Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man 2 definitely doesn’t rewrite the book of Insomniac’s superhero series. But that’s because it doesn’t need to. Even after pouring well over 20 hours into the game, we’re eager to dive in again to explore every hidden nook and cranny that this expanded New York City offers...And if Insomniac offers another barely different version of the same gameplay formula in a few years' time, we’ll probably sink dozens more happy hours into the same basic gameplay loop.

It runs so, so smooth with no hiccups. Doesn't matter how much crazy bullshit is happening on the screen. Technically it's in the top 3 PS5 showcases. It's phenomenal.

Whatever lack of satisfaction I walked away from Spider-Man 2 with ultimately paled in comparison to the joy of flying over its cityscapes and being able to pretend, however briefly, that I was a member of its bright metropolis where every challenge can eventually be overcome, at least with the help of a suit, super powers, and a perfectly timed *thwip*. The game surrounding it could be much worse and I’d still come running back each time. Fortunately, it is as good as it’s ever been, and in plenty of ways, even better. Being Spider-Man never gets old.

There are hints of greater thematic aspirations within Spider-Man 2. Questions about mass incarceration, recidivism, and reintegration into society for formerly incarcerated people; worries about the surveillance state and what we give up when we engage with modern technology. These things appear, however fleetingly, in Spider-Man 2, but there isn’t enough time to elaborate on any single one in the unrelenting march of set-piece after glorious set-piece. But I’m glad they’re there, anyway. Because if we’re going to retell a story, we ought to retell it anew. Canons were made to be broken, and Spider-Man 2 swings in that direction. With a sequel teed up by the game’s final act, I’m eager to see where Insomniac goes with that momentum. Next stop: the Bronx. [Polygon Recommends]

While Spider-Man 2 delighted us for a pretty huge percentage of its 20-plus hour length, it rarely surprised us. (Not never, mind you; the game’s back half includes at least one jaw-dropping dose of joy.) As a game, it’s smart, and enjoyable, and respectful of its characters, and kind of, unavoidably, iterative. It refuses almost uniformly to mess with success and, in so doing, sometimes robs itself of the ability to shock or stun. But don’t get us wrong: The game does what it’s aiming to do so relentlessly well that it’s very hard to hold any of this against it, except in hindsight; in the moment, we were simply too busy having a total blast playing Spider-Man 2 for any of these more conceptual issues to matter all that much.