Is Spiderman Remastered Worth it on PS5? An In-Depth Analysis for Gamers

Hello fellow web-head! If you‘re wondering whether Spiderman Remastered on PS5 is worth picking up, especially if you‘ve already played the original PS4 version, then this detailed guide is for you.

After crunching the numbers and analyzing community feedback, my verdict is that Spiderman Remastered is a great way to experience the game for new players, but hard to recommend at full price for veterans.

At a Glance: What‘s New in Spiderman Remastered?

Let‘s first quickly recap what‘s new in the PS5 remaster:

• Visual Upgrades – Higher resolution textures, improved lighting, ray traced reflections, enhanced character models

• Performance – Targets 60 FPS at dynamic 4K resolution. Faster load times.

• PS5 Features – DualSense haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, 3D audio

• All DLC Included – Comes with all three chapters of The City That Never Sleeps story expansions

• New Peter Parker Face – Facial model and animations replaced to resemble voice actor more closely

So in summary, you‘re getting visual and technical improvements plus bundled DLC content. But let‘s dive deeper into the enhancements and see if they‘re worth it.

Do the Visual Upgrades Warrant Buying it Again?

One of the big selling points is the improved visuals over the PS4 original. Higher resolution textures make for crisp, detailed costumes and environments. Lighting is enhanced with ray traced reflections on glass and metal surfaces, which look great when web swinging past skyscrapers.

Character models also have more realistic skin, eyes, and facial animations thanks to the PS5‘s power. Peter Parker himself has gotten a complete facial rework to look more like actor Tom Holland.

But based on analysis of side by side comparisons, the visual changes appear more evolutionary rather than revolutionary. The core art direction remains similar to the PS4 game. So the upgrades polish and enhance the visuals rather than reinvent them.

Digital Foundry did a technical analysis and found the improved resolution, textures and ray tracing put Spiderman Remastered on par with early PS5 showcases like Ratchet and Clank. So it sets a new high bar for Spiderman, but isn‘t a giant leap over polished late-gen PS4 titles.

Looking at community impressions, many agree that while the graphics are excellent, they don‘t feel like a huge overhaul:

"The visual enhancements alone don‘t justify rebuying in my opinion. It looks great, but side by side the differences aren‘t massive." – u/SpiderVerseProof

"I never played it on PS4 so can‘t compare, but damn does it look good on PS5. The textures and details are really impressive." – u/NYstate

The consensus seems to be the improved visuals are nice, but feel more like an incremental upgrade for PS4 veterans rather than a game changing overhaul.

However, if you‘re a new player who never experienced Spiderman on PS4, then the PS5 remaster represents the definitive edition graphically. If you want the absolute best looking Spidey on console, the visual enhancements make Remastered a great option.

How Well Does it Use PS5 Features?

Besides improved graphics, Spiderman Remastered also utilizes key PS5 features:

• DualSense Haptics – Enhanced vibration adds tactile feedback when swinging and zipping between buildings. Weather effects also feel more immersive.

• Adaptive Triggers – Partial R2 trigger pull engages web grip, full pull executes a web swing for intuitive controls.

• 3D Audio – Tempest engine provides enhanced directional awareness of city ambience and enemies.

These features definitively provide a nice sense of next-gen immersion – the haptics and adaptive triggers especially make movement more tactile.

However, since the core gameplay itself is unchanged from PS4, some players note the new features feel nice but not substantial enough to transform the experience:

"The Dualsense features are cool but this is still a last-gen game at its core." – u/NYstate

"Haptics are great and load times are faster, but not seeing a hugely different experience from PS4 Pro." – u/SpideyFan_2099

The PS5 enhancements provide bonus immersion but don‘t reinvent the fundamentals. This seems another case of nice new bells and whistles for new players, but perhaps not significant enough changes for veterans used to the PS4 edition.

How Much Does Ray Tracing Improve Things?

A big selling point of the remaster is the addition of ray tracing. This includes ray traced reflections on glass and metal, plus improved shadow quality from ray traced ambient occlusion.

The ray traced elements make a noticeable difference – reflection heavy areas like the financial district look amazing with life-like light bouncing.

But since ray tracing is limited to reflections and shadows, the improvements feel subtle during most gameplay. Large portions don‘t feature many ray traced effects. Here‘s some impressions:

"The ray tracing is great when present, but isn‘t used universally enough to transform the looks." – u/RallyinNYC

"It‘s cool when swinging past big glass towers, but expected more ray tracing given the hype." – u/SpiderVerseProof

"Ray tracing is a nice bonus but the gorgeous art style still shines through." – u/MaximumSpidey

The consensus seems to be that while the ray tracing improves certain elements, the limited implementation isn‘t a game changer. For a full priced PS5 exclusive, some hoped for more ray traced effects like global illumination.

As a cross-gen remaster it‘s a nice bonus, but the core art direction looks great even without extensive ray tracing.

Are the Load Times Game Changing?

One of the most next-gen aspects of Spiderman Remastered is the near instant load times. Swinging seamlessly around New York with no loading is a revelation.

Fast traveling across the huge map is under 2 seconds on PS5 versus 15-30 seconds on PS4. Restarting after death is just 2 seconds rather than 10+ seconds.

For an open world game where you‘re constantly moving around, the lack of loading cuts phenomenally improve flow and immersion. Check out these impressions:

"Load times completely change the experience – no more immersion breaking pauses." – u/NYstate

"I‘m fast traveling constantly because it‘s so quick. Really enhances the open world." – u/RallyinNYC

"Eliminating load screens is easily the biggest leap over PS4." – u/MaximumSpidey

While features like haptics provide subtle improvements, the SSD load times fundamentally improve the open world experience in a way that feels truly next-gen. This seems to be the real system-seller for many players.

Is the DLC Worthwhile for New Players?

In addition to the graphical and technical upgrades, Spiderman Remastered also includes all three chapters of the "City That Never Sleeps" DLC story content:

• The Heist adds missions featuring Black Cat
• Turf Wars explores the criminal underworld
• Silver Lining wraps up the DLC narrative

For new players who never experienced the DLC, this essentially adds a whole sequel‘s worth of additional story content and missions.

However, if you already owned and completed the DLC on PS4, then the included extras don‘t add much new:

"The DLC chapters add a ton of great content if you‘re new to the game." – u/NYstate

"I already played the DLC so including it wasn‘t a selling point." – u/RallyinNYC

"The Black Cat DLC is some of the best post-launch content." – u/MaximumSpidey

Overall the integrated DLC is a huge amount of added value for newcomers but doesn‘t give much extra for Spiderman vets.

The New Peter Parker Face – Hit or Miss?

One controversial change in the remaster is the complete facial rework of Peter Parker. The new face uses the likeness of voice actor Yuri Lowenthal rather than model John Bubniak.

The goal was to make Peter‘s face match the voice performance more closely. Many also note the new face bears a stronger resemblance to Tom Holland‘s MCU version.

However, some players attached to the original Bubniak version find the new face too jarring:

"It‘s jarring seeing this new Peter after getting used to the original – feels totally different." – u/SpideyFan_2099

"New Peter looks way too young and generic. I want my Bubniak back!" – u/MaximumSpidey

"I like it looks more like the MCU version now – feels very true to Tom Holland." – u/NYstate

It seems newer players who don‘t have attachment to the original model don‘t mind the new face. But for returning vets, it can be tough to adjust to such a different Peter Parker.

While the new face aims for authenticity, it loses some of the unique charm of the John Bubniak original for some fans.

The Verdict – Worth Buying Spiderman Remastered on PS5?

Let‘s summarize the key pros and cons:

Pros

• Visual upgrades enhance textures, lighting and add ray tracing

• DualSense features provide greater immersion

• Bundled DLC adds hours of extra content

• Faster loading delivers seamless open world

Cons

• Core visual style and gameplay unchanged from PS4

• Limited ray tracing not a game changer

• DLC doesn‘t add much for veterans

• New Peter Parker face divisive

The Verdict:

For brand new players, Spiderman Remastered is clearly the definitive edition. The visual polish and slick performance make it a great PS5 showcase. And you get all the DLC content in one amazing package.

But for PS4 veterans, the changes seem too subtle to warrant rebuying at full price. While enhancements like haptics and ray tracing are nice, the core experience remains similar. Unless you‘re itching for a replay with some visual touch-ups, it‘s hard to justify double dipping.

Overall, the PS5 upgrades are very nice refinements but don‘t fundamentally reinvent the game. For casual fans who already played on PS4, waiting for a deeper sale is probably recommended.

But if you‘ve yet to play Spiderman and want to experience it in its definitive edition, Spiderman Remastered on PS5 is an excellent option, especially at launch sale prices.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to chat more Spidey.