Like most big budget games this generation, Spider-Man[1] on the PS4[2] sports an open-world. While that term alone implies a sort of near endless amount of gameplay, of late, it also suggests an overwhelming dread that makes playing them a lot more cumbersome than they should be.
This has largely been down to open-world games being replete with side objectives and content that aren't crucial to finishing the main story. A lot of modern-day games try to play this up in an attempt to show that there's a lot to do and tap into our completionist, OCD-riddled tendencies. This results in a game that's loaded with busywork and what eventually becomes a burden for the player with markers, icons, side-quests, collectathons, and hints galore. It's evident in Ubisoft's games, particularly the Assassin's Creed franchise.
Open the map midway through any of the recent ones, such as Assassin's Creed Syndicate[3], and you're likely to be confused on where to go and what to do. That's on the lower end of the spectrum. Others like Assassin's Creed Unity[4] had so much to do that outside of its main story that you couldn't walk more than a few steps without finding yourself smack dab in one of its many activities like chasing down a purse snatcher on foot.
Spider-Man on PS4 smartly evades going down the same road with a map that while replete with missions, side-quests, challenges, and the like, never feels overwhelming.
This is in part thanks to Spider-Man's map size. Compared to other superhero games like Batman Arkham Knight[5], the map of New York City in Spider-Man isn't that big or crammed with objectives. Considering most major open-world games...