Spider Man 2 - 8.5/10
Beaten On: 11.13.2023
Hours Played: 26 hours (for the platinum)
Difficulty: Amazing
Rating: 8.5/10
Spider-Man 2 is the sequel to my GOTY in 2018, and with it jumping to a new console generation, I was supremely excited. I’d done my best to avoid learning too much about the game, but of course I did end up watching the reveal trailer with Venom, so I new some of what to expect. Here’s where I’d love to write that the game was perfect and better than the first game in every way, but I unfortunately have pretty mixed feelings.
This will be a spoiler filled review, you’ve been warned.
The first 2/3rds or so of the game have you fighting Kraven, who is just a guy and it just doesn’t hit for me. Like, the game does it’s best to make him seem imposing and scary, and he does murder a lot of our previous foe’s, but even with that, he just never felt scary or like a real threat. I think maybe with some more character building, or maybe more plot about why he’s as powerful as he is would have gone a long way to making me believe he should have been a threat. And it’s hard to talk about the game, because I think if they had presented Kraven differently, or gone with a different villain it woud have been a 100% different game.
Other than Kraven, I thought most of the plot was well done. There were definitely weak points, like Yuri’s questline with The Flame, but nothing felt detrimental to the game.
I’m trying to think of other weak points in the game, and nothing is coming to mind. I think almost everything else that was introduced or kept from the first two games was to the benefit of the game. You no longer have to grind out random crimes to progress, the new combat abilities keep things fresh, and having them evolve for both characters part way through was fantastic, there were just so many little things that got added or improved that made the game better.
The plotine with Harry and Venom, though, was fantastic. I loved the slow burn when Peter was wearing the suit, with MJ and Miles both trying to save him in different ways, and having Peter and Miles actually fight as a climax just felt great. And the way they handled Harry and his slowly increasing desperation to get the suit back, it was all written and acted so well.
The other subplots in the game were well done too, with Miles’ college essay weighing on him, and eventually getting resolved towards the end, his budding relationship with Hailey that we get semi-resolved in the post-credits, the mini puzzle/collectathon with Uncle Aaron and his Prowler stashes. MJ going through the pain of her book not selling, to trying to find a platform at The Daily Bugle, to eventually finding herself and reaching implied success when she appears on the Danicast and has her Symkaria book plugged. There were just so many threads that added to the game and that got wrapped up by the end of the game.
I do also want to single out the plotline with Miles and Martin Li. I think it was done so well and making it so Li is able to cleanse and counteract Venom was a great touch that helped tie him into the main plot. I thought it was well paced and the undertone of hatred Miles felt for Li throughout the game was something that was very present, but not in an overbearing way. I was a little disappointed at the end when Miles said he wouldn’t be able to forgive Li, but he had let go of his hatred. I’m definitely not familiar enough with the source material to know if that’s how Miles would act, but it just didn’t feel very Spider-Man to me, and at the very least, it felt confusing. I would personally love to see Li back as a supporting character in the next game, trying to atone for his sins. Seeing all the reformed villains at the beginning of the game was such a fun moment that I’d love to see more of it.
And last, but definitely not least, I have to mention the ending. Peter has to kill Harry to stop Venom -gasp- but Miles, the guy with electric powers, is able to shock him back to life and when the game ends, Harry’s in a coma and Norman is out for revenge. This is obviously a Green Goblin setup of some sort, which is exciting as a fan of the Raimi films, but I was disappointed there weren’t more consequences for Pete. Bringing Harry back to life just felt like a cop out, and yes, putting him in a coma was better than a truly happy ending, but I think it would have been more impactful for him to have to work through killing his best friend to save the world.
Overall, I was very happy with Spider-Man 2, but Kraven fell flat for me. The game is still a blast and worth playing if you’re a Spider-Man fan, or just a fan of Arkham style games in general. It’s not my game of the year, which probably isn’t that surprising given the year in games we’ve had, but it’s still well worth the time to play through, or even platinum.
Thanks for reading! I’ve been AlaskanBeard, and if you like my written ramblings, I stream on Twitch a few times a week, and upload to YouTube a few times a year, so feel free to drop by if you want more of me.
Until next time, stay happy, stay healthy, and peace.