As people who hate fun keep telling me, tying a tablecloth round my neck like a cape and jumping short distances while shouting “Look at me I’m flying” before hitting the ground doesn’t make me a superhero. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 does, though – or at least, it brings me as close as I’m ever going to get. It was, and still is, the best superhero simulator the industry has to offer.
It’s not such a great game because it looks pretty… but damn, it does look pretty. Amazing even, you might say. This probably shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the fact that it has Sony‘s money and support behind it, but boy oh boy has that money and support paid off. Few PS5 games come close to matching Spider-Man 2 for looks, especially if you have a TV capable of running it in its full 4K or 120hz glory. Want something to show off the capabilities of your console that is somehow going up rather than down in value? This should be your first stop.
Caught in a web
If 120hz isn’t an option for you, you can still go for 60fps, and you should absolutely take it. Sometimes, I don’t mind sacrificing frames for fidelity, especially if it’s something horror-flavored like Silent Hill f or Alan Wake 2. But it’s hard to overstate how integral fluidity is to the experience here, and you need the frame rate to support it.
Insomniac had already seemed to nail the feel of swinging through the air as the web-swinger in the first Marvel’s Spider-Man, but by the time the first full sequel launched, it was better than ever. Thwip a webline to arc through the air, launch yourself forwards, thwip another, pull a few air tricks, pull yourself to a launch point to hurl yourself upwards once again, whip out the new web wings to glide and perhaps take advantage of Wind Tunnels to zoom forwards; before diving to build up speed for your next webline.
Soaring through the air above the streets of New York like an arachnid-styled pendulum is an incredible feeling. There’s fast travel to unlock, but I honestly don’t understand why you might want to use it.
Combat, too, is all about having a smooooth ride. It owes much to the Batman: Arkham series in terms of building up one long combo and dancing from one foe to the next, but both Spider-Men are far more athletic heroes, which is reflected appropriately in how they dispense violent justice.
There’s nothing quite like launching a bad guy into the air, leaping up to join them so you can hurl them back down to the ground, pulling yourself to a distant enemy in an instant to start punching them in the face instead, then using a gadget or ability to push back the group that is now trying to crowd you – before using a finisher to instantly take down the nearest goon stupid enough to step up. Fights are a rush.
Air Miles
Perhaps, like me, you bought the game at launch and rinsed it of trophies in less than a week (something I almost never do, by the way). Well since then, New Game Plus has been added, giving you a brand new reason to come back. As well as one final trophy for finishing NG+ on any difficulty, ‘Ultimate’ character levelling and new unlockable suits have been added. Honestly, though? I just loved playing through the story again, and was once more so taken with the movement and the combat, I found myself drifting back to side content even though I’d already unlocked all the rewards. This 2023 game is one of my 2025 GOTY contenders.
Going back through the story, I was reminded of two things. Firstly, how good the acting is. Nadji Jeter for example again gives a phenomenal performance as Miles Morales, and Yuri Lowenthal remains my favorite Peter Parker version of Spider-Man in any medium (there, I said it). The ever-reliable Laura Bailey makes a great MJ, and don’t you dare forget that the sadly departed horror legend Tony Todd makes an appearance as Venom. He plays the character perfectly, and makes a huge impact despite the relatively small role. But don’t take my word for it. Just ask his BAFTA nomination.
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The other thing that resurfaced in the murky waters of my memory was the depth of the story. Look, it’s not worthy or enormously complex, but it echoes uncomfortable aspects of the human condition that you might not expect from a superhero romp. It is in part a story about self-awareness, legacy, and getting a handle on your emotions. Sure, it’s also in part a story about one man who turns into a giant lizard and another who only wears scraps of leather and fur so he can show everybody how apocalyptically ripped he is, but that means there’s something for everyone.
If Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 somehow passed you by, you’ll find that it’s every bit as impressive today as it was two years ago. If you’ve already put dozens of hours in – heck, even if you went through New Game Plus as soon as it was added – I’d still urge you to reinstall it and play again. There’s a literally endless parade of crimes in this digital New York, and I guarantee you’ll look and feel incredibly cool on your way to foil them.
Check out our best PS5 games ranking for what to play next!