PSA: Don’t skip the Spider-Man 2 side quests

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. 

Peter Parker and Miles Morales face several villains throughout . While most of these villains have complete arcs in the game's campaign or are used to set up future appearances in sequels or potential DLC, there is one villain who appears in the game but doesn't have a clear story arc ahead.

While is one of the biggest releases of the year, it also came with a number of bugs, which a recent update has helped to alleviate — unfortunately, the patch has also removed a hidden exploit that allowed players to free-roam the city as Venom. The first game in the series to feature both Peter Parker and Miles Morales as playable protagonists, also had a major focus on adapting the popular symbiote storyline from the classic comics, including the introduction of iconic Spider-Man villain Venom alongside fellow Marvel antagonists Sandman and Kraven.

The developers of hit PlayStation 5 exclusive Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 have said Miles Morales is the "main" Spider-Man from now on, which has caused some fans to speculate about what Insomniac may do with the inevitable Spider-Man 3.

NOTE: There are major spoilers ahead for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

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.

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.

Taking place in New York, is an enormous game with a justifiably large map full to the brim with content to be explored. features a plethora of interesting, entertaining, and simply brilliant quests; although the vast majority of the game's main quests, side quests, and side adventures don't offer tangible rewards beyond EXP, tech parts, or tech points, a few questlines reward the player with some excellent prizes.

Like the first, features a vast array of villains and several exceptional bosses; however, not all of the interactions with bosses are equal in excitement, fun, or difficulty, some of the game's boss battles are far more challenging than others. Though each boss battle in presents a unique set of challenges, a few of these fights will push the player's ability to its very limits.

Having finished Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Tamoor and Lucy sit down with the game's senior creative director to discuss how the story came together and dissect everything about the ending.

Having finished Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Tamoor and Lucy sit down with the game's senior creative director to discuss how the story came together and dissect everything about the ending.

Spider-Man 2 is chock full of references to other Marvel properties, as New York itself features locations such as the Avengers Tower, the Sanctum Sanctorum, and the Wakandan Embassy, all of which are references to The Avengers, Doctor Strange, and Black Panther. In fact, the latter even lets you throw up a wholesome Wakanda Forever salute outside of its doors as a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, but you'd better make sure you're playing as Miles Morales if you want to do it.