Spider-Man 2 (PS5) - Game Review

Peter Parker & Miles Morales are back, to confront Kraven, Venom, and personal demons. Here's my review for Sony's SPIDER-MAN 2!
#SpiderMan2PS5

[@Chris-ig9gz]

Never thought about this but the Symbiote Suit is actually a parallel for addiction where the first hit makes you feel good and trusting and you are in control but more and more you use it, the less you can control what ever it is.

[@highoninsulin]

That is so true

[@Joel-sc2ee]

Doesn’t really work in this game though does it? They essentially just give Peter all of that stuff with none of the drawbacks later in the game, essentially undermining the entire addition allegory.

[@TaiAngel01]

​@Joel-sc2ee Think about it like this: It says more about Peter being strong enough to separate from it than it is to keep attached to what it does for you.

[@Joel-sc2ee]

@@TaiAngel01 Not really, because unlike other adaptions, Peter needed someone else to snap him out of it. Like someone else in these comments that made the comparison to Spider-man 3. In that Film, Peter himself realised what the Symbiotes done to him, and how far it’s driven him and made the conscious decision to rip it off of him because it wasn’t worth the extra power it gave him. In this game, it’s because of Miles, Miles beats the shit out of Peter and weakened the symbiote’s hold on him, allowing Peter to try and break free. So no, it doesn’t even do that well, especially seeing as if we are using a parrellel for addiction the plot essentially gives Peter a form of Cocain with ALL of the benefits and good feelings, and none of the drawbacks actual drugs have, The game completely and utterly flubbed the Black suit and Venom conflict in just about every way. The entire idea of Peter Vs Venom is that Peter doesn’t defeat Venom by matching him power for power (like this game essentially turns the conflict into) but instead uses his cunning and intelligence to overcome and out smart venom. The game essentially admits that Peter’s feelings of inadequacy about not being good enough, and needing the symbiote were in fact the correct ones to have, as the plot gives Peter essentially all those same abilities with none of the drawbacks to stand a chance against venom. I don’t think Peter as Spider-man gets a single victory in this game at all, he either needs the symbiote or the other symbiote.

[@ericdxfan511]

Spider-Man 3 (Editor’s Cut version) did that.

[@ymn3112]

I love that Insomniac didn't pull a RockSteady Arkham Knight with the Venom reveal. In the lead up to Arkham Knight's release, Rocksteady kept saying that Arkham Knight was a brand new character who they wrote specifically for the game, only for it to be Red Hood rebranded. Insomniac tells us who Venom is in the first scene, and makes us invested all the same, without the mystery aspect. Great job Insomniac.

[@enishi4ty5]

spoiler but i thought venom shouldve been kraven. the end wouldve made more sense with kraven turning nyc to a hunting ground, boosting his hunters and infecting the city. the venom reveal was imo worse than arkham knight. we all wanted and knew jason was the red hood we didnt get the secret. here, harry as venom just seems weird..makes peter kinda a jerk unintentionally, and makes miles a 4th party most of the game

[@redzO9]

Tony Todd as Venom is as definitive casting as Kevin Conroy as Batman.

[@waffen98]

No

[@nobu6273]

I think I could say that about Yuri Lowenthal as Peter, but probably not Tony Todd as Venom- as good as he was.

[@redzO9]

@@nobu6273 I prefer Christopher Daniel Barnes from the 90s cartoon but Yuri is an exceptional Spidey as well.

[@dongxx]

Too bad they wasted him

[@shoebaby]

@@nobu6273opposite for me

[@AlexxCalyx]

I did two playthrus, one on spectacular, then one on Ultimate difficulty. One of the things I really loved was the dialogue for Peter was completely different when doing the base take downs. If you had the symbiote on, Peter was very uncaring about Kraven's family conflict. But if you had the symbiote off Peter's dialogue was much more that of Peter.

[@Venomfang100]

I haven’t beaten the game yet but I’m close. I thoroughly appreciated the scene with Miles and Martin Li.His arc was really good and it actually brought me to tears.Great lessons about forgiveness and redemption.

[@jeffghant4760]

I'm not doing a second playthrough until ng+.

[@rpandya97]

@@Venomfang100yeah Miles and Martin Li’s story arc was what really hit home for me during the game.

[@buzzybuzzbuzz760]

I thought the combat was much more challenging in this game. Died so many times compared to past 2 games.

[@DeadlyBeast205]

Yeah I definitely was getting my butt beat a couple of times on this game

[@mattyk9531]

I think it has to do with playstyle. I also struggled but when the story was done and I realized I haven't upgraded anything because I didn't get the materials from doing the side quests I realised the difficulty was self inflicted. After my spiderman was lvl60 fully geared up I was walking thought the symbiotes. Nothing seemed scary anymore. @@DeadlyBeast205

[@1wayroad935]

There are way more dudes per-fight this time

[@Thatsme1ogan]

I didn't. I played this game on spectacular for my first play through and 100% the game, and i only died twice during the whole game I also noticed the big enemy's don't hit you out of the air any more at least for my playthrough and also all the attacks that you have to parry you can just be in the air and they for the most part can't hit you even during boss fights Plus the only time I parried the whole game was when we played as the "other character" in that Boss fight because I wasn't in the air

[@buttertoast1146]

Ok

[@Trujones]

Howards side quest (with the birds) damn near had me in tears 😢 Major attention to detail from the first game

[@freek931]

One thing that made a pretty big impact on me from this game was the deeply connected emotions between the side characters; mj and miles had conversations about things while swinging through the city just like genke and peter do. I really love that cause it feels more organic the way the wrote miles into peters story and now its both of their stories told together. SM2 is my game of the year idc lol

[@ayohbami]

Real shit. I agree completely

[@HairyVR]

be proud! it's my Game of the year too!

[@Phantom-kc9ly]

I love spiderman. But it wasn't RE4

[@Thisguy2532]

Yeah this is game of the year for me, even if it doesn’t win, it’s gotta get at least a few awards maybe best story or something cause the story was way more then I expected and exceeded my expectations and some

[@sgtroach1510]

@@Phantom-kc9lyre4 is a little overrated for me

[@mathiyanz]

Nothing like getting a JeremyJahns notification

[@nikhilsangtani3966]

U r right

[@francomoreno5090]

Ong

[@malachisurfs]

I played on the harder difficulty and the boss battles were certainly challenging I thought the Kraven and eventual Peter boss battle were two of the best boss battles I’ve ever played. Especially Kraven with the flash bangs and invisibility and the bell. Game was very fun but short

[@BahhBahhBrownSheep]

25 hours isn’t short

[@Eraser18574]

@@BahhBahhBrownSheepWas about to say that! I thought it had the perfect length.

[@NoCluYT]

@@BahhBahhBrownSheepfor AAA games now it's a bit on the shorter side. Like 5-10 years ago it would be above average

[@BahhBahhBrownSheep]

@@NoCluYT I disagree, not all of us play overly padded RPGs from Bethesda. And if length is a sign of quality or value then we fundamentally disagree about what a fun game should be.

[@anthonycallaway4904]

Scream and Venom were the hardest boss battles for me.

[@KingAndQueenLegacy]

I don’t understand how people didn’t know Harry was Venom if you played the first game. I don’t know if this is a special scene or not but it shows him in the tank with Norman and he touches the glass and on the side where harry is in a dark tentacle comes out and touches the glass back. I saw this on my first play through and have known for years at this point.

[@crimsonghoul8983]

Same reason why a lot of people were surprised that Cap knew about the death of Stark's parents. They missed that detail.

[@jp3813]

@@crimsonghoul8983 Heck, Sebastian Stan's face was in the promotional posters for Cap 2, yet many were still surprised to find out that Bucky is the Winter Soldier.

[@-JesseJ]

I thought kraven was going to be venom for a while. His large brutish statcher and his behavior of savagery made scenes it would choose him. I knew insomniac was doing their own thing not really relying on the comics so I was prepared for something different, just not Harry. Though I don't mind that it was him, ultimately, I do wish we got to see the unstoppable threat a kraven/Venom would have been. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@aoe1586]

I just beat it about ten minutes ago. Playing as Venom was more than I could have asked for as short as it was. It felt great ripping through everyone.

[@thatguy_dirt_in_your_eye]

Absolutely they should add a sandbox mode …like Halo creative where we can fight as Venom or other Spideys freely

[@panchovilla1870]

I gotta say in terms of emotion and story I prefer the first game, like Jeremy said it had moments of emotional depth all throughout while Spider-Man 2 did also have them, they were more spread throughout but in between it was filled with great combat gameplay so it kind of depends if you want the emotional story or fun gameplay I thought 2 pulled it off very well. Felt like a comic book storyline while the first one felt a bit more grounded. They are both amazing games I see no flaws honestly.

[@Dachin55555]

Idk in my opinion this one was more emotional i even cried at the end which i don’t do in most media

[@suckmyfc8045]

First game is better. Second game is good but needed more fleshing out story wise and would have been goated. Story could have had 5 more hours added on easily. Considering the fact that I platinumed this game in three days. Also no one going to say it but Miles story line was boring asf. Should have had Kraven chase after Miles instead of the super villians.

[@Nathan-zd8ew]

Wait really? I found the first game pretty emotionless besides May dying. This one was much better

[@christopherbucher7017]

Agreed. The best comparison I've been able to come around to is that the first one felt like a really good movie and very cinematic whereas this one felt more like a wacky comic book run. They definitely have a different feeling from each other but I loved both.

[@NutsorSomethingBerserk]

I agree. While I’m personally very bias towards this installment due to my favorite Spidey stories almost always incorporating venom/symbiote suit spidey and my favorite Spidey game being Web Of Shadows, I really enjoyed the rollercoaster on display here and the game really felt nostalgic to me at times playing WOS back when I was a kid.

[@DetroitAlan01]

The move away from secret identities is part of what’s killing the superhero genre. They may be improbable, especially in the Information Age. But, secret ID’s serve the purpose of marrying the fantastical to the every day. You can relate to the stuff Peter Parker deals with at work and in his personal life. So, when he’s in costume and saving the day, you have an “in” into that. Because you have gone through the same things he has, or know someone who has, it makes the impossible seem not so far away. They also add loads of dramatic tension. How is Pete going to stop Chameleon without revealing the secret of his double life? Green Goblin’s found out Parker and Spidey are one and the same. What is he going to do now? When the secret ID’s are done away with, there really isn’t anything for people to lock on to. All that’s left is high flying spectacle and derring do, without any significant emotional tether. And, a large portion of needed dramatic tension just goes “pfft.” Before too long, the stories get boring and sales start to drop. If the superhero genre is to survive in multimedia, the secret identity desperately needs to make a comeback. Just my take on the matter.

[@williamwallaceoftheus8033]

Spot on mate

[@goofysmp]

I’m not really familiar with Chameleon so I’m not sure how he’d need to reveal his secret identity? How does he take on Spider-Man’s form and Peters without seeing Peters face? Genuine question. Also Green Goblin will keep Peters secret the same reason that Doc Oc did (basically.) Just so he can hurt him later. I agree with your comment but this games universe is very comic booky and not like the movies. Norman will keep Peters secret so he can probably try and kill MJ and will probably kill Miles’ mom

[@Mlynoph]

I agree I hate that as well. It really creates this awkward and cringe dynamic between the hero and the people who know their identity. Your forced to balance work and life and it starts to feel more like a job with no meaning behind it. Not only that but including friends and family always gives the villains an easy target.

[@Plasmacat1]

The problem I have is that the secret identity gets old after a while too. Between a bunch of characters it’s always the same plot points over and over and the same fake drama for tension sake.

[@DetroitAlan01]

@@Plasmacat1 - everyone has a public life, a private life and a secret life. When you take away the secret ID’s, you reduce a character to just having one of those-the public persona. They’re always in costume, even when they’re not, because everyone knows who they are. That gets boring a lot faster than the drama created by said character harboring their secret life from those they know.

[@44briggs]

Played the game on spectacular was really challenging, but now trying the game on ultimate difficulty, is a lot more tougher, even the most basic enemies can easily gang up on you, the Parry system is also extremely precise which is frustrating, unless you decide to extend the window longer.

[@mareklonestar7053]

Isnt that a good thing, the parry system being precise?

[@44briggs]

@@mareklonestar7053 it is, for me added a huge layer of difficulty, which leaves me to believe that Jeremy played on normal, cause I died multiple times in the boss encounters (which is a little disingenuous to say this game is easy; especially when you get to the Venom part of the game).

[@SWaves17]

Yeah I played on Spectacular directly and there's not a single boss I beat in one try. Also I died on some basic crime missions because of the parry. After playing FFXVI which was really easy (for me), that's actually really refreshing that you can have a hard mode without beating the game.

[@michaeljohnson8868]

Parring is the freaking death of me 😣

[@BunchyPanther42]

There are definitely some aspects of this game that make it harder than the first. Not being able to heal until a full bar is filled makes your focus bar even more valuable. The parry only attacks can catch people off guard since everyone is so used to dodging and if you use your abilities and gadgets too fast you can get overwhelmed pretty fast

[@ImperMortis]

I liked the streamlined combat and the fact that boss battles were actually challenging in this game, but now that you mention it the fights against grunts were a lot easier. I remember how intense it was to clear out the Sable bases where you’d fight a huge horde of enemies that could throw a variety of attacks at you and inflict DOT effects. I feel like the next game needs to give us the harder combat combined with the harder boss fights. That being said, I still like the new game better, but that might be because I’m such a Venom fan.

[@braxtonbronson7541]

i dont even think theres achieve a x100 combo trophy like in the previous games because by the end its way too easy. Agreed

[@kato093]

Maybe try on the harder difficulty where you die with 3 hits. I played a few hours and spiderman 2 is way harder than 1. Sm1 was a cake walk on the hardest difficulty. There was little variety and the only real danger where guns from off screen. In sm2 you gotta parry stuff now. The fire guys in sm2 destroy anything there was in sm1. But don't get me wrong, sm2 on the hardest difficulty feels like a 3 or 4/10 on a difficulty scale still. Sm1 was just a 2/10. I'm just talking relative difficulty, sm2 is still easy AF and a baby could finish it on the hardest difficulty.

[@braxtonbronson7541]

@@kato093 might have to take my comment back; forgot I was on Amazing the whole time…. That makes a lot more sense. 😂 I’ll have to give it a try and thanks for the tips!

[@alexlara5326]

Playing on easy most likely …

[@brandon-butler]

Weird. I thought the boss battles felt easier in this game.

[@HelloJoseph83]

The one notable change during combat is the healing ability. In the previous games, you used to be able to heal at anytime as long as you have at least a partially full bar, so this helped with keeping your health up during fights and made combat more streamlined. But now, you have to have a completely full bar in order to heal. While I can see that they most likely did this to up the challenge, it did make me have to adjust my gameplay style a bit from the previous games. I was so used to how those mechanics worked that it was a bit jarring at first. All about balance I guess.

[@Bannedconfidential]

Yeah same, threw me off for the first couple hours but I thought it was a welcome change.

[@K.H6751]

Did take a bit to get uset to, I thought it did up the challenge and forced you to think a bit more

[@mcflufferkins]

Honestly forgot about partial heals whilst playing the remaster on PC whilst watching a playthrough of SM2. Probably a good thing for me to not reacclimate to if the PC port happens any time soon.

[@HelloJoseph83]

@@mcflufferkins So do you mean the PC version of SP remastered didn’t allow partial healing? Or did you just not needed to heal often during combat that you forgot that partial healing was possible? I’ve never played it on PC so I wouldn’t know.

[@AmariMarvelous]

Which balance is the theme of the game literally

[@smlshin]

This and the first game are GOAT'ed. Like Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. Loved making the symbiote as you pointed out a parasite, a better Web Of Shadows than the original game itself, Kraven wrecked shop, and I initially raised my eyebrows when Insomniac announced it wasn't Eddie Brock, and the new person who would be Venom was pretty obvious if you think about it, but I did appreciate and liked the Venom change for what it was in the game.

[@firstlast9846]

*Spiderman’s popularity has boomed in recent years* with so many great projects being released… wish the same would happen with Superman low-key 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@on33r4jo3]

I hate that superman is falling off

[@firstlast9846]

@on33r4jo3 - I partially blame the Snyder movies - 3 runs at superman and the audience still thinks he’s boring? Yea failed as a director and storyteller of that happens

[@Jellybob69]

He was always this popular, only time his relevance was seriously in trouble was when the TASM movies were coming out.

[@Tech_-on1ou]

Spiderman has always been Marvels #1 property

[@firstlast9846]

@Jellybob69 no the hype was never like this.. he was always immensely, extremely popular but hes hit another level with Spiderverse, NWH and r he video games in recent years

[@PrimeTime__]

Combat is definitely tougher on here, but I'm playing on Spectacular too. Not as easy to dodge some attacks, some you have to parry some you can't just dodge or parry at all. Once Venom comes in, combat gets even tougher with all this.

[@FoosballFurry]

And the fact that you can’t continuously heal like you could in the first game made it tougher too

[@guitarhero8110]

I don't like that everyone important to miles knows his secret. For me a big part of being Spider-man is juggling the responsibilities of being a man and a superhero while doing your best to keep those lives from bleeding into each other. It's part of the whole carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders thing.

[@NoThankYouToo]

Well said

[@marcusclark1339]

this is one of the many reasons Miles just isn't spiderman or a interesting character - he has no strife in his life or reason to EVEN BE SPIDERMAN and it shows

[@therandomrantguy9474]

venom is the biggest victim of the move away from secret identities. i remember in the 90s tv show, what made venom a literal juggernaut of tension is that he knows peter parker is spider-man, and despite having removed the symbiote suit the threat to you and all your loved ones is constant. it's almost like the worst break-up imaginable, still trying to get back at you. seeing aunt may with eddie brock and having him smile at peter makes for fantastic tension. besides, that's also what made venom imo the prime spidey antagonist as he's a direct opposite of peter or a warning of what may have been if he had kept the suit, as opposed to the "twisted mentor" relationships with doc-oc or green goblin

[@atulgautam2081]

The side missions with Wraith, leading to The Flame getting the carnage symbiote was awesome! I really liked that one.

[@m11w888]

Me too!!

[@tyleroutland435]

I beat Marvel's Spiderman 2 a couple of days ago 31 hours in total. I rate it 9.8/10 and it's my game of the year.

[@doublebigMark]

Love when Jeremy does these. These games are insanely good nowadays.

[@OilFreeFeathers]

It's a mid propaganda product.

[@xUseTheForks]

​@@OilFreeFeathers😂

[@lawrencelord9777]

@@OilFreeFeathersyou can’t even articulate what exactly is propaganda in the game even if you tried right now. Go ahead we’re all waiting

[@RonhozZ]

@@OilFreeFeathers just say you broke and can't buy it

[@Asmodeus562]

As the symbiote starts taking you over i liked how you start hearing venom through the controller

[@ryanreviews8566]

you can always count on JJ for a clear and concise review whether it be a movie or a game!

[@wayneswirl]

Such a twist having Aunt May come back as Venom🔥

[@Pentaholic88]

I absolutely love this game. For me it’s better than the first. Everything was improved from traversal, combat, story, world, voice acting, etc. And the teases for the next game I found in the side missions was so awesome.

[@theperson8539]

Let's wait for the DLC, I feel like some of that might play out there.

[@luckyplvys]

Traversal was the only one up, story was not as nearly as focused and they kinda wasted venom imo he’s in it for like 20 minutes

[@REaDComicsau]

It’s full performance capture, much more than just voice acting.

[@TheReelHeel]

Everything was improved apart from the story.

[@Anonymous-Wolf]

Story didn't connected to me like the first one

[@shawalfida6357]

Insomniac made it as such to ensure that the previous spidey games doesn't feel redundant, and is very different in certain aspects. The traversal is very2 much improved, its part of what makes it fun, The random encounters are much more enjoyable Combat is tougher, NGL, i platinumed both previous games by playing it on easy modes first, then complete it the 2nd time on ultimate difficulty, The only difficult part was those silver fox bases in the DLC , stealth mission in miles morales Here in sp2, combat is alot tougher as you go along, with more varieties, and all abilities and gadget is a must , I didn't meddle with difficulty settings this time around and set everything to amazing, got abit more confident after platinuming Armored core 6 Story wise, its epic, Its right up there with the best games out there, Just when you thought things are at a plateau, it escalates more and more and more, the writing is top notch, A must play And one of the best if not the best spiderman game currently

[@PlayerOne.StartGame]

I was a bit worried how the symbiote powers would look without the black suit but honestly it works better than I expected, and I like that rage mode still has it overtake your choice with full on black suit.

[@jessicastrike5640]

Spider-Man fans really have been eating well in the last few years, the MCU Spidey, these games, the Spiderverse films, we live in a golden age of Spider-Man content

[@rojobroko5979]

Got the platinum, love Kraven and Venom.

[@ajizel13]

One thing i likes about the symbiote part of the story is that after a while, you see peters personal monologue start to change..until eventually you really just here venoms voice for brief moments telling peter to "do it" like palpatine....if ya know what i mean

[@ethankillion786]

This feels like a significant step up on a technical level, other than the far away detail I'm quite taken aback how fast you can swing and the distance you can cover compared to the previous games. I'm actually glad they limited how much they showed pre release. Looking forward to getting stuck into this proper tomorrow after work.

[@Thisguy2532]

Dude the story legit like make this GOTY it’s freaking awesome and I loved it on my second play through, one tip I have especially if your in higher difficulty is do more side things even photos and the sandman crystals especially around mid game or when you get the venom suit use it as much as possible get as much side stuff done with it that was my mistake first time

[@funguyz45]

As someone who blazed the main story on amazing, this game was almost frustratingly hard but it made all your abilities and gadgets really matter. I can definitely see if you grind side content and on a lower difficulty, this game does become cake. But the first one you could spam spider bots so I feel like this one is easily harder. Some of the boss fights kicked my ass in this one.

[@lucashome]

I agree i thought this one was way harder lmao. Having to Parry/Dodge made the combat more clunky to me at first but once you get the hang of it it looks and feels and flows cleaner it’s just more intense

[@alejandroberrios4756]

Yeah majority of comments here agree that this game is definitely harde than the first, don’t know why Jeremy found it so easy, maybe he just was appropriately leveled his entire playthrough, but it took me time to get to that point so I found this game much more challenging than the first, and boss fights are definitely way harder.

[@TheShakan973]

It wasn’t too hard for me but yeh, was harder than the first game

[@Apocalipsist93]

It was weird, I ran through the first game a week before this came out and got platinum, and just loved the ride. There were a few things that hit differently though. I think I felt a bit more invested in miles’ arc with Li. I lost my dad around this time last year, and I’m still working through my feelings about that, but it felt almost therapeutic to process the grief miles had in the game as well as Peters grief like while playing the mission in peters head I had to stop because it resurfaced a lot but it was really good. I think it’s great even if the first does some things better but I guess for me I just felt their pain more in this and it immersed me so much more. My wife and I loved it. I did feel like at a certain point though I found myself just wondering where the ceiling was. It just felt like the boss fights just kept getting bigger and I disconnected slightly.

[@RJ_____________]

i liked this Spiderman 2 way more than i liked Soiderman 1 ans Spiderman Miles Morales. Kraven is a good character on this game in my opinion. and Venom is a phenomenal character in my opiniin. i think it was nice to hear your on this game, Jeremy. i wish you and everyone that see this message a great new year.

[@JackCharles_Guitar]

This is now one of my favourite Jeremy Jahns videos. Really great when you talk about Spiderman dude... i really relate from memories of playing Spiderman on Ps1 and Ps2.

[@firesnakex8]

I have to say I disagree a bit on how they balanced the spider-men dynamic. It was certainly good but it really felt a lot of times they had Peter messing up a lot more so Miles had a reason to help. Like the amount of times Peter got his butt kicked in situations he wouldn't have in the first game is crazy. And to further drive in the point (spoilers) the final phase of the final boss has you play as miles which is crazy given the personal context between peter and the final boss.

[@bll1]

They want to get rid of peter. They even introduced silk. Next game is definitely miles and silk game

[@codymcc02]

@@bll1 they definitely aren’t getting rid of Peter. If you listen to what is said at the end Peter isn’t retiring he’s just taking a break. There’s no way Insomniac would make Spider-Man 3 and include green goblin without Peter. I’m guessing we’re gonna get another .5 game like Miles Morales with Miles training Silk and then we get the 3 of them in the 3rd game

[@ni06no]

@@codymcc02it’s possible

[@bll1]

@@codymcc02 2 spider people were enough and balancing them didn’t go that well. Venom would be a better 3rd playable character in next game over silk

[@Dachin55555]

@@bll1Nah they did a great job balancing both characters

[@Benergi]

I only wished they had more stealth missions in this, I feel like if there was more at the start, the symbiote violence at the end would be even more impactful

[@TheSoulWithin7]

My feline companion passed in august, this game was the only thing i kept thinking of for brightsides, this game lived up my expectations and even surpassed them, thankful for grade a entertainment during this hard time for me ❤

[@spastheghost]

What difficulty did you play on? You're the only person I've watched who said this game was easier than the first. I played it on Spectacular and it almost felt a bit souls-like at times. I got my ass whooped very frequently at some sections

[@DavidMartinez-ce3lp]

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows had the most interesting and fun take on the symbiote. Letting you choose to be good, or bad. These decisions were definitely enhanced by the zombie apocalypse scenario where the Symbiote took over the people of New York like a virus.

[@Tim_E21]

Dude, I could not disagree more with the difficulty thing. I’ve played the first game a million times on ultimate, and this game is definitely harder. It felt just as hard on spectacular if not harder in many spots. Boss fights are WAY harder this time, there’s just no comparison. They were almost no challenge at all in the first game. I can only assume Jeremy must have been playing on easy if he made that assessment. Puzzles are a little harder and better. The only things I would agree with are the platinum is easier and there are less rocket launcher enemies, but I felt like with four gadgets and four supers that all expire, at times I had less answers than the first game. However while I felt that made this one a feel a little harder overall, I do think the combat in the first game felt a hair more varied in some ways, which was a strength

[@systemofadown945]

The robot dogs and green symbiotes were pissing me tf off

[@fraughtmonster8]

@@systemofadown945the green ones are HELLA weak but they go down if you shoot them with the web shooter

[@systemofadown945]

@@fraughtmonster8 of course i just find that out now that im finished ...

[@fraughtmonster8]

@@systemofadown945 😭😭😭 the yellow ones are brawlers, Green: very weak but dodge like crazy Purple: ranged attacks. Shoot stuff at you and lay mines that explode: Red: grabbers they love to grab you. And the big ass behemoth whose tanky as fuck

[@curranatorproductions]

Yeah this one was much harder. Nothing even comes close in the first one. Not sure what Jeremy played on but he’s way off there.

[@afr0cuban57]

Jeremy must’ve played on easy. Spectacular and ultimate will make you rethink your choices in life lol I died sooooo many times bro! The window for executing a perfect timed parry is so small (you have to press is as soon as your spider sense turns red but on hard difficulty it turns red at the VERY LAST SECOND for only a millisecond) so I found myself getting clapped at least twice in every fight because the parry-attacks take away like 75% of ya health bar. Not only that but they implement ways to stop you from spamming combos and gadgets. If you just spam square on an enemy, after like the fourth or fifth punch they will counter you and knock you back/or roll out the way. And the hunters have mechanical dogs the send out Emp waves to stop you from using gadgets. And even when you stop the emp you have to wait for ya gadget to refill all over again. It was very difficult but very rewarding once you balance out and switch up your attack methods and learn your parry timing

[@StraightEdgeKnight19]

I played it spectacular and it wasn’t that difficult. The boss fights were a bit challenging at times though.

[@kenethernandez6246]

​@@StraightEdgeKnight19It's not dark souls level of difficult but harder than the first game tbh. Especially the bosses.

[@HM-hd7up]

Doesnt sound right even though I havent played the game, but what Ive seen so far the game looks much easier. Heck even miles morales was much easier than the first because of the venom abilities so it makes sense this would be easier. Oh and trust me, theres no way Jeremy played it on easy knowing him.

[@kenethernandez6246]

@HM-hd7up Wait till you play bro. It's not easier on the higher difficulties and I'm someone who's played all the games.

[@afr0cuban57]

@@HM-hd7up Jeremy probably played on normal, that’s the difficulty most casual players play on because they want to enjoy the story and not die repeatedly. But if you played both the previous games and mastered general gist of the combat, then I would recommend starting on higher difficulty. The reason most people will say the first game is harder is because of the learning curve. There’s no learning curve in this game , we all basically know how to fight. So plying on easy or normal will feel like child’s play

[@immatthewvega4709]

This is the 2nd honest review I seen for this game

[@PatrasPhantom]

Man, thinking Spider-Man 2 is easier than 1 is insane to me. I think I died once or twice throughout Spider-Man 1, but in 2 I died tens of times to each boss..

[@lokestar1595]

Me too I kept getting stuck on some boss battles lol

[@metal_monster7723]

Same here. I thought spiderman 2 was WAY harder. I went through a play through of Spider-Man on ultimate mode without dying. I died in almost every boss fight in spiderman 2, and it was only Spectacular mode

[@kevthepoet]

"I'm not locked in here with you" that was an amazing edit! lol

[@oldcdog91]

I found the combat pretty challenging especially later in the game. Now you have two main defense mechanics and the game did a good job of not letting you rely on the one you were most familiar with. The MJ portions were “better” than 1, I guess, but still felt unnecessary. I just wanted to kick ass as one of the spidermen, not be Jane Wick.

[@thatguy_dirt_in_your_eye]

The trick is to use the environment in the Symbiote fights….the bells and pipes help a lot

[@alex-og.zalez9403]

I love how the symbiote suit chamges its appearance to become more feral looking the longer its attached to peter, showings how its taking over

[@bramderacourt9499]

I like how Jeremy amicably calls out the BS of Mary Jane taking out squads of henchmen with a taser without going on a seven-minute rant and basing his whole opinion on the game of it, like SOME people.

[@isaacbeeby2528]

SPOILER! I love how Insomniac tried to tell us from the very beginning (literally in the very first teaser trailer for the game over two years ago) that Venom ends up killing Kraven. Kraven: Will one of you FINALLY give me what I desire? Venom: YES! WE WILL! He wasn't talking about the two Spider-Men, he was talking about the Symbiote and the host, in this case being Harry. Also, remember what Kraven wanted. He was looking for someone or something that not only was his equal in combat, but could also best him and give him a death be deemed worthy and Venom gave him that.

[@matthewjobin6665]

I enjoy the combat and how if you manage your cool downs on things, you can keep an enemy stunlocked, but I certainly would’ve liked them to have added an immunity state like they did with runic attack immunity in Ragnarok.

[@infinity_sh4816]

2:47 LMAOOo that line had me cracking up, poor lizard didnt deserve that and neither did connors lmaoo

[@stt.9433]

Just finished the game, man what a trip. The symbiote part is def a standout in this game, playing Venom and tearing through everything was fucking epic.

[@GSPsvita]

I just got PS4 slim and I got the Spider Man game , I'm like 5-6 h in to the game , looks and feels great . Maybe some day I'll get ps5 and this game 🙂

[@8Andrewman8]

MJ says she trained with Silver Sable since the last game. Hence the smoother, more badass MJ missions.

[@OilFreeFeathers]

How many Rey Skywalker Funko pops do you own?

[@goodfellas1001]

So a weekend with sable is better than a life time of hunting and killing under kraven? A Taser is more powerful than Spider-Man punching then a dozen times and Miles electricity?

[@rasengdori13]

@@OilFreeFeathers

[@rasengdori13]

@@goodfellas1001 She trained with them for like a year. She also dies in one hit from most enemies. It ain’t that deep. You’re just upset a woman in competent in defending herself.

[@PlayerOne.StartGame]

As a longtime comic book reader series like Insomniac's Spider-Man and Batman Arkham actively validate my fandom because they wear the source material on their sleeves and use them to their fullest extent. Glad to hear this is no different

[@lamario295]

Flash Thompson is the only Agent Venom I recognize

[@Patrick_Nguyen]

*SPOILERS* (My thoughts on Kraven) Kraven is good, but I feel like he would have wanted the symbiote for himself. If only he knew it could prolong his life *AND* make him *THE* apex predator. Kraven pulled the same move on Peter as he did on Scorpion, so I feel like he would’ve figured out that the black suit was the reason he lived. If I found out that I was terminally ill and knew about the symbiote, I’d want to take it for myself. I wish Kraven was a version of venom in this game. It would’ve been different and awesome because it lines up with him wanting to be the greatest hunter. Going from wanting to be worthy enough to die at the hand of his greatest hunt to becoming the greatest hunt. Harry would probably die, but it would still set up Norman hating Spider-Man.

[@Patrick_Nguyen]

@@karimtarekammar9327 Thanks, I appreciate that.

[@Patrick_Nguyen]

@@jpjusthere He only looked for someone worthy to kill him because he didn’t want his cancer to kill him first.

[@Victor-qx3vx]

Idk. Kraven could work if written like that, but he’d also work as someone who feels like relying on symbiote would make him less of a Hunter. Kraven already has everything he needs to hunt properly. Your take is not bad by any means, but personally the motivation “I want to die a hunter’s death” hits way harder for me than “I want to save my own life and become the apex predator”.

[@Patrick_Nguyen]

@@Victor-qx3vx It would’ve landed better for me if they didn’t show the drugs he took to treat his cancer. They could’ve just shown documents to imply that he didn’t want the treatment. He also had potions that implied his increased strength, so I’m not sure he’d mind the symbiote as a crutch like Harry in the beginning. It would’ve been a better boss fight too. Venom’s boss fight in the end felt repetitive and stretched. They could’ve had Spider-Man fight Kraven and win, then the symbiote takes over his unconscious body. Spider-Man would have to decide whether he should kill him like Dr. Conners said or save him (just like Harry in the game, only this time the choice would be harder for him because it’s not his best friend).

[@koji6745]

I feel like Kraven is like the Predator (original, none of the latest bs) They want to hunt, to *be* the best. Not modify themselves through others Its the whole point. If they /use/ others to be the best, theyre not the best. Who theyre using is.

[@FermentedFolkman]

MJ says at first that she was happy she took the self-defense classes from silver sable

[@unvergebeneid]

I thought the combat against the hunters could get kind of challenging. There are moments where the game throws just so darn many at you, they're depleting your charges, there's snipers way out of range of your abilities that won't let you catch a breath let alone get into a rhythm of air combat... so yeah, those fights were tougher than most boss fights.

[@andruism7]

I agree that the last act got too big. I always thought Venom worked best due to the symbiote's connection with Peter - how it makes him behave, the relationship damage it causes to his loved ones, it's obsession with him after being rejected, and even the fact that Pete's spider-sense doesn't go off due to it's familiarity with it. How cool would it have been as a mechanic where you rely on your spider-sense through most of the game just to find that this one character doesn't set it off? Sure, Venom is obsessed with Peter here, but that's more Harry's obsession than the symbiote. Instead we got symbiote overload, which is admittedly a problem that the comics have as well. I hated the comic series where symbiotes take over the city and that's basically where this went. Wasn't a fan of it in either medium. Which was too bad because 3/4 of this game's story was fantastic. Loved the horror elements of it when Peter loses control and there you are playing as MJ trapped in the dark with him....

[@fjs0701]

Insomniac should make every single Marvel game from this point on

[@firstlast9846]

Nah, as someone pointed out.. a company with as much talent as insomniac should be making their own projects and not just Marvel games.. even if they are good - they should dip after Wolverine or Spider-Man 3

[@fjs0701]

@@firstlast9846 Ok I agree with you too, I mean just like the Russo Brothers, they have directed multiple amazing MCU movies but they can’t be directing Marvel projects forever, so I understand what you’re saying

[@jasonfoster6815]

This game has made being Spider-Man more accessible for everyone who ever dreamed of webbing across NYC. The villains inclusion and scale implementation was.. CHEF’S KISS 9.5/10

[@Carolyn-Wallace-5]

Amazing info. But It's no longer a story that the world is experiencing a global economic downturn, I'm so happy that I've been receiving $64,000 from my $15,000 investment every 8 days

[@Carolyn-Wallace-5]

The crypto market is highly profitable with an expert broker just like Mrs Evelyn Ruth Reis I got recommended to her and since then my financial life has been a success.

[@joe-harrison]

Bitcoin has been the most profitable investment online. If only you can trade with professional broker that will work you through the process needed.

[@plutonicearth1678]

Bro these bots getting crazy

[@benwasserman8223]

Honestly, every video game needs some version of Web Wings. Don't think I've used fast travel once since beginning Spider-Man 2, because these traversal mechanics are just too much fun to ignore.

[@KJ-je9pm]

Love this game! Played it at launch and platinum’d it in 3 days. I need a dlc or expansion now please!

[@Akuma07]

I think the story was more focused and personal this time around, so for me it felt like a sequel that went smaller. Not including where Venom takes over New York lol.

[@mikeglasswell-gameplay]

I would have loved for symbiote to be a lab experiment more than full alien. it would have made Venoms line "We are your Son" hit much more. and not ramp up to some alien invasion plot line

[@XenonRider7]

I loved playing Spider-Man 2. Another great entry in Insomniac's Spider Man universe. Hopefully the next one will be just as great.

[@imperialdra-mon5907]

we talking about the same game?

[@mirkecWii]

​@@imperialdra-mon5907 guess not

[@Multihazard9115]

⁠@@imperialdra-mon5907wdym

[@ErikE7683]

So happy with the way you titled the video so many KZbinrs just want to post these videos with spoilers in the title people whom I’m not even subscribed to showed up on my feed with spoilers on the title, such as the fate of leaven the hunter, I know who venom is because of these videos and few other plot points. Can’t go on KZbin any more for new releases.

[@louisberry4403]

One of the best comic book and sequel games ever that improves upon the last 2 games. Tony crushed it as did everyone else. Can't wait for Marvel's Wolverine And Hope to get Goblin And Strange In The Third Spidey Game.

[@agent_red_hood]

Me personally I love the story of this game and how deep it got the further I got into it. Especially a couple of the side missions I teared up..if you know you know.

[@rachelknightonline]

Getting Tony Todd to voice Venom was truly an amazing achievement in and of itself

[@davidk713]

This game is better than the first two!

[@Atrus999]

This was the first game I've platinumed in a long time. I had SO much fun playing Spider-Man 2. Venom was perfect, the story was excellent, and now I can't wait for the next game!

[@dragonballsuper340]

Me 2 broo, now there's no content for us anymore, that might be my only gripe about this game

[@Atrus999]

@@dragonballsuper340 I'm hoping for some Carnage DLC at some point. 🤞

[@deadman6919]

I think the first game was more challenging just on the fact that when you're playing it the first time you are still learning the controls compared to the sequel where you already know the majority of what the combat can do so it makes it easier.

[@MrGgabber]

Amazing game. I love how they have license to make their own Canon. It really keeps the story interesting and engaging

[@MrGgabber]

@draGanix33 Okay, maybe, but a lot of it isn't commonly known lore, unless you've read every Spiderman comic ever made. They clearly do have some creative freedom, which was more my point, which keeps it kind of expected

[@MrGgabber]

@draGanix33 Okay, Okay, you win. Though about 90% of the comments I've seen are about how interesting it is that Harry is Venom and they have never heard those storylines before. So maybe, just maybe, it isn't as well know as you think it is. But for the sake of argument I'll let you have it

[@chillwillfromtheville]

I loved the hint of the antagonist (Carnage) for Spider Man 3. Shit is gonna be epic.

[@gerstein03]

Honestly I really like Harry Osborn as Venom. A lot of people don't I really do

[@Major98]

I thought it was handled really well.

[@andrewneal3594]

Bro spoilers wtf

[@adamdavis1737]

It was a good choice, especially since everything was already hinting towards it so it would have been kind of a cop out to not go that route

[@Onyxiate]

I loved him as Agent Venom, but his motivation was just “Peter wants me to be alive instead of letting me die” and “my dad hugged Peter so I must be bad now”, while the Symbiote has no motivation at all and is just something to drive the plot forward. Playing as Venom, with Venom being my favourite Marvel character, was so much fun but it was only for one short mission, and otherwise I just couldn’t care - hell, Scream was more interesting than Venom by speaking MJ’s real feelings toward Pete and him having to confront that in the fight with her, while Venom is just saying random things that don’t feel related to Peter. I liked how it started, but I feel they kinda dropped it by the end.

[@rasengdori13]

@@andrewneal3594Jeremy warned you. It’s your own fault.

[@bryanxjames1215]

6:23 speaking of the Arkham games.. that’s where they got the “wire” from

[@interregnum_]

...holy crap, I hadn't considered that a generation just grew up without keeping your superhero identity a secret _from_ _everyone_ being the default. Oh, that just sent my childhood self into a panic.

[@dylanamaral1663]

I got chills when Peter tells MJ to run in Tony Todd’s Venom voice. Perfect casting

[@harasnicole]

Much like Jedi Survivor, Spider-Man 2, in my personal opinion, improved upon everything that the first Spider-Man gave us and then some. I love that each boss was difficult for me on the default "normal" difficulty, and that I had to really learn their patterns to know when to parry and when to dodge. I also really loved that at least two or three of the bosses were people you weren't expecting to fight, whether because of the symbiote or something else. It's my game of the year, idc idc. I knew it would be.

[@jprotege4]

I thought it would've been interesting if kraven had become venom since he too is dying from cancer, but I understand the route they took

[@spid3rfant0ny]

Great review as always and totally agree that the first one was better in terms of storytelling, and challenging missions. My biggest gripe is that they kept woke Miles from Miles Morales. The whole Uncle stories were even unnecessary. It was a missed opportunity to flesh him out more while hunting Li and then could have introduced new villians. All his side missions were "checklists" and Hailey is such a forced "aww that's sweet" . Also RIP Pete's balls. Gave stoicism to everyone but him. No surprise. I mean I knew I was going still love Pete's side of the story. The whole Symbiote saga has always been the greatest way of storytelling to us to never let our emotions consume us because it will.

[@XoTicGunner]

I got the Platinum last night, took me 25 hours. But I was taking my sweet time swinging all over the city and exploring my hometown of Queens. Love it! Also im going to replay Spider man 2018 and Miles morales so I can Platinum those too.

[@tikijr2204]

How accurate would you say it is to the real queens?

[@XoTicGunner]

​@@tikijr2204pretty close. Not 100% since it's scaled down.

[@GhostwalkerSparrow]

Honestly I think 2 is better then 1 just because they streamlined the gadgets where you couldn’t really quick fire them in the first game and in Miles Morales. I do enjoy the combat just a bit more because of the parry system and now you can block attacks which is pretty neat.

[@anyaakash2269]

I agree with u and the story idk made me cry more then once first rdr2 then Spiderman 2

[@GhostwalkerSparrow]

@@anyaakash2269 nothing can beat the ending of Spider-Man 1 for me, but man I think Spider-Man 2 definitely had better side missions. Howard was the best and the mission of the missing granddad is also quite wholesome. I do really love what they did in the main story. How we see both Spider-Men helping their city and each other.

[@TheSoulGage]

The idea of the symbiote being more of a parasite was always there but as far as I remember, I can't recall where it stayed like that consistently. Even though it's more compelling when there is a relationship there, it's refreshing to have a take on it like that.

[@TevyaSmolka]

I love this game it was really awesome and badass

[@obrians-brown1307]

That clip with Venom where you mentioned Tony Todd actually looks like the Hulk reveal when he jumped out on the campus in the 2008 Incredible Hulk movie.

[@ronpugsley6137]

Personally I thought this game was tougher than the first but I suck at the combat lol. I do also think this game is better in pretty much every way. That being said both games are top tier spiderman games. Now eventually we witness Insomniac's Wolverine which will be a sight to behold.

[@adamwalsh4045]

I loved the game but I don’t like the free roam the glitches or the puzzles I think they let the game down a lot I also don’t understand when Peter Parker retires but then you play as him in free roam

[@vincentwood3450]

Loved the game, but I do agree with enjoying the first one quite a bit more.

[@StraightEdgeKnight19]

Idk how. 1st game doesn’t even exist to me anymore.

[@vincentwood3450]

@@StraightEdgeKnight19 i think i resonated with the story in the first game a lot more. I was an emotional wreck for a lot of it. There's also a lot of small details i feel like they left out in the second one that were in the first

[@StraightEdgeKnight19]

@@vincentwood3450 I don’t think the small details were a lost though. Imo though Spider-Man 2 is leaps and bounds above the 1st game, just the symbiote alone mops the floor.

[@drgonzo123]

The best portrayal of Venom outside the comics. It’s what I wished the movies were.

[@bradleylansiquot298]

I felt this game was harder than the first mainly because of the parry mechanic and the color being the same as the dodge. However I really enjoyed my time with the game and wish there was more to do by the end of it. This is an overwhelming better game than the last, I won't be able to go back after experiencing the web wings.

[@theparadoxzone2396]

Finally got my hands on the game and I gotta say I'm loving it so far. I have no idea why people are bashing the game calling it awful. Like people are calling it a masterful mess. Or mediocre? Like what? Are we playing the same game? So far it's a masterpiece

[@thegamingking2823]

I wish it was a bit longer though story wise, I would have liked more venom stuff and better combat encounters