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Tribune News Service

It’s remarkable to watch a spider build a web.
Time-lapse videos show an arachnid creating a structure that doesn’t resemble the unique netting at first, but as it sets anchor points and creates bridge lines, a familiar shape begins to form. By the end of the footage, you see an amazing feat of engineering.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PlayStation 5 develops in a similar way.
The video game floods players with a firehose of Spidey content in the beginning. Peter Parker and Miles Morales team up in an epic battle against an enraged and enormous Sandman. It tosses in the villain Kraven for good measure as he turns New York into his hunting ground.

Miles has to write his college essay and be Spider-Man at the same time, while Peter tries to hold a job so he can keep the home Aunt May left him. He ends up getting fired on his first day as a teacher, but, luckily, his childhood friend Harry Osborn offers him a plum job at the Emily May Foundation. Together, they want to save the world using scientific breakthroughs.
It’s a lot to digest and may seem like too many storylines, but these threads are anchor points in a compelling narrative that supports an ambitious game in which players take on the roles of two protagonists. Insomniac Games builds upon the foundation it established in its previous two games and finds ways to polish and deepen the combat.
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Fighting as the two Spider-Men, players will learn that each has his strengths and weaknesses. Miles feels a tad more powerful initially. The venom attacks that he uses to zap enemies makes him dangerous and his ability to cloak makes him more versatile, especially when it comes to stealth.
Peter, on the hand, has a suit that unsheathes mechanical arms that help him beat up foes or ensnare enemies in webbing.
Players who played the original Spider-Man and Miles Morales will feel at home with the combo-heavy attacks and the dodge they can perform when see their Spidey senses go off. Each character has a parry, which is a new move that lets each disrupt certain attacks.

In Spider-Man 2’s combat, gadgets become increasingly more important, especially as enemies grow in power and missions ask players to do more, like defend certain sections from enemies. The tools provide a way to control enemy hordes while players power up Miles’ and Peters’ special attacks, which grow more powerful over the campaign.
It’s a lot of moves to keep track of. Thankfully, Insomniac lets Peter and Miles share a skill tree and suit upgrades. The developer also gives them their own skill tree for their own powers. The progression system isn’t too complicated.
Aside from the two heroes, players will also take on the role of Mary Jane Watson, just like in the original. Her levels focus on stealth and the use of a stun gun; they offer a nice change of pace from all the web-slinging.

Insomniac gives the heroes several new moves to help them navigate an even bigger New York. The team made the Big Apple denser and expanded it to include Brooklyn and Queens. Unlike the previous games, the two heroes can cross the bridges now.
To help the two travel across neighbourhoods and rivers quickly, the developers gave Miles and Peter Web Wings that let them glide through the air. They can gain speed by finding air currents that can carry them quickly across the map, and they can gain height by finding rooftop ventilation ducts that blow air upwards.
The developer incorporates this new mode of travel in side quests and missions. Players will find these diversions dotting the map.
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A few offer intriguing optional stories that flesh out the world. Players will even encounter familiar faces from past games, but these side quests are often tailored to one of the heroes and offers a new take on a relationship. At their worst, the side quests just offer another object to collect or repeat a scenario, although under different conditions.
The alert missions where players are asked to stop a crime in progress are fun at first, but they can become annoying, especially when players feel like they have to do them to be a good Spider-Man. Flashbacks to Uncle Ben’s death will guilt-trip players into doing them.
Although Insomniac fills Spider-Man 2 with plenty of good side stories, it’s the main campaign and the characters’ development that shine in this sequel.
Like real-life spiders, the developers take these seemingly disparate threads and weave them into a coherent and at times poignant narrative. The tough part was giving Miles’ and Peter’s stories equal weight, but the developers managed to do that as players switch from one hero to another.
The stories and their themes interconnect as players see a fall from grace on one end followed by a redemption arc in another. It’s all woven masterfully so that players will feel satisfied with the conclusion and excited for what comes next.


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Video gaming

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: a masterful weaving of two superheroes’ stories

Peter Parker and Miles Morales team up in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PlayStation 5, with players getting to fight as both the Spider-Men. Photo: Marvel Games

A screenshot from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Photo: Marvel Games

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Bowser transforms himself into a heavy-metal-loving sentient castle in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a new game on the Nintendo Switch. Photo: Nintendo

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Lifestyle

Entertainment

Peter Parker and Miles Morales team up in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PlayStation 5, with developer Insomniac Games expertly balancing their story threads
The combat has been polished and deepened and gadgets play a more important role – the only blemish is the alert missions, which become annoying after a while


Peter Parker and Miles Morales team up in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PlayStation 5, with developer Insomniac Games balancing their story threads into one coherent and poignant narrative.


Marvel

Sony

An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


Review

Review | Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: a masterful weaving of two superheroes’ stories