Microreview [Video Game]: Marvel's Spider-Man 2 by Insomniac Games

Be Greater? Check.

A challenge arises when dealing with a popular license. Can the developer do it justice? Can the game service the fans in a way that shows the developer’s deep understanding of the IP’s characters and world? When those parameters are met, as they so deftly were with Marvel’s Spider-Man in 2018 and Miles Morales in 2020, the next challenge is doing it again, but better. I was curious to see how Insomniac Games would handle the potential sophomore slump. I did not doubt that Insomniac is a great developer (in fact, they’re one of the most talented and efficient AAA dens in the industry) and could pull off a great game. But a better one? When Marvel took the Spider-Man video game rights back from Activision in 2014 due to displeasure with the movie tie-ins, Activision told Marvel, “Good luck finding your unicorn.” And Marvel did just that.

It’s difficult to say what the 2018 game does better than the sequel. I loved the backpack collectibles that showed what Peter had been up to over the last eight years. I thought the emotional climax where Peter has to make a difficult choice carries more weight than any specific moment in Spider-Man 2. But that’s it. Not to say I didn’t love the first game, I sure did, but Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a better game in just about every regard. Insomniac showed true ability with this release.

Let’s divide the gameplay into two segments here. First, traversal. Traveling through Manhattan and Brooklyn is delightful, and at times exhilarating. For the sequel, Insomniac added web wings (which work like a flying squirrel) to the traversal arsenal. Along with these, the added wind tunnels allow the player to increase speed while never losing height as they use the web wings. Combining traditional web-swinging with the web wings feels right. It adds additional movement options, but above all, is enjoyable to use. Doing tricks in mid-air, switching to a deep dive, and then popping the web wings out for extra velocity never became stale. This isn't to mention the slingshot ability (launches the Spider-Men very far, very fast) and other additions. Oh, and the swinging has a significant speed boost.

Speaking of travel, I must make a note about the fast travel system in this game. It’s the best I’ve ever seen. No equal. Once you’ve done enough Spidey work in a certain district, you are free to travel anywhere in said district instantaneously. That’s right, New York City instantly loads without any wait time. Not only that, but the transition is seamless, ensuring that Spider-Man is constantly moving when he spawns from the teleport. The only downside to this is that I now want this in every upcoming game (I can forgive past games for their technical deficiency, but all future games must follow suit).

The other side of the gameplay coin; the combat, has seen significant improvements as well. In addition, the player has access to two Spider-Men at any given time (minus some exceptions for story-specific and side-mission-specific instances). The basic combat between them is the same, but they differ in their special abilities. Miles's combat focuses more on his electric abilities, while Peter uses his spider arms (long mechanical arms). Eventually, the characters can choose between two moves per ability slot to give a little bit of gameplay choice. All of these abilities work in tandem with the Spider-guys’ ability to combo and create an engaging combat experience. While Miles does have the advantage of going invisible, stealth is rarely necessary. That said, Insomniac added a web line gadget that allows both heroes to craft a tapestry of traversable web above enemy heads. This allows you to take everyone down without making a peep. It’s enjoyable to see all your hard work pay off as a plethora of enemies are caught in your web pods. You just have to suspend disbelief for a bit and assume no one knows how to look up.

The game looks fantastic. Animations (in and out of cutscene), suits (of which there are many), character models, ray traced reflections, and New York City itself are all very detailed. Taking in New York City at the top of the Empire State Building is still a highlight, and even more so with better detail. The vehicle and pedestrian density in the game is much improved, making the game feel even more like New York City. Of course, you could always have more cars, but Spider-Man 2 adds quite a few extras. No detail is spared for the game’s villains who are captured in stunning detail. The game opens with a bang (which I will kindly let the reader experience on their own) and only gets better and better. In tandem with the animation and visual fidelity, the performances are excellent. Kraven (Jim Pirri) and Venom (Tony Todd) lend excellent talent to an already wonderful cast. Laura Bailey takes on the role of Mary Jane this time, while Yuri Lowenthal and Nadji Jeter return as the Spider-Men. This is topped off with a great soundtrack that pumps the player up throughout the adventure.

The storyline is great, and it gets crazier and crazier the further the game progresses. Spider-Man fans have a treat on their hands with this one. The boss battles are fun, though I rarely found much of a challenge (I was playing on normal). The story hits a point where the action ramps up and it never lets down. It’s almost too much. The second half of the first game had a lot of action, but a bit more balance, this game is the equivalent of a skier triggering an avalanche and watching as disaster continues to trample down the mountainside. Until all is calm, of course. But before the calm, there’s a constant sense of excitement and danger. I found it impressive that Insomniac was able to maintain that height for so long, but it would have been nice to have one or two more breathers in between. Even still, it was a ton of fun.

Though it feels like there are fewer side quests, I believe their quality has improved. I’ll take quality over quantity any day, there are too many games to play and I can’t squeeze them all in. Completing all quests of a specific type will yield more information on specific Spidey villains. Those were some of my favorites, as it made me eager to see which character would be revealed and what Insomniac would do with them. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), some of these villains are simply revealed as a tease for the next game. Selling two and a half million copies in twenty-four hours pretty much guarantees a sequel, right?

While the game was mostly stable, I did experience approximately four crashes. The PS5 loads the game with incredible speed, so I wasn’t out of the experience for too long. Despite this, it still took me out of the game for a moment and should have been fixed before launch. Thankfully Insomniac made the car-jacking crime easier to finish (in SM1/MM, it was a bit of a hassle) and added a few different crime report missions, that said, I would have loved a few more to switch it up a bit. It’s a big city, there should be even more crimes. There were also a few moments in the story where problems get solved without clarity while some things are never mentioned. Some instances where problems are glossed over or completely ignored create some ludonarrative dissonance in an otherwise riveting superhero story.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a triumph. It’s a video game that does what any sequel should do; strive to be greater than its predecessors. Whether it’s witnessing the characters you know and love interact, swinging through New York City, or fighting crime and webbing up some fools, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 delivers on all fronts. If you’re a Spider-Man fan, you now have three modern games you need to play, though I suggest saving this one for last as it might spoil the other two for you slightly (from a gameplay perspective). Everything in this game points to a Spider-Man 3, and I couldn't be more hyped. I have not played every game from Insomniac, but I played most of them, and I can say with no qualms that I enjoyed this one the most. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is my new bar for superhero games, so suit up and get those web shooters filled.

The Math

Objective Assessment: 9/10

Bonus: +1 for an intense Spider-Man story and for being a love letter to fans (with extra villains, cameos, and suits). +1 for even more amazing gameplay.

Penalties: -1 for occasional crashes. -1 some ludonarrative dissonance.

Nerd Coefficient: 9/10

Posted by: Joe DelFranco - Fiction writer and lover of most things video games. On most days you can find him writing at his favorite spot in the little state of Rhode Island.

Microreview [Video Game]: Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered by Insomniac Games

A Thwipping good time.

It took the impending release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to make me realize that I hadn’t played the original in five years. The original release was my favorite game in the superhero genre and I was delighted to brush up on the story while also getting into the downloadable story content that I never got a chance to try. With a fresh coat of paint and new content to explore, I was excited to pick up the controller and give it another go.

Marvel’s Spider-Man games, developed by Insomniac Games, provide one of the two best superhero offerings on the market now (the other being the Batman Arkham games, of course). While Rocksteady’s Batman games have more grit to them, Insomniac’s Spider-Man follows a more balanced path, much in line with the superhero himself. And, thank the comic book heavens, we don’t have to watch Uncle Ben die for the hundredth time. Marvel’s Spider-Man takes place eight years after Peter’s initial meeting with a radioactive spider, and the story is all the better for it.

Spider-Man is tasked with taking down Mister Negative (Martin Li) who is causing chaos around New York. Peter is playing the part of a genius lab partner with a man named Otto Octavius. All the while Norman Osborn hides his secrets as he runs for reelection. Personalities and superpowers clash in a tightly threaded superhero tale. While some things are inevitable due to the history of the comics, others leave the door open for interpretation. All the while J. Jonah Jameson critiques Spidey’s every action from his aggressively fueled podcast.

Crafting a narrative that walks the fine line between the comic relief of Spider-Man and the seriousness of the predicaments in the main story is something that Insomniac handles well. There are moments here and there that come across as tawdry, but when the punches need to land, they hit hard. Both tense and tender moments between MJ and Peter and handled with punctilious effort, while Aunt May keeps Peter honest. All of the main players feel true to themselves and don’t bend to serve the narrative. Despite all the chaos that surrounds our heroes, they are the stars of the show.

The weakest gameplay segments occur when the perspective shifts from Spider-Man to MJ or Miles. They aren’t bad per se, but the juxtaposition between someone who can do it all and someone who can temporarily hack a machine to make a distracting noise is rather tame by comparison. Despite this, the Miles/Rhino scene has its moments, and it's nice to get to know the other characters a bit better.

Marvel’s Spider-Man has achieved something that no other game matches; traversal mechanics. Now, I’m not saying it’s not fun to get around in other games, but this game does it better (and with style). Going around Manhattan at high speed, then nose-diving to increase momentum, only to swing back up and release at the right time to increase velocity even further deserves a proper chef’s kiss. Swinging between narrow alleys, missing oncoming subways by a mere foot, pulling off a perfect point launch… all these things and more add to the excitement of moving around New York City. With the remastered version of this game, you can fast-travel to any point on the map in less than two seconds, but I barely used the option. Instead, I opted to swing almost everywhere I went. I can think of no other game where I forewent fast travel to enjoy a game’s traversal mechanics.

In addition to his web-slinging, Spider-Man can pack a punch. Insomniac once again brings the hero to life with an enjoyable combat system reminiscent of the modern Batman’s Arkham games (which in turn is inspired by the old Spider-Man 2 game on PS2). I feel that the combat system makes more sense for Spider-Man as the incoming attack indicator looks like his Spidey-sense is activating. A mix of standard hits, web attacks, launch attacks, aerial combos, dodges, and gadget attacks make up the bulk of Spider-Man’s combat options. When used together, the combat is frenetic and riveting. Taking notes from their other quirky franchises (Ratchet & Clank, Sunset Overdrive, etc.), Insomniac gave Spidey some cool tools with which he could dispatch enemies either in the middle of combat or stealthily. One of these seemed a bit farfetched (gravity well, yes you), but all the gadgets are useful and fun and very much blend Insomniac’s DNA with Spider-Man’s.

Marvel’s Spider-Man’s approach to the open world follows in the footsteps of Ubisoft’s finest; find a tower, and unlock part of the map. It’s all basic and uninspired but takes up very little time to reveal the entire map. Once you have visibility of the whole map, you are free to look for Pete’s old backpacks (which are great for finding out what he’s been up to these last eight years), take pictures of monuments and buildings, along with other activities. As the game progresses other options will be open to the player. Taking down enemy strongholds, beefy side-missions, chasing down escaped pigeons… I’m still not sure how I felt about this last one, but at least it was fun. At any given time, a crime will occur and it’s up to Manhattan’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to tackle the situation. They can range from a car chase to a kidnapping to breaking up a drug deal. The downloadable content adds an extra range of crimes to dive into.

Speaking of the downloadable content, this was my first experience with the additional story. Entitled The City that Never Sleeps, this DLC follows a three-part arc that sees Spider-Man attempt to take down the mob boss Hammerhead who is trying to fill the vacuum left by Fisk and Li. The overall storyline was enjoyable, even if it dips a bit in the middle. It adds extra story development for Yuri Watanabe and her inevitable turn to vigilante justice. Though I liked the overall story, the character changes happen a bit too quickly, especially in Yuri’s case. A decent extra tidbit to pad onto the game, though not quite as great as the main game.

It must be noted that as a remastered version of 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man, visual fidelity has increased. The bells and whistles that the PS5 grants are immediately recognizable. Nearly instant load times, ray-traced reflections, higher frame rates and quicker movement are all included in this build. The game looks a bit better, but the original game looked great already. The switch in character model for Peter (also available in an update for the original version of the game) was an interesting choice and I’m not sure whether it was necessary, but the model looks good and all animations in the game are fantastic. It’s not the biggest overhaul I’ve seen in a remaster, but it’s definitely the best version of a great game.

By the end of Spider-Man, I had run the full gamut of gamer emotions. I laughed, teared up, felt tense, excited, worried. Spider-Man manages to tell a great story within the confines of a superhero suit. And in the end, tasks our hero with being greater not just by doing difficult things, but by having to make difficult choices as well. In Marvel’s Spider-Man, Insomniac has created my favorite superhero game and one of my favorite all-time action games.

[Though I didn’t review the Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales expansion here, it’s worth noting that many of the mechanics are similar and even improved upon. The story is separate and exclusively follows Miles as he comes to terms with being Spider-Man and what that means to him. If you haven’t played either, they’re both worth the price of admission.]

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The Math

Objective Assessment: 8.5/10

Bonus: +.5 JJJ. +1 for creating my favorite traversal mechanics.

Penalties: -1 for Ubisoft cut and paste open world exploration.

Nerd Coefficient: 9/10

Posted by: Joe DelFranco - Fiction writer and lover of most things video games. On most days you can find him writing at his favorite spot in the little state of Rhode Island.

Microreview [Video Game]: Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart by Insomniac Games

A new dimension for a new generation.

Armed with his trusted wrench and loaded to the teeth with crazy weaponry, Ratchet bursts onto the new generation of hardware in style. Hot on the heels of Insomniac Games’ recent release, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, the studio has put out yet another high-quality title in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and this one is exclusive to current-gen hardware. Being the newest release in an almost two-decade-old franchise, Insomniac has achieved a delicate balance that brings new players into the fold and caters to longtime fans of the series. Marrying classic characters and gameplay elements with new faces and mechanics only possible on this generation of hardware makes Rift Apart feel fresh, yet familiar; a testament to Insomniac’s development prowess.

Insomniac’s meticulous level design in Rift Apart has near Pixar level quality that left me staring for moments on end, gawking at their graphical capabilities. The most impressive level was Blizar Prime. Once I jumped out of my ship, the vista before me was incredible: a spectrum of purples, light to dark, with destroyed pieces of planet scattered in the space around you, light reflecting off of any surface that would allow. The lighting effects and art style shone brightly and, in that instant, I realized that this was the best looking game with this style that I’d seen. And then it got better. With Rivet’s hammer, I smashed the Blizon Crystal before me and the entire level shifted to the same planet, but in a different dimension. What was once a ruined planet became whole, the level came to life. The somber purples of a destroyed Blizar Prime were replaced with a bright, vibrant planet. The transformation took place in less than a few seconds, a great example of the SSD’s speed.

Throughout Rift Apart, Insomniac takes advantage of the SSD, whether it’s Blizon Crystals, instant level shifts in boss battles, or dimensional rifts. These uses of the hardware are seamlessly incorporated and allow for greater immersion due to a lack of load times. This use of the SSD makes me excited for a potential Spider-Man multiverse shifting mechanic that they could employ in future titles. But the SSD isn't the only hardware that Insomniac takes advantage of. The overall power of the PS5 is used to great effect. The ray-traced reflections on every available surface make Rift Apart mesmerizing at times. The quality of the lighting dynamics in real-time gameplay is dazzling.

Even with all these technical qualities firing on all cylinders, the game keeps a steady frame rate. Switching between all the whacky guns and shifting between planets and dimensions flows with ease, making the overall experience smooth and enjoyable. Though I did encounter a few bugs, none of them was game-breaking (I had to test the game’s limits). For instance, on Blizar Prime, I repeatedly smashed the Blizar Crystal to see if it would affect the game. Sometimes my ship would disappear, sometimes my quest prompt would disappear when I did this. It was a simple fix though; I had to exit and reload the game (which doesn't take very long at all). There was a moment where I died and lost the ability to progress in a level because my prompt wouldn't load. Though it was momentarily frustrating, it had the same fix.

This wouldn't be a proper Ratchet review without discussing the weapons. There are a bunch of them (maybe too many?) and they're almost all great. Launching Mr. Fungi and listening to his silly commentary is chuckle provoking. The Topiary Sprinkler is a valuable tool that I employed in almost every battle. Having my enemies freeze in place and sprout grass all over allowed me to strategize with other weapons, or get in close for a more critical shot with my Pixelizer (which damages enemies and temporarily turns them into a pixelated version of themselves). The upgrade system is terrific, and one of the things I loved most about Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction—my favorite game in the series. Each weapon can level up in two ways: through use and by spending in-game currency. Reaching level five with any weapon will transform its capability and make it even better. Using Raritanium can also tweak the weapon in many ways, minor and major. Seeing your weapons improve is one of the most enjoyable aspects of a Ratchet game, and Rift Apart is no slouch in this department. On subsequent play-throughs, you can even upgrade these weapons to their Omega version, making them even more powerful.

The characters who wield all these wacky weapons are well crafted. Rivet and KT-7461 add a great (and adorable) parallel to Ratchet and Clank in this multi-dimensional adventure. Rift Apart uses most of its time to focus on these two new characters, placing Ratchet in the backseat for a lot of the game. Rivet is affable, yet formidable, making the discovery of her backstory a treat. Though there were a few story beats in the game that felt rushed and a handful of touching moments that weren't given the appropriate spotlight, I felt like the game had solid pacing and an overall enjoyable story. Seeing parallels of many of the series’ staple characters was a joy (British Nefarious anyone?) and I look forward to seeing some of them again in future titles.

By assigning certain levels to Ratchet and others to Rivet, Insomniac allowed for a balanced focus for all characters. Though I felt Rivet had more attention, it was necessary to flesh out the character and I never felt overwhelmed by one or the other. In many games and television shows that alter between different character’s perspectives, I find myself drawn to one character’s storyline more than another, but this isn't the case in Rift Apart. And don’t worry, by ensuring both characters share the same bank account, any weapon you level up with either character carries over to the other. You won't have to upgrade anything multiple times.

Rift Apart is one of the best games in Insomniac’s long-running series. Though the game has a short runtime, giving some late-game weapons the short end of the stick (unless you do multiple runs), the content that is there is enjoyable and well crafted. All the unlocks, especially the Lombax lore, are enjoyable and not tedious to unlock. The extra outfits are great and all add increased performance—whether you have something equipped or not—and they’re all customizable, so you can rock out whichever colors you want while you beat bolts out of your enemies.

Though my time with Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart was brief, the experience was a positive one. Insomniac has crafted yet another solid title for their portfolio that makes me eager to see what they have up their sleeve for their next release. If you’re a fan of the series, fun weaponry, or other games from this studio, you won’t want to miss this one.

The Math

Objective Assessment: 8/10

Bonus: +1 stunning pixar-like visuals. +1 for fun and creative weaponry.

Penalties: -1 for introducing some weapons late without much incentive for multiple playthroughs. -1 for some rushed story beats.

Nerd Coefficient: 8/10

Posted by: Joe DelFranco - Fiction writer and lover of most things video games. On most days you can find him writing at his favorite spot in the little state of Rhode Island.

Orignally posted at: https://josephdelfranco.wixsite.com/pforp/post/hades-review