I think it’s wonderfully fitting that my college education has been bookended by Peter Parker. I played “Marvel’s Spider-Man” in 2018 when I had just wrapped up my first week of classes. Now, five years later, as I am about to graduate this December, somehow, I am back to wrapping up bad guys with webs on a PlayStation (PS).
That first game is probably my favorite video game of all time, so it’s no surprise that I pretty much had been waiting all year for this sequel. One might think a sequel of this caliber might not deliver and drop the ball, but not Insomniac Studios. With “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2,” they have created another superhero masterpiece.
Let me go on record and say that I have not yet finished the main story, but I feel as if I can justify a review of this game despite not knowing how it ends. While this series is absolutely sold on the fact that it’s a fresh and original take on Spider-Man in a universe that Insomniac created, they have also always been about way more than that.
This game features an open-world New York City littered with collectibles, side quests, countless car chases and dozens upon dozens of suits to collect. There are 78 of them! Essentially, what Insomniac has done for this sequel is taken everything that was good about the first one and improved upon it in every way.
The game is massive. Not only are we back as Parker, but Miles Morales is also the shared main character of the game. Two Spider-Men in one, and the ability to switch between the two on the fly is absolutely amazing. The map is also twice the size of the first game, and with that comes a much more epic transversal system. Web wings were also added!
This game truly gives you the full “spidey” experience. Combat has mostly stayed the same, but there are no more suit powers. Instead, it is replaced with abilities that you can level up and customize. Morales focuses on his electricity powers, while Parker has either some cool iron spider arms… or the iconic black suit. Yes, that’s right. This game includes an adaptation of the black-suited Spiderman storyline most prominently featured in the movie “Spider-Man 3,” ultimately leading us right to a confrontation with Venom.
I haven’t gotten the suit yet, so I can’t say much. But so far, Insomniac has given me no good reason to believe that they aren’t going to knock this adaptation out of the park. My biggest question still is who Venom is even going to be, considering it was established that Eddie Brock — the most famous of all the Venoms — was not going to be Venom in this universe.
My guess is that it will be Harry Osborn. However, it could also be the game’s main villain, Kraven The Hunter, who winds up turning into him. I don’t know yet, and I’m dodging spoilers left and right just trying to find out on my own.
Speaking of plot, if I could say anything negative about the game, it’s that so far I feel as if the main story just hasn’t been nearly as good as the first. This sequel has improved everything else – graphics, side quests, gameplay, customization. This one’s story, so far, has felt kind of uneven. Morales also feels like the secondary spider on this adventure in some instances. Again, my thoughts could change when I finish the story.
All in all, Sony has another masterpiece on their hands. This Insomniac Spider-Verse is only going to get bigger and better. “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” is another slam dunk for PS5’s library. One could even make the case that it’s the best game released on the console to date. I can’t stop playing it, and I won’t stop until I get 100 percent completion for the entire game, and to be honest, that’s all I really wanted anyways.
5/5 Stars
pkeastea@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @insomniacgames, X
