Overview:
Spider-Man 2 is the sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man, developed by Insomniac games exclusively for the PS5, Spider-Man 2 continues the story after the events of Spider-Man Miles Morales (a standalone experience) with Miles and Peter truly stepping into the roles of student and teacher. Throughout the course of the game, the player will see the struggles of both Miles & Peter as they struggle to balance their responsibilities of being Spider-Men and to the city with their own personal responsibilities.
With new threats emerging as Kraven the Hunter claims New York City as his new hunting grounds, and with an old friend of Peter returning from his “vacation” it will be up to the Spider-Men to save the city once again, as the sacrifices they may have to make will ultimately define who they become.
ESRB Rating
Rated T (Teen)
- Blood
- Drug reference
- Mild language
- Violence
The Good
- Ultimate level of gameplay
- Spectacular cutscenes & story
- Amazing dense & packed New York City map
- Very fast load times
- Challenging & unique boss battles
- PS5 exclusive
The Bad
- Somewhat short campaign length
- Boring/tedious side content
- Limited replay ability
- PS5 exclusive
Honest Rating
5 Stars
Honest Review
Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 takes what made the 2018 game amazing and turns it up to another level for the sequel. With a larger New York City to explore (Brooklyn & Queens) added with an expanded and updated version of Manhattan, the area to explore and swing around feels almost endless. Not only is the map bigger, but the way to traverse this depiction of New York City has also changed, web swinging is no longer the only option for the Spider-Men, as they now have the web wings, which lets them glide across the city scape like another superhero from a different game (i.e. Batman). This new method of traversal is amazing and using it in tandem with the web swinging makes the 2018 original feel obsolete and slow.
With Spider-Man 2 being a PS5 exclusive, it is able to be more structured and focused on the immersion that the PS5 and the DualSense controller can provide. This game is blazingly fast in terms of loading, fast traveling is essentially clicking anywhere on the map and being there in less than a blink of an eye, the DualSense controller truly makes you feel like Spider-Man, from feeling the tension in the triggers as you web swing through buildings or feeling the wind as you use the web wings to glide across the rivers. The PS5 is the ultimate place for this game, the only downside is that other players on other platforms cannot experience this game for themselves as it truly is a definitive Spider-Man experience.
In terms of story and combat the game is very similar in structure to the original. It is set in three “acts” all of which are similar in length, gameplay, and side content. While both games are essentially the same in size, I felt as if Spider-Man 2 felt more rushed, especially in the third act where plot points were revealed and never fully explored. This could be due to the fact there is a third game coming down the line, but I would have liked certain plot points to remain longer to fully flesh out the story. The boss battles, which there are a few of in this game, are massive step-ups from the original where all you would do is web up the enemy and then mash the attack button for 10 minutes.
While I hands-down recommend everyone play Spider-Man 2 for the story, gameplay, and awesome traversal – and I am very much looking forward to the third game myself. I do hope there are improvements to the side content. Most of the side content/collectables in this game are very boring and tedious and often feel more like padding than actual content relevant to the story.