordan played on a PS4 Pro. Other GameSpot staff tested the game on PS5 and found it to be a largely comparable experience, with the PS5 version benefiting from improved visual flourishes and load times. For a technical-focused discussion of the PS5, and how Miles Morales benefits, check out our PS5 review.
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales feels like the second half to The City That Never Sleeps, a three-part follow-up expansion to 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man--the game even begins with the option to watch a short recap of the first game and its DLC in order to bring you up to speed on Miles' origins, reinforcing the notion that this is an extension of what's come before.
And, unfortunately, the gameplay in Spider-Man: Miles Morales (which I will hereafter refer to as SM:MM because I'll be damned if I try to write a full review that cleverly tries to make a distinction between Spider-Man/Miles Morales the game and Spider-Man/Miles Morales the character; I won't do it) never quite manages to break free of that feeling. That isn't necessarily a bad thing--I like 2018's Spider-Man for its engaging combat loop, so I'm glad SM:MM emulates it. It's just that sometimes SM:MM can feel too similar to what's come before, which can get in the way of establishing Miles as his own brand of superhero. Regardless, the familiar trappings of SM:MM are used to tell an entirely fresh story with a few brand-new faces. And it's that narrative and those characters that manage to distinguish SM:MM as an open-world action game that's compelling to play.
Continue Reading at GameSpotAstro’s Playroom Review: PS5 Welcome Wagon
In its opening moments, Astro's Playroom literally describes itself as a tutorial. Specifically, it explains that the Playroom's light and lighthearted platforming levels are a means of showing off the special features of the PlayStation 5's new DualSense controller. Some, like the adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and built-in microphone, are new. Others, like the touchpad and the gyroscope, are not. But they all distinguish the DualSense from its Xbox- and Nintendo-based counterparts. While Astro's Playroom absolutely goes out of its way to offer clever proof of the PS5's potential--the DualSense's new tricks, the improved visuals, the quick load times--the disembodied text at the start of the game sells Astro short. Playroom is an incredibly charming jaunt through a PlayStation-inspired digital theme park, ensuring that your first hop, skip, and jump of the PS5 era is wholly, unequivocally joyful.
Astro's world--the literal playroom--is a cartoon fantasy-style interpretation of the PlayStation 5. The game's four levels and hub world are all named after the console's components, like "GPU Jungle" and "Cooling Springs." Inside, each is a dreamlike PlayStation playground; your typical platforming level locales, like "beach," "city," and "meadow," are decorated with computer chips and parts of PlayStations past woven into their fabric. Each one is densely packed with fun little scenes and interactive set-dressing. Astro's adorable bot friends hang out, play games, and cosplay as some of the platform's iconic characters, making every adventure feel like a party, too. Having the PlayStation hype-train baked into every nook and cranny of the world could have felt overbearing, but it's all very endearing. The level design is more clever than cloying, and the bots are all very cute and their happy vibes are surprisingly contagious.
The PlayStation references are tied to collectibles, which fill up an interactive museum space called "PlayStation Labo." As you find puzzle pieces that turn to PlayStation-themed murals and giant virtual models, the space quickly turns into a very concentrated nostalgia hit for fans of PlayStation's history. It also gives you a place to use all the coins you've been grabbing: There's a gacha machine in the back that will sell you even more collectibles. That gives you a reason to go, but I found this to be the rare game where I actually wanted to survey the collectibles after I found them. That's partially because I enjoyed walking around and jumping on the giant PlayStation memorabilia, but it's also because the space, full of bots playing with PlayStation gear, felt more engaging than a plain menu or empty "viewing" space.
Continue Reading at GameSpotMarvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Review
Editor's note: Spider-Man: Miles Morales is releasing on November 12 for both PS5 and PS4. For this review, Jordan played on a PS4 Pro. Other GameSpot staff tested the game on PS5 and found it to be a largely comparable experience, with the PS5 version benefiting from improved visual flourishes and load times. For a technical-focused discussion of the PS5, and how Miles Morales benefits, check out our PS5 review.
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales feels like the second half to The City That Never Sleeps, a three-part follow-up expansion to 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man--the game even begins with the option to watch a short recap of the first game and its DLC in order to bring you up to speed on Miles' origins, reinforcing the notion that this is an extension of what's come before.
And, unfortunately, the gameplay in Spider-Man: Miles Morales (which I will hereafter refer to as SM:MM because I'll be damned if I try to write a full review that cleverly tries to make a distinction between Spider-Man/Miles Morales the game and Spider-Man/Miles Morales the character; I won't do it) never quite manages to break free of that feeling. That isn't necessarily a bad thing--I like 2018's Spider-Man for its engaging combat loop, so I'm glad SM:MM emulates it. It's just that sometimes SM:MM can feel too similar to what's come before, which can get in the way of establishing Miles as his own brand of superhero. Regardless, the familiar trappings of SM:MM are used to tell an entirely fresh story with a few brand-new faces. And it's that narrative and those characters that manage to distinguish SM:MM as an open-world action game that's compelling to play.
Continue Reading at GameSpot