This review will feature minor spoilers.
Insomniac’s follow-up to 2018’s Spider-Man and 2020’s Miles Morales is finally here and it does not disappoint. The PlayStation 5 exclusive webslinger packs a punch with not only stellar gameplay, but phenomenal storytelling, and overall design. For those that wanted this game to have co-op (myself included), know that it would not be possible. While both of our Spider-Men are featured in the story, this is still very much Peter’s story.
Spider-Man 2 manages to take everything we loved about the first game, and crank it up even more. The first game opened up with us taking on Kingpin inside Fisk Tower, this game opens up with us taking on Sandman who is the size of Fisk Tower. You think Doc Ock, Scorpion, and Rhino are formidable foes? Well, Doc Ock is, but you will face your toughest opponents yet in the form of Kraven and Venom. Each encounter with them kept me on the edge of my seat.
The gameplay, for the most part, is the same. There have been serious quality of life upgrades to the way we use equipment and abilities during combat. There are also some very nice changes when it comes to traversing the recreation of New York City. You now have access to Spider-Wings and they make getting around a blast. This is a game that features one of the most generous fast travel systems ever, and I haven’t used it once. I didn’t want to. I just wanted to swing and glide my way from point A to point B. Along the way, you’ll get distracted by crimes, spider-bots, Sandman’s memories, and much more that you will have plenty to do on your travels.
The folks at Insomniac must have heard Martin Scorcese’s comments about Marvel movies and decided to challenge him with a game that is truly cinematic. The cutscenes feature some of the best cinematography I’ve ever seen in a game. The sound design from the voice acting to the music selection (The Shins!) were all top notch. This game and New York City truly felt alive.
My only hope is that we don’t have to wait too long for Wolverine, and hopefully we get another Miles spinoff along the way.
