Another masterpiece by Insomniac and Sony.
Spider-Man 2 is nothing short OF spectacular. Insomniac Game had a monumental task of making a sequel that would surpass the first game. Not only has Insomniac’s succeeded in surpassing the first Spider-Man. They have transcended their Spider-Man universe with the sequel in spades. This is truly a masterpiece.
Traversal
Web Slinging
I have no idea how they done it. But Insomniac made the web slinging even better than the first two Spider-Man games. The web swinging is fluid, fast and movement is superb. Thanks to these improvements, you feel just like Spider-Man swinging in the air. And it is even sweeter when you do loop de loop and other tricks.
Web Wings
At first, I didn’t know how I would react to the web wings. But now, I love the web wings. Compared to other games with gliding, I have to admit that the web wings are the best gliding system in any game. And no, I not tossing any shade towards Zelda or other games with gliding mechanics.
However, the way you can glide through the air is seamless. The movement of the web wings is just as nice as web slinging. And when you combine web wings with web slinging. These two elements make traversal in Spider-Man 2 top tier.
I usually make frequent use of fast travel in games. But I barely touched it in Spider-Man 2. It is still nice to have fast travel. However, with the speed and fun of traversal it is hard to remember that you can fast travel in the game.
Combat
While gameplay is still the same with the first two games, Spider-Man elevates the combat to whole new levels. Fundamentally, you are still using melee combat to defeat enemies. And relying on your spider sense to dodge attacks.
Enemies have access to big attacks which cause your spider sense to glow red. This is where parry comes in handy as it stops these powerful attacks. Successful parries open enemies up to counterattack. A perfect opportunity to use Peter and Miles’s respective abilities.
Peter
Peter starts off with his spider arms. With these arms, Peter can beat enemies with a barrage of mix of his natural arms and mechanical ones. Peter can rush foes with his spider arms, crashing them into the walls and trapping them with webs. And enemies can be stunned too.
Symbiote
After a close call, Peter gets the Symbiote suit. Granting the veteran Spider-Man symbiote abilities. Peter adapts to a new fluid yet aggressive fighting. It is different than using bob, weave and evade style of normal Spider-Man combat.
And his symbiote abilities involve punching enemies with an outstretched arm. The outstretched arm can trap enemies in black goo. Yanking enemies, lifting them in the air, and slamming them into the ground. Finally, the OG Spider-Man can release a powerful surge attack which decimate enemies.
Miles
Not to be outdone by his mentor, Miles has some new moves of his own. The younger Spider-Man still has his old Venom powers. However, an encounter with an old arch nemesis causes Miles’s Venom power to evolved. And this evolution gives Miles some awesome new powers.
Evolved Venom Powers
Miles can shoot enemies with his evolved bio-electricity (I am sure Dragonball fans love how Miles shoots it). He can use evolved Venom powers to teleport toward enemies and smash them from above. Miles also has a cool move where he attacks an enemy in the air. The assaulted enemy becomes a lightning rod which hits nearby enemies. Very cool!
My favorite new move is Reverse Flux. Miles pulls in enemies with his electricity. Then he blasts them with his electricity. Taking out many enemies while inflicting heavy damage. Reverse Flux is a new awesome move!
Mary Jane
Did I except to play as Mary Jane in stealth missions? No. Did I enjoy these missions as much as the Spider-Men one? No, entirely.
But I do appreciate the fact that the MJ missions were there. And I finished them. It was nice way to break up the Spider-Men missions. More importantly, got MJ involve heavily into the story.
Combat Evolved
Overall, I love how Insomniac has evolved the combat to astronomical levels. And thanks to the PS5 you feel every impact from attacks. The haptic feedback not only immerses you in combat. It also makes you feel like you just as powerful as the Spider-Men.
Each Spider-Man has their distinct abilities. Their individual abilities separate them and makes their own unique Spider-Man. And these different combat styles allow you to customize your own style of play.
To be honest with you, I cannot decide who’s combat style I like more. I love Miles’s new evolved Venom power. Equally, I adore Peter’s symbiote abilities too.
Story
Main Narrative
Spider-Man 2’s story is one the best superhero stories I have ever experienced. At first, it may seem like a simple story, but the narrative gets more complex in subtle ways. The story beats and themes get deeper and thought provoking as you proceed in the game.
Spider-Man 2 takes you on an emotional roller coaster. It is one hell of an epic roller coaster.
You will smile during the lighthearted moments. You laugh at Peter’s corny jokes, especially the prized bear joke. However, this game will also shock you, blow your mind, and keep you on the edge of your seat. Finally, the story will break your heart into pieces.
After going through all that, I was happy with the game’s ending. It was a content yet satisfying ending. More importantly, there were a couple of vital post-credit scenes. These scenes lay down the breadcrumbs on what to expect next from Insomniac’s Spider-Man series.
Side Stories
There is one element that I appreciate about Spider-Man 2’s story. That element is how the main stories sets up the side stories of the game. Side stories also have impact overall on Insomniac’s Spider-Man universe.
One example is Flint Marko. Even after you beat Marko, his story continues through a series of side missions. In order to complete Marko’s story, you have to find the Sandman’s memory crystals. Of course, it’s not easy since you have to fight the Sandman clones.
There are plenty of other good side stories in Spider-Man 2. And there are times which you can take control of other characters. I was pleasantly surprised that I got to do a side quest with Hailey. And it was pretty cool being able to paint with her.
Characters
The Spider-Men
The cast for Spider-Man 2 were excellent. I felt this game was the best arc for Peter. It was fun yet scary seeing Peter's persona being gradually transformed into an aggressive one. And this grand shift in his personality is portrayed masterfully by Yuri Lowenthal. Whether it is delivering the best corny joke of all time or savagely insulting his enemies. Yuri does a fantastic job of portraying the two sides of Peter Parker.
While preparing for college, Miles has his life problems to deal with. And the return of an archenemy does not help Miles either. However, the way Miles handles his nemesis highlights the strength and growth of Miles.
While Miles’s problems aren’t as grandiose as Peter. And his normal life problems may seem disconnected from the overall narrative. Nonetheless, Miles shows that he can stand in his own two feet.
Mary Jane’s Role
I won’t get into spoilers here. But if there is anyone who deserves the title of leading lady. Mary Jane is the winner. She is instrumental to the game’s plot. I am also happy to report that she is badass heroine in this game.
Like Peter and Miles, MJ shows some vulnerability. In turn, this made me relate to her as I did Pete and Miles. And she has great yet satisfying character arc.
Presentation
Visuals
Spider-Man 2 is a stunning game. It has the true visual quality of a Playstation 5 exclusive. The environments and Spider Suits are created with such exquisite quality. Even the subtle details are rendered with such care.
Faces
In my initial impressions, I spoke the face models of the characters being off. Now, I have come to like and appreciate the quality of the faces. The real lifelike faces help me connect with the characters even more. And the expressions from the faces help to convey the story.
Although, I was put off by some of the faces. This is because I used to anime or realistic yet stylized aesthetics of video games. For instance, games like Tales of Arise and Final Fantasy VII Remake comes to mind when I think about these two distinct styles.
Nowadays, many developers are using face scans. And these scans pick up every nuance of a person’s face. This was brought to my attention by Alanah Pearce’s video. Viewing that video is what shifted my opinions on the face models.
Music
I really enjoyed the music of Spider-Man 2. The soundtrack has riveting superhero music with some hip hop instrumentals. Of course, there tracks that help deliver the tone and emotions of critical scenes.
There are instances in which music and sound drive the main story. The sound identifying mini game returned from Miles Morales. This time, Miles Morales collects sounds for a sound program which becomes a vital weapon against the final villain.
Performance
The game’s performance held up well throughout my play through. I didn’t notice any major dips in performance. I played on Performance mode, and I had almost no problems. But I did have one major problem with the game. It is the only negative I have for the game.
Unfortunately, I ran into the infamous audio issue with Spider-Man 2. And I didn’t know it was thing until now. It happened when I was playing through a pivotal moment in the game. Without warning, everything went silent.
Thankfully, there was a quick and easy fix for this issue. Closing the game and restarting it. Solved the issue. Now I know that there are always going to be bugs in games. But this audio silent bug needs to be dealt with quickly.
Is Spider-Man 2 fun?
Spider-Man 2 is an absolute fun game. Insomniac has done a masterful job on this incredible sequel. They have evolved their world of the Spider-Man to the max. This sequel is not only the best Spider-Man game that I have ever played. It is certainly one of the best superhero games ever.
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