It has been over five years since Insomniac Games released one of thebest superhero game of all timeand since then they’ve been improving upon the formula. They’ve gone on to create a smaller, but arguably even better, adventure followingMiles Morales, establishing phenomenal graphical precedence for the series moving forward. This is a studio that has constantly pushed the boundaries, with games such as Spyro, Resistance and the more recentRatchet & Clank: Rift Apart. This is Spider-Man’s first exclusive entry into the current generation, and it shows with a beautiful, picturesque rendition of New York. On top of that, we’re introduced to a duo cast of Peter Parker and Miles Morales, both having their unique characteristic and quirks, all while battling their own inner demons. The big question is whether or not Kraven and to a lesser extent Venom can carry the sequel when most of the big names have already been used and locked up in the Raft. Is Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on the same caliber as Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, or are we looking at another The Amazing Spider-Man 2?
While we played as Peter Parker in the first game and Miles Morales in the Christmas-themed continuation, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 merges the best of both worlds and splits the adventure between both Spider-Men. Right from the get-go the duo takedown Sandman in an epic fight where perspective jumps between the two protagonists. It reminds us of Grand Theft Auto V in that you’re able to swap between Peter or Miles at any moment in the open world, with the campaign being strictly curated for who’s in control at the given time. On top of that, there are character specific side quests and ones that can be undertaken by either of our webbed heroes. The way Insomniac handles this is perfect, as if you approach a side quest designated for Peter, it’ll be an instant handoff. There’s no need to go through the menus and hope the other individual is nearby; it’s a simple button press and the change between characters is done within seconds at the exact same location.
This is roughly a twelve-hour long story with eight-hours of optional side quests to 100%. The main plot itself is memorable, something we didn’t expect with Kraven being at the antagonist’s helm. Nothing against one of Spider-Man’s archenemies, but we thought we already hit the peak considering we’ve seen Kingpin, Doctor Octopus, Scorpion, Vulture and so many more iconic villains in the past. Here, while a number of them make a cameo of sorts, with one even having a particularly impactful arc, all of them are greatly overshadowed by the two that Insomniac focused on: Kraven and Venom. Kraven ends up being a charismatic and likeable antagonist while Venom is a looming threat throughout the entire campaign that, if you’re familiar with any past Venom stories, goes about as you can expect it would.
It’s a pleasant surprise just how well the side quests are constructed. This is an open world game, so there’s a lot of collectibles and busy work that we’ve become used to from the genre, but the side quests that shine the brightest are when you’re not actually fighting bad guys, but either being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man or playing another character all together. They’re incredibly memorable, be it heartwarming or inclusive stories with imaginative attributes. I don’t want to spoil any of them as they’re a surprise that everyone should experience firsthand, but rest assured, they are some of the most creative tangents that shouldn’t be avoided.
How most of the campaign is constructed is that there are a handful of villains in the core story while the rest are spread throughout the side quests and activities. For example, everyone’s favorite illusionist, Quentin Beck, more or less is segmented to time trial activities while Sandman just has story snippets spread throughout the city in the form of fighting a handful of enemies and retrieving a collectible memory. Then there’s more story-centric side quests that rollout as the player progress through more of the main story, such as Wraith who has arguably the more compelling plotline. There are a surprising number of bigger villains who only make a quick guest appearance and are more set up as opponents for Spider-Man in future iterations, be it another sequel or DLC. Unfortunately, while there are memorable activities and quests, there only a few of them spread throughout New York. The rest of the open world is boilerplate for what the genre has to offer. Most of the side quests amount to repetitive activities. Stealth sections do have compelling final strongholds for each district/area, but the general missions feel more or less the same. The same can be said about the Sandman encounters along with encounters with symbiotic creatures, which more or less turn into encounters from Prototype. At the very least the conclusions to each activity have strong story elements and will be what drive the player to keep doing them (outside of the unlocking new suits and skills).
On the topic of the open world, swinging around New York has never felt better. Insomniac Games has crafted an experience to make you feel the speed and traversal capabilities of our favorite webhead. What’s best is that we’re given a wingsuit almost immediately, allowing Spider-Man to glide around the city even faster and further. If swinging and gliding around aren’t your cup of tea, there’s also fast travel, although it should be called instant travel. This is one of the few games out there that when selecting fast travel on the map, not only are players taken to that exact spot (not some established teleport hub), but it happens almost instantaneously with no load times. Select the point on the map and Peter or Miles will already be swinging through the streets.
The combat is more or less what we’ve become used to over the last two games. It has taken a lot from beat’em ups such as Batman: Arkham Asylum where players will be throwing fists with enemies who will consistently have an icon over their heads to indicate a dodge, or the newly-introduced parrying system that, tied with certain skills, can change the course of an encounter all together. It’s what players do in-between the strikes to better subside hordes of enemies where things become more interesting. We’re given even more abilities and gadgets to better facilitate not only combat, but stealth as well. One of the best additions is the means to create one’s own webbed platforms in which our protagonist can walk on. This allows for players to get creative in how they approach a stealth section, although we just wish there were more opportunities to use it outside of stronghold missions. As for the difference between our two young heroes, Peter and Miles have different playstyles, or at least to a certain degree. Both play the same in the sense they are combo based and players will be whaling on the same actions, but it’s their abilities that make them unique. Miles, for example, excels at stealth due to his capabilities to turn invisible, while Peter’s symbiotic skills make him a force to be reckoned with, along with his identity special ability being one of the most satisfying things to unleash.
Marvel’s Spider-Man was one of the best looking games of the last generation, and Insomniac Games have created a stunning superhero experience with its sequel. The city of New York has never looked so lively, with only a couple of portion of the campaign looking a bit off due to certain lighting conditions. There are even performance and fidelity modes available, with the latter shinin better due to greater visual detail and still a stable framerate. Unfortunately, despite looking and running well, we did run into some glitches throughout our playthrough. Most of them are simple graphical issues that didn’t affect the overall adventure, but it did take us out of the experience. There are smaller things such as NPCs in the background t-posing in the background or rooms in buildings frequently not making any sense, with doors leading to nowhere (although chances are players will be flying by them so fast they won’t notice 99% of the time). One of the larger and arguably funnier glitches we ran into was the model of Miles for most of his outfits was turned into a little white cube. It required a restart of the game itself which wasn’t a huge disturbance, but it was funny to see certain outfits with accessories, such as a backpack with Spider-Cat, making it look the cat was doing all the work.
Closing Comments:
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is one of the most cinematic superhero games ever created. It’s a little shorter than its predecessor, but it includes a memorable main story and some of the best side quests found in an open world game. Kraven ends up being a more compelling villain than originally thought, and whenever Venom and his symbiotic abilities appear, it’s an absolute treat. On top of this, swinging across New York has never felt so good, and the addition of the glider is welcome. While the combat hasn’t changed drastically, smaller additions such as the web line gadget create a more immersive experience. We did run into a handful of glitches, but thankfully far fewer than most open world games of a similar caliber. In the end, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a cinematic experience you’d expect from the enjoyment of a movie theater, but is instead in the palm of your hands.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Reviewed on PlayStation 5
