Spider-Man 2 (2023 video game)

Spider-Man 2 (2023 video game)
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is a 2023 action-adventure game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It is based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, and features a narrative inspired by its long-running comic book mythology which is also derived from various adaptations in other media. It is the third entry in the Marvel's Spider-Man series, acting as a sequel to Marvel's Spider-Man (2018) and a follow-up to Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020). In this installment, Peter Parker and Miles Morales struggle to navigate the next steps in their personal lives while combating several new threats, including a private militia led by Kraven the Hunter, who transforms New York City into a hunting ground for super-powered individuals; and the extraterrestrial Venom symbiote, which bonds itself to Parker and negatively influences him, threatening to destroy his personal relationships.
The gameplay builds on the foundation established by its predecessors, with an emphasis on the multiple playstyles afforded by Peter Parker and Miles Morales as Spider-Men. The game expands on their existing traversal and combat abilities, including new web-based gadgets and suits that can be unlocked through progressing in the story. It also introduces the former Spider-Man's symbiote suit, granting Parker unique abilities from his previous playable appearance. As with the prior games, content outside the main story consists of completing side-missions and obtaining collectibles dispersed throughout the game's open world, with the player able to switch between Parker and Morales to complete dedicated objectives for each of them.
Discussions regarding a proper sequel to Marvel's Spider-Man began during the game's development, with open story threads for future titles being teased across both it and Miles Morales. The game was announced in September 2021. Creative director Bryan Intihar, game director Ryan Smith, narrative lead Jon Paquette and art director Jacinda Chew from Insomniac Games respectively reprise their duties from prior entries, while Yuri Lowenthal, Nadji Jeter and Laura Bailey return to headline the game's ensemble voice cast, which comprises other returning actors and characters from the previous games. Jim Pirri and Tony Todd join the ensemble as the voices of Kraven and Venom, respectively.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was released for the PlayStation 5 on October 20, 2023 to critical acclaim. The game sold over 2.5 million units in 24 hours, becoming the fastest selling first-party title in PlayStation history. It is the third best-selling PlayStation 5 game.
Gameplay
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is an action-adventure single-player video game played from a third-person perspective. As with the first game and Miles Morales, Peter Parker and Miles Morales are the two main characters, with Mary Jane and Venom playable in certain missions, becoming individually playable in accordance with the story as they traverse an open world New York City and fight enemies. Players can acquire new abilities and collect various Spider-Man suits. Peter and Miles can be freely swapped between at any point during free-roam in the game's open world, and have dedicated missions both in the main story and as part of side content that takes advantage of their individual traits. The game expands upon the prior entries' open world, allowing players to explore Brooklyn and Queens in addition to Manhattan, which was the main setting of the previous two games.
Building on the combat system of the previous titles, both Spider-Men are able to parry physical attacks, as certain enemy types are impervious to dodging. During traversal, both Peter and Miles' new suits come equipped with Web Wings, which, when deployed, allow them to glide across the city, with their speed and distance covered increasing when taking advantage of areas such as wind tunnels. Each Spider-Man's gadget wheel has been upgraded with additional equippable mods for their web-shooters, such as being able to cast a Web Line across pillars for additional footing during stealth sequences suspended above enemies, and the Web Grabber, allowing multiple enemies to be pulled into an isolated spot for Stealth Takedowns, which can be performed on two enemies at once. In addition to Peter Parker's standard gameplay, he is playable when bonded to the Venom symbiote, granting him tendrils that he can use in combat and unique web-based abilities. Both Spider-Men have individual Skill Trees with additional unlockable abilities for both of them once they accumulate enough Skill Points in accordance with their experience level, as well as a third Skill Tree dedicated to shared abilities between them.
Synopsis
Characters and setting
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is set 10 months after the events of Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020). As with previous installments in the series, the game features a large ensemble cast of various characters derived from the history of Spider-Man comics and other media. The game follows Peter Parker (Yuri Lowenthal) and Miles Morales (Nadji Jeter), who both became the superhero Spider-Man after gaining superhuman abilities upon being bitten by genetically modified spiders. Peter serves as a mentor to Miles, who gained his superpowers during the events of the first game, though he struggles with balancing his personal life and duties as the city's protector. They are supported by several allies: Daily Bugle reporter and Peter's girlfriend Mary Jane Watson (Laura Bailey); Miles' classmate and tech guru Ganke Lee (Griffin Puatu); city councilwoman and Miles' mother Rio (Jacqueline Piñol); and Miles' estranged uncle Aaron Davis (Ike Amadi), who previously operated as the Prowler. Other characters in the game include former city mayor and Oscorp CEO Norman Osborn (Mark Rolston) and his son, and Peter and Mary Jane's best friend, Harry (Graham Phillips), who suffers from a neurological disease inherited from his mother, Emily; Yuri Watanabe (Tara Platt), a disgraced former police captain and ally of Peter who has assumed the vigilante identity of "Wraith" following the events of The City That Never Sleeps; J. Jonah Jameson (Darin De Paul), the Daily Bugles chief editor and Mary Jane's boss; Danika Hart (Ashly Burch), host of the "Danikast" podcast; deaf street artist Hailey Cooper (Natasha Ofili); Peter's deceased aunt, May (Nancy Linari), who is featured in a flashback sequence; and Miles's late father, Officer Jefferson Davis (Russell Richardson), who appears in an illusion.
Throughout the city, the two Spider-Men are faced with several supervillains such as Venom (Tony Todd), an extraterrestrial symbiote capable of bonding to human bodies and granting regenerative powers while negatively influencing their behavior; Sergei Kravinoff / Kraven the Hunter (Jim Pirri), the leader of a faction of mercenaries called the "Hunters" who seek to hunt super-powered beings like the Spider-Men; and Cletus Kasady (Chad Doreck), also known as "The Flame", the head of a nihilistic cult who seeks to perform a demonic ritual to bring about "The Crimson Hour", which marks the coming of a red monster known in ancient folklore as "Carnage". Returning villains from the first game include Martin Li / Mister Negative (Stephen Oyoung), Mac Gargan / Scorpion (Jason Spisak), Lonnie Lincoln / Tombstone (Corey Jones), and Felicia Hardy / Black Cat (Erica Lindbeck). Additional antagonists who were referenced in prior entries make full appearances in Spider-Man 2, including Flint Marko / Sandman (Leandro Cano), a lowly burglar who, through an accident, gained the ability to turn into molecules of sand and manipulate them at will; Curt Connors / Lizard (Mark Whitten), an Oscorp scientist who transformed into a giant reptilian creature; Dmitri Smerdyakov / Chameleon (Jim Pirri), a criminal master of disguises and Kraven's half-brother; and Quentin Beck / Mysterio (Noshir Dalal), a visual effects artist and reformed criminal who became the head developer of a virtual reality studio called "Mysterium". Furthermore, Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus (William Salyers), who is incarcerated in the Raft after unleashing a bioweapon in New York City during the events of the first game, appears in a mid-credits scene.
The character Cindy Moon makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the game's post-credits scene. The character Delilah, a skilled assassin who serves as the bartender at the Bar with No Name in an alternate universe, makes a cameo appearance during "The Message" side-quest. This version of the character was originally intended to appear in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) before her scene was cut from the final film.
Plot
Peter Parker starts his first day as a physics teacher at Brooklyn Visions Academy, with Miles Morales among his students, but they are interrupted by an attack by Sandman, requiring both of them to subdue him. Peter is fired for abandoning the class and returns to his Aunt May's home in Queens, which he has moved into following her death, to meet with his girlfriend Mary Jane Watson. They are surprised to see their old friend Harry Osborn, who has miraculously recovered from his terminal illness. Harry offers to hire Peter to work at his new startup, the Emily-May Foundation (EMF), so they can "heal the world". Concurrently, Miles struggles to write his college application essay and learns that his mother Rio has begun dating.
While overseeing a transfer of some of the Raft's inmates, Peter and Miles witness an attack by Kraven the Hunter and his forces, who capture Scorpion and Martin Li. While investigating Kraven, Peter discovers he is capturing super-powered individuals to hunt them for sport. Having already killed Scorpion, Vulture, Shocker, and Electro, Kraven attempts to capture Felicia Hardy next. On Peter and Mary Jane's behalf, Miles protects her and helps her escape to Paris. While visiting Coney Island to reconnect, Peter, Mary Jane, and Harry witness Kraven's hunters attack the park to capture Tombstone. While rescuing civilians caught in the crossfire, Harry learns about Peter's double life and reveals he was cured by Curt Connors via an organic exosuit that physically augments his body.
With his powers rapidly developing, Harry helps Peter rescue Tombstone while Mary Jane discovers that Kraven has kidnapped Connors. The trio attempt to save Connors, but are unable to stop Kraven from forcibly turning him back into the Lizard. Connors escapes while Kraven mortally wounds Peter, though he is saved by Harry's exosuit, which transfers itself to his body. After Peter confronts Kraven with his newly enhanced powers, the latter develops an interest in hunting him personally.
After Peter and Harry synthesize an antidote for Connors, the former locates Connors with Miles' help and eventually defeats and cures him. Upon seeing Peter wearing the exosuit, Connors explains that it is actually a sentient alien symbiote that Oscorp obtained years prior and warns him to destroy it. Under the symbiote's corrupting influence, Peter refuses. Meanwhile, Kraven captures Miles and forces him to fight Li to the death. Overcoming his anger towards Li for killing his father Jefferson Davis, Miles helps him escape and directs him to find Peter. Once Li informs him of Miles' location, Peter arrives to rescue him and nearly kills Kraven before Miles intervenes and convinces Peter to remove the symbiote.
Peter takes the symbiote to Oscorp to destroy it, but a desperate Harry, whose illness has returned, intercepts him and reclaims the symbiote, which transforms him into Venom. Venom escapes before overpowering and killing Kraven. Venom convinces Harry to "heal the world" by infecting it with symbiotes, starting with New York. Mary Jane falls victim and is transformed into Scream, but Peter helps her break free. As Peter and Miles attempt to stop the symbiote invasion, the former is debilitated by a trace amount of Venom's symbiote still in him, but Miles and Li help him tame it and convert it into the Anti-Venom symbiote, which can destroy other symbiotes. Concurrently, Venom recovers the meteorite that originally brought him to Earth to enhance his powers and accelerate his invasion. Peter and Miles distract Venom while Mary Jane steals the meteorite and destroys it with the EMF's particle accelerator, destroying Venom's spawn while Peter kills Venom himself at Harry's insistence.
In the aftermath, Harry is saved but rendered comatose, prompting an enraged Norman Osborn to prepare the "G-serum". Mary Jane quits her job at the Daily Bugle to run her own podcast and moves in with Peter, who opts to take a break from being Spider-Man to focus on rebuilding the EMF, trusting Miles to protect the city as Spider-Man. In a mid-credits scene, Norman visits an imprisoned Otto Octavius to demand the Spider-Men's secret identities, blaming them for Harry's condition. Octavius refuses, taking glee in Norman's suffering as he writes his "final chapter." In a post-credits scene, Miles meets Rio's new boyfriend, Albert Moon, who introduces them to his daughter Cindy.
Development
Both the first game and its spin-off title Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020) included implicit teases toward future titles, including post-credits scenes alluding to Insomniac Games' intentions to introduce Venom into their narrative, as well as feature Norman Osborn and his son Harry in more prominent roles. Intihar stated that Insomniac Games had discussed including the Black Suit as an unlockable costume during the development of the first game, but a meeting with Insomniac art director Gavin Goulden, Marvel Games vice president Bill Rosemann and senior director Eric Monacelli, convinced them that the symbiote would have to play a more significant role in their Spider-Man story to justify its inclusion. When unveiling Miles Morales at Sony's PlayStation 5 reveal event in June 2020, Insomniac stated that a standalone title featuring Miles as the protagonist would not detract from the fact they had "much of Peter's story left to tell" in future games.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and sister title Marvel's Wolverine were jointly announced by Insomniac Games at the PlayStation Showcase event in September 2021. Bryan Intihar and Ryan Smith serve as the game's creative and game directors, respectively reprising their roles from Marvel's Spider-Man, while Yuri Lowenthal, Nadji Jeter, and Tony Todd star as Peter Parker, Miles Morales, and Venom, respectively. Speaking on the This Week in Marvel podcast, Bill Rosemann described the game's narrative as "a little darker", as well as "the next big chapter". He likened the story's tone to The Empire Strikes Back (1980), contrasted with how Marvel's Spider-Man narrative felt tonally similar to the original Star Wars (1977).
In January 2022, Brittney Morris, who previously wrote the Miles Morales tie-in novel Wings of Fury, joined the writing team on the game; and in June freelance artist Davison Carvalho was hired to serve as the game's art director. Carvalho had also served as a concept artist for various Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films. That November, actor Scott Porter, who voiced Harry Osborn throughout the Research Station activities in the first game, revealed that he was recast in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 to accommodate the character's more prominent role in the story, addressing potential issues such as the age gap between himself and the character as "they decided to go photorealistic". Actor Graham Phillips was later announced to take over the role of Osborn from Porter during San Diego Comic-Con in July 2023.
Lowenthal discussed his portrayal of Peter Parker as he is under the influence of the Venom symbiote, citing "behaviors of addiction" as a major inspiration on how he would differentiate his two vocal performances at different points in the game. He additionally likened his delivery as Symbiote Spider-Man to his time voicing the character Sasuke Uchiha in the anime series Naruto, which was a stark contrast in tone to the "plucky young heroes" he was used to playing due to Sasuke's comparatively downbeat personality, and having to "dig a little bit" to emulate the character's angst. The game would not depict Eddie Brock as the symbiote's host, a deviation from the majority of Spider-Man media featuring the character. Intihar cited a desire to tell an original story that stood apart from both the comics and various films featuring Venom while respecting the roots of the character. Intihar asserted that they never intend to interpret a character so differently from other appearances at the risk of alienating fans, but they did want to provide a unique take on the material that felt tied to their franchise, citing the creative liberties taken with Peter Parker's Advanced Suit in the first game as an example, and how despite the adherence to classic elements like the red and blue color scheme, the enlarged, white spider emblem on the suit's chest distinguished the character as Insomniac's version of Spider-Man among other adaptations. The game had gone gold in late September, one month before release.
Marketing
The game's gameplay reveal debuted during Sony Interactive Entertainment's PlayStation Showcase event in May 2023, highlighting a mission within the game's main story campaign that showed Peter Parker adorning the symbiote suit, and Miles Morales / Spider-Man, as the pair intercepted an attempt by Kraven's Hunters to capture Dr. Curt Connors as his transformation into the Lizard resulted in him breaking into a fish market near the New York City docks. As part of the game's promotion, a separate splice of gameplay was featured in a scene from the film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), which depicted Miles Morales' roommate Ganke Lee playing the game on his PlayStation 5 console at their dorm. The sequence showed Peter Parker / Spider-Man initiating a takedown on a common thug using the spider-leg appendages equipped at the back of his new Advanced Suit. Concept art of the Spider-Men combatting both Kraven the Hunter and Venom was presented at Summer Game Fest 2023, where creative director Bryan Intihar appeared as a guest to discuss the game's story and unveil the game's launch date and box art. The game's main theme, "Greater Together" composed by John Paesano, was previewed at The Game Awards 10-Year Concert in June 2023, and was released on music streaming services shortly thereafter. Intihar, along with producer Bill Rosemann from Marvel Games, Lowenthal, Jeter, Bailey and Todd, presented a Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2023, titled "Symbiotic Relationships". The panel divulged further story and character details and was accompanied by the debut of a story trailer, and the unveiling of commemorative PlayStation 5 console bundles and accessories to coincide with the game's launch. A gameplay overview narrated by creative director Bryan Intihar was featured as part of the PlayStation State of Play presentation in September 2023, in conjunction with preview events being held for media journalists in Los Angeles, where more extensive demos and playable builds of the game were showcased. The game's launch trailer was released online on October 15, 2023 during New York Comic Con.
Tie-in media and merchandise
A tie-in prequel comic was released by Marvel Comics on Free Comic Book Day in May 2023, written by Marvel's Spider-Man writer Christos Gage and illustrated by Ig Guara. Taking place after the events of Miles Morales, the narrative features Peter Parker, Miles Morales and Mary Jane Watson struggling to balance their individual responsibilities and the former's respective duties to New York as Spider-Men, and features The Hood as its main antagonist, who is attempting to procure an allegedly ancient tablet inscrypted with magic tomes to resuscitate his dying mother. The game's narrative director and Marvel's Spider-Man co-writer Jon Paquette elaborated on the writing team's interest in introducing The Hood for the comic, stating that they were interested in exploring the idea of the two Spider-Men having to confront a threat with powers beyond their understanding.
Release
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was released for the PlayStation 5 on October 20, 2023.
Alongside the standard edition, a Digital Deluxe Edition was made available for the game. This edition features two sets of five unique suits for Peter Parker and Miles Morales, designed by guest artists from PlayStation Studios and the wider entertainment industry. It includes additional frames, stickers for the in-game Photo Mode, and two extra skill points for ability unlocks. A Collector's Edition will be distributed through participating retailers and PlayStation Direct. It contains a download voucher for the Digital Deluxe Edition, a steel bookcase, and a 19-inch display statue depicting the Spider-Men fighting Venom. All pre-orders, regardless of edition, come with early unlock bonuses: the "Arachknight Suit" for Peter Parker and "Shadow-Spider Suit" for Miles Morales, the Web Grabber gadget, and three additional skill points.
To commemorate the game's launch, Sony Interactive Entertainment distributed a special edition PlayStation 5 console bundle themed after the game on September 1, 2023. It is a variant of the standard PlayStation 5 sporting custom face plates and a unique DualSense controller design based on the imagery of the Venom symbiote wrapping itself around a red gradient adorning Peter Parker's Spider-Man emblem. Insomniac Games art director Jacinda Chew remarked on this design being evocative of the various ways players experience the symbiote taking over Peter in the game's story, describing it as a "constant push and pull for dominance whether it's internal or external and the outcome is not certain." The console comes with a digital voucher for the game's Standard Edition for pre-load ahead of launch. The face plates and special DualSense controller are sold as separate accessories for existing owners of both the disc-based and Digital Edition PS5 consoles.
Reception
Critical reception
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic, with 98% of critics recommending the game on aggregator OpenCritic.
Significant praise was directed towards the narrative and characterization of the primary cast. Gene Park, writing for The Washington Post, applauded the development and increasing tension between Peter Parker and Miles Morales, as well as the former's friendship with Harry Osborn, noting that it was pushed as far as possible in a fashion that was "satisfying to watch." Matt Miller from Game Informer highlighted the story's effectiveness at deriving from philosophical concepts associated with heroism against villainy, recognizing the game's ability to pull from "questions about returning from a dark place and having another chance, no matter past mistakes." Miller also praised the game's effectiveness as an installment in a larger trilogy of games, able to standalone but is "made better by experiencing its entirety." In their 10/10 review of the game, Inverse directed praise towards the developer's seamless blend of ongoing narrative with the game mechanics, exemplifying the use of flashback sequences to teach the player about fundamental mechanics such as stealth and puzzle-solving, as well as the game's variation between quieter character-building, the minigames, and hallmark set-pieces during action sequences.
Sales
In the United Kingdom, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 debuted at the top spot in the retail charts during its week of release, outselling Super Mario Bros. Wonder which was released on the same date. It was also highlighted as the fourth-biggest physical launch of the entire year for the region, behind The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Hogwarts Legacy, and EA Sports FC 24.
Sony Interactive Entertainment and Insomniac Games announced on social media that the game had sold over 2.5 million units in the first 24 hours of release between physical units and digital sales on the PlayStation Store, making Marvel's Spider-Man 2 the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios title in Sony's history, and usurping the records previously held by Marvel's Spider-Man in 2018, The Last of Us Part II in 2020, and God of War Ragnarök in 2022. It is currently the third-highest selling PlayStation 5 game, under Final Fantasy XVI (2023) and Elden Ring (2022).
Awards
Future
In September 2023, shortly before Marvel's Spider-Man 2's release, narrative director Ben Arfmann addressed the possibility of future games. In October 2023, senior narrative director Jon Paquette and Insomniac discussed the possibility of a spin-off game involving the character Venom. The same month, senior creative director Bryan Intihar said that a potential third installment would be "pretty epic", comparing the stories of Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales to the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Iron Man (2008) and the story of Spider-Man 2 to Captain America: Civil War (2016). Intihar was also asked about various easter eggs referencing Daredevil, namely the appearance of Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson's law offices having been debranded and vacated after the events of the prior games, answering, "That's a good question. Stay tuned. Good find though."
References
Notes
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