1 review liked by ElieYouan
This review contains spoilers
A great game but I have notes...
Gameplay wise, a mostly direct improvement on the first game. There's a few things I've missed - some of the old web gadgets lack functional replacements and some of the new ones feel rather naff - but that pales to... actually being able to complete a stealth challenge without being forced into combat! What a concept!
The side content is also way more focused. You will not be spending hours post-story mopping up every inciting group's 20 crimes or whatever. Mechanically, we're looking at surge modes for both spideys which are entertainingly broken once you master them, and the web wings are fun after they're upgraded and inessential before. Some of the puzzle elements like determining chemicals etc. felt either simplified or relegated more to side quests. Your mileage might vary on whether that's good or not.
The story is... a mixed bag. The most important one is the relationships between Peter and MJ, Harry, and Miles. And they're all done justice. Peter's arc of realising his responsibility isn't just to New York but to himself and the people around him, and toxic obsession towards the former enabled by the symbiote is well realised. Harry becoming Venom is similarly a genius move: taking that same single-mindedness and warping it with an obession with Spider-Man was an excellent way to keep the conflict personal. Unfortunately there are significant pacing issues here. The story hinges on Kraven the Hunter shouldering main villain status for well over half of the game and he is - frankly - neither interesting nor credible as an ultimate enemy. The black suit simply enters the fray too late, and delays the act 3 shift with it.
Some final stray positives: The side missions are very sweet and capture the heart of Spider-Man even if they are lacking in bringing in the iconic rogues gallery, Miles continues to be a very rich and well-realised character, and when the character beats do final hit in the final act I cried several times.
Gameplay wise, a mostly direct improvement on the first game. There's a few things I've missed - some of the old web gadgets lack functional replacements and some of the new ones feel rather naff - but that pales to... actually being able to complete a stealth challenge without being forced into combat! What a concept!
The side content is also way more focused. You will not be spending hours post-story mopping up every inciting group's 20 crimes or whatever. Mechanically, we're looking at surge modes for both spideys which are entertainingly broken once you master them, and the web wings are fun after they're upgraded and inessential before. Some of the puzzle elements like determining chemicals etc. felt either simplified or relegated more to side quests. Your mileage might vary on whether that's good or not.
The story is... a mixed bag. The most important one is the relationships between Peter and MJ, Harry, and Miles. And they're all done justice. Peter's arc of realising his responsibility isn't just to New York but to himself and the people around him, and toxic obsession towards the former enabled by the symbiote is well realised. Harry becoming Venom is similarly a genius move: taking that same single-mindedness and warping it with an obession with Spider-Man was an excellent way to keep the conflict personal. Unfortunately there are significant pacing issues here. The story hinges on Kraven the Hunter shouldering main villain status for well over half of the game and he is - frankly - neither interesting nor credible as an ultimate enemy. The black suit simply enters the fray too late, and delays the act 3 shift with it.
Some final stray positives: The side missions are very sweet and capture the heart of Spider-Man even if they are lacking in bringing in the iconic rogues gallery, Miles continues to be a very rich and well-realised character, and when the character beats do final hit in the final act I cried several times.