Marvel's Spider-Man 2

I played Spider-Man 2018 on PS4, and it quickly became one of my all-time favorite games. It was incredible, and I had absolutely no complaints. This year, I played Spider-Man 2, which was also amazing. However, over time, I found myself getting bored. While it introduced a lot of new features and was packed with action, it felt repetitive. I started to miss the simplicity of Spider-Man 2018, along with its better story and perfectly paced rhythm. So, after beating Spider-Man 2, I decided to go back and play Spider-Man Remastered. Despite it being my third playthrough, I'm actually enjoying it more.

Over the last few years Insomniac have released two fantastic Spider-Man games. This has led to much anticipation for the sequel to the original game and its spinoff Miles Morales. I have played through this entire game and here is my review for Spider-Man 2. The premise of the game is set a few years after the original game, both Peter Parker and Miles Morales are Spider-Man and using their powers to help New York but not succeeding in their personal lives. However, the return of an old friend and a new powerful enemy forces them to work together to face their biggest enemies.

Characters Yuri Lowenthal reprises his role as Peter Parker and he is fantastic, to me he is an absolute perfect choice for this video game Spider-Man. He plays the experienced version of the character well and this game pushes him in different ways that the previous one does. He is brilliant here and I think he deserves to be in the same discussion as the iconic film versions of the character. I have even got used to his new face here and I am totally fine with it.

Nadji Jeter also reprises his role as Miles Morales and he is also great in the role. We have really seen his journey over the three games and the chemistry between him and Peter is fantastic. He is given a really interesting story here and it shows a more serious side that maybe his game slightly missed. The game does ebb and flow but it does feel like two equal lead characters and that is fantastic to see.

Laura Bailey is back as Mary Jane Watson and she is once again great in her role. She supports both the Spider-Men really well and they give her a story herself but it doesn't overshadow the main plot and she does the character real justice.

Graham Phillips is here as Harry Osbourne and he is fantastic, it feels like these characters have known each other for years and credit to Phillips who has joined the cast and felt like he has always been there. He also has a really interesting character arc and it follows up really well with what we have been told about him in the previous games.

Jim Pirri plays Kraven The Hunter and I love this portrayal of the character. He is physically intimidating but you see how his mind works throughout the game and what his motivations are for the actions that he takes. He is a great villain that is perfect for the story that is being told here.

Also he was in the trailer so I will say Venom is fantastic when he is used here and that is all I will say.

Story This story is fantastic, it does a fantastic job of showing Peter and Miles in their own difficult situations but also situations that affect both of them in their personal life and as Spider-Man. It weaves characters into the story and provides plenty of emotion throughout with a solid ending here. Personally, I actually think I preferred the story in the first game but that doesn't mean this one isn't fantastic in its own way. Some are arguing that it isn't long enough and I kind of get that, but I think it uses everything effectively and it still took me around 18-20 hours to complete which for me is plenty for a video game.

Side Activities The game has plenty of side content and it is a bit of a mixed bag. There are some excellent side missions, one in particular really hit me and made me realise that the game developers really cared. They also do a really good job of setting up future threats for Peter & Miles which is something a bit fresh here. But the majority of the side missions end up seeing either Spider-Man doing the same activity multiple times and it just gets a bit repetitive. I know most open world games has this but it felt like it here and I wasn't a huge fan of it this time.

Gameplay Insomniac decided to go with a more revolution over evolution of the gameplay. It is pretty similar to what we received in the previous two games. This game is pretty clear that Miles & Peter play differently and it provides fresh gameplay in different activities. It provides fantastic action and web swinging along with the web wings allowed for easier traverse across New York. Also yes the MJ missions are back and at first I sighed but they are way better here and I didn't actually mind them and appreciated that Insomniac decided to improve this factor instead of just getting rid of it.

Graphics This game looks beautiful. The character models are great and I love how both Spider-Men look in their costumes and it is great to see them in action. The other villains also look fantastic with Kraven, Lizard and Venom all being beautifully represented here. It shows New York in a fantastic way and made me care about it, overall it is a great looking game.

Overall Overall, Spider-Man 2 is a fantastic game and one of the best superhero games that has ever been made. It tells an amazing story and manages to showcase both Peter Parker and Miles Morales in a really great way. It falls a little short with its side content and overall length but It is still absolutely worth a purchase and anyone with a PS5 must give it a playthrough.

Rating - 9/10.

I have no complaints about the mechanics or story. Action and swinging are very smooth and I love the new symbiote combat moves. On top of that, the story was fantastic. However, when I saw I had 25% of the game completed after my first sitting, I knew that all of these great aspects were going to be short lived.

It has been 5 years since the first game released, and 3 since the "hold-over" Miles Morales game. Suffice it to say, I was able to platinum this game in just 27 hours. For clarification, that means that not only the main story was completed, but every side quest and challenge along with it. I did not skip any cutscenes. Heck, I only even fast traveled a couple times. This is a $70 AAA game.

For comparison, I have not yet achieved platinum on Spider-Man 1, but I have 34 hours logged and only half of the badges (story completed). This game was much shorter in length and had two Spider-Men compared to the first game, where miles morales was an NPC for all but 10 minutes. God of War Ragnarok, another flagship SIE game, takes around 60 hours to platinum and around 40 for the main story alone. The predecessor God of War 4, takes about 26 hours just for the main story.

In conclusion, I was just looking to see more. They intentionally left us hanging with a couple loose ends so they can sell us DLC in the future. I think these should have been integrated as side quests in this game. It is just a shame to see that this game was 5 years in the making and SIE couldn't even put out 30 hours of gameplay. As a lifelong fan of Spider-Man and someone who bought a PS4 just to play the first game, this is kind of a let down. Again, the action and story are wonderful, but I personally don't feel like I got my $70 worth.

Spider-Man 2 is really good, but not as good as the first game. Of course, It looks better, and plays better (with some sweet features in the gameplay), as we would expect from a game of the next generation, but the narrative, even if great at some times, is not as round as it was on the previous game.

With two protagonists the lack of focus is a problem, as are the annoying missions with regular characters that we have been spared of in Miles' solo game.

Some of the antagonists are not well developed in the script, and the game suggests that the developers don't want to make more games with Peter, to give Miles the spotlight, wich, if comes to be, I really dislike, to be honest.

Perfection In my eyes. I'm autistic, so I'm not great with words. I'll keep it short and simple.

1. Beautiful, stunning and breathtaking graphics. The lighting is gorgeous, the environment in itself is amazing (especially outside during the day).

2. Brilliant story and character development. Not only do the characters stand on their own, they also grow together. I absolutely adore the journey.

3. Fantastic machenics (old&new) are back ... My new favourite addition would be the spider wings. Gliding around New York is such a breeze, and is so satisfying.

4. I love the simple things. Like when you're in combat as Pete, and Mile's joins in to help. It makes me happy.

Definitely 10/10 ... Insomniac have done it again.