This seems to be the place to type out stuff to yell and be angry about, so I thought I'd do it too. I'm not so sure that I won't be preaching to the choir here, since most are probably not console gamers and think dismissively of consoles (me too!), so I'd probably not get replies beyond "of course it sucks, it's not PC!" or something, but still.

So anyhow, I finally got around to playing the PS4 Spiderman game (not the new one), and quite near the beginning, I got to a point where I have to chase Shocker as he runs through the city. Let me relay to you the sequence of events:

- 30 to 60 seconds loading of the level
- Drop in immediately to where the Shocker is escaping, along with a distance countdown that auto-fails the game and restarts the sequence if it goes to 150m
- I use Spider-man's swing action interspersed with jet-forward web action to attempt to close in on Shocker- simply running after him on the ground, or wall-running along buildings after him, or jumping after him puts too much distance between us and fails the sequence
- I have to very carefully direct the thumbstick so that I avoid all the buildings on either side, because if I get within the hitbox, Spider-man attaches to them, and starts climbing them (thus wasting time and making me lose)
- I have to dodge stairwells that jut out of the sides of buildings for the same reason
- Shocker doesn't travel in a straight line, and the city isn't laid out in a convenient grid
- Sometimes web-swinging doesn't work, and Spidey makes a dive towards the ground, occasionally finally triggering a web swing at the last second. I think this is supposed to build tension and look cool? It usually means I hit the side of the building in front of me instead of swinging over
- Spidey does the same lines of dialog every iteration of the sequence, somehow yelling to the Shocker who is usually 100m away
- I inevitably fail this level, and have to repeat the whole sequence

I fully realise that it is entirely possible that me not having the controller being an extension of my body the way kb&m is could be at fault for me not being able to do this. I'm playing on easy. I've got all the accessibility functions set to on (there are a lot, which is nice, but nothing helps here). I'm about ready to give up now.

I'd be curious about any replies that aren't "Yeah, of course, consoles/controllers suck" and "Yeah, you need to get better with controllers", but otherwise, yeah, just wanted to rant.

The game you're talking about does have a bunch of accessibility options; see if there's one that might make this part more bearable.

Even if you can't find such an option, you might find some of them worth a look. For example, if you don't like QTEs, there's an option to turn them off (or, more precisely, to make them automatically succeed). There's also a puzzle skip option.

So, definitely check the accessibility options.

(By the way, does the level have to load on every failure?)

No idea about the Spiderman game(s), but I had a similar experience in the past when I started playing Halo 2 on the original XBox console.

I was doing "ok" in the game until I arrived in a hangar section in the beginning parts of the game. No matter how many times I tried, I just couldn't do it, the enemies at the hangar would always just overwhelm me. To me it felt both that the gamepad controls were quite bad and unresponsive, and the graphics were also somewhat muddy, partly because XBox was connected to a TV through an analog SCART connector, so I couldn't always discern the enemies at a distance while they were shooting at me.

Then I installed the PC version of Halo 2 instead, and with the mouse+keyboard controls, and clearer graphics, I easily passed that same hangar section, and eventually finished the whole game.

Oh well, reminded me why I don't like FPS games on consoles (or gamepads). I notably remember one big issue with the XBox Halo 2 gamepad controls being that I was unable to jump and aim at the same time, because in order to jump, you had to move your (IIRC, right) thumb from the analog stick with which you aim, in order to press the jump button with that same thumb. Made me wish I had been born with four thumbs.

On the PC version, there was no such restriction, you could jump around and aim at the same time easily, just like in any PC FPS game.

Sounds a bit like chasing Firefly in Arkham Knight on PS4. God I hated those missions. One wrong turn and though the chase might still be on for a while before he drops entirely out of range, it was pretty much sure I would not catch up with him.

Myself, I definitely got better at using the controller over the past year or so, but it will never be as natural to me as a keyboard and mouse, and for anything that requires precision, it just sucks. It sucks all that much more when one is used to the precision of a mouse. The final boss fight in Uncharted 2 is absolutely horrendous in that regard, requiring numerous well and aimed timed shots while in motion, running away in the other direction. As much as I would like to eventually re-play all Uncharted games, facing that again makes 2 a daunting prospect). And it seemes I wasn't the only one to hate that, since the series never had a fight like that again, not even anything close to that design.

The smoothest experience I had with no controller-related frustration (though plenty of are-you-shittining-me-with-how-hard-this-is frustration) was Rayman Legends.

Chasing Shocker was definitely an issue in that game for both my husband and myself. There are other chase bits later, but they weren't nearly as bad as Shocker.

As I mentioned, I'm aware and happy for the accessibility options, except they do nothing in this case.
And yes, the loading happens on every failure. I dunno if I'll have the patience to try it again, but it is good to know that I'm not the only one, and the hurdle was passed.

Try taking shortcuts over buildings, if possible, instead of following him directly. He most likely takes the same path every time, so you can anticipate him.You're also less likely to get stuck on things going via the roofs. It worked for me in the previous Spiderman games anyway, when I had to chase someone, haven't played the latest ones.

I found a guide here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF3BLH8uzvQ&ab_channel=BossFightDatabase. The player occasionally bumps into buildings too, but he very quickly bounces off it (like in 1:18). I think it would be a good idea to try to emulate what the player does in the video. Have you also tried adjusting your sensitivity? There is a general rule with controllers: more speed might make you react faster, but it also means less control. Before you start that fight again, try tweaking the sens to find an acceptable balance. This can also vary from game to game. So your sensitivity settings in one game won't be a 1:1 copy of another game.

Just an FYI in case you were curious; the stairs at the sides of the buildings are fire escapes. It's a very common thing in North American buildings - particularly older ones.

Edit: typo

That sounds like bad programming; they should have at least kept the level loaded on failure rather than loading it again..

Reminds me of a Sonic '06 video I saw in which the game loads for a bit, has one line of dialogue, loads again, then eventually gets to the minigame, only to have to load multiple times on failure.

(Also, with hard drives and new SSDs, load times on modern systems really should be a thing of the past at this point.)

It sounds like a problem with the game too. Good motion control and a proper setup makes it easier but even Steams controller setting is lacking in some areas. but you do have 4 fingers on each hand, a surprising fact that's beyond the comprehension of mainstream gamepad designers up until recently.

When I played Spider-Man on PS4 I turned off all quicktime events and that made the game so much better. If you are not used to a controller it does take a while to get the controls down but Spider-Man on PS4 controls really well. It's just a matter of practice and timing.

100%. I briefly tried turning them back on to see what they were and it was terrible. Learning the controls and how to navigate faster may be why later chases were easier for me, but I also feel like they were given looser tolerances too.