Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – Insomiac’s Own Multiverse

Insomniac Games has been successful with the releases of Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and came out with a third installment in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to complete a trilogy. In this review, we’ll share with you our thoughts if this third chapter is as messy as Tobey’s Spider-Man 3 or a runaway hit like Tom Holland’s Spider:Man: No Way Home.

Story

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a sequel to the first two installments of franchise that let’s both Peter Parker and Miles Morales team-up to continue the story in Insomiac’s universe.  A portion of the story dates back to the first two games but there is a quick flashback at the beginning to game to keep you up to speed where the current story is at.

As you might have seen in the first reveal trailer two years ago and the succeeding trailers, you pretty much have an idea what the game is about. The first half of the game is about Kraven The Hunter and his group of hunters’ goal of capturing super powered individuals as their prey.  Previous villains such as Scorpion and Mr. Negative make a return appearance as they are chased by the Hunters. While the remaining half of the game is about the symbiote from Peter’s black suit until the appearance of Venom.

Insomiac was able to weave multiple storylines into one great compelling story.  Spider-Man 2 is not the Spider-Man story that you might have read or seen but it does not feel forced.  If you’ve been a longtime Spidey fan like myself, the storyline would be familiar yet Insomiac was able to write it in a way unique to their universe.

Gameplay

Spider-Man 2 plays no different like the first 2 games before it. You still get to full Spider-Man experience whether swinging around the city or fighting like a spider can.

Same mechanics are used and even some of the same missions are the same with a different set of enemies. You still get to do car chases and fight goons in different parts of the city. While we’re on the topic, the game’s map is now twice the size of the previous games with the addition of Brooklyn to the previous New York city map. A larger map would mean a bigger playground for both Peter and Miles to swing around. To help them cruise around the cities, a new mechanic – web-glider has been introduced in the game. Gather enough air and either Spider-Man can traverse the city in a breeze, there are even air packets scattered around the city that would help you glide even faster. I actually used the web-glider more than swinging around or using fast-travel.

You both get to play Peter and Miles at different moments of the game but you can’t switch them on the fly especially if you are on main mission. There are also 3 skill sets available in-game, one for each Spider-Man and a skill set that both can use. Peter and Miles are almost identical with only slight variation that Pete uses his Iron Spider’s legs and Miles with his invisibility and venom skills.

As you progress through the game, there are a few missions that you get to play as Mary Jane and with a few others which is surely to your delight. We’ll keep this review spoiler-free but you’ll definitely enjoy upon reaching the later parts of the game.

Visual & Performance

I can’t help but say that what I’ve love from the previous games are still present in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.  Having played Spider-Man and Miles Morales on the Playstation 4, the visuals are better now on  the next gen. Little observations such as reflections on buildings and even rain drops on your suit are now noticeable. The cut-scenes are also better and gives a more cinematic feel to the game.

Photo-mode is still present that let’s you capture your favorite moments game. I’ve even recreated  90s comic covers inspired screenshots while playing around in the photo mode.

I also get to appreciate the performance of the Playstation 5’s Solid State Drive. I had a lot of time going around the city without even using fast travel due to the console’s no loading screens. Gone are the days of Peter or Miles riding the subway on the PS4.  I’ve experienced a few bugs playing this early copy of the game. There are a few quests that didn’t activate or Spider-Man falling to an endless abyss.  Though these experiences didn’t ruin the experience and was easily fixed with a simple reloading from the last checkpoint.

Verdict

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 as I’ve mentioned throughout this review is not a huge leap from the games before it. Why fix something that isn’t broken, right? They’ve used what worked in both Spider-Man and Miles Morales to set the standard in a video game adaptation using simple combo based fighting mechanics mixed with stunning visuals and great story telling. The game is not without faults, Spider-Man 2 also suffers what have plagued other open-world/sandbox games for years, repetitiveness. However, you’ll understand that you need to go through all of those missions to get that rewarding payoff at the end and finishing the game.

Insomiac utilized Spider-Man’s rich 60 year history to establish their own Marvel Universe. As is with other multiverses, Insomiac’s universe is different but feels familiar yet unique to their own. It wouldn’t be bad if this game were Peter and Miles’ last knowing that a new story from the other side of the Marvel Universe would be told sometime (hopefully soon) in the future.

[This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.]