After last year's edition of The Game Awards, there was an uproar on PlayStation consoles due to the underestimation of Sony's biggest launch in recent months. Of course, we are talking about Spider-Man 2, a title that did not receive any major awards, although it was deserving of some.
Before we get into the details of Two Spiders, we need to say one thing – at The Game Awards, every year one very strong product gets “ignored” and is overshadowed by other premieres. In 2021, Resident Evil Village found itself in such a situation, which in my opinion was certainly better than the full seventh part of the series.
In contrast, two years ago, A Plague Tale Requiem, one of the biggest dark horses of recent years, went unnoticed by critics. There has not been such an emotional story for a long time, however, the Asobo Studio project was distinguished by the amazing atmosphere of dirty France and graphics that made a great impression on consoles of the current generation. Well – that “honor” went to Spider-Man 2 last calendar year.
Plossy Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2, despite being unfairly underrated during The Game Awards 2023, is also, in my opinion, a game that falls slightly short of the maximum rating of 10/10. The highest marks for Sony's exclusive productions were obtained in a handful – 10/10 was awarded by the Guardian editorial team, among others, VG247, VGC, GamesRadar+, DualShockers, that is, by strong players in the industry. I'm a PlayStation fan, but after maxing out the game (I spent over 70 hours with it, as I mentioned earlier in this text), I think Spider-Man 2 deserves an 8.5/10 or, with a good wind, a 9/10, if you Very impressed with this brand.
What is the most important thing about an Insomniac Games project? It is undoubtedly an exploration of the individual areas of New York. If, after playing the first Spider-Man, someone thought that the incredibly convenient flight mechanics couldn't be better, this second installment will free them from that belief. The developers have prepared a number of improvements, such as wings that lengthen and even accelerate the flight – and this is just the tip of the iceberg, because we can also choose to jump in the air or use air vortices.
I personally liked the combat too. There are many opponents of the battles in Spider-Man 2 because they consider them long. For me, performing a series of 100 or even 130-140 punches during a single fight was pure pleasure – especially in light of the new skills that we can attribute to Peter Parker (claws and then surprise) and Miles Morales (including electricity). . Using supernatural abilities put a smile on my face and made me want to punch my opponents' faces on the ground.
Game performance is also a big plus. Spider-Man 2 is one of the few games where I had a choice between 30 and 60 FPS, and I ultimately chose the former. The smoothness in the second part of the series was so high, that I did not feel any cuts in the picture, so much so that I played through the entire production at 30 frames per second, and at the same time it was pleasing to the eye, because New York offers many interesting landscapes that would like absorb it with the best possible quality. For comparison, it would be impossible for me to play Alan Wake 2 at 30fps, whereas in Spider-Man 2, the fights, even at a “lower frame rate,” were very enjoyable.
Minosi Spider-Man 2
Moving on to the elements that I would classify as the game's flaws, I will first mention the plot and side quests. The main story itself wasn't bad, because of course it wasn't created solely with mature gamers in mind – you can't count on massive brutality or plot twists straight out of The Last of Us. Despite all this, the detour to Kraven and then Venom didn't convince me, as for most of the story I couldn't get excited about what would happen in the next mission. I did not have such a feeling, for example, during God of War Ragnarok, but we also received more decorations that force us to think – in Spider-Man 2 the plot was simply more candy color.
In Insomniac Games' latest game, I had the impression that the side activities were not as engaging as in the first installment of the brand. Just as before, we received several side plots that ended in different ways, and participated in activities whose completion unlocked new costumes or plot flavors. However, these were literally 1:1 elements from the first part of the series (with the formula changed several times – such as in the case of the seedlings), so perhaps that's why they weren't as interesting as the 2018 title.
To some extent, I'm also disappointed with the hero switching mechanics – Peter and Miles could have met in the city while carrying out crimes, and in some missions we controlled two heroes, but that wasn't enough for me. There is no longer any activity (as in GTA 5) where we can admire the cooperation of two spiders and often control them. This did not happen, although perhaps it will change in Spider-Man 3, where there can be more than two heroes…
I want a more mature story in Spider-Man 3!
In the end, I give Spider-Man 2 a high rating, but in my opinion, the game falls well short of a 10/10. As someone who always puts emotional plot and interesting activities first, and only then mechanics, atmosphere, graphics and sound, I was unable to fully enjoy Insomniac Games' production. Let us know in the comments section if you will give the game maximum points after playing Spider-Man 2!
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