Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Review - Web Warriors

Insomniac had its work cut out for it with Spider-Man 2 . To say expectations were high going into this sequel is an understatement, buffered by both the first game's major success and the bridge between console generations that was Miles Morales. This new Spidey adventure had to take the best elements from those games, mix them with new characters, features, and stories, and produce the kind of game fans will talk about for years. Somehow, they did just that; Spider-Man 2 is, to get the easy pun out of the way early, amazing. 

Miles plays an enormous role in ; however, he is, throughout large sections of the game, overshadowed by Peter Parker and can come off feeling like a secondary character rather than a joint protagonist of equal importance. Though Peter is the original Spider-Man and, therefore, has decades of fan recognition, Miles Morales has, in recent years, become just as popular and widely beloved as his friend and mentor, both in the comics, as well as the film and video game adaptions. Although Miles doesn't solely possess the spotlight in the latest installment of Insomniacs' games, he does go through a lot.

features a solid roster of playable characters, but one minor inclusion is definitely way worse than the other options. Bouncing between a variety of protagonists was a concept first introduced in the original, which occasionally set Peter's story aside to follow the footsteps of Mary Jane Watson or Miles Morales. Neither of these offered gameplay that was quite as dynamic as Peter's, with Mary Jane's segments, in particular, receiving some flak, but improves both of these options while introducing another that falls behind either.

The perfect DLC for could significantly improve the story, but it would be a completely different game in terms of both gameplay and narrative. The popular action-adventure title by Insomniac Games allows players to take control of Peter Parker and Miles Morales as they face new threats to New York City, but this time even more united. Both heroes take on their Spider-Man persona to fight crime in the city and stop Kraven’s plans, as they try to understand the presence of the Symbiote known as Venom. Other than Peter and Miles, there are many returning characters, such as Mary Jane.

Whether or not Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will receive post-launch DLC similar to the first game remains to be seen, but creative director Bryan Intihar sure seems to be hinting at not just upcoming content, but possibly upcoming content related to fellow Marvel superhero Daredevil.

features two playable protagonists, Peter Parker and Miles Morales. Throughout the duration of, both Peter and Miles will unlock a plethora of abilities that will add to their already impressive arsenal of crime-fighting skills and gadgets. While these impressive abilities are generally worth the time and effort to unlock from the skill tree, some of Spider-Man's are undoubtedly better than others, and should be obtained as soon as possible.

Throughout , the life of the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker, is put in perilous jeopardy on numerous occasions. The web-shooting, wall-climbing superhero has seemingly never been so vulnerable in any of his previous bouts, including the showdown with the Sinister Six in Insomniac's first title. Despite the plethora of threats in, Peter is a remarkably resilient character, though at one point his toughness and durability are tested to the extreme. Though an iconic figure, he is far from immortal, a fact that has led many to wonder what happens to Spider-Man in — could he really be killed by Kraven or Venom?

Mary Jane Watson plays a significant role in , both from a narrative perspective as Peter's girlfriend, but also as a temporarily playable character, and most interestingly as part of one of the game's more surprising twists. MJ was introduced to the Spider-Man canon in 1965; since then she has gone on to become Peter Parker's main love interest and the principal beneficiary of his affection in the franchise's many movies, comics, and video games.

Spider-patch, Spider-patch, does whatever a Spider-patch can.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2's director has addressed the Sandman plothole and there isn't really any reason as to why the villain appeared in both games. 

Abilities in are different for Miles and Peter, although certain ones are able to accomplish similar things, such as throwing enemies in the air or dashing toward them. Abilities are equipped and mapped to a button, meaning Peter can have four active abilities at any given time. Each button has two or three abilities available to map onto it that cannot be assigned anywhere else, although players can switch them out if they so desire.

continues many of the stories seen in its predecessors, from Peter and Miles grieving the loss of loved ones to the return of Harry Osborn and the long-awaited Venom symbiote. However, one character's transformation within the series may come as a surprise when they return in the recent sequel, at least for those who didn't play 's story DLC.