After the cliffhanger that concluded the first DLC of "The City That Never Sleeps", Spider-Man is back on the streets of New York once again, this time to teach Hammerhead a real lesson. Contended Territories is the second expansion, centered on the gang fights that broke out after Black Cat's actions during The Robbery. Our beloved neighborhood Webweaver will work much more closely with Yuri Watanabe, the NYPD captain Spider-Man was collaborating with before Kingpin aka Wilson Fisk's arrest and on many other occasions. Get ready for two very different hours compared to La Rapina: darker and bloody atmospheres await you.
You really are a Head of M..artello!
Hammerhead he didn't make many extras during The Robbery, but in Contested Territories the scene will be resumed, at least in part. The atmosphere of "The Godfather" will be the host: Testa di Martello is a boss who has an ancient conception of organized crime, almost "romantic", and his way of handling feuds, his men and diatribes will highlight this aspect of it.
However, within Disputed Territories, the that is created between Spider and Captain Watanabe. Let's make things clear: not that they weren't friends before, on the contrary; however, due to the events that will take place from the first minutes of the game, this will be tested in other respects, as well as the temper and firmness of the policewoman. Just like in American comics, Yuri will go through a path full of difficulties and will have to face his inner struggle between his feelings, his desire for revenge and his moral integrity as a police officer. To season everything and to underline the colors of the disputed territories, the New York in which we will immerse ourselves again will be almost incessantly covered by a veil of gray clouds and rain.
Despite the very good start and the interesting themes, Territori Contesi drops a bit in terms of quality compared to La Rapina. Writing has interesting ideas, it has good raw material, but it does not realize it to its full potential. However, he manages to accompany us towards the third chapter of the spider DLC triptych with a good dose of fun, especially thanks to the slight increase in the level of challenge.
Between concrete, rain and punches
Yes, thanks also to the introduction of a new type of opponent, equipped with a shield and a similar Sable jetpack, the fights will have a little more difficulty and, compared to all those seen so far, they will also be much more chaotic. In Contested Territories, Spider-Man will face many more opponents on screen, which will make the battles much more complex and, at times, even confusing. In fact, at certain points it can happen to lose the enemy we were targeting, in the midst of chaos, and the lack of a "lock" on the target is felt, as we had already highlighted in the review of the original title. To remedy the situation, at least in part, the gadgets that Spider-Man mounts on his super-equipped costume will become fundamental.
If on the one hand the DLC gains in complexity from the point of view of the clashes, on the other hand it loses verve about the secondary activities. Here too, as in The Robbery, there is a lack of secondary missions with a slightly different thickness from the usual challenges and fights with Hammerhead's thugs at their lairs. If you want to stretch the longevity or the commitment to be lavished in the DLC a little, you can opt to increase the level of difficulty that will surely give us some more headaches, requiring some attempts to complete the missions. However, the sense of repetition, after the main campaign and the first DLC is still felt.
Even Disputed Territories, such as La Robina, will be able to entertain for approx four hours, divided equally between main and secondary missions. At the end of these you will unlock three other new costumes that will not, however, enjoy any associated power but will correspond only to purely aesthetic customizations.
Territori Contesi is a good chapter of connection: it does not excel but it does not disappoint. The finale takes us directly to Silver Lining, the final chapter of the City that Never Sleeps. It adds new elements to the plot without upsetting it, characterizing it with new themes and putting certain characters in a new light. Instead, play more on the gameplay, increasing the difficulty curve, having more fun under the aspect of the challenge. Appointment in December, therefore, to find out what the fate of Captain Yuriko Watanabe, Black Cat and of course Spider-Man will be!
