Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Review

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 had a lot to live up to. With Spider-Man, we were given the most fun comic game ever made, followed by Spider-Man: Miles Morales, taking what was great about Spider-Man but cutting the faff and making a tight, great game with an excellent story. So with Spider-Man 2 bringing in both Spideys in a giant main release, expectations were high, and it mostly meets them.

The story kicks off with Miles in class when a new physics professor comes in. It’s our old friend Spider-Man, err, I mean Mr. Parker. In the first few minutes of his first lesson, Miles and Mr. Parker have to duck away as a sandstorm is busting through the city. It is our old friend, Sandman. They run off to save the day in a very fun fight that reminds us of the game’s mechanics.

At one point in the fight, Peter gets a call from the school asking where he is. After all, a teacher can’t abandon his class during a supervillain attack. This tees up one of the strongest storylines of the game. As the events of the game take place, Miles is trying to balance his life and studies with being a superhero, and Peter is trying to do the same while having a career.

Then there is the whole Venom storyline. Not exactly a spoiler given the nineteen inches of Venom, but yeah. I will let you enjoy that bit as it unfolds, but let’s say it’s solid as hell.

When it comes to gameplay, there isn’t too much to say. The fighting and swinging around feel as good as they did before. Which is great because it felt amazing before, and it feels amazing now. There are some new abilities added, but for the most part, you should know what to expect with this sequel.

There is less stealth than in the first game, which is a win, but not no stealth. Worst of all, the MJ missions are back. While she acts as an interesting change of pace, I wish you spent more time with her as an investigative genius and less time trying not to be spotted.

Most importantly is your time out in the wild. When you are exploring, you can switch between Spideys. Doing so, you suddenly become the other Spidey off doing whatever and wherever they were before the switch a la GTAV. Adding this was a no-brainer, but sometimes games miss the no-brainers. Not here, though.

On the whole, it’s pretty easy to decide if you want Spider-Man 2. Did you enjoy the first two games? You’ll enjoy this. Didn’t enjoy the first two games? Give this one a miss. It’s more of the same, albeit with a stronger story, and I’m here for it.