With Marvel’s Spider-Man and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Insomniac started closing the book on who the best first-party Sony studio is. Those games were thrilling, interesting, tightly concepted, and most importantly, fun. They also used the toolset of their respective platforms to astounding effect and represented game design values Sony hasn’t focused on since the PS2 era—novelty, innovation, and vibrance. With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Insomniac hasn’t just closed the book. They’ve glued it shut.
Spider-Man is a character that represents so much to so many, myself included, and Insomniac never once loses sight of that. This is a game where American Sign Language and black history are rendered in equal detail to Peter and Miles’ lavish animations and an awe-inspiring recreation of New York City. Through every frame of this game, one easily gets the sense that Insomniac had just as much fun making this game as we do playing it. I’m still not sure how they did it, but Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 somehow has more impressive storytelling, pacing, quest design, combat flexibility, and environments than the latest Final Fantasy game. I wouldn’t have dreamed that a superhero game, of all things, would be a must-play title that sets a new standard for what can be achieved in this medium, but Insomniac managed to get there.
Combat is nimble, decently challenging, and evocative of the characters’ personalities without robbing the player of fine control. There are a truly dizzying amount of abilities and gadgets here—so much so that the game even includes a move list in the menu. The story takes Peter Parker and Miles Morales to new heights of emotional resonance. The world is jaw-dropping, and every single quest feels vital to aligning that world with Insomniac’s vision. The game is extremely exciting and paced masterfully, whether you’re playing it or just watching it all unfold. Simply put, this game cashes every single check it writes.
Now for the bad parts, of which there are surprisingly little. Except for the core cast, you can kind of sense that Insomniac designated their top artists to focus on the upcoming Wolverine game. I also thought the original game was slightly more varied in its sidequest types and stealth implementation. Even still, none of that matters in the face of what this game really achieves.
Throughout the 2000s, Marvel has routinely shown that they’re unsure of how to handle their most iconic character. Leave it to Insomniac to breathe new life into this once storied property. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the very best adaptation of the Spider-Man universe we’ve ever gotten, and for my money, the very best PS5 exclusive game.
Spider-Man is a character that represents so much to so many, myself included, and Insomniac never once loses sight of that. This is a game where American Sign Language and black history are rendered in equal detail to Peter and Miles’ lavish animations and an awe-inspiring recreation of New York City. Through every frame of this game, one easily gets the sense that Insomniac had just as much fun making this game as we do playing it. I’m still not sure how they did it, but Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 somehow has more impressive storytelling, pacing, quest design, combat flexibility, and environments than the latest Final Fantasy game. I wouldn’t have dreamed that a superhero game, of all things, would be a must-play title that sets a new standard for what can be achieved in this medium, but Insomniac managed to get there.
Combat is nimble, decently challenging, and evocative of the characters’ personalities without robbing the player of fine control. There are a truly dizzying amount of abilities and gadgets here—so much so that the game even includes a move list in the menu. The story takes Peter Parker and Miles Morales to new heights of emotional resonance. The world is jaw-dropping, and every single quest feels vital to aligning that world with Insomniac’s vision. The game is extremely exciting and paced masterfully, whether you’re playing it or just watching it all unfold. Simply put, this game cashes every single check it writes.
Now for the bad parts, of which there are surprisingly little. Except for the core cast, you can kind of sense that Insomniac designated their top artists to focus on the upcoming Wolverine game. I also thought the original game was slightly more varied in its sidequest types and stealth implementation. Even still, none of that matters in the face of what this game really achieves.
Throughout the 2000s, Marvel has routinely shown that they’re unsure of how to handle their most iconic character. Leave it to Insomniac to breathe new life into this once storied property. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the very best adaptation of the Spider-Man universe we’ve ever gotten, and for my money, the very best PS5 exclusive game.