Spider-Man 2 (PS5): A Solid, Safe Sequel

As if we didn’t have enough quality games this year…

Insomiac has done some amazing work with the Spider-Man IP in the last five years. The first game on PS4 was amazing (heh heh, get it?), easily one of the best games on the console. Miles Morales was basically a tech demo, but I still had a ton of fun with it! Two rock solid games that I’d highly recommend.

Spider-Man 2 is both of those and more. It’s a very standard and safe sequel; it’s not gonna rock the boat and blow the franchise away like Doom: Eternal or Batman: Arkham City. But hey! If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

Life has taken a challenging turn for our two Spider-Men. Kraven and his army of hunters have invaded New York, hunting down heroes and villains alike. At the same time, Peter’s best pal Harry Osborn returns, now kitted out with a strange black super suit. But there’s a strange, sinister power to the goop that twists Peter’s mind. One that threatens to turn our friendly neighborhood hero against the people he loves. Meanwhile, a familiar foe escapes from prison, forcing Miles to confront the worst parts of himself.

Also he has to write a college essay. But that part isn’t really important.

The Symbiote storyline is one of my favorite Spider-Man arcs, and this game is one of the most interesting takes on it I’ve seen yet. Subbing Eddie Brock out for Harry is a weird change, but it works incredibly well. It’s dark, it’s creepy, and most importantly: it makes Peter really edgy.

Kraven slides into the plot super smoothly! Normally I don’t care for the Hunter, but they made him super cool here! Dude isn’t just strong, he’s cunning and he’s brilliant! He and his hunters make for perfect villains for the start of the game.

But let’s be honest: we’re all here for Venom. And yeah, he’s awesome. This is one of the creepiest versions of the big brute we’ve gotten to date. He isn’t goofy or funny, unfortunately, but I can live with that. Dude looks awesome, sounds awesome, and he’s honestly terrifying.

Also Lizard is in this game. He sure is the Lizard.

I don’t really care for him, sorry.

The writing in this game is easily the strongest part. I was so engrossed in the main plot that I almost completely forgot to do any of the side content! I just wanted to keep going and see what happened next!

Not to say that the side content was bad. Writing wise, at least. There are some great little stories here as well! Howard’s quest is a tear-jerker, Mysterio’s attempt at reintegrating into society is compelling, and Prowler’s redemption is a great follow-up to the events of Miles Morales. There’s even an Across the Spider-Verse tie-in quest! They’re great stories.

Even if the gameplay side of them is kinda lackluster. But we’ll get to that.

Visually speaking, this game is only a small upgrade from the last two. Which is fine, those two games looked great! But it’s more or less the same, but with better lighting and color grading. Don’t get me wrong, it looks pretty damn good! It’s just more of the same.

A point that can also be made about the music. Most of it just blends into the background. The only track that really stands out is Kraven’s theme, which is pretty badass.

What’s truly impressive is the frame rate and loading times. On Performance mode, the game ran at 60 fps from beginning to end. Once you load into the game, which doesn’t take long at all, there are no loading screens whatsoever. It’s a completely smooth experience.

Now, onto the game. Which is where the bulk of my critiques lay.

If you played either of the previous entries, you already know how this one plays. Combat and traversal are just about the same as before. Which is good; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Traversal has been greatly expanded. Not only are there more swinging moves, but each character also has web wings they can glide with! You can move super fast and cross the city in the blink of an eye!

Or go crashing into a wall in hilarious fashion.

You’re not just playing as Peter or Miles. You can play as both of them. Not only that, but you can seamlessly transition from one at any time you like (provided you’re not in a mission). Want to trade Symbiote rampages for explosive lightning powers or vice versa? All it takes is a swipe of the touch pad and a button press!

Whichever Spidey you’re not playing as doesn’t just sit idly by. You’ll occasionally run into them fighting crime on the job and you can hop straight into a tag-team match! It’s not just the Spider-Men either; there are several characters you can team up with all throughout the game, and it’s always super flashy and super fun!

And before you ask, yes: you can do the pointing meme at each other.

Each character has their own set of side quests. Peter can do environmental science around the city. Miles has combat challenges with Mysterio and Prowler puzzles. Of course, there are shared quests, such as enemy bases and drone setups or high-speed chases. Unfortunately, this is my first big complaint: I really don’t care for the side content on a gameplay front. They get pretty repetitive pretty quickly.

My second big complaint is the suits. In the first game, each suit had a unique power, so you had a gameplay incentive to get them. Here? They are strictly cosmetic. I never really felt compelled to get any of them, especially since a good half of Peter’s suits are just movie costumes with no extra color pallets.

Both Spider-Men also have eight abilities, four of which can be mapped to the buttons. These are pretty cool and add some extra oomph to combat. Trade-off: there are only four gadgets in this game. And they’re kinda lame. I miss the weapon wheel from the first game.

Also, I’m getting really sick of Sony games treating their players like idiots. I don’t need someone explaining every bit of the puzzle to me like I’m six years old! Just shut up and let me figure it out!

Going back to praise: the MJ sections in this game are actually kinda fun. Mostly because she’s actually given something to defend herself with. It straight-up turns into a Resident Evil style third-person shooter by the end and it’s kinda fun. At the very least, it’s a nice change of pace.

And that’s just about everything. Spider-Man 2 is a solid sequel. Maybe not a mind-blowing one, but it gets the job done. While I do have my complaints, I do still think this is a great game, easily one of the best on the PS5.

Not that the bar is high. It’s only real competition is God of War: Ragnarok.

Funny how history repeats itself, eh?