Seán Young reviews the newest PS5 Spider-Man game and what makes it stand out from previous installments dedicated to the world’s favourite spiderling.
The new Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 game for the PS5 showed players a variety of new options to play, making the game incredibly fun to get lost in. The most noticeable novelty of this game was the expansion of the game map. Indeed, in the original, you could only explore the island of Manhattan. However, in this new release you can explore the four other boroughs like Queens and Brooklyn, giving you twice as much space to play in.
It can be said that what really makes a game stand out is the story that it presents to its players and how they are able to interact with it. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for PS5 is both enjoyable and fills you with emotion. There are plenty of side quests you can access through the “Friendly Neighbourhood App” that allows you to explore and meet new people throughout The Big Apple. As well as that, the game introduced a new set of abilities, finishers and gadgets to help you in combat; these can range from using Peter’s newly crafted spider legs to take down groups of enemies, to Miles’ Venom based attacks to stun should you need to.
What really makes a game stand out is the story that it presents to us and how we interact with it.
The graphics are brilliant as well. Notably, during combat, whenever you take damage, you can see the Spider-Man costume begin to wear and tear with the amount of damage taken.
An element that is sure to thrill the players this time around is the escapism this game provides through its realism. Indeed, while I was playing, it was as though I was experiencing a new form of travel. In the previous games, the only ways to get around were by web slinger and by fast travel. In Spider-Man 2, this has been upgraded perfectly: you now have the ability to fly with the new web wings, allowing you to glide long distances at incredible speeds. This upgrade improves the way in which Spider-Man travels through New York City whilst also doubling the fun. The sensations are not dissimilar to the gliding ability in the Batman Arkham games - however, here you move at much faster speed and have more agility. The game also brings back familiar faces from the previous games, both friends and enemies, who complement the new array of allies and foes.
In the previous games, the only ways to get around were by web slinger and by fast travel. In Spider-Man 2, this has been upgraded perfectly: you now have the ability to fly with the new web wings, allowing you to glide long distances at incredible speeds.
However, like any form of entertainment this game is not without its flaws. Indeed, in the previous two Spider-Man games, all it took to heal yourself was to slightly increase your focus. In this most recent version, you need to charge an entire focus bar to heal. It can become frustrating to have to stop and build enough focus to heal yourself while avoiding a final strike that could fully deplete your health.
All in all, this game is great fun to play, and recommendable to anyone who values the nostalgia of Spiderman but wants more freedom in how to proceed. I cannot wait to see how Insomniac Games top this masterpiece.