This review contains spoilers
Spoiler Free Summary: Spider-Man 2 is a game of few but undeniable flaws, that can easily be disregarded thanks to a great story, some great moments and great traversal. Not a connaisseur's choice for sure, but an undeniably great time.
The rest of the review will have spoilers, so beware
Spider-Man media will always have a soft spot in my heart. The values the character carries, the stories that are told through him, the insane cool factor of web-swinging and climbing up walls... I grew up with Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man being an absolute pop culture icon, and rediscovering the character in different media over these past few years has been amazing, this game being the latest example.
Now, please note this game is not perfect. The side content can get repetitive, the combat, tough overall a bit better than the original two games thanks to simplified access to gadgets and more character abilities, saw Spider-Man feel a bit heavier than in the first game, less agilen and is still pretty simplistic. Put simply, you need to make your own fun with the combat by combining different attacks together. There is a bit of lack of depth (even though the addition of a parry helps), but honestly, the cinematography of the fights does kinda make up for it. Basically: Spider-Man 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel gameplay-wise, it isn't going to be a connaisseur's pick, it isn't close to being GOTY, it isn't deep. But Bloody Norah, it's fun.
The web swinging has been made so much better, you can really feel just how much quicker you're going compared to the first two games, and you need to take it into consideration where your web has been anchored (if your web is long, your arch will be long, so you may hit the ground, if it's short it'll be quicker and easier to change directions with), the web wings are great, the super slingshots are amazing... By far, the biggest upgrade from original to sequel is this web swinging, deploying the full potential of the PS5.
The side content, although a bit repetitive, is pretty cool as well. It uses a lot of cool villains, and the themes of the game are echoed in these side quests. Sure, a lot of them are about beating up baddies, or a copy and pasted, but it's still less repetitive than the enemy bases from the first game (of which three different types existed). The unidentified targets challenges are pretty cool, requiring you to really master the web-wings, even though they were, again, a bit repetitive.
The suits are absolutely phenomenal, they start off pretty average, but by the time you get to level 20 they're all bangers.
And finally, the story. Goodness, the story. More setpieces, better setpieces, amazing story moments, both in gameplay (the symbiote combat in general is absolutely amazing, a lot of the bosses are great, especially Peter V Miles, the Venom power trip is a delight) and in cutscenes. This story gets Spider-Man. It's a story about two themes: balance and second chances (as exemplified by Harry getting a second chance). Miles struggles throughout the game to balance his personal life and Spider-Man duties, a classic Spider-Man story that didn't really exist in the first game due to Peter already being a veteran, Peter can't keep a job because of his duty as Spider-Man, and so when the symbiote arrives, he welcomes it with open arms because it makes everything easier, and makes him forget about the second theme of the game : second chances. Spider-Man believes in second chances, the symbiote doesn't care for them. All it cares about is pleasing its host so that he better accepts it, researching efficiency over everything else, disregarding any values one may have. It wants to take away the nemesis' second chances, even though as we see in the game, through Beck, Li or Tombstone, some villains' second chances actually work. And that's something the symbiote shares with Kraven, who refuses to let reformed super-villains escape their past. Kraven is great, he's presented really well as a real menace throughout the game, and killing him as Venom felt wrong, but I can't lie, it felt amazing to overpower himw with such ease after his boss fight against Peter isn't the easiest I've come around.
Play this game. It won't change your life, but hot damn, it's immensely fun despite its flaws, and the emotional roller-coaster that is its story will really not make you regret this one.
The rest of the review will have spoilers, so beware
Spider-Man media will always have a soft spot in my heart. The values the character carries, the stories that are told through him, the insane cool factor of web-swinging and climbing up walls... I grew up with Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man being an absolute pop culture icon, and rediscovering the character in different media over these past few years has been amazing, this game being the latest example.
Now, please note this game is not perfect. The side content can get repetitive, the combat, tough overall a bit better than the original two games thanks to simplified access to gadgets and more character abilities, saw Spider-Man feel a bit heavier than in the first game, less agilen and is still pretty simplistic. Put simply, you need to make your own fun with the combat by combining different attacks together. There is a bit of lack of depth (even though the addition of a parry helps), but honestly, the cinematography of the fights does kinda make up for it. Basically: Spider-Man 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel gameplay-wise, it isn't going to be a connaisseur's pick, it isn't close to being GOTY, it isn't deep. But Bloody Norah, it's fun.
The web swinging has been made so much better, you can really feel just how much quicker you're going compared to the first two games, and you need to take it into consideration where your web has been anchored (if your web is long, your arch will be long, so you may hit the ground, if it's short it'll be quicker and easier to change directions with), the web wings are great, the super slingshots are amazing... By far, the biggest upgrade from original to sequel is this web swinging, deploying the full potential of the PS5.
The side content, although a bit repetitive, is pretty cool as well. It uses a lot of cool villains, and the themes of the game are echoed in these side quests. Sure, a lot of them are about beating up baddies, or a copy and pasted, but it's still less repetitive than the enemy bases from the first game (of which three different types existed). The unidentified targets challenges are pretty cool, requiring you to really master the web-wings, even though they were, again, a bit repetitive.
The suits are absolutely phenomenal, they start off pretty average, but by the time you get to level 20 they're all bangers.
And finally, the story. Goodness, the story. More setpieces, better setpieces, amazing story moments, both in gameplay (the symbiote combat in general is absolutely amazing, a lot of the bosses are great, especially Peter V Miles, the Venom power trip is a delight) and in cutscenes. This story gets Spider-Man. It's a story about two themes: balance and second chances (as exemplified by Harry getting a second chance). Miles struggles throughout the game to balance his personal life and Spider-Man duties, a classic Spider-Man story that didn't really exist in the first game due to Peter already being a veteran, Peter can't keep a job because of his duty as Spider-Man, and so when the symbiote arrives, he welcomes it with open arms because it makes everything easier, and makes him forget about the second theme of the game : second chances. Spider-Man believes in second chances, the symbiote doesn't care for them. All it cares about is pleasing its host so that he better accepts it, researching efficiency over everything else, disregarding any values one may have. It wants to take away the nemesis' second chances, even though as we see in the game, through Beck, Li or Tombstone, some villains' second chances actually work. And that's something the symbiote shares with Kraven, who refuses to let reformed super-villains escape their past. Kraven is great, he's presented really well as a real menace throughout the game, and killing him as Venom felt wrong, but I can't lie, it felt amazing to overpower himw with such ease after his boss fight against Peter isn't the easiest I've come around.
Play this game. It won't change your life, but hot damn, it's immensely fun despite its flaws, and the emotional roller-coaster that is its story will really not make you regret this one.