A worthy sequel that exceeds expectations, though the PC version requires further refinement.
When Marvel’s Spider-Man was released in 2018, Insomniac Games established a new benchmark for superhero games. With Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020), they expanded upon this foundation by introducing Miles as a new playable character. Now, they return with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (initially released on Playstation 5 and highly praised by us), a title that refines the successful elements of its predecessors into an even more compelling experience.
The game features a narrative that is both expansive and intimate, characterized by detailed character development, enhanced gameplay mechanics, and a meticulously crafted rendition of New York City. The central question is whether this is the definitive Spider-Man game. The answer strongly suggests an affirmative. However, the PC version necessitates further development to justify its price of 800 SEK.
Story and characters: Dual Spider-Men, doubled responsibility.
Players follow both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, with seamless switching between the two available during gameplay. New York confronts emerging threats, notably Kraven the Hunter, a formidable and relentless figure who arrives in the city seeking adversaries worthy of his prowess.
Kraven is not the sole antagonist. A sinister force looms, threatening to destabilize Peter and his relationships: the Venom symbiote. While the symbiote suit grants Peter immense power, it also cultivates a darker persona, straining his personal connections.
Miles continues to grapple with his identity and role. He strives to honor his mentor’s legacy while navigating personal challenges, including the memory of his late father and a conflict with a former friend. The game expertly intertwines the narratives of both characters, allowing players to connect with their individual trials. The story exhibits greater emotional depth compared to previous installments and delivers several memorable sequences.
Game mechanics and features: Enhanced action with greater fluidity and variety
The combat system in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 expands upon the established foundation of its predecessors, introducing several new features.
1. Distinct Playstyles
The ability to play as both Peter and Miles offers significant gameplay variation. Peter’s symbiote suit grants him a more aggressive and brutal fighting style, characterized by powerful tentacle attacks. Miles, conversely, leverages enhanced bioelectric abilities, making him a fast and unpredictable combatant.
Players can switch between the characters during gameplay, with certain missions tailored specifically for Peter or Miles, allowing players to fully utilize each hero’s unique skillset in different scenarios.
2. New Traversal Mechanics and Web Wings
Exploring New York is now more engaging than ever. Complementing the classic web-swinging mechanics, Insomniac has introduced web wings, enabling players to glide through the city with speed and grace. The combination of swinging and gliding results in incredibly dynamic and satisfying freedom of movement.
3. Expanded Open World
The game world has been expanded to include areas such as Brooklyn and Queens, providing more locations to explore and missions to undertake. Insomniac has also enriched the city with greater detail. NPCs exhibit more lifelike behaviors, traffic patterns are more realistic, and the city feels more responsive to the events of the story.
PC VERSION
Despite considerable anticipation, the PC version has faced criticism due to several technical deficiencies. Many players have reported frequent crashes, performance degradation, missing textures, and extended loading times, even on systems meeting the recommended specifications. These issues have resulted in mixed user reviews on platforms such as Steam, where only 55% of reviews are positive. These problems were also encountered firsthand, indicating that the initial release state was suboptimal; while patches are being deployed to address these issues, the PC version currently falls short of expectations for its price point and in comparison to the PS5 version.
The primary issues include: frequent game crashes, impeding progress and access; unstable frame rates despite adequate hardware, resulting in choppy gameplay; and graphical anomalies such as missing textures and cutscene glitches, detracting from visual fidelity and immersion.
These problems persist despite the release of updates intended to rectify them. It is important to emphasize that these issues affect players across a range of hardware configurations, including those meeting the recommended specifications, suggesting the problems stem from optimization issues rather than solely hardware limitations.
It is anticipated that future updates will resolve these issues and improve the gaming experience for PC players.
Conclusion
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 delivers a compelling narrative and dynamic gameplay featuring two iconic heroes. However, the PC version has been marred by significant technical challenges at launch, negatively impacting the overall experience. It is hoped that forthcoming updates will rectify these issues and provide players with the quality experience they anticipate.
Playstation provided a review copy of this game. Provision of materials does not influence our editorial assessments.
