Marvel's Spider-Man: Turf Wars Review (PS4)

You probably know what to expect from Turf Wars, the second chapter in Marvel's Spider-Man's City That Never Sleeps expansion. As with The Heist, this DLC pack for Insomniac's immensely popular superhero action game sticks with the established formula, providing a good excuse to get back into the swing of things. Yes, it's more of the same once again, but when the core experience is as entertaining as this, it's hard to complain.

Of course, the main draw is the story and characters, and this chapter continues the thread from the first. Turf Wars picks up not long after the events of The Heist, shifting focus from the mischievous Black Cat to the evil gang boss Hammerhead. After his exploits in the first DLC, Hammerhead takes centre stage as the key villain here. Various gangs are engaged in a power struggle, causing a lot of trouble for Spider-Man and the police. However, things really start to get out of hand when Hammerhead gets his hands on Sable equipment and weaponry.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the story, though, is police chief Yuri Watanabe's involvement. We won't say much more than that, but Yuri's character is explored and developed nicely, leading to a conclusion that might surprise. We're definitely curious to see how the City That Never Sleeps story wraps up, as it of course leaves things on a nice cliffhanger.

Outside of the story itself, it's business as usual for the red and blue hero. The main missions don't stray from the norm in terms of structure, but do take you to some interesting locations throughout Manhattan you won't have seen yet. There are one or two new enemy types to tackle, but nothing you don't already know how to deal with. Much of the difficulty in the DLC's combat scenarios stems from sheer numbers, so crowd control will become your best friend.

New hideouts will unlock early on called Hammerhead Fronts. These play out in a familiar way but it's well worth playing them all. Yuri's character is explored yet further as you complete them, giving them more of a purpose than being simple challenge rooms. Speaking of challenges, Screwball makes a return, tasking Spidey with various combat and stealth objectives to satisfy her viewership. These don't have as strong a reason to keep playing as the Hammerhead Fronts do, but you'll need to complete them if you want to unlock the last (and probably best) of the three new suits you can find in Turf Wars.