I had the opportunity to try Xbox X’s South of Midnight and PS4’s Spider-Man: Miles on their streaming services. Both games showcase the most exclusive and creative titles for their hardware. The ability to tell a cinematic story through engaging gameplay sets a system’s success, so I wanted to compare both experiences.
First, it might seem unfair that I am comparing a PS4 game released in 2020 with a game that came out on the Xbox X in 2025. Also, since South of Midnight is not technically an exclusive, how can it be compared to how Xbox manages its exclusives? My goal is to highlight the difference between what Sony considers a successful release and Microsoft’s perspective on gaming. In a world where movie realism needs to connect with tight gameplay, both companies have different views.
Story:
Spider-Man: Miles Morales might just be a spin-off story, but it is no less impressive on the PlayStation 4. The frantic camera angles following around Miles as he beats up baddies, with the engaging cutscenes are an impressive feat. Miles is the new Spider-Man, while Peter Parker is away, and he tries to fill the giant shoes of his mentor. Since it’s a Spider-Man story, Miles also needs to juggle a family and friend circle as he lives this double life.
South of Midnight is a cultural experience. Hazel lives in New Orleans with her mother the day the hurricane hit, separating the two. Hazel is set to find her mom, but learns that she has a unique power to restore lives that were affected by darkness. As she learns about the complicated stories of the people around her, she fights the darkness (quite literally) that is corrupting them.
Miles feels likes a full-blown movie experience that you can explore, while South of Midnight feels like a linear chapter book. Sony is redefining what a cinematic game feels like, while Microsoft wants the traditional narrative game approach.
Fight Scenes:
You cannot have a AAA game without the template of 3rd-person hack-and-slash. Both games can thank Zelda for making that the standard. Miles borrows generously from The Arkham series in the gameplay, upping the excitement with faster gameplay, floaty physics, and new gadgets. Every fight feels intense, letting the player try different ways to vanquish the foes in a room. There are so many different manuevers and gadgets to try that it is easy to get them confused. Spider-Man also has stealth missions where Miles must hide from his enemies and take them down silently. These moments feel chaotic as the player has to remember the six different button combinations that Miles can stealthily take down his enemies. Most of the time I choose the wrong way and the whole army gangs up on me as I desperately swing around the city like Peter Pan. The stealth missions don’t feel like this game’s strongest mechanic.
South of Midnight’s fighting mechanics feel stiffer. Hazel has to hack and slash large shadow monsters in a confined space. Every fight seems like the hero is heavily outmatched, as the enemies give lots of easy and draining damage. Hazel can’t just hack her way to victory; she must constantly dive-roll, manage special moves, and hunt for health pickups to survive. I found the fight scenes less enjoyable than the puzzle-solving because it was so easy for the bad guys to overwhelm my weak character. I could have switched to the casual difficulty, which would have made the game a walk in the park, but I was already playing on easy.
Progressing:
It is blasphemy not to offer a level-up tree to gain new moves and South of Midnight, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales follow suit. Spider-Man has so many ways to upgrade himself it feels like the studio thought you would get bored too quickly. Miles can upgrade attacking, stealth, gadgets, armor, suits, and acrobatics. When a game offers this many upgrades they also have to give you three new currencies to earn them. Miles will have to search the city for tech parts, experience points, challenge points, and suit mods to get specific upgrades. They really wanted you to spend 60 hours perfecting this game.
South of Midnight keeps its upgrade tree simple and clean. Hazel can enhance her special moves, gain new attacks, and survive longer in battle based on how she uses her level points. Fighting gets easier with each upgrade, but you will never feel like you can own the battlefield like in Darksiders.
Conclusion:
The mark of a next-gen game is how easily it can be adapted for theaters or TV, and both games excel in storytelling and atmosphere. I believe Sony invested their entire budget and resources into making this game feel like an extension of the MCU, while Microsoft tends to play it safe with narrative-driven games. South of Midnight is a hidden gem that shines on any console with its compelling story, stunning fantasy world, and excellent voice acting, but it will never be a “defining the Xbox X” game. Interestingly, I don’t think Xbox aims to redefine next-gen gaming experiences as much as they focus on creating creative and solid titles. Sony, however, wants to demonstrate that they offer an all-encompassing gaming experience that justifies their premium prices. The question remains for both consoles: do you want a premium thrill ride that blows your mind or something faithful and accessible?