Before I begin, I'd like to apologize for my poor-quality video game reviews in the past. I vow to take these reviews far more seriously and to provide genuinely helpful information to the most important members of our society - g*mers. They deserve to know how to spend their hard-earned money wisely.

Secondly, apologies for the lack of new pictures. There are some tight embargo restrictions and you're only allowed to post from a pool of pre-approved images. Hence, you will notice that all the images from the commercial reviewers have Spider-Man 2 logo watermarks on them. Consequently, I see no need to add the pictures, as you'll just get the same thing everyone else is posting.

So without further ado, here is the Spider-Man 2 review.

SPIDER-MAN 2

Why do we play video games? According to Johan Huizinga, we are Homo ludens. That is to say, we are a species defined by play. It is through play that we learn, grow, and socialize. Play is also how we form bonds with others and process trauma.

Video games clearly serve these purposes. Video games have made great friendships, and who can say a video game hasn't helped them through a tough time? Though video games can have noble purposes, they aren't always used for that reason. Sometimes, video games are there to stimulate sexual arousal, or just entertain you with bright colors.

Today, we're going to discuss Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and we'll hopefully get to the center of what games are for precisely.

BACKGROUND

Spider-Man was created by Stan Lee in 1962. When creating this character he was interested in the idea of an “ordinary teen” who would grow as the comic series progressed. The result was a wise-cracking New Yorker with a lot of heart, making him exceptionally relatable.

Peter Parker, who is the famous Spider-Man, was later joined by Miles Morales in 2011. Miles was created by Brian Michael Bendis, and he is very similar to Peter, though he has electric powers, as well as the ability to camouflage himself. In the late 90s, Marvel was going through a rough patch, and it sold a lot of its IPs. Consequently, Spider-Man became Sony's property. This explains why the PS3 had the Spider-Man font. The IP was purchased for $7 million, and in hindsight, it was a steal.

In 2019, Sony acquired Insomniac, beginning a long relationship with the already successful studio. Spider-Man (2018) was one of the bestselling titles on the PS4, and it has since sold over 33 million copies. Understandably, anticipation is high for the next game.

So, did Insomniac manage to top their previous offering? In short, yes. It doesn't do this by offering a heartwarming story or complex gameplay. Instead, wows you with jaw-dropping visuals, and an awesome factor that'll keep you coming back.

GAMEPLAY

Overview

Truth be told, I didn't play 2018's Spider-Man, although I did play Miles Morales. I hate superheroes. Why? Okay, I'll reveal exactly why. In my younger years in university, I would hang out with a guy who was large, charismatic, and could easily take control. I was basically his lackey and I would follow him around everywhere and sometimes do things I was uncomfortable with because I was afraid to say no.

In the dormitory I lived in, there was an “awards ceremony” at the end of every year - basically a drinking event. One year, I got the Batman and Robin award, with myself labeled Robin because the most notable aspect of my pathetic existence was being second banana to someone superior to me in every way. Since then I have sorely loathed superheroes and anything to do with Batman specifically.

With that out of the way, let's discuss Spider-Man 2's gameplay, which will probably be the most contentious aspect of the game. You'll either love it dearly or hate it intensely.

First, let's just discuss what you're getting. As was the case with its predecessor, Spider-Man 2 places heavy emphasis on traversal. To get around New York, you can web-swing between buildings and do tricks. This is very fun, addictive even, and I never tired of swinging from one mission to the next.

You also have a webwings on your suit. Activate them, and you can glide longer distances which is useful when you need to overcome waterways. You can remain airborne by taking advantage of air currents that give you height and speed. These are really fun, and you gain more speed by going through the little rings that appear.

In addition to looking cool, all these traversal methods will score you some XP which you can then use to level up and unlock skills. Fast travel is ridiculously fast. I'm talking instant. As soon as you click on an area on the map, you're there. However, you shouldn't use fast travel too much because you'll miss out on all the crimes you can stop, collectibles to find, and Photo Ops to locate.

Once you're at your mission, your typical combat begins. If you've played the prior games, you'll find this very familiar. You're surrounded by a group of baddies, some of them have guns, others have shields, and some are too fat to hurt with a punch. This time around there are also robot drones that survey from above, and robot predators that hunt you down. You defeat them by mostly pressing square to make Spider-Man perform sick stunts.

The combat can be pretty mindless if you want, but as I got into the game and cranked up the difficulty to the highest setting, I realized that the combat wasn't as shallow as I initially thought. It's no Bloodborne, but there are combos to learn and you can certainly become better at the game by familiarizing yourself with the intricacies of combat. For those who want to get serious, there are plenty of combos to learn, but really even if you do learn them, you're not going to be much better off than someone just button-mashing. You're both going to defeat baddies and see cool moves.

If you want to improve how you perform during combat, you need to upgrade your Abilities, Gadgets, and Suit Tech. Let's briefly discuss your Abilities and Gadgets. Some gadgets give you extra appendages, others enhance what you can do with your web-slinger, and others give you new weapons to use during combat or increase your speed.

Abilities are moves you can pull off in combat. Peter has his own set of abilities, while Miles' abilities take advantage of electric powers. Lastly, you have Suit Tech. With Suit Tech, you can improve aspects of Miles and Peter such as their health and the damage they deal. Through this system, your upgrades aren't dependent on the suit you put on. You're free to wear whatever suit you want without worrying about stat changes.

When it comes to combat, I much prefer Miles Morales. He has the ability to camouflage, so you can go the stealth route with most missions. This makes the game piss-easy at all levels, but it's also a little less repetitive and mind-numbing than the button-mashing that is regular combat.

Stealth gameplay has been improved since the Miles Morales game. You're able to create lines of web above the playing field, allowing you to position yourself above enemies when opportunities wouldn't have been previously available. This makes stealth even easier, but it is a fun move to use.

DualSense masters

The DualSense is an amazing controller, but there have been very few games to utilize it well. Perhaps the greatest example, to this day, is Astro's Playroom. Spider-Man 2 comes pretty close. The controller is used to simulate the nuances of the environment and it feels very good. It's so accurate that you can feel the chain of your bicycle as you cycle around New York.

It also makes use of the touchpad in a good way, and you can swipe in different directions to bring up your FNSM or open up your camera app. You can also assign shortcuts to the d-pad, which is very useful. I used mine for the photo mode and to slow down gameplay for cool moments.

The busywork

There are a ton of collectibles and mini-games scattered throughout New York. For example, you have EMF experiments that have you splicing atoms together and flying drones around Central Park. You also need to look for Spider-Bugs hidden throughout the city, and Prowler Stashes hidden in weird places.

Even during missions, you'll be hit with one-off mini-games such as during your visit to the Park of Coney Island where you can play some of the games and rides. Sometimes, it feels like busywork, especially because I'm not interested in Peter and MJ's relationship which is often expounded upon during these moments. Nevertheless, I was never bored because everything looked so good and felt so smooth. Yes, I admit that I was impressed by how superficially shiny the mindless mini-games were.

There are also sections that throw in those Ratchet and Clank-style wormholes that transport you from one place to another. The portals are formed by Black Cat who has a magic wand. These sections are extremely fun and very fast-paced. I'd say, they are some of my favorite moments in the game.

In short, Spider-Man surprised me with its gameplay. I went in expecting to hate it. I thought it would be nothing but a repetitive slough. I was wrong, at least in some ways. The gameplay is shallow, sure. But it's the most polished shallow gameplay of this generation. It's fast, flashy, and fun. You won't ever be excessively challenged, even on the hardest difficulty, but it will put a smile on your face, even if you're a doubter like myself.

Closing thoughts on gameplay

So, as I said, you'll either like it or hate it. The game is very much a collectathon which has you swinging around the city to complete busywork. The combat is as shallow as a teaspoon. Nevertheless, you shouldn't take this as an indication that the game is bad.

Sometimes you just want to win, and you don't want to struggle to do it. Sometimes you're tired after work and you want to make progress instead of being stuck at one level. Spider-Man 2 is the game for you if you are in this position. It never makes you struggle.

Most importantly, it's pretty as frick. You're constantly bombarded by beautiful visuals that make it impossible to take your eyes off the screen. New York has never looked this gorgeous. It genuinely feels like playing a movie at times, and other times, you can take your hands off the controller and just enjoy the flashy cutscenes.

This is the best game for midwits, and that's why I love it.

SETTING

New York is massive, impressively so. Walk the streets and you'll see people going about their day, and you can interact with some of them. You'll also occasionally see crimes go down. Sometimes, they're committed by regular thugs, and other times you're dealing with arsonists that mean business.

As you interact with the city and the people, you'll sometimes encounter some truly touching moments. This occurs, for example, when Miles helps a woman find her grandfather, and we hear a story from him of how he met his now-deceased wife.

Without spoiling too much, you'll be exploring plenty of interiors that'll make you forget you're in New York at all. There are a TON of environments explored. Furthermore, you aren't trapped within the city and there are sections where you will briefly travel to other countries around the world.

I had so much fun web-swinging through New York. The game is the perfect wallpaper maker, and my PC is going to look fetch for the next few months.

CHARACTERS

One of the selling points of the new game is that you'll be able to switch between Miles and Peter. Let me explain how it works. When you're not on a mission, you're able to switch between either Spider-Man at will. The change is instant, and you'll sometimes be treated to a little scene showing Spider-Man interacting with the public or just hanging around (sometimes literally lol).

Each Spider-Man has their own skill trees, suits, and missions. You have to switch to a specific character to start certain missions. The Spider-Men will help each other in battles sometimes if their paths cross.

I like this mechanic, as it gives you two different ways to explore the city. Peter is the classic Spider-Man experience, while Miles allows you to take the stealth route if you wish. It also means you have two skill trees to complete, and two sets of suits to unlock. To get new suits, you'll have to collect hero tokens, city tokens, tech parts, and rare tech parts.

The downside is that the game is still trying to tell a relatively linear story, so the two spideys are always intertwined in their stories. You can't play a separate Miles and Peter campaign like Resident Evil 2. It's one story.

Miles has a love interest, and if you played Miles Morales you already know who she is. She plays a bigger role this time around, and there are some cute moments between her and Miles. I don't like MJ and Peter's relationship. MJ is annoying and her inability to actually commit to Peter and demonstrate her dedication is infuriating.

I like Peter's friendship with Harry Osborn, and how it develops and morphs. There are some pretty impactful moments that lead to what will surely be Spider-Man 3.

AUDIO, VISUALS, AND PERFORMANCE

You can probably predict what I'm going to say. This is an Insomniac game, and they have the benefit of working on a single console. Spider-Man 2 is one of the best-looking games on the PS5. It's quite possibly one of the best-looking games of all time. Spider-Man looks so realistic, and he moves so believably.

The lighting gives New York fantastic reflective surfaces, making the glass skyscrapers glisten in the sun. If you want to fault this game, it's not going to concern its visuals. They're impeccable. Human characters are also borderline photorealistic, and Spider-Man's suit is ridiculously detailed down to the stitches.

The actual background music is pretty forgettable. You'll get a few rap tracks sprinkled here and there because the game is totally cool, and there's epic superhero music to score your web-swinging, but nothing in particular popped out at me.

This doesn't mean that the audio design sucks. Quite the contrary. When kicking butt in New York, you'll enjoy immersive 3D audio that makes you feel like you're truly in the Big Apple. During combat, audio cues can help you determine which direction your foes are coming from, which is extremely helpful because they usually attack in large hordes.

The performance is darn near flawless. I played it in performance mode which offers you 60FPS gameplay, but you won't be sacrificing ray-tracing. There is a 30FPS graphics mode available, but it is not worth it in a game like this when fast and fluid motion is so important. Nevertheless, if you do want to go this route, you'll be treated to some eye-popping visuals.

I said “darn near flawless”, which should alert you that there are at least some issues. I experienced a singular major glitch that occured when I randomly clipped through the ground during combat, fell through liminal space, then died. However, there are plenty of what I'd call micro-glitches, and they're frustrating. You know, you're in the middle of combat and spidey won't fricking zip to the next point despite you directing there and he instead sticks to the wall like an idiot as he's blasted with bullets. Sometimes, he'll zip past the pole I was aiming for or he'll just stop responding to my inputs. It's frustrating, and yes it might be a skill issue, but you'll be familiar with this problem if you've ever played an Assassin's Creed game and your parkour is rekt by your character deciding to leap off the roof instead of jumping to the next pole or just gets stuck on one pole despite you attempting to move forward.

To conclude this section, Spider-Man is a gorgeous game both visually and sonically. Insomniac always pushes the boundaries with its games when it comes to visual fidelity, and things are no different this time around. The performance is also great, but there are some frustrating moments during combat and traversal.

STORY

I don't care about the story I hate superheroes so much. Here's the major fricking spoiler: the Spider-Men win! Peter has MJ and Miles has Hailey because they're good people and that's what happens to good people. Good people are never depicted as lonely unloved men.

I hate superheroes so much. Here's a real story - I am a 5 foot 1 male (156cm). Try making a game out of that, Insomniac! I can't grow facial hair and I get called ma'am on the phone. I have never experienced any of the benefits of masculinity, for socially, I am a submale, subhuman, manlet.

There is no happy ending to this story, the stats speak for themselves:

1. Short men are poorer

The correlation between height and male earning power is stronger than the correlation between gender and earning power. You can predict your lifelong earning power by your height at age 16.

• men's wages as adults could be linked to their height at age 16

• The researchers found that on an average an increase in height by one inch at age 16 increased male adult wages by 2.6 percent. This is equal to increase of approximately $850 in 1996 annual earnings.

In short (pun intended), the taller you are at 16, the more you will earn in your life. Short men are also barred from some of the highest-earning jobs and jobs requiring leadership.

• studies have shown that short people are paid less than taller people, with disparities similar in magnitude to the race and gender gap

• surveys have uncovered that less than 3% of CEOs were below 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) in height. 90% of CEOs are of above-average height

2. Short men are lonelier

There is nothing that guarantees your social rejection more than being short

• in a 2019 survey performed by Ipsos in Hungary with over 500 respondents, the perfect height for men for 53% of participants was between 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) to 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)

• Research indicates that the human brain uses height as one factor to measure social status and fitness

• Studies have observed that infants as young as 10 months old unconsciously associate height with leadership potential, power, strength, and intelligence

3. Short men are sad

• A study produced by the Universities of Groningen and Valencia, found that the taller a man was, the less anxious he felt about attractive, physically dominant, and socially powerful rivals

• it was found that a 5-cm (2-inch) increase in height was associated with a 9% decrease in suicide risk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Height_discrimination

It is truly OVER. Numbers don't lie and they paint a grim picture. My entire life is just writing these worthless posts that are read by 20 people who then proceed to insult me and give me ban awards.

CONCLUSION

Everything to say has been said. I went into it expecting to hate it, but I love it. So back to my original question - why do we play video games? It is true we play for noble reasons. But it is also true that we play for superficial reasons - to pass time, to be excited, and to feel powerful. Spider-Man 2 is an incredibly shallow game, but it excels at providing fun.

To my own astonishment, I give Spider-Man 2 a solid 90/100 Hollys.