When I first saw the teaser trailer for Spiderman 2 last year, I just knew that I had to get my hands on this game as soon as possible. Fast forward a year and RM339 later, I found myself in front of my PS5, all excited and giddy like a young boy again. Heads up, this review is full of spoilers. So, you might want to read this after you have finished the game or if you don't mind spoilers.
It took me almost 4 days to run the whole game out. Every corner of the map in-game, from Queens to Brooklyn. I have completed the main storyline, cleared every symbiote’s nest, sabotaged every Kraven’s bases, retrieved Sandman’s memories and so forth. I would say that I am currently at 85% of the whole game.
That said, is my spending worth it? Does Spiderman 2 live up to its hype? This is my review.
The game looks amazing (No pun intended)
The Avengers Tower is visible from certain spots
Plot - Amazingly engaging but feels rushed in the end
The game starts by throwing you straight into action when Sandman rampages through the city. Thanks to some QTEs (quick-timed events), you manage to arrest him successfully. However, something is very off with him.
After further investigation, you learn that Sandman was being pursued by a group of hunters, mainly Kraven the Hunter. If you are an avid webhead, you might notice the game is heavily inspired by “Kraven’s Last Hunt” storyline from the comic in 1987.
The original comic for "Kraven's Last Hunt"
To appease Kraven’s wish for a warrior’s death, he hunts after all the big baddies from Spiderman’s gallery of rogues. That includes Scorpion, Vulture, Shocker, Sandman, Lizard, Black Cat, and so forth. In his conquest, Kraven has vanquished (A PG way of saying the K-word) Scorpion, Vulture, and Shocker.
Simply said, the first two acts focus heavily on Kraven. As for the final act, the game revealed Venom as the final boss of the game. However, this might not come as a surprise since Venom has been teased from the first game and marketed heavily in every Sony promotional campaign. The final act of the story feels like a page out of Spiderman’s “Web of Shadows”. It’s a classic, feel free to check it out whenever you are free.
As you could expect, the Spider-Men saved the day. Everything is rosy and peachy in New York again, or is it? True to Marvel’s tried and tested formula, you might want to stay tuned for 2 post-credit scenes. The first teases a potential debut of the Green Goblin while the second gives us a cliffhanger when it introduces Cindy a.k.a Cindy Moon/Silk. In case you don’t know, Silk is a spidey too.
Venom, all "19 inches of him"
If you are new to Kraven and his story, there is absolutely no problem to understand the plot. It is relatively simple, yet engaging and immersive. As for me, I feel that this is the best reincarnation of Kraven in modern times. So, if you missed out on the original comic, you are not missing much. Plus, it’s perfectly fine to follow the game’s version of the story.
The main highlights? Venom. Like Kraven, I honestly feel that he’s a major staple of this game. Venom’s motives, story and actions throughout this game make him a very intriguing character. My only complaint? The main story feels a bit short and rushed especially the final act. For what it's worth, a 5 year wait for the sequel is not good enough.
It took me a few hours to finish the main story, wished it was longer though
But don’t jump the gun at Insomniac Games, at least not yet. Like the first Spiderman game, the sequel could come with DLCs to appease your hunger for more content. Perhaps Sony will provide another teaser or closure for some of the in-game content. At this point, we can only wait.
Gameplay - Spectacularly entertaining
Remember the first game? Looks like Insomniacs took everything that worked with the first game and cranked it up to eleven. That’s how fun it is. This time, the game introduces a lot of fun and practical gameplay mechanics to improve your immersion as Spidey.
True to its comic book origins, our Spideys finally get web-wings as part of their default suit. You can activate these suits whenever you are in mid-air to traverse through maps faster. Thanks to the jet stream and up-streams scattered around the map, “flying” as Spider-Man is now possible.
The Web Wings makes traversing the map a lot easier
Combat-wise, the game introduces a Parry mechanic. So, instead of dodging enemies' attacks, you can parry them to replenish your focus bar. In turn, these focus bars allow you to heal or perform devastating finishers.
The skills of the two Spider-Men differ. Miles Morales has a skill tree which dabbles more on electricity and Bioelectricity. On the other hand, Peter Parker’s skill tree is divided into two main components - Iron Spidey arms and the Symbiote. My personal favourite? The Symbiote.
The difference in skills made my combat experience a lot more enjoyable
These skills are super handy
Combat feels super smooth and quick
At some point, you can also play as Venom. This is my favourite part of the game. The game does an excellent job of making Venom feel like the monster he is. During this stage, you can grab your opponents, break them, and smash them like Hulk. For once, it’s super fun to be rampaging and smashing things instead of dodging bullets like Spider-Men always do.
On top of fighting, web-slinging and gliding across cities, there are multiple gameplay mechanics and side quests to keep you entertained. For instance, you can take pictures of the hustle and bustle of life in New York, chase drones, paint, play basketball, restructure genomes, collect Spider-bots and so forth.
Never neglect these side quests, they are super relaxing
You can also perform tricks in midair to gain exp
These side quests are usually easy and straightforward
Interestingly, these side quests are important for your character progression in-game. Completing these quests will reward you with rare techs, tech parts, City tokens or Hero tokens. You can also get new suits by collecting Spider bots in-game. Besides that, completing some side quests such as “The Flame”, ‘The Last Hunt” and “Saving Lives” will reward you with exclusive suits.
To put it simply, there is a lot of content for you to play with even after the main story ends. So, take your time, and enjoy every single moment of it.
You don't want to miss out on these sweet suits
Performance - Breathtaking but ultimately stutters at the highest specs
When the game became playable at midnight, on 20 October 2023, I wasted no time booting it up and playing it. As you might expect, there are some considerable bugs with the very first patch of this game. However, this is normal, and it doesn’t affect my playing experience.
However, the bugs can be very jarring at times. At some point, I found myself phasing into the walls or buildings. That is not supposed to happen in-game. Hopefully, Sony and Insomniac Games will fix these bugs in the upcoming updates/patches.
The graphics and animation in this game are amazing
Look at those details
Graphic-wise? It’s perfect. From Peter’s facial expressions to the city landscapes, drones, gadgets and so forth. I found myself appreciating the game’s graphics. Looks like the shift to PS5 has breathed a new life into this game. Thanks to the PS5 tech and specs, the performance and frame rates in standard settings feel smooth. If anything, I didn’t notice any frame rates drop at all.
However, that might change with a few tweaks to the visual settings. Moreover, some suits require you to toggle the comic FX on to enjoy its full glory. For instance, Miles Morales's “Across the Spider-Verse” suit looks great, but I noticed the character’s moving animation stutters frequently when I don the suit.
I would recommend the default visual setting
Toggling the Comic FX on can stutter your movement animation
The Across The Spiderverse suit looks cool, but it feels out of place
The Comic VFX can stutter your movement animations at times
Even if you put on a normal Spidey suit, the comic visual FX also stutters your movement animation. The same can be said when you toggle the VRR off. For the best gameplay experience, I would recommend the default settings.
Though the animation during the daytime can look a bit odd, the city looks breathtaking in the evening and at night. Unlike the previous games, there are no settings for you to alter the time in-game. I hope that Insomniac Games patches this setting because Sam Raimi’s Black Webbed suit would look stunning at night.
Conclusion - Easily Game of the Year
Now, for the moment you have been waiting for. Is Spider-Man 2 worth your money? My verdict is a resounding yes. Even if you are a casual gamer, the game is enjoyable and flexible enough as it is. There is no rush to finish the game, and you can always jump in whenever you feel like it.
The standard edition will cost you RM299. Me? I got myself the Digital Deluxe Edition. It cost me RM339 and it’s worth every single cent. What's the difference? Well, the Digital Deluxe edition offers you unique bonuses such as 10 unique suits (5 for Peter, 5 for Miles), additional Photo Mode frames and stickers, and 2 additional skill points.
Gameplay-wise, these bonuses do not affect your experience much. So, there is no pressure for you to get them. Unfortunately, I am an avid Spidey enthusiast. So, this splurge is my way of pampering myself.
Game of The Year? Hell yeah, now bring me Spider-Man 3 or Spider-Man: Miles Morales 2.
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