Spiderman 2 ps5 is the Best Superhero game yet
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is as good as superhero gaming gets. It’s the quintessential costume caper, larger than life in more ways than one, and whose blockbuster boss battles and mob-fighting forays have set new standards in not just superhero games, but AAA action-adventure games in general moving forward.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s busiest moments, though, are accentuated by its quietest. The Manhattan map of the original 2018 outing was a triumph in open-world design, but that game’s bustling thoroughfares and scaled interpretations of NYC’s busiest tourist spots feel empty in comparison to its (exclusively) PS5-powered sequel. Here, we’re seeing the true potential of Sony’s cutting-edge hardware, spread across an enhanced version of Manhattan and Harlem, as well as Brooklyn, Queens, and Coney Island for the very first time. In practice, this means more yellow cabs slouching down Fifth Avenue at rush hour, more holidaymakers snapping selfies at Times Square, and, as evidenced by my off-hand nosiness above, more subtle suggestions that this virtual sprawl is alive away from the action.
In Marvel’s Spiderman 2 ps5, every journey to and from each breakneck action set-piece feels satisfying, it feels credible, it feels, almost, real. Despite the fact that, you know, you’re dressed in increasingly outlandish spandex costumes, and shooting fake spider webs from devices attached to your wrists en-route to fight a giant man made of literal sand. And, of course, while Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 shines in its down time, it absolutely thrives in its moments of carnage.
Two are better than one
That’s likely best showcased when the game’s duo of spider men – Peter Parker and Miles Morales – join forces in the throes of fast and furious combat. Following his support act appearance in the first Marvel’s Spider-Man, Miles Morales was treated to a full-fledged spin-off in 2020, an expansion that further explored the character’s unique story and style. In Marvel’s Spiderman 2 ps5, however, both Peter and Miles are fully playable characters, each with their own stakes in the overarching central narrative, and each with their own tailored off-shoot side quests.
Outside of core missions, switching involves swiping left on the DualSense touchpad and selecting sub-quests dedicated to each character, hitting X, and watching a quick fade-to-black transition change things up almost instantly. When teamed up in combat, you’ll control one Spider-Man with the other offering AI support – either locking horns with individual enemies elsewhere in whichever conflict you’ve wound up in this time, or assisting in picture-perfect, slow motion, double-team takedowns.
Does it come in black?
A suite of skills, gadgets, and suit tech options likewise complement the more flexible combat systems, with improvements unlocked with skill points accrued by winning battles, and uncovering secrets out on the field. Peter and Miles each have their own individual traits that aid them in combat, while a third tier of shared unlockable skills offer more generalized leg-ups – both in battle and while traversing New York City.
The latter means of travel is now bolstered by the inclusion of a ‘web wing’ wingsuit that lets you glide through the skies at any height, as opposed to swinging from platforms above. This is especially helpful when making the journey over the East River towards Queens and Brooklyn, whereby catching wind tunnels – delineated on-screen by glowing rings – and updrafts around skyscrapers and industrial air vents helps to maintain aerial momentum, forcing a degree of light puzzle work in getting around that I enjoyed moment-to-moment.
As for the spider suits themselves, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 boasts 66 in total (34 for Peter, and 32 for Miles), each of which is a nod to a specific era or story thread in Spider-Man’s storied multimedia lineage. One of those, of course, is the symbiote suit. And while it’s impossible to properly dig into why this is so special here without spoiling some pretty key narrative beats, know that it is special.
Kraven the Hunter marks Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s central antagonist, with some of the best Spider-Man villains – from Sandman to The Lizard, Scorpion, Mysterio, The Prowler, Tombstone, Mister Negative, Scream, Venom, and more – all showing face in various capacities throughout, meaning Peter and Miles really do have their work cut out for them this time around. And, inspired by the symbiote suit, Peter makes especially light work of it all with a library of OP abilities that’ll satisfy any fan’s power fantasies. Shooting a web of tendrils from the suit, grabbing half-a-dozen enemies by the skull and slamming them into the concrete simultaneously never, ever, gets old.
Verdict
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 improves on its predecessor across the board, while saluting the superhero genre over the last 30 years as a whole. With a captivating narrative and unrivaled spectacle, it’s the quintessential superhero game, in story and mechanical terms