Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Review: Insomniac Games' Ambitious Sequel Swings for the Fences

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What makes a good Spider-Man story? Aside from capturing the mythology of the quippy, affable, web-swinging hero, it also must present great adversity for him, and not just when he's wearing the mask. It cannot be a Spider-Man story without Peter Parker. Unlike other superheroes who can wear a cowl and leave their identity behind, the two are inseparable. Spider-Man swings into a fight, but it's Peter who takes the punch. It must also ground Spider-Man in the fragility of human experience. The wall-crawler is strong, but he must learn that we all break. A great Spider-Man story must also deal with personal tragedy. No matter how many times Spider-Man wins the day, it's his loss that defines him. Marvel's Spider-Man, Insomniac Games' first attempt at telling such a story, succeeded on most, if not all, of these parameters. Aside from being incredibly fun to play — with polished web-swinging, an incredibly detailed New York City to explore, and butter-smooth, flowing combat — the first game understood the essence of a Spider-Man story, serving one of the best narratives for the hero perhaps seen across all forms of media.

But a wise man once said, with great power comes great responsibility. Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Insomniac's ambitious sequel that comes out October 20 on the PlayStation 5, has to shoulder the weight of that responsibility. It also has a much more complicated job to do. For starters, it also must tell a Miles Morales story, one that lives and breathes on its own, even as it's inextricably linked to Peter Parker's journey. And, it also choses to tell a Venom story, which can't just get the same treatment as any other supervillain from Spider-Man's rogues gallery. The villains in Spider-Man media are usually