As a massive fan of Spider-Man, I’m truly blown away with the amount of excellent Spider-Man content that has been produced in the last 7 years alone. Since 2016, we have gotten three MCU Spider-Man films, another Spider-Man trilogy confirmed, multiple appearances in non Spider-Man MCU films, two Spider-Verse films that have pushed the medium of animation, and three video games produced by Insomniac. In my humble opinion, Spider-Man 2 on PS5 might be the best piece of Spider-Man media ever produced. As a massive fan of the first game and a relatively big fan of the second game, this game gave me everything that I could ever want from a sequel. Everything great about the first game is dialed up to 11, while everything subpar about it was either removed or refined to be more playable.

The graphics are a remarkable improvement, and that’s saying something, since the graphics in the first two games were already phenomenal. The web swinging is still as satisfying and as fun as it was in the first game. Where this game truly excels, however, is in its story. Video game stories usually aren’t anything to write home about, so I was surprised by how much I loved the story in this. I nearly cried at one point during this game, which has never happened to me before. 

The game has two intertwining stories with the introduction of Kraven and the introduction of the Symbiote. Having both of these elements would be too much for one film, but incorporating them into a game allows for a greater scope and allows for more to be done in its runtime. Kraven is an incredibly intimidating villain, but it’s truly the Symbiote section in this game that works so well. I’m a big defender of the Symbiote sequences in Spider-Man 3, but this game takes a far more serious tone with the Symbiote that fits this game’s world so perfectly. This game is unafraid to get incredibly dark with the Symbiote and I always appreciate that in stories. The occasionally chilling atmosphere this game is able to portray with just the voice acting and the use of colours and shadows is excellent. 

Speaking of which, the voice acting is top notch. Yuri Lowenthal is possibly my favourite interpretation of Peter Parker to date. I have always respected voice actors for being so capable at bringing an immense amount of emotion to scenes solely from their, well, voice. You feel every line of dialogue from Lowenthal’s Peter, from his fun quips to his incredibly emotional moments of heartache. While I personally prefer Shameik Moore’s Miles Morales, Nadji Jeter is wonderful in the role nonetheless. His chemistry with Peter is fantastic in this, and since their relationship together develops throughout the whole game, that is integral. Kraven is an incredibly intimidating villain, and Sergei Kravinoff’s vocal performance really helps add to the intimidation. Tony Todd’s voice for Venom is similarly great and adds an air of terror that is essential to him. 

Yet Spider-Man 2 refuses to be satisfied with just having gorgeous visuals, a captivating narrative, and earnest voice acting. It also has gameplay that is entertaining to the highest degree. There are so many incredibly engaging setpieces that are well-paced and exceed everything in the first two games. There is a sequence involving portals that is some of the most fun I’ve had while playing any video game from this year. 

Boss fights can be some of the best parts of a game if they are executed well. And this is Spider-Man 2, so it shouldn’t surprise you that I think they absolutely are! Every boss feels so unique but none are majorly disappointing in comparison to each other. They each have this special gimmick to them that helps you keep engaged and guessing as to what the next one will be. 

This video game is a masterpiece in the truest sense of the word. Its visuals, gameplay, and storyline are on a whole other level. One thing’s for sure: I will be getting Insomniac’s next game, Wolverine, the day it comes out. 

10/10