The first Spiderman Insomniac’s game was proof of how fun playing as the web-slinger can be. It nailed the character’s inherent sense of drive and grace and fused it with solid, if sometimes formulaic, open-world action gameplay. Two years later, the studio kept things going with a smaller, tighter spinoff centered on Miles Morales. Now comes the inevitable full sequel, which not only has a two in the name but also two Spider-Men to play with.
spider man 2 It doesn’t change things substantially. Instead, it’s the kind of sequel that builds smartly on the original. The side quests can still be boring, but the main story, involving a murderous Kraven the Hunter and a new version of Venom, is excellent and puts the series firmly in its emo era. And you still feel as good as ever being Spider-Man, no matter which one you’re controlling.
Things start with a helpful summary. Miles is struggling to fill out a college application and calls Peter for help, and the two go over everything that’s happened over the past few years. They’re both a little older and more mature here; At the beginning of the game, Peter began working as a science teacher at Miles’ school. One of the main narrative themes in spider man 2 – as in many Spider-Man stories – is how difficult it is to balance being a hero with being a person. The game wastes no time getting to this: just as Peter shows up for class, he and Miles are forced to deal with the gigantic Sandman storming the city.
There’s actually a lot going on in the main story, with multiple threats coming from multiple villains. Sandman is just a preview. Finally, the spider duo face off against Kraven the Hunter, who is basically a human version of the Predator who loves to wear fur. He’s desperate for a hunt that can match his abilities, and New York City, with all its super-powered costumed beings, is the perfect hunting ground. Oh, and he also commands an army of like-minded hunters equipped with futuristic weaponry and equipment.
Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Note: if you haven’t finished the first one Spiderman and/or have largely avoided marketing for the sequel, please note that there are slight spoilers from now on.
At the same time, the Venom symbiote makes an appearance. Just like in the original game, spider man 2 plays with established canon, refreshing a story that fans have already heard many, many times before. This time, the symbiote bonds with Peter’s friend, Harry Osborn, as part of an experimental procedure to cure his illness, as teased in the first game.
And this is where all the emo angst comes in. For most of the game, everyone is stressed because there is a lot going on and the emotion-enhancing symbiote only exacerbates things. Eventually, the alien suit reaches Peter, and the always-carefree hero becomes a source of rage. He ignores his responsibilities and seems to delight in anger and violence. It is a constant progression that little by little begins to weigh on everyone around him. One of those responsibilities, for example, is Miles himself; Peter is supposed to be a mentor, but when demand gets to him, he becomes selfish and ignores his protégé.
The two-hero setup works very well here because the pair complement each other, particularly during Peter’s descent. You can switch between Miles and Peter almost at will, although certain missions, both in the campaign and side missions, will require playing as one or the other. So whenever you get tired of Peter and his constant teasing (or angst, depending on the point of the story), you can spend some time with the much more sensible Miles. For the first piece of spider man 2, the story feels very Peter-heavy, but eventually, Miles plays a pivotal role that shifts the focus.
It’s also good to swap between the two because they play differently. Miles has a variety of electrical attacks, while Peter is much more physical, particularly when you put on the symbiote suit, with his attacks being more brutal. It’s almost like a fighting game, as you can fight your way through crowds of enemies while Peter rages. No one has had so much fun being emo. from Jimmy Butler. That said, despite some new moves to unlock, the combat is very similar to the original. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it worked very well before, and it’s still satisfying to sneak around by capturing enemies in your webs or using them to open car doors in a hunter’s face.
Overall, the game still feels amazing moment to moment. This applies not only to fluid combat, but also to city navigation, where you can easily move with balletic grace. The sequel also features new web wings (a well-established part of Spidey lore) that allow you to glide across the city on gusts of wind if you need to move faster. spider man 2 is a rare open world game where I never use fast travel, simply because it’s so fun to move around.
Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment
As entertaining as it is, the combat can It does get repetitive, but the game manages to mix things up with different types of missions. These include stealth sequences, more puzzle-oriented hunts, and one-off sessions where you do things like explore a theme park with your friends. Even the missions where you control MJ are a blast this time around, playing out almost like a cover-based third-person shooter. At one point, you’re literally playing a rhythm game while Miles DJs at a party. The main campaign does a great job of making you feel like you’re constantly doing different things and constantly building up the tension for the big battle at the end.
The same cannot be said for the parallel stories. My main problem with the original. Spiderman was that while the campaign was great, everything else seemed like the typical open-world game nonsense you’d see in anything from Very far to The Wizard. In the sequel, things get a little better, but the missions are very hit and miss. Some are just simple things; Peter is a photographer, so a line of quests will have you looking for quintessentially New York places to take photos. It’s a nice, light distraction.
Other missions are narratively interesting—one sees Miles learning about jazz while rescuing items stolen from a Brooklyn museum, and another sees Peter recover parts of Sandman’s mind to discover what happened to him—but tame in terms of what you’re really doing. They all basically amount to the same thing: getting from place to place, beating up bad guys. Others are just bad. The most complicated quest line has you defeating a generic cult and ends on a painful cliffhanger that makes it feel unfinished. The more puzzle-focused side quests are the most interesting, such as one in which Miles has to discover a series of hidden hideouts of his uncle, the Prowler, that are scattered throughout the city.
Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Of course not have to do the side quests, but they’re important for unlocking new abilities and, more importantly, new costumes (and yes, the Spider-Cat costume returns, along with some lovely new additions). Also, he’s more like Spider-Man if you’re constantly distracted; As you move from one main mission to the next, you’re regularly faced with requests for help or crimes in progress. I just wish they were more fun. I felt like a bad Spider-Man letting car thieves escape, but after a while, those battles got boring.
It should also be noted that this is the first Spiderman Game created specifically for the PS5. The original was on the PS4, while Miles Morales It was a cross-generation experience available on both consoles. And there are a few places where you can tell Insomniac to use the hardware. There’s an incredible sequence where you find yourself flying through portals, reminiscent of the PS5 showcase. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apartexcept here things move much faster. spider man 2 It also has one of the best uses of the DualSense controller since the launch title Astro’s game room. There are times when you’re piloting a small spider robot and you can feel the surface its metal legs walk on through the subtle vibrations in your hands. Elsewhere, the tension on the triggers is used for some clever hacking sequences.
All of these changes amount to an experience that’s subtly improved but actually not drastically different from its predecessors. spider man 2 Mainly it knows what worked with the originals and improves it by adding more: more characters, more villains, more ways to move, and a story with more twists and turns. It doesn’t solve the problem of side quests, but everything else is better. And this ability to constantly improve is a good thing because it’s pretty clear that this franchise isn’t going anywhere. Like any good Marvel story, spider man 2 It ends with a very unsubtle tease of what’s coming next. The only question is: how many Spider-Men will appear?
spider man 2 launches October 20 on the PS5.
