Marvel's Spider-Man: Turf Wars Review - Filler Wars

Published: November 27, 2018 12:00 PM /

Reviewed By:


marvel's spider-man turf wars dlc review header

The second part of Spider-Man’s DLC trilogy kicks off with Hammerhead and the Maggia pick up the pieces left behind by The Heist. A crime war is in full swing and Spidey's caught in a torn apart New York City once again. Turf Wars picks up after the events of the first DLC, with its Black Cat-related cliffhanger still an unknown quantity. The continued story is mostly an engaging one, but Spider-Man’s second DLC is ultimately a brief and uneven ride.

The finale of Turf Wars sets up interesting story threads that are sure to make for a dramatic finale next time around. As for the content here, the whole thing just feels too slight to make any real impact. You could get through the main story in under 2 hours, making the previous DLC’s duration seem long by comparison. It starts strong and ends intense, but the stuff in-between is uneven at best and filler at worst. The conclusion leaves a lot to be desired, demanding that the final piece of DLC delivers a lot of closure.

Turf Wars does see more direct involvement from Yuri Watanabe. Spider-Man’s friend on the police force was one of the more under-utilized characters from the base game. She finally gets some good character development here, making her more than just an occasional voice in Spidey’s ear. Her moments are the strongest and most engaging the story has to offer.

spider man turf wars yuri
It's finally Yuri's time to shine

There’s very little else going on here. While The Heist had an optional questline that tied into the main story, Turf Wars offers no such content. All the side stuff feels like it’s just there for the sake of it. The whole of Turf Wars is just giving you more boxes to tick and more bad guys to beat up. If you’re looking for even more Spider-Man then this definitely has you covered, but there’s not much to keep things fresh.

The Mary Jane and Miles stealth sequences may not have been everyone’s favorite parts of the base game, but at least they added some variety. There are no such segments here and I found myself oddly missing them. They change the pace up quite nicely and Mary Jane and Miles are both endearing characters. Disappointingly, there’s almost no MJ here at all and just a couple more teases towards the Miles closure we all want. It’s beginning to seem like they might just be setting up for the inevitable sequel rather than for future DLC for this game.

spider man turf wars black suit
Spidey's looking good in his Spider-Armor.

Alongside the main story, you’ll find new crimes to stop, as crime never stops in New York. There are also Hammerhead bases to take down and Screwball challenges to take part in. The fresh ideas introduced in The Heist’s Screwball challenges are here, where you have to take down enemies in a small area that’ll move around after a set time, but it’s decidedly less exciting a second time. There’s nothing substantial aside from more combat, swinging, or stealth scenarios, if you haven’t already done enough of that. 

The DLC adds a couple of new enemy types, like a jetpack dude that will charge you. However, most of them are reskins of old ones with more devastating gear. For example, energy shields and laser guns replace their more traditional counterparts. It’s exciting when these enemies show up for the first time. As you start fighting, you quickly realize they’re exactly the same as the old ones. The powerful nature of their equipment fits with the narrative of the gangs having access to Sable International’s high-tech gear, but the increased difficulty that comes with it feels arbitrary and a little excessive.

The fact that Spider-Man gets no new abilities or powers makes the increase in difficulty even less engaging. As with The Heist, if you’ve already reached max level then there’s nothing new to unlock. This feels at odds with your opponents growing stronger and more capable. It would’ve been nice if there were some new toy to mess around with. Maybe some new ability to combat the enemies’ increased potency. For a game with so many cool gadgets, it feels like a missed opportunity to not introduce a couple more for the DLC.

spider-man turf wars screwball
More Screwball challenges are the only substantial piece of side content

Ultimately, Spider-Man’s second DLC feels like filler and a whole lot of missed opportunity. It makes the choice to split the City That Never Sleeps expansion into three parts seem like a questionable one. One sizable expansion of Marvel's Spider-Man encompassing everything from CTNS would likely make for a much more engaging and consistent experience. So far, it's been an uneven ride leaving a lot to be desired. The third part of the trilogy has a lot of expectation riding on it.

TechRaptor reviewed Marvel's Spider-Man: Turf Wars on PlayStation 4 with a copy purchased by the reviewer.

Review Summary

5.5

Turf Wars feels like an unfortunate filler chapter in Spider-Man's DLC trilogy. It's too short and uneven to make any lasting impact on its own, putting a lot of pressure on its final chapter to deliver something worthwhile.

(Review Policy)

Pros

  • Good Character Development For Yuri Watanabe
  • Begins And Ends Strongly

Cons

  • Very Short
  • Feels Too Much Like Filler
  • Still No Expansion Of Character Progression
  • Difficulty Spike Feels Arbitrary And Frustrating
  • More Recycled Side Content

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


tempstaff
| Staff Writer

Dan is a lover of games, music, and movies from the UK. He can usually be found buried in RPGs, shooters, roguelikes, and sometimes World of Warcraft, but… More about Dan

More Info About This Game
Learn more about Marvel's Spider-Man
Developer
Insomniac Games
Platforms
PlayStation 4
Release Date
September 7, 2018 (Calendar)
Genre
Adventure
Purchase (Some links may be affiliated)