Well hello there Blerders and Nerders! It has been a very long time here in these blog streets! A lot has gone on and changed and I will update the world at some point but not today. I will be doing a spoiler-free review of Marvel’s Spider-man 2 for PS5! This is the first game I started AND finished while streaming on twitch! I’ll tag that later as well. Spider-man 2 is a direct sequel to Marvel’s Spider-man, continuing Peter’s story and continued journey as Spider-man with the assistance of the second Spider-man, Miles Morales. The story revolves around Peter’s time as Spider-man and trying to have a life with Mary-Jane as a functioning adult as well as reconnecting with his ill childhood friend, Harry Osborne. Peter is faced with battling Kraven, a hunter that has come to NY to hunt super-powered people for some reason and dealing with the threat of Venom taking over the city. We also get full story with Miles continued growth as Spider-man as he prepares for college and deals with his life without his father.
I will be explaining this with as little to no spoilers as best I can. Just like the first one, there are side missions that can be done to gain tokens as well as new suit unlocks. The game still looks amazing as the first two did. If you have a OLED TV with your PS5? Freaking…AMAZING visually. They basically did not change the controls with the exception of the tools menu being a little different. Definitely still a game to get lost in just enjoying swinging through the city.
The Good:
- Playing with both Spider-men– If you have played the first Spider-Man and DLC Spider-man: Miles Morales, you kind of know what kind of lives/moves these separate Spider-men have. Having the ability to essentially switch between the Spider-men for almost any side mission. I found it easier to fight Sandman flunkies with Miles instead of Peter so I would switch to Miles if I wasn’t him already. There are some side missions that are only for either Spider-man. I enjoy the chance to play both character’s stories whenever I want. Or if I want swing around the city in multiple unlocked suits.
- Graphics are still top tier– What’s the old saying? “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? Yeah that applies with Spider-Man 2. The graphics look as amazing as they did in the first game and DLCs. Visually the same as the first game but with PS5 graphics. Even the little features of the characters facial expressions and mannerisms was improved.
- Overall story– I am a very story oriented gamer and the continuation of the story from the first game was appreciate. The real feat was telling a story with two different paths that still converged beautifully at the end. Playing through the growth of Miles from his DLC from the first game to where he is mentally and physically in this game was something I could do over again. But Peter’s overall maturity from game 1 to this game really shined. Him still wrestling with issues from the first game to somehow trying to balance what was going on in this game to where he ended up was simply amazing to play through. Even the specific side missions tied into each character’s story made playing both characters that much more enjoyable.
The Bad:
- Still a few bugs – Just like the first game, there were some visual and mission bugs. Visually there were points were face models were wonky or during cut-scenes, the characters still have dialogue but you don’t see them in the scene. Or when you are trying to start a mission and the button prompt doesn’t show or won’t allow you to hit it to start. The bugs aren’t enough to stop me from playing but sometimes they came at the most inopportune times of game play.
- Mary Jane missions (but not that bad) – If you have ready my review for the original Marvel’s Spider-man, you know how much I hated the Mary Jane missions. I felt that they were unnecessary and just a waste of a character. They were not as bad as I assumed they would be this time around but I kind of still didn’t think they needed to be there. These missions however were different in a way where Mary Jane was A LOT more capable of defending herself without relying on Spider-man as much. The main reason I liked these better were that they were shorter than the others and had decent story implications….I’m just not a fan of Mary Jane.
Conclusion
Insomniac really did something that few game series have been able to do. They were able to make an almost seamless sequel that highlights two main characters. Continuing the growth of the characters from both the original game and the Miles Morales DLC is something not many games can do well. This game perfectly set up future games (and DLCs) while still allowing us to be able to enjoy both Spider-men with their own side missions. Compared to the first one, I would give this game a 9/10. Again, close to perfect but not perfect. I look forward to what DLCs we may get with this game. I will update this post when those get released!
What about you guys? Have you played this game? What did you think? If you haven’t purchased it, you can get it here from Amazon! Let me know what you think in the comments! This was the first game we finished on stream! When you get a chance, check me out sometime! Twitch.tv/kingofdamisfits
Stay safe, wash your hands, drink your water and as always…Nerd Out!
