Ah yes, you know what, I remember last year was the time of our lives. You recall Starfield coming out? What a bomb that game was. Well, this is kind of Sony's bomb as well. And as pejorative as that'll sound, my intentions are pure and sound. I like Insomniac's works.
I just wish this sequel did a better job than I don't know, pandering towards the smallest denominator and thinking they're progressive and ahead of things. It's fine if done right, but it's more of a nuisance here. In a sense that indicate SPM2 has held itself back. Don't get me started on the character writing, missed opportunities with the main stories, subplots, and more.
Separating those issues, and the weird technical problems, this is one of the most fun open-world Spider-Man games out there. Half of it is familiar stuff carried from prior games, but it's never a bad thing to have too much Spider-Man. Or maybe it is. Oh yeah, I also got a PlayStation 5.
What people would do for the ones they love. Nothing signifies the strong themes of that than this image. Throughout the hours I've played, I was sure this is what the game would be about. Then again, this could also have pulled a Spider-Man 3.
Right after the hot heels of Miles Morales stand-alone game, it takes place a few years right before Miles started graduating from High School, and Peter mentoring him to take responsibility, and probably the Spider-Man mantle alone. I like their chemistry, the Tom Holland face-alike notwithstanding. Ignoring that, I was able to immerse into their story.
Soon after defeating Sandman, it was here the post-modern part of SPM universe start flourishing. It works because I've seen Spider-Man in films, TV series, and video games. Adult Peter, despite having the exaggerated confidence of a nervous white boy, is getting the hang of things.
As for Miles, damn this kid. He still has issues, which I'll get to later. As for the gameplay, you know the simple stuff. Press circle for punching, hold it for punching into the air, triangle for zip, circle for dodge, X for jump, RL for slingshots, and it's a combination of unlocked moves, and gadgets being used. As well as the finisher moves we all know and love.
The big change, is the Miles and Peter switch over. Yes, I play as both of them. Each has their distinctive combat abilities, and how they work. Miles powers are electric based, there's an added flair to that. Compared to Miles Morales expansion, this one goes much further. Same with vanilla Spidey. Yet, all the nuances of the gameplay from the earlier titles are set aside for the high spectacle, fast-paced action. Sadly, even the stealth sections are hit-and-miss as well.
New York looks more alive, and visually stunning, than ever. I mean, there are tons to look at. It is a PS5 exclusive for a reason, and yeah it's bigger, more engaging, I get that those are net positives for a lot of people. But, I really missed the attention to details in the important areas elsewhere.
Things here started feeling kind of sloppy for the narrative. Miles at one point, trying to go after Mr. Li, forgot the fact that a boat full of tourists are falling down, with a giant turbine on their way, and Peter had to jump in. Only for them to forget about what he did, and just shake it off. Don't get me started on what else they did with Harry, MJ, and Tom Holland faced Peter.
There's so much a post-modern storytelling that games based on popular IPs could do, and can even mess up at times. I don't think this game's story is an entire flop, but compared to the strong beginning we got from the first game, this one's momentum wasn't going for me.
Instead, add someone like Venom, and we just push all the insanity to 11. Meanwhile, those weird pandering like turning Black Cat into a lesbian just simply through one sentence information is just plain lazy. She could have given more, shown more, but no, she just a lesbo now. I'm fine with that, just do it right with this one. No worries, I'm getting to Miles as well.
We all watched Into The Spider-Verse, so when you do Miles somewhat poorly here, it is kind of frustrating from a character standpoint. Same with Peter and rest. How much time has passed in game world between SPM1 and this? Miles still is the nervous kid? That he hasn't fully developed emotionally and mentally based on what happened in Miles Morales?
Yes, focus on Li, so many more villains introduced, but no, Kraven is busy trying to kill them all. Lackluster moments, and some of the cardinal sins of every Spider-Man lore. That being said, not all is bad. When I was playing a flashback to Peter's past, I wished a prequel game came out about that.
Some of the mini-games, side content are pretty fun, though not the case for others. It's a mix-up in a way. But I do understand there are people who are going to enjoy playing this game, expecting things they usually do in a SPM title. But, what happened to trying new things? This is Insomniac, I really did have high expectations set. Heck, even if it mostly did things right, the decisions they made with the character and stories, this was not what I wanted in my game.
That being said, I have yet to try out the Venom sequence. I heard that one totally makes up for the drag. I don't regret buying my PS5, despite this coming out for PC in January next year. It is also a shorter game from a content standpoint, but ah, my goober brain can deal with that.
I might sound negative, but I really do think a lot of talented writers worked on this and brought the best out of what they had on their hands. But, we've seen and played better. And I'm not a fan of the pandering, least do some of it right. Maybe it's my Disney-Marvel fatigue kicking in. Which this one definitely could have fixed, doesn't seem to be the case.
Ok, even I'll admit, the fast and loose action can be fun. Also, the amount of gadgets, skills, tech, etc. to unlock. Except for the suits, something's not right about these. Probably my nitpick, but you tell me. Then again, it's hard to one-up something that is so well established.
I wish Insomniac luck. I'm glad Ratchet N Clank Crack In Time didn't have most of those issues outside of being a pretty short next-gen title. 10hrs I've spent on this, no regrets about it. They do need to go back to the drawing board for the third game.
