It says a lot that I feel like I'm slightly more negative on this than most of you and I still absolutely loved it. It's really rare I just marathon a game these days, but Spider-Man 2 proves once again that Insomniac are unparalleled at creating big, explosive, hugely entertaining blockbusters that make you feel like you're sat in the front row of a cinema watching them.
The set pieces are seemingly endless and all massively entertaining, the writing is tight, the characters are still so lovingly represented and when it comes to swinging around the city, I don't think there's a single traversal system I've liked more in literally any game ever. It's that damn good. Just being Spider-Man and getting reeled into this world of supervillains, chaotic action sequences and incredibly emotional character moments makes this whole thing nigh on impossible to put down.
But while I thoroughly enjoyed playing it, I will admit that I think the first Spider-Man grabbed me more. And that's not from a gameplay standpoint. Outside of the game's new addition of really long, drawn-out boss fights with way too many phases that don't really differ from each other and the maddening parry mechanic that has terrible success windows and actively slows fights down, this is unquestionably a more enjoyable game than the first.
Yes, it's largely just more Spider-Man, but smartly enhanced and refined. Additions like the wingsuit, the new symbiote / electric powers, better-implemented side missions and a streamlined gadget system just make the whole thing flow and feel better, and I can't see myself dropping into either of the last two games now this is the standard. It's the story that I felt was a bit of a downgrade.
And that's for a few reasons. The opening is sublime and the final act really gets into its groove and closes things nicely, but for the most part, this bares the curse of any symbiote storyline: it does exactly what you expect it to do and never really strays from the path. From the black suit and Kraven's involvement to Venom and how they eventually introduce him into the story, this is beat for beat the narrative you expected it to be (outside of the fact it really doubles down on the more comic-booky elements).
And while that's not necessarily the worst thing in the world, the pacing through the first two acts makes it really start to drag. So much of it gets bogged down with endless run-ins with Kraven's goons, as the story falls under the weight of setting up so much for later and gets stuck looping around on the same themes and plot beats. There's only so many times you can battle the same 6 hunter enemies in a camp while Spider-Man says "this guy's hunting people!?" before you're like, man, we all know what's happening next in the story, so just get on with it.
Plus it sidelines Miles for the vast majority of the story, making his arc feel like B-plot. He disappears for stretches of the campaign, as Peter's story takes full control and we only cut back to Miles so he can say "man, I should really write my college essay" to give us a little break from beating up endless waves of those annoying ass mechanical bird things.
That's not to say what's actually in here doesn't work. Aside from evil Peter being slightly goofy, I think the vast majority of it, while predictable, is executed with the signature Insomniac touch that made the original game such a standout Spider-Man story. Kraven is a scary villain that commands the screen whenever he's there and, while I've never been a huge fan of Venom plotlines, I think Insomniac do a great job of making that big dumb bastard a sinister, world-ending threat, injecting an almost Cronenbergian horror aspect to his powers.
But I think it needed something extra to really make the whole thing sing. I left feeling very whelmed, and don't particularly have any inclination to revisit the main campaign, which sucks considering I replayed the first one three times.
But I will come back for the gameplay, and largely, that's what matters. This is just a big, meaty blockbuster to close out the year that absolutely must be played if you have a PS5 and want to see what it can do. As always with the Insomniac Marvel universe, I'm just gassed to spend more time swinging around New York, and so they can make these games until I die if they want to.
Also, this is objectively a 10/10 cause they removed that fucking Screwball lady. Only villain in this franchise more terrifying than Kraven or Venom.
The set pieces are seemingly endless and all massively entertaining, the writing is tight, the characters are still so lovingly represented and when it comes to swinging around the city, I don't think there's a single traversal system I've liked more in literally any game ever. It's that damn good. Just being Spider-Man and getting reeled into this world of supervillains, chaotic action sequences and incredibly emotional character moments makes this whole thing nigh on impossible to put down.
But while I thoroughly enjoyed playing it, I will admit that I think the first Spider-Man grabbed me more. And that's not from a gameplay standpoint. Outside of the game's new addition of really long, drawn-out boss fights with way too many phases that don't really differ from each other and the maddening parry mechanic that has terrible success windows and actively slows fights down, this is unquestionably a more enjoyable game than the first.
Yes, it's largely just more Spider-Man, but smartly enhanced and refined. Additions like the wingsuit, the new symbiote / electric powers, better-implemented side missions and a streamlined gadget system just make the whole thing flow and feel better, and I can't see myself dropping into either of the last two games now this is the standard. It's the story that I felt was a bit of a downgrade.
And that's for a few reasons. The opening is sublime and the final act really gets into its groove and closes things nicely, but for the most part, this bares the curse of any symbiote storyline: it does exactly what you expect it to do and never really strays from the path. From the black suit and Kraven's involvement to Venom and how they eventually introduce him into the story, this is beat for beat the narrative you expected it to be (outside of the fact it really doubles down on the more comic-booky elements).
And while that's not necessarily the worst thing in the world, the pacing through the first two acts makes it really start to drag. So much of it gets bogged down with endless run-ins with Kraven's goons, as the story falls under the weight of setting up so much for later and gets stuck looping around on the same themes and plot beats. There's only so many times you can battle the same 6 hunter enemies in a camp while Spider-Man says "this guy's hunting people!?" before you're like, man, we all know what's happening next in the story, so just get on with it.
Plus it sidelines Miles for the vast majority of the story, making his arc feel like B-plot. He disappears for stretches of the campaign, as Peter's story takes full control and we only cut back to Miles so he can say "man, I should really write my college essay" to give us a little break from beating up endless waves of those annoying ass mechanical bird things.
That's not to say what's actually in here doesn't work. Aside from evil Peter being slightly goofy, I think the vast majority of it, while predictable, is executed with the signature Insomniac touch that made the original game such a standout Spider-Man story. Kraven is a scary villain that commands the screen whenever he's there and, while I've never been a huge fan of Venom plotlines, I think Insomniac do a great job of making that big dumb bastard a sinister, world-ending threat, injecting an almost Cronenbergian horror aspect to his powers.
But I think it needed something extra to really make the whole thing sing. I left feeling very whelmed, and don't particularly have any inclination to revisit the main campaign, which sucks considering I replayed the first one three times.
But I will come back for the gameplay, and largely, that's what matters. This is just a big, meaty blockbuster to close out the year that absolutely must be played if you have a PS5 and want to see what it can do. As always with the Insomniac Marvel universe, I'm just gassed to spend more time swinging around New York, and so they can make these games until I die if they want to.
Also, this is objectively a 10/10 cause they removed that fucking Screwball lady. Only villain in this franchise more terrifying than Kraven or Venom.