After a stellar first outing and a spin-off no less important, Insomniac's Spider-Man 2 promised to up the ante from what came before. Being released the next console up on the Playstation 5, expanding the open world of New York to include Brooklyn and Queens, and the introduction of the Venom symbiote, it all seemed too much to deliver. And yet they did, elevating everything that made the previous games great and further cementing this universe as both the best adaptation of Spider-Man and the best superhero video game series.
Right from the get-go, this game goes big with the initial mission/tutorial having Peter and Miles going up against a giant Sandman. And it only gets better from there as you retain your skills from before while also learning some new tricks. While you can't switch between the Spider-Men when they're together in a fight, it's still cool to do duo finishers (along with other characters you end up teaming up with on some missions). And if you thought web-swinging was fun, just wait until you use the web-wings. Even the Mary Jane stealth missions are better as she's able to fight back if spotted, instead of just having to restart at the last checkpoint. There's a real immersive experience to the game in my opinion. This applies to soaring on the web-wings, but more prominently with the symbiote. While past games with emphasis on the symbiote like Spider-Man 3, Web of Shadows, and Shattered Dimensions have included rage boosts before, this game has a way of making you feel lost consumed by it and every impact you deliver to the enemies.
While it continues the evolution of Spider-Man games, I feel Spider-Man 2 also incidentally pays homage to its history. Along with reminding me of the games I mentioned prior, the Spider-Man app developed in Miles' game our heroes continue to use made me think of the Spider-Man 2 movie game (the first open world Spidey game mind you) where citizens would flag you down to alert you of a nearby emergency. Players of those past games may will sure get a sense of nostalgia.
Like the other Insomniac games, there's a cinematic quality to the story that once again outshines any of the live action films and gives Peter and Miles their own compelling while connected arcs. While I see inspiration from comics like "Kraven's Last Hunt", the Ultimate universe, and Donny Cates' Venom run, Spider-Man 2's story is its own monster. There are tons of emotional moments from beginning to end that will keep you invested in just about every character, main and supporting.
If I had to pick out the themes of the story, it's relationships, mental health, and addiction. Peter, Miles, Mary Jane, and Harry Osborn are all going through personal struggles and some feeling of inadequacy and show them handling it in different ways, and not always healthily. In some cases, the symbiote is used as a coping mechanism, with the best comparison I can come up with being drug use. It allows you to let go of your problems and feel great, but the more you use it and claim there's not a problem, the more it pushes away your loved ones and makes you unrecognizable from your first exposure.
The best highlight to come from this game of course is Venom himself. This is the most terrifying adaptation of the character, with a horror aspect amplified by the voice work of Candyman himself, Tony Todd. His look may remind you of Tom Hardy's Venom, but that version is downright tame compared to what we see here. There's a brief time once the monster is truly born where you play as him and rampage through OsCorp and Times Square and holy shit it is brutal. Hardy's Venom may bite people's heads off with as much gore as PG-13 will allow, but this Venom will break your spine and toss you aside like nothing.
There's a real even split between the main story and side missions. When it comes to the latter, you can tell there was a lot of heart put into them and not just there as busy work or extra credit. They not only carry over the sense of community from Miles' game, but some of them have an emotional pay-off that hit just as much as the main story. And much like Arkham City did for Arkham Knight, the side missions appear to lay the seeds for what's to come in the third installment, setting up villains sure to thorns in our heroes' sides.
The only real gripe I have is that the civilian missions tend to drag on. However, something I did like with said missions involving a teenage Peter in flashbacks show he had a haircut like the Ultimate universe version. It was a nice touch.
If it's not clear, Spider-Man 2 is as fun and engaging as comic fans and gamers were hoping it would be. And I have to say, what I really love about this series is that it continues and allows the story and characters to move forward, something Marvel seems afraid to let happen in the mainstream comics. Spider-Man 3 will surely be worth what will probably be another long wait. Until then, let's see what Insomniac brings us next with their upcoming Wolverine game.
