MAJOR SPOILERS FOR MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2
With numerous iterations of Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 provides the best amalgamation of them as well as offering an original touch.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, sequel to the critically acclaimed original, released on PlayStation 5 on Oct. 20. It tells the story of Peter Parker and Miles Morales, New York’s two Spider-Men, as they face off against Sergi Kravenoff, also known as Kraven the Hunter. He and his army of highly-skilled Hunters pose a threat not just to the Spider-Men, but to all super-powered people. In their journey, they also face different personal struggles. Parker’s childhood best friend, Harry Osborn, after he “recovered” from a deadly illness, offered him a co-founder position at the Emily-May Foundation, the organization named after Osborn’s mother and Parker’s aunt dedicated to healing the world through science. Meanwhile, Morales’ father’s killer, Mister Negative, is broken out of prison by Kraven and his crew, causing Miles to do a manhunt for the criminal.
As the two heroes dive into the madness brought by Kraven, Parker has a close encounter with death by his hands. However, he is saved by Osborn’s treatment for his sickness: the Symbiote. With the alien suit, Parker becomes increasingly violent and cruel to both his enemies and friends. Kraven sees this new, darker Spider-Man as a worthy equal to take his life, since he refuses to let the cancer he has been diagnosed with kill him. In his own words, “Only an equal may taste my last breath.” In his hunt for a worthy death, he kills many of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery, including Shocker, Electro, Scorpion, and Vulture – the last three being essential members of the Sinister Six from the previous game.
Parker is pushed to the point where he actually attempts to murder Kraven. He is stopped thanks to Morales, and after the two allies fight, Parker is able to remove the Symbiote. As he returns it to Oscorp to be destroyed, Osborn is waiting for him, outraged at his friend for going behind his back to try to destroy the Symbiote. He breaks it free and bonds with the suit, becoming Venom. As the Spider-Men try to find Venom, an army of Symbiotes begin overtaking the city, changing ordinary citizens into freakish monsters who all serve Venom. Now in a race against time, the two must stop Venom before he can spread the Symbiote to the rest of the world.
Not only does this story implement the best of all tellings of the Symbiote saga, but it also twists them in a way to truly make the tale its own. For example, the idea of the suit changing throughout the story and the suit operating independently while Parker is asleep is pulled from the animated series “Spectacular Spider-Man.” Here, those ideas are realized to their full potential, with a mission acting as a horror game where you play as Mary Jane Watson, Parker’s girlfriend, trying to flee from him inside a tunnel as the Symbiote pilots his body to try to attack her. Furthermore, the concept of symbiotes infecting others in the city and Venom raising an army is pulled from the game Spider-Man: Web of Shadows – the last time we ever saw both Venom and the black suit inside an open-world Spider-Man game. There’s even a section of the game where you play as Venom, tearing and chomping through enemies and destroying everything in your way, ripped right out of the 2005 Ultimate Spider-Man video game.
The gameplay is mostly the same from the first game – after all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Added to the sequel are multiple new forms of traversion in the open-world: Web-Wings that allow you to glide throughout the map, slingshot areas where you can shoot yourself across the sky and even the option to shut off the swing-assist. These enhancements give you a fully immersive – but slightly frustrating – web swinging experience. The combat system is also improved, with an implementation allowing you to parry attacks rather than just dodging them. You will want to do both, because some attacks can only be dodged and others can only be parried.
Yuri Lowenthal brings his absolute A-game in a sledgehammer performance as Parker. You feel every emotion he conveys – when he’s angry, you’re scared for who he’s angry at. When he’s sobbing, you’re right there with him. Backing him is the Candyman himself, Tony Todd, voicing Venom. This is perhaps the best voice choice for the villain – creepy, almost inhuman and beastly. Of course, all of the voice acting in this game is top-notch, but these two are clearly the MVPs.
On the first day of release, this title broke PlayStation Studios’ record of fastest-selling game. The hype around this game was insane, mostly because the first one as well as the stand-alone story “Spider-Man: Miles Morales” were both so successful. This game delivered on the hype. With incredible focus on spectacle and story, engaging combat and intriguing and memorable characters, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 delivers when it comes to telling an authentic, heartfelt and inspired Spider-Man story through incredible gameplay.
Final rating: 10/10
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