Was Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 a disappointment?
Photo courtesy of WIkimedia Commons
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 came with massive improvements that fans, like myself, enjoyed. But there are still some things that could be changed.
Spider-Man is one of the most popular Marvel superheroes. Since his first appearance in Amazing Fantasy 15 (1962), Spider-Man has appeared in various comic books, movies, television shows, and video games. In 2018, Insomniac Games released Marvel’s Spider-Man, the highest-selling Playstation 4 game ever. The beautiful visuals, amazing gameplay, and thrilling story cemented it as my favorite game of the year. With these factors in mind, Spider-Man fans were excited when the official sequel was announced and released in March 2023.
While the game has received massive critical acclaim, currently being the best-selling PlayStation 5 release, Spider-Man fans seem to be divided. Many fans claim the game is disappointing compared to the original, claiming it was rushed and should have been better. Despite its flaws, however, I believe Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (2023) is still a sequel worthy of its predecessor.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is an action-adventure game starring two Spider-Men, Peter Parker and Miles Morales. One of the best elements of the game is how you can seamlessly switch between the two heroes instantly, with both being incredibly fun to play with. The web-based combat is still extremely exhilarating, with the new special abilities and a parry mechanic adding another layer of strategy on how to defeat a group of thugs. The game's boss fights are a huge improvement from the original, being more cinematic and doing a better job of testing the player's skills in combat. Being able to take down a boss of a group of enemies with just one combo has never felt more satisfying. The traversal has also been upgraded, the web swinging is much faster, and new additions, like the web wings, grant the player unique ways of traveling the game’s version of New York. In addition, the game allows you to lower the automation of your swinging, making it more skill-based. These changes made swinging so fun that I rarely used the fast travel feature.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 also features a wide variety of suits for both Peter and Miles, with many suits having three extra color variations. The suit selection is well-received, with many fan favorites from movies and comics. I dislike the original insomniac suits, as most are heavily overdesigned. New York City is now double the size of the previous map, adding both Brooklyn and Queens—featuring various side missions, combat challenges, and collectibles. The side content was enjoyable. I particularly liked the combat challenges and the side mission revolving around helping people in the neighborhoods. I missed some of the content featured in the original, such as the stealth challenges, traversal challenges, and a wider variety of random cares that happen in the city. The stealth missions in this game also feel like a massive afterthought. Not only is stealth rarely needed, but the simple enemy artificial intelligence lacks the strategy needed to complete a stealth segment—making it mind-numbingly easy.
The biggest issue with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the narrative, which follows the two Spider-Men as they encounter conflict with Kraven The Hunter, who transforms New York City into a hunting ground for super-powered individuals. The extraterrestrial Venom symbiote bonds itself to Parker and negatively influences him, damaging his relationships. The story for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 still does have some good elements, such as a character arc with Miles struggling with feelings of vengeance against the supervillain, Mister Negative, who killed Miles’s father in the first game. I also found Kraven The Hunter to be a very entertaining villain in the first two acts of the narrative. My issue arises because I think the narrative goes by too quickly, and there's hardly any time to breathe. For example, while I still enjoyed Peter’s arc with the alien symbiote, this plot point goes by too quickly for you to become truly invested, and feels like the developers just wanted to get to Venom as soon as possible.
Harry Osborn's transformation into Venom, the game's final antagonist, is another issue I take with this story. Venom’s design and voice are excellent, and the story mission, where he is a playable character, might be my favorite moment of the game. Unfortunately, Venom hardly appears in the third act, and compared to his complex character in the comics, his motivation in the game is nothing more than that of a generic alien monster who wants to start an alien invasion. The third act also felt rushed. I felt shocked and confused when I already reached the final story mission, as I thought there would be more.
So yes, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 does have its flaws, but no game is perfect. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 still did what a sequel is supposed to do for the most part—which is to improve on the original. The combat, traversal, and costumes have all been improved. The ability to play as two Spider-Men is great, and even in some of the more flawed areas of the game, I still found myself loving the game in the end. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is still an excellent superhero game and far from disappointing.