PS5 Marvel's Spider-Man 2

[Quivorir]

On those JJJ rants, podcasts, calls etc I really wish they didn't cut off when you swung within a certain distance of a crime. Or if they have to cut off at least let them play again once finished. I cut off so many podcasts and JJJ rants accidently.

 

[revival_mode]

finished last night (yeah i know i'm way slower than everyone else)
great game - only real thing for me would be streamline the story a bit more and lose the open world "activities" as i'm just not really into any of that. having said that i have done most of them and will probably plat the game this weekend which is something i never do.
game length was fine for me, wouldn't have wanted it any shorter but no issues. i only had a few minor cosmetic bugs which was refreshing and performance was good the whole way through.
pretty much exactly what i wanted from a direct sequel, combat was a bit improved. clicked with me more. only thing i kept forgetting was the "rage mode/meter" i would always see after a fight and then be like oh i should have used that.
i liked the MJ missions this time but dont really get why they were trying to push her as a 'hero'.

Spoiler

• didnt like they had Kraven take out villains barely in the first game (electro, vulture, shocker, rhino), thought they might go full sinister 6 finale if doing a trilogy
• Kraven a bit too one note for mine, didnt really GAF with him at all
• black spidey suit/descent done really well. whole venom line was great tbh.
• huge improvement with the game alternating between peter & miles - would have liked some more distinct game styles between the two. miles has stealth i guess which i basically didnt use.

boss battles were great - not enough of them or villains in general though.
- again would have preferred less open world filler, and a longer story with a couple more villains

up there for my GOTY

 

[Quivorir]

I don't get the streamline story and lose the open world comment. At no point are you forced to do anything that isn't continuing the story. Weird that this seems to be a major complaint about the game despite being 100% optional.

 

[bourbons]

I don't get the streamline story and lose the open world comment. At no point are you forced to do anything that isn't continuing the story. Weird that this seems to be a major complaint about the game despite being 100% optional.

There's a handful you need to do once to progress the story and start that category of activity appearing on the map, but yeah agree. For the puzzles at least you can just straight up skip them (option in the pause menu).

I actually kinda missed the web swing timed challenges from the first game, they were awesome. We got the web wing/drone tracking thing in this instead, kinda ok I guess but not as fun or challenging imo.

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

I don't get the streamline story and lose the open world comment. At no point are you forced to do anything that isn't continuing the story. Weird that this seems to be a major complaint about the game despite being 100% optional.

IMO there are two lines to the argument - one more valid/general than the other:
1. It is more a comment on what is lacking than what is there. We are in an era of gaming where so many games are bloated. The way open world games separate themselves as the best of the bunch (the types that are worthy of GOTY contention) is by having new, interesting, and/or innovative side activities to fill out the experience and help the world feel alive. The criticism I have of SM1 and MM (haven't yet played SM2) is that the world is filled out with menial, boring tasks. People "don't mind" doing them because the navigation is so fun and interesting, but I want a reason to keep swinging, not a, "Eh, well, I wanna keep swinging so I guess I'll just grab these five types of collectibles."
2. On a more personal level, I like the feeling of completion I get from games - I want to see everything the devs planned out for me, and I want to get as much out of the game as I can. Having these boring filler activities leaves me stuck between sitting through them or leaving the game before I've truly finished it. So yes - they're optional - but they do actually detract from the experience for me personally.

 

[revival_mode]

its just my opinion, i dont enjoy the bloat in many games. doesnt add anything imo.

you did need to do some of it in Spidey, eg get the parts for the gadget/stat upgrades. and side story stuff eg

Spoiler

chameleon set up for next game

i did most of it as i was swinging by but it was never something i went out of my way for

again, i would have preferred take them away, spend more time doing actual story lines with more villains etc

also i'm no completionist so collectables dont do anything for me

 

[Sixpence]

IMO there are two lines to the argument - one more valid/general than the other:
1. It is more a comment on what is lacking than what is there. We are in an era of gaming where so many games are bloated. The way open world games separate themselves as the best of the bunch (the types that are worthy of GOTY contention) is by having new, interesting, and/or innovative side activities to fill out the experience and help the world feel alive. The criticism I have of SM1 and MM (haven't yet played SM2) is that the world is filled out with menial, boring tasks. People "don't mind" doing them because the navigation is so fun and interesting, but I want a reason to keep swinging, not a, "Eh, well, I wanna keep swinging so I guess I'll just grab these five types of collectibles."
2. On a more personal level, I like the feeling of completion I get from games - I want to see everything the devs planned out for me, and I want to get as much out of the game as I can. Having these boring filler activities leaves me stuck between sitting through them or leaving the game before I've truly finished it. So yes - they're optional - but they do actually detract from the experience for me personally.

The bolded bit is the best point about OW side quests/tertiary activities. I didn't mind the side stuff in this as it wasn't over the top, but I agree that it didn't do much to address the bold bit. Horizon FW, for example, does a great job of that, whether it's a set of stories that delve into the lives of NPCs or something that expands the lore. The Witcher 3 also does a fantastic job of it.

That said, the general setting of Spiderman makes it hard to match those games in that respect. I don't think the plights of the average New Yorker are really going to be that interesting, though they could probably flesh out some of the side characters a little more.

 

[Purple Suit]

IMO there are two lines to the argument - one more valid/general than the other:
1. It is more a comment on what is lacking than what is there. We are in an era of gaming where so many games are bloated. The way open world games separate themselves as the best of the bunch (the types that are worthy of GOTY contention) is by having new, interesting, and/or innovative side activities to fill out the experience and help the world feel alive. The criticism I have of SM1 and MM (haven't yet played SM2) is that the world is filled out with menial, boring tasks. People "don't mind" doing them because the navigation is so fun and interesting, but I want a reason to keep swinging, not a, "Eh, well, I wanna keep swinging so I guess I'll just grab these five types of collectibles."
2. On a more personal level, I like the feeling of completion I get from games - I want to see everything the devs planned out for me, and I want to get as much out of the game as I can. Having these boring filler activities leaves me stuck between sitting through them or leaving the game before I've truly finished it. So yes - they're optional - but they do actually detract from the experience for me personally.

You should play Spider-Man 2, they really did a great job on the side stuff / collectables. It’s massively improved, less bloat and rewards them with either increasing the power of the characters or comestic suits, your choice.

The best thing about it though is traversal is great fun and most of the tasks are very quick so you can knock off something in 20-30 secs on the way to a story mission. The speed and flow of this means 10 minutes spent doing just side stuff gets a lot done and the side stuff fights make you feel super powerful, like a superhero game should.

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

You should play Spider-Man 2, they really did a great job on the side stuff / collectables. It’s massively improved, less bloat and rewards them with either increasing the power of the characters or comestic suits, your choice.

The best thing about it though is traversal is great fun and most of the tasks are very quick so you can knock off something in 20-30 secs on the way to a story mission. The speed and flow of this means 10 minutes spent doing just side stuff gets a lot done and the side stuff fights make you feel super powerful, like a superhero game should.

Definitely plan to play - I do have criticisms of the previous two games but that doesn't mean I don't love them at their core. Only reason I haven't picked it up yet is because I'm trying to clear as much of the PS+ backlog before my sub ends to avoid paying next cycle.

 

[bourbons]

again, i would have preferred take them away, spend more time doing actual story lines with more villains etc

Don't disagree in principle, but you also have to be a realist about it - at the end of the day that stuff is there to pad out the playtime, they're easier/quicker pieces for the dev team to build than the crafted storyline/villain stuff with motion captured cutscenes we'd probably all prefer.

I think the balance in SM2 is pretty spot on.

 

[KAYNE]

I don't get the streamline story and lose the open world comment. At no point are you forced to do anything that isn't continuing the story. Weird that this seems to be a major complaint about the game despite being 100% optional.

I agree, the only issue I had was the crimes keep coming up. The only change I would make would be able to turn them on or off in the 'app' as that would make it better

 

[Sixpence]

I agree, the only issue I had was the crimes keep coming up. The only change I would make would be able to turn them on or off in the 'app' as that would make it better

The crimes were entirely optional in this one, they didn't count towards anything completion-wise like they did in the first one.

 

[SugarShane]

Just finished the story last night and 100%ed it tonight. What a game. All the complaints from reviewers that it didn't add enough to the first game are unfounded imo. Could be recency bias but the story felt so much more gripping than the first imo. Venom is one of the coolest characters around, every second he was on screen was just gold.

And

Spoiler

the scene where you control Venom? Perfect.

 

[mickelboy182]

I personally thought the first game was a much more engaging story. Kraven and Venom just didn't do it for me.

Another thing that really took away from my immersion was the lack of police in this game, which is odd because they were prevalent in the first.

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

This might a stupid question but if I upgrade to the digital deluxe edition for $15 surely that doesn’t mean I can play it without the disk?
Everyone would be doing that then returning the game.

 

[Sixpence]

This might a stupid question but if I upgrade to the digital deluxe edition for $15 surely that doesn’t mean I can play it without the disk?
Everyone would be doing that then returning the game.

I think it's just the deluxe content and that the 'digital' part in the name is a red herring. Could be wrong though.

 

[SugarShane]

This might a stupid question but if I upgrade to the digital deluxe edition for $15 surely that doesn’t mean I can play it without the disk?
Everyone would be doing that then returning the game.

The $15 one isn't the Deluxe Edition, it's the Deluxe upgrade. It's just the DLC so it will still need a version of the base game to run.

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

The $15 one isn't the Deluxe Edition, it's the Deluxe upgrade. It's just the DLC so it will still need a version of the base game to run.

Yeah I thought so. Cheers

 

[AFDogs]

I personally thought the first game was a much more engaging story. Kraven and Venom just didn't do it for me.

Another thing that really took away from my immersion was the lack of police in this game, which is odd because they were prevalent in the first.

Spoiler: Venom

Agreed with the police/military thing. When Venom took over the city there was little to no military presence and it was strange. It was like the whole of the United States just thought 'eh, the Spidermen will fix it for us'.

 

[the big lebowski]

9/10 for me post plat.

Not much to improve

 

[Jatz]

Just started on this, about 20% of the way through it.

Absolutely love these games. Everything is just clear and easy.

I will say, I don't feel like the web swinging is quite as smooth as the previous games. The gliding is a fun addition though.

 

[Sixpence]

I will say, I don't feel like the web swinging is quite as smooth as the previous games. The gliding is a fun addition though.

Agree with this, felt like I struggled a little more with web slinging then I did in the first and in MM.

 

[Jatz]

Agree with this, felt like I struggled a little more with web slinging then I did in the first and in MM.

It just doesn't feel quite as seamless to me.

The level to detail with all the buildings is phenomenal though and the addition of Brooklyn to the map is absolutely perfect. Just adds so much.

 

[bok_party]

Bought this couple days ago and for some reason it won’t install past about 30%. Keeps saying error despite there being plenty of storage space. It has been on two consoles too. Any ideas or help?

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

Bought this couple days ago and for some reason it won’t install past about 30%. Keeps saying error despite there being plenty of storage space. It has been on two consoles too. Any ideas or help?

Tried rebuild data base option?