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In every gamer’s life, there was a moment when the stars aligned so perfectly, and they played that one particular game that made everything click and make sense. If that moment hadn’t happened to me as a child, it would have while playing Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
It’s no secret that I love playing games; I love it so much that I’ve made it my entire career. However, as with all things in life, there is often a drawback, and when you find yourself playing games day in and day out, the drawback is often a lack of spark.
Sure, I play a lot of great games, but it’s not every day that a game is just so incredibly great that I get those butterflies in my stomach and fall in love with gaming all over again and yet, that is the impossible that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 effortlessly achieved.
They say that games can be dangerous because the best ones have the power to change everything. When I first loaded up Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, I wasn’t sure how Insomniac would be able to follow up two already brilliant Spider-Man games.
The problem was that Insomniac needed to make Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 stand out and feel as powerful as the previous entries when novelty and the power of new were no longer on their side. Still, somehow, against all odds, that is just what they did.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
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Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the cumulation of everything that made the previous Spider-Man games great but pushed up to level 1000 to create a game that is not only a follow-up but also its own beast that can stand alone and stand out while fitting right in.
Whenever I think back to the previous Spider-man games and why I loved them, combat always pops into my head first. After all, it’s one thing looking like Spider-Man and another thing completely feeling like Spider-Man. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 takes the same excellent approach to combat as the previous two titles, but that’s okay – if it ain’t broken and all that.
For those who have yet to experience it, a rhythm to combat is created by precision dodges, parries, acrobatic finishers and hit combos. It ensures every fight looks and feels exactly how you’d imagine fighting as Spider-Man would.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
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There is also this buttery smoothness that makes throwing enemies around like dolls before slinging them face-first into the ground feel almost instinctively perfect – this is what all your years of gaming have prepared you to do.
Not only is combat a visual extravaganza worthy of the pages of any comic, but Insomniac also gave players many more enemies to fight this time. From flamethrower-wielding cultists to hunters and even drones, there are enough ambient baddies to keep your spidey sense tingling throughout.
And outside of combat, exploration has never been better, more awe-inspiring or thrilling as it is in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, thanks in no small part to the addition of new spins, flips and other acrobatics that you can trigger while swinging through the neighbourhood like you don’t have a care in the world.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
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And talking about swinging, another area where Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 truly shines is in its story and how that story “swings” so effortlessly between hi-octane, adrenaline-fueled moments to quiet and reflective story beats that serve to make the entire story feel grounded and relatable – even if you’ve never been bitten by a radioactive spider or swung through a city like an overgrown spider… man.
The story of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 closely follows the stories set up before, but if it’s been a while since you’ve played those games, don’t worry. There is a handy dandy recap players can opt into when they start playing that takes them through both Peter’s and Miles’s stories so far.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
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As for the story itself, while the finer details are better to discover for yourself in the briefest of explanations, the basic premise revolves around Kraven the Hunter, who is on the hunt for a… hunt? But that’s just the core; the story comes to life in the smaller stories that all build together to shape a world where both Spider-Men must balance a range of personal problems, like trying to keep a job, dealing with loss and balancing strained relationships – human issues that affect all of us, even the superhumans facing larger than life threats.
And, of course, a game like Spider-Man 2 could only reach its true potential with some serious character-building regarding the villains. Outside of Venom, Kraven, and Lizard that we all saw in the trailers for the game, there are plenty more to discover, and while I won’t go into any of them here because that would be an injustice to the game, I will say these villains comes with a sense of gravity and scale unlike anything we’ve seen in a Spider-Man game before and are worthy of only the best Marvel Cinematic moments.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
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Overall, Spider-Man 2 is a technical marvel. Yes, there were some moments of frustration for me; whenever you stop a care chaise, the finisher is the same, and most of the NPCs you save are the same model. However, it’s easy to forget those flaws when the game has near-instant load times, heart-stoppingly gorgeous graphics, atmospheric lighting, and a larger-than-life story that lets the game shine in its jaw-dropping moments and thrillingly brutal fights.
If you’re already a fan of everyone’s favourite neighbourhood Spider-Man, picking up Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a no-brainer. And if you’re new to the series and just looking for the right place to jump in, it doesn’t get much better than Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and Insomniac has truly set the bar for future Spider-Man games and stories to come.
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Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
BOTTOM LINE
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is more than just a sequel to an already spectacular series; it’s the pages of the comics brought to life in a thrilling technical marvel that not only set the bar for future Spider-Man games but stories as well.
PROS
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 came swinging onto the scene and changed everything by setting the bar for what Spider-Man games can and should be.
CONS
Now we have to wait however long for the next game.
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