Spider-Man 2 swings into game of the year contention in the much awaited sequel to the 2018 PlayStation 4 hit Spider-Man and follow up Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Packed with action, filled with emotion, and yet entirely familiar, Spider-Man plays it safe in its third outing – and that’s not a bad thing. 

Just when you thought it couldn’t get better, developer Insomniac Games made crucial updates to traversal that make web swinging and the new web-wings even faster ways of getting around New York City. The newest addition to the game lets both Spider-Men glide through the air and zip through wind tunnels showcasing the power and speed of the PlayStation 5. Increased traversal speeds lets you get around the increased map size with ease. Additions like Queens and Brooklyn effectively double the play area of the map compared to previous games. That much extra turf would be alot of ground to cover for your friendly neighborhood Spider-Men if not for the lightning quick fast-travel and other changes to pace of movement.

You heard that right both Spider-Men, Peter Parker and Miles Morales are both playable wall crawlers here with unique skill trees, abilities, and of course, costumes! Standouts from the vast selection are Peter’s Superior Spider-Man and a vintage red and blue tinted Classic Blacksuit reminiscent of the 90’s cartoon show. Miles has a few new suits of his own, but many are re-used from his spinoff title. If anything I wish he had more original suits, but he hasn’t been around long in the Spider-Man comics so that’s understandable. For now, I’ll keep rocking the Daft Punk inspired Miles Morales 2020 suit and the new surprisingly underrated 10th anniversary suit. 

Spider-Man 2’s story follows Peter Parker still struggling with the loss of Aunt May and in the midst of financial struggles, personal life isn’t going great for Peter which makes him a prime target for the alien symbiote named Venom. In the comics, Venom is famously attaches to a character named Eddie Brock, here Venom is used as a sort of treatment for Harry Osborn’s mysterious illness that’s kept him absent the past two games. Venom grants the powers of immense strength, agility, and regeneration, at the cost of the host’s sanity as the two slowly become bonded into one horrifying monster. Also making his Insomniac-verse debut is Kraven the Hunter, an early villain in Spider-Man’s rogues gallery with a brutal mindset and an iron will that takes him on his deadliest hunt yet. Kraven takes much of the spotlight in the story and Insomniac does an incredible job making his character so much more compelling than the gimmick he started from. Spider-Man 2 tackles heavy themes of loss, anxiety, and self-worth. Miles is given a nice degree of character arc and shines as a new beacon of hope in the story. The conclusion feels satisfying enough, although it felt like the game was just a tad bit short. I was able to beat the game and earn the platinum trophy in just 27 hours, for comparison I did the same with the first game at 49 hours and Miles Morales at a brisk 18 hours. 

Graphically, the game displays an impressively vibrant New York City with an unmatched fidelity utilizing the full power of being a Playstation 5 exclusive. This time around Insomniac was able to pack in ray tracing elements alongside the performance mode. Neon and reflective surfaces create beautiful splashes of color and immersive Big Apple experiences pop like never before. With the increased speeds of web swinging and web winging, I was thoroughly impressed at how draw distances have been remarkably improved with very minimal pop in.  

My experience with the game differed greatly from the shared experiences my friends seemed to all have in common. For me, Spider-Man 2 was a bit of a bug fest, more so than I feel a $70 full priced flagship AAA-Title should be capable of. My playthrough was full of nasty annoyances and in my 27 hrs. I managed to rack up 8 game-breaking crashes, Peter became a floating white cube now dubbed “Spider-Cube”, main characters would become floating heads frequently and many of these issues couldn’t be resolved by simply reloading a save or turning the game on or off, most of the time the game crashing would fix an issue I was having. One of the most important boss battles in the game was completely robbed of all build or tension as the villain was frozen from the beginning of the fight, his weapons floating where his now invisible body would be, taunting me all the while. Essential scenes where you play as a major character for the first time grinds to a halt as enemies refuse to spawn or their AI becomes broken leaving them standing in place refusing to move or act. 
I say this all to be clear, while yes, the game I played was a sloppy, buggy mess. It still somehow manages to push the medium of video games in a new direction. Lightning  fast load screens and fast travels, unparalleled movement and traversal, deep personal characters and interesting story elements make Spider-Man 2 is a must play for PlayStation 5 owners. My time with the game left me marveled at how fluid combat has become and how powerful the new Spider-Men are. Major advancements in Ray-Tracing and fidelity technology make swinging around NYC an unforgettable experience. Where Spider-Man might play it safe with it’s story up until Act 3, it makes up for in rich gameplay and one of the most immersive super hero experiences I can recall in a very long time. The real challenge comes in Spider-Man’s fourth outing, where we’ll have to see if Insomniac can tie up any loose ends or differentiate itself enough to warrant a fourth game. For now, Spider-Man 2 earns an 82/100, hampered only by my own experiences with a mass of bugs and glitches, a relatively short play time, and a bombastic third act that interrupts a safely-played lull a little too late.