Welcome back to The Backlog for the last time this semester. It’s been a wonderful year for gamers, as they have certainly been spoiled. From “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” to “Mortal Kombat 1,” players have found much joy this year. With so many big-hitters lined up, who will take the Game of the Year title? Since this will be the only edition for December and the final for the semester, I will look at my nominee for Game of the Year. My choice is one that I’ve been waiting for since its announcement in 2021: “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.”
Insomniac Games cemented itself in the gaming industry with the first installment, “Marvel’s Spider-Man,” in 2018. After that success, they released a sequel titled “Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales.” Each iteration created a sense of excitement for players waiting for “Spider-Man 2” to be released. Unfortunately, it can only be played on the PlayStation 5, but that does not mean it will not be ported to other platforms.
The power that the PS5 provides allowed Insomniac Games to expand the world by nearly twice its size, adding Brooklyn and Queens. This expansion opened the doors for – what I argue is the most fun part of the game – the traversal. In both the original game and “Miles Morales,” the players used web swinging or systems of fast travel to get from point A to point B. The fast travel system was ingrained in the subways of New York, where players would see a cinematic cutscene of either Peter Parker or Miles Morales riding the subways. In “Spider-Man 2,” players are given a new piece of suit technology, the web wings. Now, they can glide through the air and utilize air currents or giant fans to traverse New York. Anybody who has played the “Spider-Man” franchise knows how fun it is to perform tricks in the air and genuinely feel like they are swinging past skyscrapers.
A departure from the previous games is that players can now play as both Spider-Men instead of being consigned to one or the other. This opens up even more quests and side stories for them to follow, apart from the main storyline. The fighting system is just as fun as the previous games, where players can perform combos, air combos and finishers on enemies. Not to mention the various skills that are specific to Peter or Miles. My favorite parts are the stealth missions. I adore how satisfying yet challenging it can be to sneak around buildings and pick off enemies one by one. Insomnia Games has also improved where players complained, specifically how long it could take to complete these missions. They added a double-stealth takedown mechanic, where players can now eliminate two enemies at the same time if they are in close enough proximity to one another.
Spoilers for the story of “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” beyond this point!
The story begins with an incredible tutorial where you have to battle against Sandman in a sequence reminiscent of “God of War 3.” It’s an epic battle for both Spider-Men and allows players to jump right in with the web-wings. Yet something more sinister is at play since Sandman would not have started to destroy New York unless provoked. Over time, we find out that Kraven the Hunter has been hunting supervillains, searching for a quarry worthy enough to kill him. This perfectly coincides with the introduction of Peter’s best friend, Harry Osborn.
It comes as no surprise that Harry turns out to be Venom and needs the alien symbiote to survive due to a deadly disease. At about the halfway point in the game, Peter bonds with the symbiote to survive a lethal injury, leading to what many fans call “Bully Lowenthal.” This is a funny reference to the voice actor for Peter in the game, Yuri Lowenthal, and Tobey Maguire’s portrayal of Spider-Man using the symbiote in 2007’s “Spider-Man 3.” Lowenthal gives it his all in this performance as the web-slinger, showcasing his range and how he can switch from a “friendly neighborhood Spider-Man” to the edgy, black-suited Spider-Man.
Peter is not the only hero in New York. While it seems confusing to have two Spider-Mans, Miles’ journey emphasizes that even though they have the same role, they are their own unique characters. Throughout the story, Miles must battle his internal conflict when faced with his father’s killer, Martin Li. He must decide whether he wants to succumb to vengeance or save everyone, including enemies. Miles’ story arc brings back the familiar plotlines that every fan knows about Spider-Man; he loses someone he loves, and to make up for it, he saves everyone he can. Even though Peter and Miles have a mentor-mentee relationship, Miles finds himself to be the only thing standing between the people of New York and the black-suited Peter in a spectacularly challenging boss battle.
Every aspect of the story that I’ve described was an incredible experience. Still, nothing had prepared me for when players are given the opportunity to play as a fully-fledged Venom who has fully bonded with Harry. We were given a glimpse of the power and brutality that the symbiote provided Peter, but with Harry, players can smash through the Oscorp building, leaving many bodies behind. The moment I saw the health bar and HUD appear, I knew that it was going to be the best part of the game.
Even if “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” did not win Game of the Year on Thursday, it definitely was one of the best experiences of the year. Competing against “Baldur’s Gate 3” and “Tears of the Kingdom” is no easy feat, and Insomniac Games should be proud of their creation.
Rating: 5/5
Unfortunately, the game was presented as epically as usual, I wouldn’t say that it wasn’t very good, but I personally didn’t like it much. Yes, it’s a cool story arc, but the lore has already been rewritten too many times and confused with its reboots and non-cacons. Something similar is happening now in the WoW carry universe.