Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is an action-adventure video game based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It is the third overall entry in the Marvel's Spider-Man series, not only serving as a full-fledged sequel to Marvel's Spider-Man (2018), but also as a direct continuation of events from both its DLC expansion The City That Never Sleeps and the standalone spin-off Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020).
Taking place almost a full year after Miles Morales, the game's narrative features the two Spider-Men, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, as they come into conflict with mercenary leader and big-game hunter Sergei "Kraven" Kravinoff, who transforms New York City into a sprawling hunting ground for its superhuman populace, including the Spider-Men and their adversaries. Matters are complicated further when an extraterrestrial symbiote called Venom bonds itself to Peter, negatively altering his personality and threatening to dismantle his personal relationships.
Entering early development shortly after the first game's release in 2018, the game was officially announced in September 2021. It was released exclusively for the PlayStation 5 on October 20, 2023, receiving critical acclaim and selling 11 million units as of April 2024, becoming both the fastest-selling PlayStation first-party game and the best-selling title on the PS5. A Microsoft Windows port developed by Nixxes Software is set to launch on January 30, 2025 via Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Gameplay[]
Overview[]
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 explores different locations within New York City besides outer Manhattan, such as Queens, Brooklyn, and Coney Island. Both Peter Parker and Miles Morales are playable as Spider-Men, with a different set of abilities: Peter Parker can use two different suit powers between Iron Arms and Symbiotes to gives him abilities that greatly improve his combat prowess and ability to defeat multiple goons at once, while Miles Morales has his unique abilities such as Camouflage invisibility and his venom-blast.
Additionally, the bar-based Focus-system return from the first game, meaning Miles' Bio Electric Venom Power from his spin-off game being integrated to L1-based Power Gauge system alongside the Peter's own Power Gauge system.[1]
Traversal[]
Traversal mechanics have been expanded since the original Marvel's Spider-Man. The ability to propel forward by using webs as a slingshot allows Peter and Miles to travel faster through the city.[1] Additionally, both of their suits now have "Web Wings", which allow them to glide through the city.
Equipment[]
The Spider-Men have access to new gadgets, including a gadget that can create a web to tightrope across, and a mine that can pull at least three enemies toward it at once, taking out multiple enemies at a time.[1]
Suits[]
Suit Powers from the first game and both Visor and Suit Mods from Miles Morales are replaced with selectable alternate color palettes, Suit Style. As a result, almost every suit has unique features, depending on which suits Spider-Men wore since one of the two returning suits (namely Programmable Matter and Bodega Cat Suits) from Miles Morales.
For Peter Parker, after gaining the power of symbiotes, Symbiote Surge transformation ability will temporarily change his suit to a symbiote suit for a short period. While entering Symbiote Surge, Peter will start out wearing a a rage form of his Venom Symbiote Suit in the Act 2, before being replaced with wearing Anti-Venom Symbiote Suit as of Act 3. Nevertheless, both rage forms of the Venom and Anti-Venom Symbiote Suits can still be unlocked as selectable normal suits without needing to enter Symbiote Surge.
Mary Jane, Hailey, Young Peter Parker and Venom Gameplay[]
There are only few chapters where players can play as Mary Jane Watson, Hailey Cooper and Venom-possessed Harry Osborn, with Mary Jane has three chapters where she is playable:
- Mary Jane retains her gameplay tactics from the first game. However, upon being detected, ever since being trained by Silver Sable during the Miles Morales spin-off game, she can now dodge enemy's incoming attacks, and can still use takedowns at close-range as its stealth counterpart. In one of the two chapters, her gun is upgraded additional upgrade to shoot enemies at long-range, primarily a Web Shooter, while Sonic Projector Gun can only be equipped against the Symbiotes.
- Harry-Venom's playstyle is much grounded than the two Spider-Men. Unlike the Spider-Men, Harry-Venom can counter enemies' explosive-based projectiles, such as rocket launcher.
- Hailey's only gameplay only involves graffiti art-based missions.
- Peter Parker's flashback gameplay involves stealth and combat.
Synopsis[]
Setting[]
The Spider-Men, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, enter a new chapter in their lives as they balance their responsibilities as protectors of Marvel's New York. As Harry Osborn, Peter's best friend, returns into his life and Miles looks to build his future beyond high school. The relationship between our heroes is tested and strained as the Symbiote appear to threaten them, the city and the ones close to them.
Plot[]
Peter Parker starts his first day as a teacher at Miles Morales' school, but they are interrupted by an attack by Flint Marko, requiring both of them to subdue him. Peter is fired for abandoning the class and returns to his Aunt May's home in Queens, which he has moved in following May's death. Both Peter and Mary Jane are surprised to see Harry Osborn, who has miraculously recovered from his terminal illness. Harry offers to hire Peter to work at his new startup, the Emily-May Foundation, so they can "heal the world." Meanwhile, Miles tries to write his college application essay and learns that his mother Rio has begun dating.
When Peter and Miles go to oversee a transfer of some of the Raft's inmates, they witness an attack by Kraven the Hunter and his forces, who capture the Scorpion and Martin Li. Investigating Kraven, Peter discovers that he is capturing super-powered individuals to hunt them for sport. Having already killed the Scorpion, Kraven attempts to capture Felicia Hardy next, but the Spider-Men protect and help her escape to Paris. While visiting Coney Island in an attempt to reconnect, Peter, Mary Jane and Harry witness Kraven's hunters attack the park to capture Tombstone. Harry assists Peter in rescuing civilians caught in the crossfire, and learns about his double life while also revealing that he was cured by a black organic symbiote that physically augments his body.
With his powers rapidly developing, Harry decides to help Peter rescue Tombstone while Mary Jane discovers that Curt Connors has been kidnapped by Kraven. There, she learns that Kraven has also killed Vulture, Electro and Shocker. Peter and Harry attempt to save Connors, but are too late to prevent Kraven from forcibly turning him back into his Lizard form. Connors escapes while Peter is mortally wounded by Kraven, though he is saved by Harry's symbiote, which transfers itself to his body. After Peter confronts Kraven in his new black suit, which augments his powers, the latter develops an interest in hunting him personally.
After Peter and Harry synthesize an antidote for Connors, the former tracks Connors down with Miles' help, and is eventually able to defeat and cure him. Upon seeing Peter wear the exosuit, Connors explains that it is in fact a sentient alien symbiote and warns him to destroy it, but Peter, under the symbiote's influence, refuses. Meanwhile, Miles is captured by Kraven and forced to fight Li to the death. Overcoming his anger towards Li for killing his father, Miles helps him escape and directs him to find Peter. Upon being informed of Miles' location by Li, Peter arrives to rescue him and nearly kills Kraven before Miles intervines, convincing Peter to remove the symbiote while battling him.
Peter takes the symbiote to Oscorp to destroy it, but a desperate Harry, whose illness has returned, intercepts him and takes back possession of the symbiote, which transforms him into Venom. Venom escapes and battles Kraven, whom he overpowers and kills. Under the symbiote's influence, Harry then decides to "heal the world" by infecting it with symbiotes, beginning with New York. As Peter and Miles attempt to stop the symbiote invasion, the former is infected by another symbiote, but is able to tame it with the help of Miles and Li. Meanwhile, Venom recovers the meteorite that originally brought the symbiote to Earth, which allows him to speed up his invasion. Peter and Miles distract Venom while Mary Jane steals the meteorite and destroys it with a particle accelerator, which also destroys all the symbiotes, including Venom.
In the aftermath, Harry is saved but rendered comatose, which prompts Norman Osborn to order the "G-serum" to be used on him. Mary Jane quits her job at the Daily Bugle to run her own podcast and moves in with Peter, who decides to take a break from being Spider-Man to focus on rebuilding the Emily-May Foundation, trusting Miles to protect the city as its sole Spider-Man. Osborn visits an imprisoned Otto Octavius at the Raft to demand the secret identity of the Spider-Men, whom he blames for Harry's condition; Octavius refuses to disclose it, taking glee in Osborn's suffering as he writes his "final chapter." Meanwhile, Miles meets Rio's new boyfriend, Albert Moon, who introduces them to his daughter Cindy.
Development[]
On September 9, 2021, a reveal trailer for the game was unveiled at Playstation Showcase 2021, hinting at Kraven the Hunter's appearance (per the words of the trailer's narration monologue; he was later confirmed to have been the narrator) and revealing Peter and Miles' upgraded default suits, as well as their new abilities, as they battle a new unidentified enemy faction (later revealed to be Kraven's Hunters), in addition to providing a brief glimpse of Venom. Bryan Intihar and Ryan Smith announced that they would return for their roles of creative director and game director, respectively; whereas Yuri Lowenthal and Nadji Jeter were confirmed to reprise their roles of Peter and Miles, respectively. More importantly, the Hollywood horror star Tony Todd was revealed to have been cast as the voice of Venom.
At some point in November 2022, Scott Porter, the voice actor and face model for Harry Osborn in the first game, revealed in a deleted tweet that he would not be reprising the role due to the character being recast. He addressed the issue of being too old to continue voicing Harry, and that the age gap between Porter and the character resulted in Insomniac Games deciding to go "photorealistic". Porter also stated that his recast would accommodate Harry's more prominent role in the story for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and fit his age gap with the character.
On May 24, 2023, a gameplay demo was revealed at Playstation Showcase 2023, formally announcing Kraven's debut in the game and revealing a first look at Peter's Black Suit, a glimpse of the Lizard, a display of the Symbiote combat abilities, the proper introduction of Kraven's Hunters, the debut of Queens and Brooklyn, and more. Simultaneously, Jim Pirri took to social media to announce that he will be portraying Kraven.
On June 8, 2023, the cover/box art for the game was revealed by Intihar at Summer Game Fest 2023, along with the first look at Venom (in concept art) and the release date for October 20, 2023.
On July 19, 2023, Insomniac Games revealed a promotional image online that showed the first in-game look at Venom's full design for the game.
On July 20, 2023, at San Diego Comic Con 2023, a Hall H panel hosted by the game's main developers and featuring the four stars of the game's ensemble voice cast - Lowenthal (Peter), Jeter (Miles), Laura Bailey (Mary Jane Watson), and Todd (Venom) - saw the unveiling of a story trailer for the game. Additionally, Graham Phillips was announced to be Porter's recast for the role of Harry. Furthermore, a limited edition (Symbiote-themed) PS5 console and Dualsense wireless PS5 controller were also revealed and were said to be available for pre-orders on September 1, 2023. The story trailer's highlights include Venom's appearance, MJ's official return and her new face design, Harry's reappearance and his new face design - per his new actor, Miles' new hairstyle, the return of Rio Morales, Ganke Lee, Norman Osborn, and Martin Li, the reveal of Coney Island, and a glimpse of Wraith (Yuri Watanabe's vigilante identity). Stephen Oyoung, Li's actor, announced his reprisal of the role via social media.
On September 14, 2023, a Playstation State Of Play event saw Intihar reveal and illustrate the game's open-world map, UI/UX interactive menu, fast travel mechanic, and a few of the game's open-world collectible varieties. Furthermore, the event introduced Brooklyn Visions Academy, showed another new enemy faction (later revealed to be the Followers of The Flame upon launch), and teased the official debut of Mysterio. A Digital Deluxe Edition trailer was also released, showcasing 5 unique suits each for Peter and Miles.
On September 20, 2023, it was announced that the game had "gone gold" (which means that the game had finished development and that copies were ready to go on sale upon the game's launch date).
On October 2, 2023, a CGI trailer titled "Be Greater. Together." was released, showcasing Peter and Miles fighting Venom in the streets of New York.
On October 15, 2023, a launch trailer was released, revealing Sandman and showing a first glimpse at Dr. Curt Connors, the Lizard's human alter-ego. On Twitter (now 'X'), Mark Whitten revealed that he will be playing Connors' human form.
On October 20, 2023, the game was officially released worldwide.
On February 7, 2024, Insomniac Games revealed that they planned to release a major update for the game on March 7, 2024.
On March 7, 2024, the game's aforementioned significant update was released, which included New Game+, Mission Replay, Symbiote Suit Styles, Golden Gadget Styles, Suit Tech Fusion, Hellfire Gala Suits, the ability to change the Time of Day, and an Action Figure Mode option for Photo Mode.
On October 18, 2024, an announcement trailer, revealing that the game will be getting a PC port, had dropped at New York Comic Con 2024. The port was developed by Nixxes Software and is scheduled for launch on January 30, 2025.
Soundtrack[]
The soundtrack contains most of the music that is featured in the game. It was composed by John Paesano, featuring artists Ben Billions, EarthGang, Benji. and Surkin. It was released digitally on October 20, 2023 with 21 tracks.
| # | Song title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greater Together (Album Version) (feat. Ben Billions) | 3:18 |
| 2 | The Great Hunter | 3:55 |
| 3 | Ready or Not | 2:19 |
| 4 | A Second Chance | 5:47 |
| 5 | Betrayal | 3:32 |
| 6 | East River Mayhem | 3:27 |
| 7 | Moving Forward | 3:33 |
| 8 | Back to School | 2:37 |
| 9 | Symbiotic Relationship | 6:12 |
| 10 | Sacrifice | 4:16 |
| 11 | Battling Your Inner Demons | 5:07 |
| # | Song title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | A Familiar Bond | 5:08 |
| 13 | Fighting Back | 4:16 |
| 14 | At Last | 3:26 |
| 15 | Trouble at Home | 4:45 |
| 16 | Mind Games | 2:38 |
| 17 | Midtown Madness | 2:42 |
| 18 | Foundational Feud | 2:36 |
| 19 | Healing the World | 3:07 |
| 20 | Swing (feat. Benji.) (EarthGang) | 3:04 |
| 21 | In Full Swing (SURKIN Remix) (John Paesano & SURKIN) | 3:03 |
Versions[]
Digital Deluxe Edition[]
The Digital Deluxe Edition of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 includes 10 exclusive suits (5 for Peter and 5 for Miles), additional Photo Mode frames and stickers, and 2 additional skill points.
Collector's Edition[]
The Collector's Edition includes a voucher for the Digital Deluxe Edition, a Steelbook case, and a 19-inch statue of Peter and Miles battling Venom.
Reception[]
Critical reception[]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| OpenCritic | 91 (based on 95 reviews)[2] |
| Metacritic | 91 (based on 121 reviews)[3] |
| Publication | Score |
| Eurogamer | 4/5[4] |
| Game Informer | 9.5/10[5] |
| GamesRadar+ | 5/5[6] |
| GameSpot | 8/10[7] |
| IGN | 8/10[8] |
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 received a very positive response. Comparing it favorably to its predecessor, critics stated it improved on the original across the board in terms of gameplay mechanics, and were particularly impressed with the story. However, some criticism was aimed at areas in which it borrowed too heavily from, or improved too little on, the original.
The story was a particular point of praise. Simon Cardy, writing for IGN, praised how the story handles the work/life balance of both Spider-Man and covering many themes without "tonal thwip-lash", calling it the "best written story in the series yet, with performances worthy of the script".[8] Matt Miller, writing for Game Informer, agreed, comparing it favorably to the best comic book stories and praising the questions it asks about one returning from a dark place and having another chance.[5] Writing for GameSpot, Jordan Ramée called the finale "simultaneously epic and heart-wrenching", and enjoyed how the story explored how loneliness affects its characters including among the minor villains.[7]
Critics also praised the improvements in gameplay over the original, while noting similarities to the first. Joe Donnelly of GamesRadar+ praised the more organic process of unlocking the districts of New York City.[6] Ramée of GameSpot praised the combat improvements but noticed a missed opportunity to make the Spider-Men more distinct.[7] Chris Tapsell of Eurogamer noted that Mary Jane's playable sections were "nowhere near as bad" as the first game, but "still a little rudimentary".[4] Cardy of IGN noted improvements throughout the gameplay but felt the side content was lacking, calling it "open-world filler" and comparing it unfavorably to the Batman: Arkham series.
The game was lauded also for its technical accomplishments. Donnelly of GamesRadar said that Manhattahn in the original game, while impressive at the time, feels empty in comparison to Marvel's Spider-Man 2.[6] Cardy of IGN also praised the near-instant load times seen in the fast travel.[8] Ramée of GameSpot noted that the improved facial mocap of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was "far ahead" of the previous two games, helping sell the storyline.[7]
Commercial performance[]
The game sold 2.5 million copies in its first 24 hours, making it the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios launch title.[9]
Gallery[]
Citations[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 PlayStation May 2023
- ↑ OpenCritic 2023
- ↑ Metacritic 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tapsell 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Miller 2023
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Donnelly 2023
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Ramée 2023
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Cardy 2023
- ↑ PlayStation October 2023
References[]
- PlayStation [@PlayStation] (2023, May 24). Marvel's Spider-Man 2 - Gameplay Reveal | PS5 Games [Video]. YouTube.
- Cardy, Simon (2023, October 16). "Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Review". From IGN. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023.
- Donnelly, Joe (2023, October 16). "Marvel's Spider-Man 2 review: "Quite simply the best superhero game yet"". From GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023.
- Miller, Matt (2023, October 16). "Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Review". From Game Informer. Archived from the original on August 4, 2023.
- Ramée, Jordan (2023, October 16). "Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Review - Web Warriors". From GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023.
- Tapsell, Chris (2023, October 16). "Marvel's Spider-Man 2 review - cluttered but no less lovable action". From Eurogamer. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023.
- PlayStation [@playstation] (2023, October 23). Great news, Spidey fans -- Marvel's #SpiderMan2PS5 has sold more than 2.5 million copies in the first 24 hours. Thanks for making this a high-flying launch! [Tweet]. Twitter.
- (n.d.) . "Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Reviews". From OpenCritic. Accessed October 16, 2023. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023.
- (n.d.) . "Marvel's Spider-Man 2". From Metacritic. Accessed October 16, 2023. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023.
External links[]
- Official Website
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2 on Steam