Like any iterative sequel, Spider-Man 2 builds on its predecessors strengths - responsive combat, fast-paced exploration, concise open-world, and strong narrative performances.
The combat stays fresh with the inclusion of both Spider-Men, opening a wide variety of gadgets, skills, and move sets to push baddies around. Through skill trees and story progression, your power creeps and unlocks even more ways to protect NY.
Speaking of NY, one of the best parts of Spider-Man 2 is its focused open-world. Truly unique and rewarding side activities are scattered all over. Yeah, it's largely the same map we have seen before, which is usually a problem. But was there anything truly remarkable about the city in the previous entries? The city is just a tool for web-slinging, and while hanging out around Coney Island is cool, the bulk of the world is just a backdrop. But it's easy to move around via possibly the best set of exploration abilities put into a video game. We need more 25-hour open world games.
Spider-Man 2 is a narrative action game. The bulk of the experience is in the thematic thrill-ride that Sony Studios are known for. And the hero duo mostly pulls this off again. Once again, MJ crowds the screen a little bit too often, particularly during pivotal moments that should be all about the titular wall-crawlers. But her inclusion is a large improvement over the original at least. The various plot lines converge somewhat sloppily and don't always feel cohesive. Anything Mr. Negative was just a bore, and unfortunately Miles' personal journey suffers for it.
The finale further sets up the world of Insomniac's Marvel series, and is surely to be a further improvement on a powerful franchise. The detail and care put into this game is admirable, and while the narrative action can't quite keep its consistency, it's a fun ride all-the-way-through.
The combat stays fresh with the inclusion of both Spider-Men, opening a wide variety of gadgets, skills, and move sets to push baddies around. Through skill trees and story progression, your power creeps and unlocks even more ways to protect NY.
Speaking of NY, one of the best parts of Spider-Man 2 is its focused open-world. Truly unique and rewarding side activities are scattered all over. Yeah, it's largely the same map we have seen before, which is usually a problem. But was there anything truly remarkable about the city in the previous entries? The city is just a tool for web-slinging, and while hanging out around Coney Island is cool, the bulk of the world is just a backdrop. But it's easy to move around via possibly the best set of exploration abilities put into a video game. We need more 25-hour open world games.
Spider-Man 2 is a narrative action game. The bulk of the experience is in the thematic thrill-ride that Sony Studios are known for. And the hero duo mostly pulls this off again. Once again, MJ crowds the screen a little bit too often, particularly during pivotal moments that should be all about the titular wall-crawlers. But her inclusion is a large improvement over the original at least. The various plot lines converge somewhat sloppily and don't always feel cohesive. Anything Mr. Negative was just a bore, and unfortunately Miles' personal journey suffers for it.
The finale further sets up the world of Insomniac's Marvel series, and is surely to be a further improvement on a powerful franchise. The detail and care put into this game is admirable, and while the narrative action can't quite keep its consistency, it's a fun ride all-the-way-through.