Spider-Man for the PlayStation 4 is one of the many games that have come out in the last few years that really validates your system purchase. This amazing game based off of many’s favorite Marvel super hero, is not only a system seller, but it may be one of the greatest superhero video games ever made; even rivaling the top dog, the Batman Arkham series. The Dark Knight got many things right with Arkham City, and Spider-Man took many pages out of the playbook of said series. While the ingredients will seem automatically familiar, the execution of these recognizable mechanics are masterfully implemented.
Mary Jane Watson Voiced by the Extremely Talented Laura Bailey
Spider-Man games have a polarizing legacy, and the quality of the games run the whole spectrum. With this entry we get one of the better experiences as Spider-Man that the gaming industry has ever had. Not only do we get incredible moments as the hero, but you will step into the shoes of costume-less Peter Parker, running his daily life, as well as Mary Jane, who is now a reporter for the Daily Bugle.
Being able to tell these more human sides of the story really build out the emotional narrative that is at play here. Make no mistake, this story goes to some heart pounding, and breaking, places. The narrative is elevated by interesting characters, some familiar, some entirely new.
The real stars are the incredible voice cast, Yuri Lowenthal as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Laura Bailey as Mary Jane Watson, and Stephen Oyoung as Martin Li, to name a few. A story is only as interesting as its character, and characters are only as interesting as their voice actors. Take a breath of relief that Spider-Man is firing on all cylinders in these regards.
New York is always as big of a character as Spider-Man is, and this game delivers one of the best seemingly one to one creations of New York. Real and fictional locations alike are on full display here, with many of the fictional locations being some very awesome Easter Eggs. I don’t even want to spoil any of them here, besides the one we have seen in trailers, the Avenger’s Tower. The real magic is naturally finding out what’s hidden among the city, as I had plenty of moments where my fanboy jaw hit the floor when I found some greater Marvel Universe nods. There is a bigger world here just waiting to be explored in future sequels or spin offs. The possibilities of what could be are nearly endless. New York feels like a living breathing city, with plenty of NPC who love to walk up and interact with you. Giving pedestrians a high five and taking selfies with some fans never gets old, and it brings life to this open world map.
New York, The Other Main Character of Any Spidey Tale, complete with Avengers Tower!
No open world game is equipped without side content and collectibles, and this is sadly where the game starts to show some of its shortcomings. There are 
collectibles to acrue in the form of backpacks, which are very cool little tidbits of Peter’s past, and some excellent world building you can glean from the items. While those type are welcomed and don’t seem too intrusive, other collectibles are a bit of a grind, and come off as just fluff content. Collecting pigeons comes immediately to mind. While you get a good story with the quest giver, the act of collecting the birds themselves, leaves a lot to be desired.
Side content also lacks variation. There are crimes to stop in each district of NYC, and while a cool concept in theory, there are only a few variations of these crimes. Ultimately you are just stopping a getaway vehicle, stopping a robbery, stopping a drug deal, or stopping a kidnapping. And every crime pretty much ends in fisticuffs. While these crimes lack variation, it is a minor complaint, as they are never boring to do because the mechanics are just so wonderfully executed.
Speaking of mechanics, they are just about as perfect as can be. Swinging around New York has never felt better, and while it is easy to do, it take a bit of time to fully master. There are a lot of mechanics to be utilized while traversing the city, and as you gain locomotion through your countless moves and abilities you will find yourself swinging around at breakneck speeds. I have never felt more like Spider-Man in my life!
Our friendly neighborhood arachnid does hit the ground at some point though, and usually that means, hitting some bad guy face. Let me tell you all, hitting faces feels pretty damn good in this game.
So while we’re on the subject, let’s just address the elephant in the room. Spider-Man’s mechanics are heavily inspired (and heck, even borrowed) from the Arkham series. Some will think this is a rip off, but in reality, this is just a case of taking a great working combat system and retooling it for a new game. In Spider-Man, you are aiming to get your combo up as high as possible, why using reactive dodging in large crowds of bad guys. While multiplying your combo, you are filling up a focus meter which allows you to use instant take-downs. Also, the player can use a various amount of gadgets to crowd control the enemy. So yes, if this sounds like Shadow of Mordor or the Arkham games, you are right. But I have to point out that its this execution that makes the game so worthy. Though I concede to the point that others might feel like this is a reskin, I would encourage those who do to realize how perfect this combat system works for Spidey, and how it really nails his acrobatic nature and use of cool gadgets.
With such a cinematic story, you need a comparable cinematic score. The composer, John Paesano (known for his composition on the TV series Daredevil and The Defenders, and in video games with Detroit: Become Human and Mass Effect Andromeda) really nails all the right notes. He brings in so much immersion with his music, From the cheery tunes that play the moment you start swinging, to the more emotional moments that take place in cut-scenes, he really knows how to capture tone.
Spider-Man on the PlayStation 4 looks great, but the real spectacle happen on the Pro. With great draw distances, crisp graphics, good looking character models, and a pretty consistent frame rate, it really makes for a beautiful experience.
Across my 30 hours of playtime, I only had 3 hard crashes which sent me to the blue error screen and ultimately back to my home PS4 screen. I also had one moment where my character fell through a building and I was stuck there until I reloaded a checkpoint. Listen, its an open world game. These types of things are going to happen in all of them, and while no one ever likes to see a game crash, I have played many monumental and titanic sized games that had much worse issues with performance. Some fare better than others and I would say Spider-Man is one of the better performing open world games at launch that I can think of in recent memories.
At this point, the PlayStation 4 is home to many must have exclusives, and you can add more more on the list…possibly near the top of the list, because this is one of the generation’s greats. After this year’s amazing God of War release, I was worried no other games would compare or even match up to it. Fortunately, Spider-Man maintains the quality of gaming that God of War showcased earlier this year, and while everyone has a personal favorite, I can see Spider-Man being a heavy contender for Game of the Year Awards.
Spider-Man is a must play experience, and with mechanics so tight, a story so unforgettable, and production so high quality, you would be doing yourself a serious disservice by skipping out. Did you enjoy Spider-Man? Notice anything we missed? Tell us about it on Twitter! Want more reviews out from the underground and into your feed? Find more at Sub Cultured!
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Nestled against the Hudson River at the far end of the Tappan Zee Bridge lies the small hamlet of Tarrytown. A quiet village, it has a large history, most notably as the setting for the classic story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Though these days, Sleepy Hollow is its own entity, having broken apart from Tarrytown in 1996. Why is any of this relevant? Because it’s one of literature’s most famous towns and is the perfect spot for a Halloween getaway.
Recently, I spent a weekend in Tarrytown. Well, Irvington to be exact but it’s yet another town dedicated to the memory of Washington Irving, the writer of Sleepy Hollow as well as Rip Van Winkle. In case it wasn’t obvious, Irvington is named after Washington Irving, and a statue of Rip Van Winkle sits outside of the town hall in honor of him.
Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow both offer a number of attractions for spook seekers, a few of which I was able to experience for myself. On Saturday, my wife, our friends and I visited the Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, an area slightly north of Sleepy Hollow, for the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze. Featuring massive displays of carved pumpkins amazingly posed and lit, the Blaze was definitely a sight. One of the first things we saw was a rendering of the Tappan Zee Bridge, all in pumpkins, dubbed the Pumpkin Zee Bridge. Things only got better from there.
A Jurassic Park, a Circus Train, even a Pumpkin Planetarium featuring shooting stars and supernovas are bound to astonish even the most jaded visitor. After all, they wowed me and I’m mostly anhedonic.
“Welcome…to Jurassic Gourd.”
Following up the Jack O’Lantern Blaze, we visited the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery to join one of their many walking tours. We signed up for “Murder and Mayhem,” an evening walking tour. They provided us with kerosene lanterns to light our way and brought us around to some of the creepier plots in the cemetery.
A few of the stops included a woman who was dubbed “the wickedest woman in New York,” the victims of what was called “the Sleepy Hollow Massacre” and Leona Helmsley. It was a two-hour tour, so definitely worth the price of admission given everything that we saw.
And creepy-ass spiders.
Oh, and we also made a stop at the cross that was used by the Ramones for their Pet Sematary music video.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get many decent pictures, what with the pitch darkness and everything, but the few I did snap came out pretty good (I think, at least).
There are many other attractions (is attractions the right word for the graves of famous dead people?) hidden in the cemetery, like Washington Irving’s plot (duh), Andrew Carnegie’s resting place and the William Rockefeller mausoleum. The cemetery also allows free, self-guided tours so you can visit during the day and check out the sights without fear of running into the Headless Horseman.
Just kidding. The Headless Horseman shows up during the day, too.
That’s all that we had time to experience while in Sleepy Hollow but there’s plenty of other things to check out. Like the Horseman’s Hollow, a haunted house event that takes place in the historic Phillipsburg Manor. Though I wanted to experience Horseman’s Hollow, I was outvoted by my travelling companions so I had to make do with taking pictures of the effigies hanging in the parking lot. If you’re into haunted houses and being scared out of your gourd, check out the Hollow. (In fact, let me know how it is, too!)
“How ya doin’?”
Do also visit the Headless Horsemen monuments right across the street. The marble carving is an elegant tribute to the classic tale but the iron statue in the middle of the roadway is an amazing sight. Believe it or not, we almost missed it when we visited the area during the day. (No, I have no idea how we overlooked something so large.)
There’s also Sunnyside, a tour of Washington Irving’s home. The tour features a number of artworks inspired by The Legend of Sleepy Hollow as well as a look at the space where Irving wrote his famous stories. Sunnyside is named after the town as it was called during Irving’s day.
You can also check out a short performance of the Legend in the Old Dutch Church, which is a spit and a stone’s throw from the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Tickets for the show are $25 and it only lasts for about 45 minutes. Not having seen it myself, I can’t say the cost is justified, but I’d think any kind of live performance of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is worth it, especially during the Halloween season.
Even though I only experienced a fraction of what Sleepy Hollow boasts, I still had a great time. All in all, the town is a great choice for a spooky, Halloween filled getaway, second only to Salem, MA. If you’re looking for an inexpensive jaunt out of town and want to fill it with as many family-friendly creeps as you can, Sleepy Hollow is a great choice.
Are you planning any Halloween themed getaways this year? Let us know in the comments below, or on Twitter @SubCultured! Don’t forget to check out our Patreon page and join our Discord server!
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Kaelin Birkenhead as Lisa in the film “Good Day”
Well, it’s finally October, the season of cooler weather, colorful trees and pumpkin spice. It’s also the time to watch scary movies in the lead up to Halloween, and there’s no shortage of choices when it comes to horror. But with all of the Freddys and Jasons and Sammi Currs out there, is there room in a Halloween movie marathon for a film that doesn’t contain buckets of blood? If Good Day is any indication, the answer to that is “yes.”
I first got the chance to see Good Day at the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema in Queens, NY. I was invited to the screening by the movie’s director, Louie Cortes, and felt compelled to check it out. I’d only seen the trailer for the film and really didn’t know too much about it before I went in. What I saw, however, was much different than I imagined.
Christopher Poultney and Michael Assip from the film “Good Day”
Written by Christine Clark and Cortes, Good Day follows the lives of six twenty-somethings in New York City. Much like Pulp Fiction and 2 Days In the Valley, their paths intersect in some meaningful way as they all converge on the same Halloween party. Unlike Pulp Fiction and 2 Days In the Valley, Good Day is a wholesome yet funny look at the gamut of emotions they’re struggling with. Depression, loneliness, loss of a family member, and the fear of a stagnating career. All of these themes are relatable to the audience, which makes the characters feel like real people. They express their emotions and feelings, sometimes in overly verbose ways, but at the end of it, viewers can easily understand their plight.
The film does all of this in a highly engaging and hilarious way. This was probably the most surprising thing about the movie because there isn’t the slightest hint of comedy in the trailer. Watching that, I assumed Good Day was a coming of age melodrama that happened to be set around Halloween. To be fair, though, that trailer was cut well as it didn’t set any expectations for the humor and may have worked in its favor as Good Day was recently nominated for “Best Comedy Feature” at the Alternative Film Festival.
Samantha Quintana as Lydia from the film “Good Day”
Though the film didn’t win “Best Comedy,” it did walk away with the award for “Best Cast,” which was most deserved. The cast was one of the finer parts of the film. Though Good Day featured no big name stars, most everyone has a great on-screen presence, despite the one or two stilted performances,
The film focuses on Sam M, played by Christopher Poultney. Sam has a strong self confidence which borderlines on arrogance and is forced to reevaluate himself after he meets a girl who doesn’t reciprocate the interest he feels. His storyline comes to a head when he meets Lisa (Kaelin Birkenhead). Lisa displays a hardened exterior to the world despite having a very caring heart. The audience learns this early in the film when Lisa is shaken to hear that her grandfather, whom she’d never had a relationship with, had died.
Kaelin Birkenhead and Ben Bunce from the film “Good Day”
The film is rounded out with other great characters, such as Lydia, played by Samantha Quintana, a small-town girl who moved to New York for the right reasons but with the wrong motivation and is struggling to find her place. Then there’s Matt (Michael Ryan Assip), Sam’s best friend who dreams of becoming the next great horror movie writer a la George Romero but lacks the focus to finish a screenplay. Though his performance was rocky at first, Matt quickly became one of my favorite characters in the movie, helped along by Assip’s great comedic timing.
Good Day is not a perfect film, however. It is plagued by a number of technical issues, most notably the sound in some areas. A few of the shots feel cramped and claustrophobic, which is likely due to the indie nature of the movie and the need to shoot in any place that feels authentic regardless of size. These things are easy to overlook, though, through the director’s deft cinematography. Cortes has a way of framing his shots that’s simple yet intriguing and makes the movie fun to watch.
Michael Ryan Assip as Matt in the film “Good Day”
As of writing this, Good Day has yet to find a distributor, meaning that it’s unlikely to get a wide release, either in theaters or streaming. There is some good news, though. If you are local to New York, Good Day will be screened for free on October 23rd at the Queen’s Court in Astoria. The film will be shown alongside two surprise short films. The event is BYOB and candy will be supplied so if you’re interested, be sure to check out their Facebook page for more info.
Overall, Good Day is a poignant look at the real issues young people face and the ways in which they cope. It’s the kind of movie that can easily fit into an annual Halloween screening, a welcome break from the horror films and slasher flicks that most people watch every October. Hopefully Good Day will find a distribution deal soon so more people can enjoy it. Given its newly found status as an award winning film, the chances of that seem higher.
Grade: B+
Not looking for something so adult? Try our Ten Family Friendly Halloween Movies to help lull the kiddos into a candy coma! Afterward, you can set the mood with Five Albums to Flesh Out Your Halloween Playlist and huddle under the covers with Netflix and Chilling – Halloween Movie Edition. Any other off-beat Halloween suggestions to throw our way? You can let us know on Twitter @SubCultured or come party like its 1599 in our Discord server!
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It’s that time of year again! No, not Halloween (though that is sneaking up on us faster that I realize). I’m talking about New York Comic Con time! Though not as prolific as San Diego Comic Con, NYCC is the East Coast’s biggest comic and media convention, boasting hundreds of exhibitors and tens of thousands of attendees.
Just like its West Coast counterpart, NYCC attracts countless collectors and, as such, has become a haven for exclusive merchandise. This is where Funko comes in. Over the summer we showed you all of Funko’s SDCC exclusives, the Pop!s, Dorbz, Rides and Vnyls that were only available at the con. Luckily, they’re bringing a pretty strong game to New York Comic Con as well.
Since they’re revealing all of their exclusives in waves so make sure to check back often as we update to see everything you can expect to find at NYCC.
Daku Con 2018 Photo Gallery
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For some of us, ReedPOP’s New York Comic Con is like Christmas: there’s jolly folks you only get to see once a year, everyone is in a festive spirit, and there are scores of gifts to purchase (mainly for ourselves!). It’s an absolute blast for those craving a huge convention akin to the geek Mecca that is San Diego Comic Con, but much more comic oriented. This convention is an immersive and inclusive experience that aims to bring the energy, passion and color of the entire universe of popular culture to every corner of NYC.
This year boasts big names from Marvel and DC, including writers Amy Reeder, Scott Snyder, and artists Marjorie Liu, and Humberto Ramos, among many more, even manga creator Masashi Kishimoto in his first trip to the USA (Naruto). Topping our list are also creators Brian K. Vaughan (Saga, We Stand Guard, and new work Paper Girls), Annie Wu (Black Canary), Charles Soule (basically everything at Marvel) and Marguerite Bennett (Bombshells, and basically is writing amazing things at every publisher).
If you’re not interested in the floppy, stapled pages of comics, there’s still tons for you to enjoy, such as panels ranging from screenings of upcoming shows, to the round table fun with the cast of Once Upon A Time, to what you can expect in the coming year from Funimation, Capcom, and more!
Maybe your tastes run more toward the art of cosplay? No worries, you have the chance to be among a sea of fellow cosplayers, and show off the long hours put into the labor of love that is cosplay. Just make sure to find us so we can take your photo!!
Lastly, who can forget the stars lovingly sitting behind tables signing each of their fan’s loved items? NYCC is bringing an armful of our favorite stars and there’s also a huge roster of voice actors from your favorite cartoons, and in some cases, actors who hit you right in the nostalgia.
NYCC rolls into the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on October 8th and runs until October 11th. Grab your tickets while you still can, from the official convention website or get your buns to the downtown Midtown Comics location to buy tickets while they still have them! We hope to see you in New York, and if you’re so inclined, join in our fun with our upcoming NYCC Instagram challenge!
Leia Calderon
Editor
@ladyvader99
Daku Con 2018 Photo Gallery
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Max here for a BEA2015 roundup!
I flew solo at this year’s BookExpo last week from May 27th to the 29th at the Javits Center in NYC. New York City dwellers, you must have legs of steel because wow it’s always a doozy. This is my third year at the Expo, and as such I went in with my usual expectations of what I was familiar with, and while I found what I was looking for, I also came away with a few surprises.
This year the show was seemingly as large as ever but also at the same time felt smaller than previous years. This was most 
likely due to the giant China pavilion, an entire area clad in white with stunning minimalist bamboo planters dedicated to this year’s Guest of Honor which appeared to take up more space than usual. Unlike other showcase pavilions from the previous two years China was very enthusiastic with their own journalists and a flurry of presentations and small talks which often garnered media attention. I just don’t remember other pavilions being that busy the last two years.
Unfortunately a handful of presses and stands that had been there the first two years I’ve attended that I was always keen visit did not attend or receive spots this year. While that was disappointing, a lot of my favorite publishing haunts were there for me to peruse for you.
Marvel for instance featured a panel presentation on their current record breaking new Star Wars line of comics (the best selling comics in the last twenty years, like wow) and shared the forthcoming reissues of the original movie 
to comic adaptations from the 70s to 80s in trade form as well as a brand new printing with updated artwork. They showcased their current series like Kanan – The Last Padawan (which has ties to the hit cartoon series Rebels) and minis such as Princess Leia and talked about their forthcoming mini Lando.
Outside of panels I was on the hunt for Sub-cultured #goodbooks to showcase on our twitter; amazing books, comics or series that stood out and you should keep an eye out for. I was also intent to find out “What makes a good book (for you)” asking any who was willing to share their personal opinions, which luckily a handful of people obliged and you’ll get to see their responses soon.
While there I found many, many great forthcoming #goodbooks; books, graphic novels, picture book and comics that I’ll be do
ing showcases for. Particular Sub-Cultured #goodbooks finds included;
Sam Gayton’s forthcoming American printing of his children’s novel Lilliput from Peachtree Press
Hexed comic series by Michael Alan Nelson from Boom!
The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz, Symphony For The City of the Dead by M.T. Anderson, Baba Yaga’s Assistant by Marika McCoola and Emily Carroll all from Candlewick Press
Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland Decoded by David Day from Penguin Random House Canada
Painted Skies by by Carolyn Mallory and Amei Zhao from Inhabit Media (an Inuit-owned publishing company with a fantastic, brilliant line of books)
Red by Jacky Colliss Harvey and Atlas of Cursed Places: A Travel Guide to Dangerous and Mysterious Destinations by Olivier Le Carrer from Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
Fearsome Creatures of The Lumberwoods by Hal Johnson and Tom Mead and Some Very Interesting Cats Perhaps You Weren’t Aware Of by Doogie Horner from Workman
The Good Dog by Todd Kessler (co-creator and director of Blues Clues!) and Jennifer Gray Olsen from Greenleaf Book Group Press
The picture books of Jenni Desmond from Blue Apple Books
With Tako from ‘The Good Dog!”
Tales from the Brothers Grimm by Herbert Leupin and There’s a Little Black Spot on the Sun Today by Sven Volker from NorthSouth
Artbooks of artists Lorenzo Mattotti and Ana Juan from Logos Edizioni
The many offerings of Nobrow and Imelda & The Goblin King by Briony May Smith from Flying Eye Books
Windmill Dragons by David Nytra and Little Nemo: Big New Dreams from Toon Books
And even more. There are many exciting forthcoming books I can’t wait to talk more about!
The China pavilion yielded two more #goodbooks. I was captivated by a booth made up of mostly students from the Colleges of Art & Design, Humanities and Tea Culture at Zhejiang A & F University in Lin’an City, Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province in China. They were there promoting tea culture and were there with their dean, Wang Xufeng, whose book The Stories of Tea from Homa & Sekey Books was my first #goodbooks pick from the pavilion. The entire group was extremely nice and while there, the students performed 10 tea ceremonies including Confucian and 
Buddhist versions. Afterwards I got to interview Wang Xufeng herself which I’ll be returning to in it’s own #goodbooks feature on her book and the school.
My second find was a beautifully illustrated retelling of Wang Shifu‘s Chinese classic romance, The Story of The Western Wing (traditional Chinese: 西廂記; simplified Chinese: 西厢记; pinyin: xīxiāngjì; Wade–Giles: Hsi-hsiang-chi) (also known as West Chamber) by 20th century painter and illustrator Wang Shuhui from People’s Fine Arts Publishing House. Wang Shuhui was extremely popular as an illustrator during the 1950s and 60’s for the very same publisher. I was graciously given a copy of the lushly illustrated book and will designate Wang Shuhui as my first forthcoming “Artist Spotlight” column artist, a new venture where I’ll explore and showcase the art of artists both past and present.
In all it was an extremely fruitful venture, and I can’t wait to share everything with you more. Stay tuned!
Max Eber
Staff Writer
max@sub-cultured.com
Twitter: @maxlikescomics
Daku Con 2018 Photo Gallery
Daku Con 2018 Convention Recap!
PAX South 2019: Splitgate Arena Warfare, World of Horror, JackQuest, and Disjunction
PAX South 2019: Jump Force, Skellboy, A Fold Apart
PAX South 2019: Devil May Cry 5, Young Souls, Magequit
