Where Greatness Sometimes Falters — Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Review (PS5)
No Spoilers
One of the Most Anticipated Games of the Year is finally here. Many players have already 100%’d and received the Platinum Trophy in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. I have been a big Spider-Man fan all my life and have loved Insomniac Games since Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time. This has been my Most Anticipated Game of the Year to a sequel to one of my Top 5 Favorite Games of All Time.
I love nearly everything about this game. Even though there’s universal praise for the game’s amazing graphics, fantastic web swinging, and unique story, there are some problems. Let’s dive into Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to find out why it’s not a perfect game but still my personal choice for Game of the Year.
Beginning with the gameplay, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 manages to deliver the fast paced web swinging once again but even faster. The introduction of the web wings makes traveling around the bigger New York City open-world more fun than before. Also, the technology of the PlayStation 5 means they can load the map quicker, allowing Insomniac Games to pull off the faster web swinging and the web wings.
The combat has been improved but it also takes some aspects away. Starting with the improvements, both Spider-Men have Abilities to use. Miles has his returning Venom Powers while Peter starts with the Spider Arms before transitioning into the Symbiote Powers later on. These Abilities make plowing through groups of enemies a ton of fun.
If you upgrade enough points in either Spider-Men’s skill tree (Miles or Peter), new Abilities and stronger traits will be unlocked. Don’t forget about the skill tree shared for both Spider-Men because you can boost both of their attributes equally there.
Though the new Abilities work in context with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, fans are upset about the gadget selection. Instead of having eight gadgets to mess around with, we’re down to four pretty mid or even bad gadgets depending how you view them. You have the Upshot, the Web Grabber, the Concussion Burst, and the Ricochet Web. I did not even unlock the Ricochet Web during my playthrough but the other three definitely have their uses to clump up enemies or disrupt them.
Fan favorites like the Impact Webs or the Trip Mines are completely gone. I wish the option to unlock them was in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 but Insomniac Games decided to remove these gadgets in favor of faster combat with the Abilities. I can see where they’re coming from and the missions are not designed with gadgets/stealth in mind. Some sections can be done 100% stealth but it would be faster to tear them up with your Abilities. The fact that I never unlocked the Ricochet Web should tell you gadgets take a step back in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
The web swinging is beyond anything Insomniac Games have done previously for Spider-Man but they also improved in other gameplay areas too. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has improved these three major areas for the gameplay: the MJ missions, the side quests, and the boss fights.
The MJ Missions have been a center of criticism since Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018). While I think the levels are still fine, they were a chore to get through when I replayed it. However, they are so much better here. MJ now has a stun gun that slowly upgrades with each new mission. MJ is no longer defenseless and can fight back against the enemies. If you happen to get caught sneaking around, it’s not an instant game over. You have a chance to run away or fight back.
Furthermore, the placement of the MJ missions is very smart narratively. It’s not like these sections could’ve been done by either Spider-Men because the context of the story and what’s happening at the moment makes sense. You might be overpowered and MJ should probably die in some of these situations but she’s Spider-Man’s girlfriend who’s more than capable of handling herself. Playing as MJ in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was a pleasant surprise and I’m glad they improved her missions.
The side quests have been expanded to provide richer content for the player to enjoy. Without spoilers and because I haven’t done most of the side missions yet, I know they’re good. They really took their time to make these missions feel like they’re part of the main story by having motion capture cutscenes. There is less to do after the main story is all wrapped up but the side missions here are 10 times more rewarding than the fetch quests of Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018).
Lastly, the boss fights are so much better in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. They are kind of stacked towards the later half of the game but they are a delight to face. Not only do they provide a good challenge but they are big, bombastic fights that you will not forget. The fights heavily revolve around parrying the boss’s attacks by timing your press of the L1 button before the attack lands. At first, you won’t parry enemy attacks during your playthrough until you meet The Lizard because that’s when you realize parrying is important.
Every boss afterwards requires parrying alongside new patterns and moves to lookout for. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has improved nearly everything in its gameplay. It’s truly a wonderful time to explore New York City’s many boroughs as you fight through waves of enemies and bosses. No other game so far has made you truly feel like Spider-Man more than Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
In a non-spoiler discussion, let’s get into the story. Overall, I think it’s fairly solid. There are some pacing issues and Miles does not get equal treatment compared to Peter but Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has some really amazing moments that any Spidey fan will love. They take a lot more risks in the story compared to Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018). Some worked while others did not.
Harry Osborn has come into the universe as a central character to the story. Insomniac Games take their time to build up Harry and show he’s really Peter’s best friend.
Kraven and Venom are the main antagonists in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Both are formidable opponents that require both Spider-Men to take down. Kraven may not be in our Spider-Men’s faces all the time but the story and narrative build him up as a force to be reckoned with. What Kraven does in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is crazy to say the least.
Venom is a fan favorite character to the Spider-Man mythos. He’s the opposite of what Spider-Man is and wastes no time to make trouble for our heroes. I love what they did with Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and am excited to see what else Insomniac Games have planned for their Spider-Man universe.
The pacing issues are hard to talk about without spoilers. But if you’ve played the game, you should know what I’m talking about.
Miles’ story centers around his college essay and his fixation on Martin Li. Early on into the story, Martin Li escapes The Raft causing Miles to obsess over Li’s whereabouts. Meanwhile, Peter gets to reconnect with Harry and has to handle the symbiote. I wish they were able to implement Miles into Peter’s story more and vice versa because Miles’ side of the story suffers.
His story does get better later on but for the first half, it’s almost non-important. Insomniac Games tried their best to weave Miles into Peter’s story as much as possible but it wasn’t enough. The battle between Peter and the Black Suit is still riveting and a well made adaptation. All in all, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 still delivers a solid story. I do wish the pacing was better and Miles had a bigger role in the overall narrative but I still enjoyed what I experienced.
Last but not least, let’s talk about the performance for this game. The game looks gorgeous on the PlayStation 5. The motion capture and the performances are all stellar. In-game cutscenes do look off at times but they’re still good. I can’t find a single line or character who didn’t give it their all for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, especially Yuri Lowenthal as Peter Parker/Spider-Man.
On the technical side of things, the game doesn’t run the smoothest. They already patched the white cube bug but I still ran into a number of visual bugs and glitches. Characters phasing through the floor or something not loading properly. Everything could be solved with a simple restart from the checkpoint but it is annoying.
In conclusion, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 does some really amazing things for the franchise. Giving fans the best web swinging action thanks to the power of the PlayStation 5. The combat does add some new features like the Abilities but takes half the gadgets away. The boss fights and side activities have been improved tenfold, giving the player a more satisfying playthrough.
The story is fairly solid all around. Harry Osborn is well placed into the story like he has always been in the universe. With some narrative choices and Miles’ first half of the story not being that great, fans can still enjoy what Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has to offer. Not a totally polished experience on the PlayStation 5, I’m too much of a fan that I can look over this game’s flaws. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 lived up to everything I could’ve hoped for and then some. This is my choice for Game of the Year and I cannot wait for Marvel’s Wolverine to release whenever Insomniac Games are ready.
Full Spoiler Review of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Below
Travis “tvsonic” Vuong
Business e-mail: travisvuong56@gmail.com
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